#goes for both him and arcee actually

[blade-liger-4ever]

Why Cody Burns succeeded where Rafael Esquivel failed

Honestly, Raf is one of those characters I never thought much of, in part because he was so forgettable. More often than not in Prime, Raf was just the sweet baby who everybody thought the world of and wanted to keep out of harm's way, even though the most he ever did in the show was provide technical help with Earth machinery or play the part of innocent child. This was not helped by the fact that he was buddy-ed up with the mute Bumblebee, who's sole contributions up until his two part arc and the series finale was additional man power and adorable mimic. While this was good for background humor, it ultimately did nothing to the overall storyline in the series, both for Raf and for Bee, and for the series itself.

By contrast, Cody Burns - the resident team baby, beloved by all and unwaveringly helpful in rescue missions - stood out far more than Raf. And what's more, is that he never had "his own" Autobot/Cybertronian partner, when literally his whole family had one of their own.

Allow me to delve into this, hopefully, final observatory post regarding the TFP kids.

Of all the humans, we quite frankly get the least out of Raf. We know he's a prodigy, given that he's twelve (and a quarter) and jumped straight into the same classes as Miko and Jack, the former of whom is no slouch as I've already covered. We're shown that his family allows him free reign of Jasper, as he's playing by himself near the road, although he's alone. That tells us that his family is either extremely lax in their attention for their youngest child, or that Jasper is an actually safe location for a kid who's barely filling out his shoes to be on his own. Whether or not either option is true, that's dangerous and shows that Raf goes unnoticed by his family. I'm not saying they're abusive or willfully neglectful of him, but this points us to the conclusion that Raf has a very lonely home life, and we already know that he's got zero friends until he meets the Autobots.

This could have been a great plot-point for the series: by giving Team Prime a small child with no one for company, the writers could have more clearly given the Autobots hope for the future of the War/after the War, while Raf could have gained confidence and security from having people who actually cared and listened to him. It could have been fun, having him be the human cycling through the Autobots for various needs. Imagine Raf going to Optimus for comfort after another day of feeling ignored, talking to Arcee for ideas on how to stand up to Vince (being the sole child in class makes you a target, after all), or coming to Bulkhead for how to struggle through the physical aspects of his school regimen (i.e. the time he brought up the rope climbing to Ratchet.) The possibilities were endless.

But instead, he's specifically handed over to Bee. Bee, who is the disabled child that is also largely forgotten, and who, while he does bond with Raf and provide him with much needed company, offers nothing else in the way of development or storylines. We got something marginally better when Raf started spending time with the grumpy grandpa that is Ratchet, which was great to highlight Ratchet's soft side that nurtures his own character progression, but it's not enough for Raf's development. I greatly prefer the company of the Autobots to the human characters in virtually every series, but there needs to be a noticable human presence to ground the Autobots' protective instincts toward Earth and to push along the story. Raf ended up being a token character not even halfway through the first season, which is a shame given his potential, especially since he and Bee ended up being background décor.

Now, as a counterpoint, we come to Cody Burns.

Like Raf, Cody is the youngest child of the Burns clan - and I say clan because his family has been the one providing Griffin Rock's safety and protection for about...roughly three hundred years? (Correct me if I'm wrong, but his family were the ones in-universe to discover the island. Thus, there's a large claim and respect to his family's name.) His father Charlie is the chief of police; his oldest brother Kade is the chief firefighter; his older sister Dani is the helicopter pilot and primary search and rescue operator; and his brother Graham, who's about eight years older than ten year old Cody, is already a chief engineer and inventor himself. Clearly, Cody has an impressive family. Clearly, they're the best of the best, and he couldn't be prouder of them.

And clearly, Cody feels the need to earn his stripes given their talents and the family's reputation.

A recurring subplot in Rescue Bots is how Cody is insecure about his role on the team, and that often leads him to attempt to provide help and find his place in life in the family. Sometimes, this works; although he's often left monitoring the situations across the island at home through the cameras, Cody finds ways of giving advice or pointing out a hazard that the others are oblivious to that would have likely killed them. And this is a noble occupation his fills, with his aid saving many lives and much trouble.

However, sitting around and merely being an observer wears on him. It makes him restless, and he often seeks aid from the 'Bots to figure out his problems before typical shenanigans ensue that rectify the current episode's dilemma.

This is an important part of Cody's characterization because while he does occasionally feel left out/ignored by his family, he understands it is because of their duties. Charlie has to daily wrangle different criminals and legal offenses while Graham is eagerly going to town on his latest project. Kade and Dani each have their own lives that are beginning and that they're pursuing, but additionally maintain an intense sibling rivalry due to them being not even three years apart. Thus, while they're seeing they're respective girlfriend and boyfriend, they're also competing in various childish ways that, sometimes, result in massive fights. It's no small wonder Cody rarely goes to them for advice.

For this, he's left with the 'Bots, and because they view him as their darling little brother who inspires them every day to give the humans of Griffin Rock and Earth a chance, they listen and advise him. Heatwave is the oldest of the 'Bots, and thus more experienced; additionally, Heatwave more than once nearly threw in the towel in the early days, but only relented due to Cody's convictions and virtues. Therefore, while they have a special bond without it being the sole focus, Cody tends to run to Heatwave the most when emotionally unwell and Charlie is unavailable. Heatwave in turn gives him comfort and advice, and backs him up in most situations. Chase is one he less often seeks help from, mostly due to Chase's nature of being a rigid rulebook. Most times Cody helps Chase understand human expressions and terms when Charlie is busy or otherwise engaged, with both their efforts helping the police 'Bot to loosen up. There are times when he needs Chase's input, as strange as that aid might be, and Cody doesn't hesitate to seek it.

Boulder he goes to almost as regularly as Heatwave, and the two get along fantastically. Boulder provides him with loving company he's hungry for, and sound advice without being overbearing. Blades sometimes needs more encouragement than anything, and thus Cody plays the rare part of helping guide someone through their numerous fears. Because of that, the 'copter 'Bot is extremely loyal and protective of Cody, and when Cody does ask for his help or companionship, Blades readily gives it. Sometimes, Blades will even go above and beyond what is asked, and never asks for anything in return.

These are healthy, constantly growing relationships that Cody develops with the 'Bots, as well as magnificent characterizations that are always expanding. While the focus tends to be shown through Cody's eyes or centered around him, it never fixates on him more than is necessary. Rather, by setting him up as the show's heart, the writing team is able to stretch out towards arcs related to other characters, both the 'Bots and their specific partners, and the other human cast members who interact with the 'Bots on a less frequent basis.

This is how Cody takes the potential of Raf from Prime and not only runs with it, but builds up countless heartwarming moments and strong characterizations over the course of Rescue Bots' run. Cody is positively and rightly shown as the glue of the family element of the show, and is given the autonomy to maintain his own personality and growth without being forgotten like Raf consistently was. That's why Cody stands out, and poor Raf is left hanging.

Well, that's my thoughts on the matter. I felt I should tackle Raf, given I covered his two peers, and Cody is a cute, fun, and constantly evolving counterpart to Raf that explains much of why I feel the poor baby of Team Prime was ultimately misused and unnecessary. I hope you enjoyed this, and that it got some gears turning in your heads.

I'll be seeing you guys!

"Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

[sunrisecaminus]

Bumblebee, Arcee, Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen reacting to human reader recovering from depression and drawing them because the autobots make them happy. Reader does whatever feels right, so sometimes the drawings actually resemble the autobots and sometimes they're coloured differently, from small things like Magnus having lighter shades of blue and gold to Smokescreen being pastel. Even the backgrounds can be fantastical, with things like pink skys and blue grass.

Message - This is so adorable! Sorry if I didn't do too much, but hopefully it's cute enough!

Bumblebee, Arcee, Ultra Magnus, Smokescreen x Reader SFW

Summary - Headcanons of their reactions to you painting them a picture of them in different styles!

Warnings - Hints of Depression

Bumblebee He was there for you everyday of your progress. Everything is so much nicer with him and it made the process of healing a lot quicker. Grabbing your easel and some paints, you watched Bumblebee talking to Ratchet and started to draw. Making the edges of his frame a lot rounder and his yellow a lot brighter, you made a lovely portrait of him. He loved it, adored it, can he hang it on the wall? Hugs is everything and Bumblebee gave you one as a thank you. Beeping at you excitedly about how much he adores the art piece. This lovable man is the reason why your life was a lot brighter and you needed to show him how much you appreciate him. He would let you on his shoulder and chill while he goes scouting so both of you can have some peace with each other alone.

Arcee This woman was one of the only bots that related to your situation the most. Yeah she wasn't human, but she showed you that you were not alone and shouldn't deal with it alone. She loves you for going above and beyond. You wanted to show her how important she was to your process so you take some paint cans and get to work on an abandoned wall. Her silhouette being painted on the wall looked mysterious, but also showed a beauty side to the image. Arcee loved it, leaning on the opposite wall of the alley way and smiling at it. "This is a masterpiece." The history of her being painted on human architecture was showing her how much you cherished her and it would be memories she would never forget, even if she still had millions of years left in her. She takes you for a ride out in the country afterwards to help you feel free.

Magnus At first, he had no idea what depression was. Searching it up, he than wanted to help you everyday anytime you needed it. Anytime you ask him if he wanted to hang out, he dropped everything to help comfort you on what you were thinking. Grabbing some colored paper, you start to make a paper origami statue of Magnus. He takes a lot of his time at work, so it wasn't hard to hide the paper sculpture from him. When you show him, he wouldn't stop complimenting your extreme detail to his color pallet and how delicate it looks. He keeps it in a glass casing in his birth to look at every night before he goes to stasis. Even after the gift, he takes his time with you and goes out star gazing to talk about your progress. Adoring everything you tell him and even taking notes for what he needs to do to help the progress continue.

Smokescreen He helped in the most Smokescreen way possible. This guy was very touchy, and tried to hug you anytime you needed one. Being as touched starved as you were at the time, it really did help you feel a lot better during your time of healing. You grabbed watercolor and thick pieces of paper to start slowly painting Smokescreen in a way no one would describe him of being. People see him as a loud mouth and annoying young mech (Ratchet's words, not yours). Drawing him in an elegant, whispy, and bright way would be impossible for others. You knew who he truly was, and was able to make every stroke look important. He loved the painting you made and kept it protected in his sub-space. Holding you like a teddy bear for the rest of the day and handing you whatever you wanted. Of course he would spoil you and snuggle your body while watching your favorite movie.

[dragqueenstarscream]

i don't think the tfa writing team gets enough credit for what they did with ratchet.

they could've easily made him a one dimensional grumpy old boomer character. and yes, he does have a few moments like that, mostly him complaining about bumblebee. (the wrestling scene, the car parts shop, etc)

what made me realize that he was going in a different direction, though, was s1e7, "thrill of the hunt." for those who haven't seen tfa, it's a ratchet centric episode with the bounty hunter lockdown coming to earth to hunt down optimus. the episode does something particularly interesting with ratchet, giving him flashbacks surrounding his trauma surrounding himself, arcee, and lockdown, but not using them to a comedic end. no, they're actually taken seriously, both by the plot and the other characters, mainly optimus.

and i really appreciate that. they could've easily done an "alright grandpa, let's get you back to bed" joke or something like that, but no. they actually helped to build on his character, and it made me realize that this show knew when to be serious, which i really liked.

as the series goes on, he's taken more seriously as a character. you can see just how much the war fucked him up compared to the other characters, considering he was the only one to have actually fought. his experiences with arcee, how he was involved with omega supreme, and then eventually joining the space bridge repair team after the war ended. it really takes its time letting you get attached to ratchet and feel for him whenever he's going through it.

and it just makes it so much more heartbreaking near the end of the series when he's forced to face his trauma head on after finding arcee again.

i love tfa, and i love all of team prime, but ratchet has a very special place in my heart because of just how well he's written. his development doesn't feel rushed, despite the cancellation of season four. the show takes time telling his story, letting it play out, and letting him really grow on you. they could've just made him a curmudgeon who complains about everything, but no, they went the extra mile and gave him room to grow and explore the kindness in his old, weary spark.

tfa ratchet deserves all the love.

[redactednamehere]

Random AU idea that mashes my two favorite (not bayverse really, but they both have some level more significance to me than the others) Transformers continuities.

It would be a sort of Bayverse x Prime crossover.

This idea came about when I was thinking about how Team Prime ended up on Earth and how they found each other. Surely it wasn't like Magnus and Smokescreen every time. I imagine that Optimus and Ratchet might have landed together, maybe even with Bulkhead, and Arcee and Cliff on their own. But I'm not sure about Bee. I mean, I guess they all could have landed together, but that's no fun.

ANYWAY! The AU makes use of both sparkling Bumblebee, and the wonderful Witwicky family of the Bayverse.

The AU starts long before the events of Prime, before the team is together, or perhaps even before they're on Earth. Sparkling Bee crashes somewhere in California, close enough to where a young (think preteen, possibly younger) Sam regularly goes to explore. A bit further away from the city, or in an overgrown park or something.

Sam's out messing around and comes across this weird pod thing. Inside is a large lump of yellow metal all curled in on itself. He pokes it and- Boom! Bee pops his cute little head out of the ball he'd curled himself into.

Sam promptly adopts the alien he found and sneaks Bee home. His parents eventually find out, obviously, but Sam is very attatched to his robot buddy. And Bee makes a very convincing argument for staying by being the cutest thing out there.

So he stays. Large robot son would obviously draw attention, so Ron and Judy choose to move their family to the middle of the Nevada desert. Getting a new house means they can look for one where Bee can be more comfortable, rather than staying in the garage. (He's not all that big, being really young, but he's curious, fidgety, and cuddly, the more space for him in the actual house the better)

Years pass, Sam goes to high school. Sophomore year, there's an exchange student; Miko Nadaki (I'm tempted to send Carly here too.) But I'm getting ahead of myself. There's a three year period where both factions are on Earth without any conflict. If I'm correct, anyway. But that's where we are.

Bumblebee was too young to have any insignia, so the Witwickys wouldn't make any sudden connection seeing all the new vehicles around town.

But the Cons and Bots are in Jasper. Which means it's only a matter of time before one faction or another finds out about the sparkling.

The Autobots find the family first. Fowler has to talk to them, and they end up meeting Team Prime. Bee is very obviously attatched to his human family, so they get to stick around.

Bumblebee now has a Cybertronian influence as well as a human one. He has the entirety of Team Prime doting on him. Maybe more if I want to bring in a couple more Bayverse folk. (I say Bayverse, but it's just my favorite guys that happen to appear there as well. Sideswipe, Ironhide, Elita, and Chromia. Sunstreaker as well if I add them all, because everyone else has separated the twins but I'll be damned if I do it too.)

So the Witwickys have the next couple of years to get familiarized with the Autobots and the Omega Outpost. And here's where our story begins. Well, the familiar part, anyway. The events of Prime start happening.. Three new humans in the base AND! The Decepticons are back.

Don't know how exactly the AU would progress from there, considering Cliff would still die and the Bots are down a Bumblebee. I suppose if I added more Bots, it wouldn't be as much of a problem. It would also allow me to send Sunstreaker to be the one to deal with MECH because Bee's a baby.

[decepti-thots]

arcee for the ask meme?

one aspect about them i love:

you know, idw arcee does not get enough credit for sometimes being funny as fuck and, in a broader sense, weirdly... maybe chill isn't the right word and yet. sort of! she's so completely unimpressed by all the clowns doing clown shit around her, even the ones she broadly likes and even usually respects to some degree; arcee has lived so much longer than 99.9% of the people she interacts with basically ever, and seen so much shit that makes it hard to see the current shitshow that is Cybertron trying to re-establish itself as some unprecedented disaster or whatever, that she's very. refreshingly blunt and inclined to even a certain level of irreverence at times that bounces off the people around her incredibly well as a character. optimus tries to angst about having seen soooo much terrible shit and arcee's like 'shut up whippersnapper lmaoooo' and it's great and very necessary. UNPHASED, that's the word i wanted rather than chill! she's delightfully unphased.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them:

basically anything about idw arcee that relates to her not being hyper-violent, lmao. i gotta be real. but specifically, that she's introspective! one of the most introspective characters in exRiD, i would say! arcee struggles to understand herself but not for lack of trying, and she's not a thoughtless 'haha violence and murder fun' machine, just incorrectly perceived as such by the people around her and struggling to work out how to establish herself as more than that after what she's been through. arcee has a lot of thoughts about her role on a post-war cybertron, on the autobots and her decision to join them, on the people around her and who she works with, on how they treat her. but too often she gets portrayed as 'just wants to know where the next fight is' for a joke, which completely flattens her into a caricature.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character:

arcee's voice is like. really loud. zero volume control. even when she whispers she sounds weirdly loud. everyone is too intimidated by her to tell her to keep it down and she wouldn't care even if they did so she just cheerfully goes on her way bursting into any room like HEY WHAT'S UP at full volume. god bless her.

one character i love seeing them interact with:

i actually really like her dynamic with optimus in exRiD and especially when you get to like, the OP ongoing and Unicron; she's simultaneously very much wanting to be on his side and work with him but also just not awed by him at all the way others- even those who really don't like Optimus- wind up being. his reputation is not impressive to her, neither in a positive or a negative sense, because again, arcee is old as balls and has seen much more of cybertronian history than everyone else around her, and understands him as a part of a cycle of history. she's seen the entire concept of a 'prime' be invented for political reasons and she's seen the original claims to that title fall; it's not that it means nothing to her, but it means something very different

and what i think i like best is that despite optimus screwing so much up during that part of the comics, in ways that specifically relate to buying into his own hype and misusing the power it affords him as a direct result, he clearly values keeping arcee around for this very reason. she punctures his ego with no fuss and is really the sole person not only willing but even capable of doing that. it creates a dynamic he has with her there's really not an equivalent to anywhere else. i really do love it. we need more of them being Weird Friends.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more:

I WISH WE COULD HAVE SEEN HER AND ANODE ACTUALLY INTERACT...... i love that they canonically know each other and i think they'd be a hysterically funny duo because they're both complete wildcards but arcee is from a fucking grimdark sci-fi epic and anode is from a heist movie about being a lovable rogue. all i want is for them to be the weirdest double act ever. arcee would definitely help anode and lug do a bank robbery but she has to keep being told to put the swords away. and the big gun. and the small gun. and-

and then they all go down the pub and tell extremely weird stories about their extremely weird lives. good times.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character:

arcee and prowl definitely have some kind of final talk post-canon that is very tense and awkward, and which arcee initiates specifically because the idea of leaving anything unsaid there (and therefore giving prowl any remaining emotional power over her, however small) pisses her off. it leaves her unhappy but ultimately feeling like she cleared the air and prowl feeling weird and uncomfortable and like that was the opposite of closure, i think. and now arcee never has to think about him again.

[in1-nutshell]

Hello! I was wondering if you could do a TFP version of NightLight?

I wonder who's going to be the next TFP Version?

Hope you enjoy!

TFP Version of Nightlight

SFW, Platonic, Hinted romance, Cybertronian reader

TFP

Nightlight, before the war worked as a guard for the Senate.

Nothing too big, more of a glorified bouncer.

She didn’t like most of the Senators, but the shanix was good and had a bit more energon than the average bot.

She met Orion Pax and Megatronus on the day of their speeches.

Nightlight was moved by both their speeches of wanted change for Cybertron.

Even when she does choose a side, she isn’t afraid to admit that Megatronus had some points that made her consider her choose in becoming an Autobot.

But in the end, she did choose to become an Autobot.

Soon enough, Nightlight found herself being a bodyguard once again, but this time for someone she actually cared for.

Optimus Prime himself.

Nightlight took her job seriously, practically becoming Prime’s second shadow.

She was never too far from the Prime and refused to leave him, even in the heat of battle she fought fiercely for the Prime to escape.

Because of this, Nightlight had become a bit of a regular patient in the med bay.

She knew Ratchet when they both were in medical school, something she dropped after getting her new job.

Ratchet muttering under his breath as he patches up Nightlight. Ratchet: “Any more injuries I should know about?” Nightlight: “No, that’ll be all.” Nightlight goes to stand up, but Ratchet grabs her servo and pulls her back down. Ratchet: “I didn’t say stand up. You’re not done.” Nightlight: “Ratchet I’m fine. I need to get back to Optimus.” Ratchet: “I’m sure Optimus can stand without you for a bit longer.” Nightlight smirking: “Aww, I knew you liked me Ratchet.” Ratchet: “I know what your doing Nightlight. That might have worked in med school, but I’m a different mech now.” Nightlight huffing letting Ratchet do more scans. Nightlight: “Don’t I know.” Both look at each other and share a small smile before going back to work.

As more and more bots started dwindling, Nightlight soon became a detective in finding lost bots.

Most of the time, she was successful in retrieving them back to base.

Other times… let’s just say she always had a data pad ready to put the bots’ names in the KIA list.

She was the one they sent out when Arcee, Tailgate and Bumblebee were captured.

Nightlight ended up making many friends this way.

She originally didn’t want to make friends in this specific line of work, but after a while it became her reason to find them.

You never know when they would… disappear.

Ironically, it would be Nightlight who would end up going missing.

It happened during one of her outings and was never reported back.

Timeskip to Earth…

Optimus and Bumblebee were scouting around a canyon when they saw a pod stuck in between some rocks.

And someone inside was trying to break open the glass.

Optimus and Bumblebee quickly went over and started shifting the pod around so they could open it.

Which wouldn’t be necessary because the bot inside had successfully kicked the pods glass and jumped out.

Nightlight venting a bit before realizing who had just helped her. Nightlight salutes Optimus. Nightlight: “Nightlight reporting for—” Bumblebee: “BBEEEPP! (NIGHTLIGHT!)” The young scout immediately went in for a hug. Nightlight was caught a bit off guard by the sudden affection but gave him a pat on the back. Optimus places a servo on her shoulder. Optimus: “It is good to see you, old friend.” Bee finally let’s go as Nightlight looks around. Nightlight: “Sir, where are we?” Optimus: “It is a long story Nightlight. Best we get to base before the Decepticons find us.”

It was a shock to all the bots on base when Optimus and Bumblebee came back with an extra bot.

Nightlight of all bots as well.

There was a small celebration for the return of the bot.

Speaking of which was paused temporary for the pickup of the kids.

Each guardian gave a bit of a run down on what to expect from Nightlight, the greatest detective the Autobots ever had.

The kids get off of their guardian’s alt modes. Nightlight was talking to Ratchet when she noticed the small organics walking up to her. She kneeled to get a better look at them. Miko was the first one to speak. Miko: “So you’re the ��greatest detective’ Bulkhead’s been talking about? Nightlight, right?” Nightlight: “Yes, that is my designation. And you are…” Jack: “She’s Miko, I’m Jack, and this is Raf.” Raf waved at her. Nightlight slowly waved back making the boy smile back. Nightlight notices Miko staring a bit at her. Nightlight: “Do you have a question?” Miko: “Why do you look like Batman?” Nightlight: “Who?”

There was actually a good explanation to that.

While the others were out, Nightlight had briefly escaped the base and was looking around until she spotted a decent alt mode.

How was she supposed to know that the model of the Batmobile wasn’t something people on Earth drove?

She thought it looked nice and scanned.

Nightlight has no idea at first why the kids are enamored by her alt mode… nor does she say anything about it.

She is ready to defend these kids to the bitter end like the rest of her team.

It takes Nightlight a while to get used to the new situation on earth.

Mainly her recharging schedule.

Ratchet and Optimus have lost count the number of times they have spotted Nightlight making rounds around the base or simply guarding her teammates habsuites.

Ratchet working late again. Nightlight behind him. Nightlight: “You need to recharge Ratchet.” Ratchet jumps and lets out a small yelp before realizing who it was. Ratchet: “Why are you awake!” Nightlight: “I could ask you the same question.” Ratchet huffs. Ratchet: “I have work to do.” Nightlight smirks a bit. Nightlight: “Same workaholic Ratchet.” Ratchet: “Same stubborn Nightlight—Hey!” Nightlight picks up Ratchet bridal style and walks to his habsuite. Nightlight: “Hush.” Ratchet: “I have work—” Nightlight glares at him, daring to say another word. Ratchet: “That doesn’t work on me.” Nightlight: “But it’s a good distraction, we’re here.” Nightlight opens ratchet’s habsuite and plops him on the berth. Ratchet is a bit surprised to see her sit down next to him. Nightlight: “I’m staying here until I know you get enough hours of sleep.” Ratchet already feeling sleepy. Ratchet: “Hypocrite. How much sleep have you been getting?” Nightlight: “I’ll get some when you do Ratchet.” Ratchet’s optics get heavier. Ratchet: “Stubborn Nightlight…” Nightlight chuckles softly seeing Ratchet already knocked out cold. Nightlight: “Workaholic Ratchet… night.”

[yume-writes]

MCB x TFP crossover

Just some random stuff which I can't really make posts of their own

The tfp kids being the ones to be thrown into the MCB universe and just not be able to talk to the MCB human characters because they speak Korean. So a good chunk of the time it's the kids using google translator to talk to them or even having one of the cardbots translate for them. I feel like Crest would be able to speak English though, all the kids would probably know a few English phrases but not enough to hold a long conversation

If Arcee is the one who gets transported she's like that one meme, "I've only had these idiots for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself." (I imagine she's saying this about Blue Cop and Jun when they first meet)

Blue Cop low-key kind of looks up to Optimus. Like, ok, he's supposed to be the leader of the cardbots, he has taken up that position, but a lot of the times he doesn't feel like it's a position that he actually deserves. So seeing Optimus and how, seemingly, effortlessly he does as a leader makes he want to be a bit like him.

To no one's surprise, Mega Ambler and Ratchet do get along. I mean, they're both medics, it's no shock to anyone seeing them talk to each other. I feel like later on, if they do grow closer or just an event that hits too close to home happens, Ratchet would open up a bit about how being a war medic weighs down on him

Buster Gallon and Raf get along as well, surprisingly. Listen, the kid is so incredibly smart, managing to understand cybertronian things very easily. It's no wonder why Buster Gallon takes an interest in him. You can see them hanging out and just talking about technical things which just goes over everybody else's heads.

Megatron and Heavy Iron fought once and knocked each other out with their respective cannons

Every Cardbot finds Soundwave creepy, like they look like a cryptid and never talk, they just stare. It creeps the cardbots out.

Agent Fowler would not be able to last a day with the cardbots without his blood pressure getting dangerously high. They just don't know how to stay hidden well and new ones are always showing up in the middle of the street. The bots are the masters of hiding compared to the Cardbots in his opinion

Last one for now, Yuri (Jun's mom) and June Darby both get along really well and have lunch together once a week. This is to the dismay of Jack and Jun who now have to deal with the embarrassment of their mom's telling embarrassing stories about them to one another

[leilanising]

Okay, I just finished watching Transformers One, and this is my take on it. so buckle in, cause this is gonna get deep

Warning for spoilers. Seriously, if you have not watched. Do not read

First things first. The movie is GREAT! I'm loving the animation style and lore, take that bayverse! This is definitely gonna give new fans a fantastic idea of transformers at its finest. I'm so excited for the new generation of transformers fans that are gonna be raised on this

Me and @fusciaguardian had actually been talking about how a new transformers movie should turnout, before the trailers had even come out. It's the funniest thing, cause we had both agreed that it should go back before the war, and take lots of notes from Transformers Prime. And look at this! A dude from the prime team literally designed the thing, and it was staged before the war!!

Gotta say, I rlly love the lore and history for cybertron. it makes sense, and it goes in a understandable line. It includes all the important aspects of the Transformers universe, like the quintissons, the evil system that lead to Megatron's motivation, and sentinel prime being a jerk XD

But like seriously, stop making main female characters pink. Idk, MAKE THEM RED, MAKE THEM MULTICOLORED. Like seriously, both Arcee and Elita-1 are main female leads and are still pink. Why has nobody fixed this? TFP was onto something, Arcee looked great blue! And Beast wars the movie made Arcee red! Those are great color choices!

I guess this is prolly where we go into everything that went wrong with the movie.

Like serious, everything was great until Orion Pax decided to suddenly be the 'better person' and stop D-16 from taking out the jerk that literally abused and hurt an entire planet of people! Like, if megayron didn't do it, then I'm sure the 100 million other cybertronians who just realized their entire life was a lie would like to step. LIKE SERIOUSLY ORION. YOU REALLY MESSED UP

and the whole 'leadership' thing at the beginning. Like seriously pax, just cause D-16 wasn't following your orders and going along with your plan (like why even would he? He has literally been the brunt of everything that you messed up. Like that time you stepped out of line, he took the punch for you) and because 'oh no' dark music was playing, didn't mean D-16 was doing anything wrong. He had literally just had his life turned upside down. He was gonna step up, and do something about it. What did you think Pax? That you were gonna be the leader? Well sorry, but the world doesn't always revolve around the white boys.

I just really hated that part. They didn't have to make it like that. Like oh noes, foreshadowing NAH. NAH BRO. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG HAPPENING HERE.

Orion just really messed up. Everything after that point just went to disaster and rubbish. Like, at the end, nobody saw what D-16 did. Nobody knew how he stepped up for his people. How he lead, what he did. And Pax is never gonna tell him. Pax knows what D-16 went through. He knew his best friend was hurting, and he turned on him. And you know what he did afterward? He basically became the next Sentinel Prime. He kept the system that was hurting people in place, and kept information from the public. He didn't tell then what really happened. He painted a pretty picture: Prime good. Megatron and Decepticons back. He didnt give them more options. Limited options, same system, facade of secrets and lies. He is the next Sentinel Prime.

like, not to mention, what are you gonna do about the Quintissons? They're gonna come back, and they're gonna expect their shipload of energon.

Like seriously, what were the Primes even thinking?! Of course they would go for Pax, the teachers pet, lucky little white boy that gets everything without having to work for it like D-16 had to.

But that aside, I've thought of at least two other ways the movie could have gone better.

Pax and D-16 work together. Pax understands D's frustration, and tells him, "you take care of Sentinel Prime, and we'll take care of broadcasting the proof." Two birbs with one stone. Pax listens to D-16's ideas, and realizes that he would make a great leader, he even tells D-16 that he would make a great next Prime. He then takes D-16's as advisor, and they plan out a new and better world together with the people. And what exactly they're gonna do with the Quintissons problem.

Elita-1 and Bee are with D-16 when it happens. Elita was hoping for a punch at Sentinel herself. She is shocked and angered when Prime decides to be a goody-two shoes. And even more horrified when he turns on his own friend. Like seriously, she knew Pax was stupid, but she didn't think he was that stupid. She runs to D-16's side, Bee following (bro rlly doesn't know what's going on, or why his friends are fighting. It makes him sad, he really thought Pax was a nice guy) Elita-1 and Bee retreat with D-16 and the Decepticons. With Prime sitting there like an idiot, being all self-pitying over why his friends are 'betraying' him. Elita and D-16 co-lead, we all know their both good leaders, and Bee is just sort of there. He's almost like the kid of the court, and sweet and innocent, everyone loves him, but he is utterly useless, and does not have a braincell to his name. But they all love him for it. The decepticons male it their goal to reveal Pax's treachery and deceit. And reveal the truth once and for all.

Thats about it, all in all, I loved the movie. Watched it with my family, my mom, my sibling, we'll all with Megatron :3

I stand with the Decepticons. Who do you stand with?

[the-awakened-insomnis]

Blitzbee kid #3 Riosa

She is a Triple-Changer with a Seeker and Grounder alt-modes. She inherited the honeycomb patter, 5 optics & four limbs from Bee. The red coloring is a strange genetic ??? similar to Cliffjumpers' which she finds funny. She's slightly shorter than Blitzwing and her brothers but it's not the most obvious thing in the world. As for her fighting style, she has an extremely aggressive defense. She's got thick stingers that too good at puncturing most bots with little difficulty. She will bite and tear into someone with her clawed servos. Her venom can casue you to hallucinate and override your systems causing you to slowly shut down, it will be slow and painful, and she will laugh at you dying. Her unpredictably on the battlefield makes her a threat to both sides. She's switches between alt-modes to fuck with people and catch them off guard.

She's the youngest child & only daughter and it fuckin' sucks at times. You could arguably say her life was over before she truly lived it. At least in the early years. By the time she emerged the Autobots were already at the base. Growing up she could tell something was off with her family, everyone told her not to worry about it. The only one who seemed to be remotely honest was Jazz & Ratchet but even then, it always ended the same "Only your sire can tell you that." Ratchet didn't coddle her and Jazz helped her deal with life through music. This is why they are her favorites.

As a child the fear for what she was didn't really set in until she was 5 and her T-cog fully formed. She transformed for the first time and realized she had two alt-modes instead of one, she thought this made her just like daddy and was overjoyed by this. The family had a very mixed bag in terms of reactions. Bee & Blitz knew this was a possibility, but had foolishly, desperately even, hoped their daughter would be spared. Later that night she was practicing using her wheels on her legs in the hallway and heard crying, her sire crying. She's never heard him cry before and she didn't like it, naturally she rushed in without thinking but crashed right into her parents. This is met with her being scooped up in Blitzs' arms and him just saying he's sorry over and over again whilst crying his optics out. She doesn't understand why but Blitz didn't feel like talking, he just held her.

As a teen the weight what she truly is has finally began to take its toll and she's began to ask questions. Why does she have to see Ratchet more than her brothers? Why is it such a big deal that she can't linger outside for too long? Even if she flies there are rules. Why is it such a big deal that she's a Triple-Changer? Blitzwing hovers over her like a shadow and refuses to actually answer any of her questions. As that would mean talking about what happened to him ages ago and that trauma has Blitz in a vice. Bee clashes heads with Blitz and the whole family on this, telling him to get his head outta his ass and talk to her. That keeping her in a cage that she will eventually outgrow. She finds an aunt in Arcee and a grandmother in Elita and looks up to them and goes to them for advice regarding 'Femme Things' b/c Rio didn't know how to deal with that especially as she got older and her frame changed.

They grew distant and Riosa has opted to sneaking out at night for a few hours of freedom. She finds the most fun in competing in illegal races across the city. It's through these races she meets Wildbreak; the son of Knockout & Breakdown and a Decepticon Stunticon. They start meeting up in secret to race but get caught by Slipstream; StarScream and Skyefires' daughter. Rio would keep Slip updated on how her sire was doing as Slip herself couldn't see him as much as she liked. This paved the way for a really strange friend trio.

As an adult she travels for work, having taken unofficial lessons in medical practice under Ratchet thanks to having spent her childhood under his care. She avoids Cybertron like the plague and only visits family, friends, and for work. As far as the family knows, she's just a traveling medic who makes a "unique" brand of High-Grade Energon as a side hustle. While this is technically true, there is an illegal, immoral and unethical side to her work. The high-grade has properties that give the consumer drug-like hallucinations, you are guaranteed a good as time. But if you drink too much, it will be your last time. She slapped a warning label on her products, but accidents tend to happen regardless. She's called to pick up the "mess" and she leaves. She harvests the bots' organs to sell either through a market or for patients, nobody asks questions. She keeps tabs on all her clients, her biggest one being Shockwave himself.

She hates Cybertron and only tolerates the planet because majority of her family lives there and cares about it. When it comes to the Autobots, they despise her b/c she's Blitzwings daughter and deemed a threat that needs to be dealt with. The Decepticons view her as a lowly hybrid and think it's a waste that she's not on their side. Many despise her, but they also recognize that she could be used a potential weapon for their respective cause Black Arachnia being one of them. Both sides have tried to sway her and are usually met with their parts getting shipped in a box.

Her relationship with her family is pretty good all things considered but for her and Blitzwing there is a bit of tension from the past. He did eventually talk to her about the whole Triple-Changer thing. It ended with a new understanding, but it gave birth to a new hatred for the Femme responsible and the Mech who gave the order.

Her love-life is a fucking mess and a half. With her reputation, who her creators and brothers are doesn't really help. She can tell when someone just wants her for their own gain, and she's responded by eating them. It's an unexpected call from Shockwave that sends her on a twisted path towards someone who actually cares about her for her. She's torn, not wanting to ruin this but also wanting to give into this deep-rooted desire and impulses. But these are dark and there's no way no sane bot would put up with that. Right?

[blade-liger-4ever]

Unique vs Uniform: How Smokescreen Breaks the Standard Kid-Appeal Character Mold Cheetor Was Trapped In

Worry not, despite the fact that I am not fond of him, this is not me tearing down Cheetor. Rather, it's me explaining how Smokescreen was written better in contrast to the beast-former. I only do this to explain to people how and why Smokescreen works better as a "Kid-Appeal Character" in a fresh and fantastic way, and to (hopefully) guide people onto a more solid path should they wish to add a similar character to their cast.

Now, onto the post!

From the beginning, Smokescreen appears to be the standard issue kid friendly character. He's eager, he looks up to Optimus like the rest of us, and wants to do his part for the mission.

However, his approach to the crew and life in the War makes it clear he's anything but stock.

In his debut, Smokescreen is quick to follow orders without being inflexible. He does what he's told by Optimus before learning of Starscream's appearance with the Apex Armor. Unlike so many others before him, Smokescreen does a quick analysis of the situation, draws on his knowledge of the Iacon relics, and grabs the item he needs to take down Starscream. If you rewatch that episode, it's clear Smokescreen knew from the start what he was doing. He came up with a plan for dealing with the Decepticon second-in-command in less than three minutes and it worked perfectly. This shows us the "rookie" is quite smart despite his eagerness, and it only increases from here.

After these episodes, Smokescreen continues to show his chops for initiative and righteous anger. The whole reason he messes with Vince, as I've covered before, is in Jack's defense and to boost his nonexistent self-confidence; he did not do it for himself, but for the guy who was clearly a target and who he understood was to be protected. After all, even Cybertronian kids have to deal with bullying and jerks like humans do. Furthermore, in the two moments of the episode where he "blows it" by revealing himself to a human and bringing Jack on a mission, they are both the result of Team Prime's lack of attention to their newcomer's inexperience with Earth. As proven, Smokescreen owns up to his mistakes (when it's explained at base for the first goof up) and wouldn't have brought Jack along if they'd actually sat him down and told him all he needed to know about humans and their squishy-ness. And don't forget, Smokescreen actually delayed the Decepticons by at least two hours with his distraction and attack when the whole team was on a wild goose chase and Megatron was seconds away from hauling a mountain out of the Earth and toting it around the globe like the world's deadliest Sword of Damocles.

Smokescreen always goes in with a plan or at least a rough outline of one, as evidenced by the sheer speed and awareness of his initial attack and grab for the Star Saber. He knew what his goal was, knew he couldn't slow down for the rest of the 'Cons, and dispatched them quickly while aiming to snatch the Saber. The only reason it failed was because Alph Trion failed to tell Smokescreen only a Prime could pull out the Star Saber from the "lockdown" mode it initiates (which is a convenient thing to forget to tell your protégé, but that's a separate ball of wax.)

And after he's gotten the first Omega Key and saved Optimus, Smokescreen isn't acting like, "look at me, I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread", or "I'm on the same level as the team now, and I can rub this in their faces". Notably Arcee thinks this is what he's doing, but that's her narrow-minded perspective on it. Rather, Smokescreen is ecstatic that's he's been able to get two (and a half, since he did most of the footwork until Optimus arrived for the Star Saber) relics for the team. Not even a month on Earth, and he's been able to help his hero and his team get an edge on the Decepticons. How is that not a cause for joy? And while he's disappointed that Optimus didn't pick him for the first mission, it's more akin to a child feeling left out of something they want to partake in. And even then, Smokescreen doesn't throw a fit; he accepts it and waits for the next mission.

When he's griping about the hit Arcee took and the loss of the Key, he's not doing it to make himself out to be more. He's understandably upset that she and Bee were taken out, and is only wishing he'd been there to help. Arcee brutishly cuts him off because she's gotten it into her head that he's self-absorbed, but Smokescreen makes it clear in his followup sentence that he only wants them all (himself included, which is made clear by his mature stance toward the War effort) on their A-game. Yes, he adds at the end that he "has a good track record so far", but he's completely justified with that thought. I mean seriously, Smokescreen's been in the series for under 6 episodes at this point and already won the above achievements. Why shouldn't he, at the very end, admit that he specifically might have been able to turn the tide in the lost mission?

Later, when he kicks himself after letting his guard down, it's simply because he wants to bring his best to the team, and he feels that even one mistake - a mistake as critical as losing an Omega Key, showing how seriously he takes the War - is cause for complete failure. It's why he's so hard on himself, why he won't accept Bulkhead's attempt to lift the burden from his shoulders, and why Arcee is the final nail in the coffin. Because the fembot refuses to see him as anything but a brat, she snaps at him to, basically, "grow up and stop acting like it's all about you". Smokescreen knows that's not what it is that's the problem, but when no one, not even Optimus Prime, his hero, stands up for him, it causes him to leave in the hopes that he won't continue to be a failure for his heroes.

Because of this, Smokescreen is soon captured by the Decepticons and gets an Omega Key unceremoniously yanked out of him. However, rather than wait for a rescue, Smokescreen gets Knock Out to let his guard down, tussles with him for the Phase Shifter, and escapes the medical bay. Having quickly realized where he is and what that means, Smokescreen comes up with a plan to get the remaining Omega Keys and executes it as he goes. And when the only means of actual escape proves to be jumping off the ship, Smokescreen does so without a second thought. He manages to kill some Vehicons, radio for a Ground Bridge, and evens survives a fall that would have killed him if not for the Phase Shifter letting him survive a drop from the upper atmosphere.

The second season of TFP wonderfully breaks the mold of "kid appeal" characters with Smokescreen. He's likable but in need of maturing, and he matures on the fly. Because of this, Smokescreen stands apart from every other take on this trope - including his Beast Wars predecessor, Cheetor.

From what I've seen of Cheetor, he was painfully a stock "audience surrogate" character. The moment the crew of the Axalon lands on prehistoric Earth, he wastes no time preening over his new alt-mode, its abilities, and practically shoots out of the ship to run rampant on the world. Then he leaps into a battle with the Predacon leader Megatron and nearly gets himself killed, while obviously disobeying Primal before the large ape has to rescue him.

Not only is this a stark contrast to Smokescreen, it remains Cheetor's staple characterization. He's egotistical, cocky, and his desire to be seen as the equal of his peers causes him to blindly run in and prove himself to the others time and time again. Furthermore, Cheetor, unlike Smokescreen, needs to be rescued by his team so often, it's embarrassing. He jumps in with no plan and gets caught, and when he's not doing that, he's being an immature kid who either goofs off or props himself up, which is when the others rightly give him a reality check for his antics or the episode's moral story does it for them.

Mind you, I do not say this is bad for Cheetor. Rather, it's the usual mold of a "Kid-Appeal Character". As such, he does not do much in the way of standing out, nor does Cheetor undergo as much growth as Smokescreen does. While you could say it was because Smokescreen was fighting in the Great War, Cheetor had an arguably worse war because it was somewhere in space and time that was always on the brink of disaster with one wrong move. Therefore, Cheetor does not have much of an excuse.

This is why I believe Smokescreen's handling was better than Cheetor's, and why I personally feel younger writers - or writers who want to break away from old standbys that run the risk of becoming stale - should look to Transformers: Prime's Smokescreen instead of a cult classic like Beast Wars' Cheetor.

See you around!

[teletraantwo]

....

Okay, sold, what's her lore? I GOTTA know now

Oh boy this'll be fun! And also long.

So Animated Kitsch's origin is similar to her origin most other places. She was a younger bot made towards the beginning during the war, having been made not long after it began. Despite her rough disposition and how naturally fighting comes to her, she still has the deep desire in her spark to be a medic. Early on as a front line fighter she finds an old medical datapad in the trash and ends up taking it. Parts are damaged and it's likely a bit outdated but that doesn't stop her from all but memorizing it.

She gets a name for herself among front line fighters by being able to patch up at least minor injuries and keep them going long enough to get to an actual medic. But the war goes on and it comes to a point where they need more medics, so they give Kitsch a chance to learn in a somewhat official capacity. She's assigned Ratchet as her mentor and while she's warned he's not the easiest mentor to have he ends up taking to her quite well when she shows him the old datapad she'd read so many times.

Kitsch is a quick learner but it's still not an easy process. Many of the front line fighters never make it to the medibays so she's left seeing the names of bots she knew and fought with on the list of dead. They were so happy for her, but she never got the chance to help them the way she wanted to. Over the war her and Ratchet end up closer, moving from mentor and mentee to medical partners to more. There for each other when things get really bad.

Kitsch has far more distaste for Ultra Magnus than Ratchet does but is able to play nice considering he allowed her the chance to change paths and also he's sorta in charge of the Autobots. She's not afraid to tell him off, though, and at least in some ways that seems to get through to him a bit. (Though after a certain point his receptiveness to hearing such things is due to @terrahlee-cup 's lovely OC Lantana) She's angry about the treatment of the front line fighters. She's angry about Arcee's situation. And she's angry about everything surrounding Omega Supreme. Well, everything except Omega Supreme himself. None of it is his fault, and that's her son boy now.

After the war things cool down a lot and while she still carries old grudges towards Ultra Magnus she overall considers him a friend. And will be looking out for his dear daughter that he found in the trash /j.

As for Kitsch and Ratchet, while they get Conjunxed during the war they appreciate being able to settle down a bit. They have a sparkling of their own, Trollyjack, who tends to go with his carrier to work on fixing up Omega Supreme. Sometimes Kitsch brings him to work with her, though. Letting him play in the corner while she acts as the Autobot Boot Camp's head nurse. Sometimes it's an easy job, but she'd lived through Sentinel, Optimus and Elita's time there and then later Bee and Bulkhead's time. And got quite familiar with both groups.

Of course by the time the first trio came through Trollyjack was old enough to start some medical training himself and therefore wasn't around much. And by the time Bee and Bulkhead were there he's going though actual training, but will still swing by and visit her at work sometimes. It's a fairly peaceful life, and Kitsch is delighted when Omega Supreme is fixed enough to at least fly and Ultra Magnus assigns a crew so they can take him out. A simple enough retirement job for Ratchet and keeps OS moving a bit. (Even if it's not ideal for literally anyone else there.)

When they find the Allspark and disappear, Ultra Magnus breaking the news to Kitsch that her conjunx a mech she claims as her son have completely disappeared goes about as well as he expects. His desk is across the room despite having been bolted down. His chair is out the window plummeting to the ground. He's very apologetic about losing them and will be trying to find them.

Once they are found, she and Trollyjack join UM and the others on their trip to Earth and while Trollyjack goes back with them, Kitsch stays behind with the team, and from there is just sorta involved with the events happening.

[yuzudonut]

nautical vehicles hot rod & flamewar who live in a little port town and work with a courier service to deliver the knick knacks they find out at sea...

a little fun AU I've been chipping away at when I don't want to work on college or portfolio related work

follows the idw2 mentor-mentee concept

hotrod and flamewar are from nyon, a developing port town and were both mentored by kup

they work as a "fisher" and scrapdiver respectively

springer was also mentored by kup and runs a package delivery business

^^ arcee, blurr and drift are 3 employees that hot rod and flamewar are friendly with(ish, not really w/ drift he's just kinda there sometimes and usually shadows arcee. flamewars the first to get buddy buddy w him)

arcee is the main courier that goes between nyon and so and so

umm main relationships are with ...arcee rn actually which made me laugh shes just fun to me, shes known blurr the longest and also rooms w/ him. she initially went from kaon the most and met drift there, they end up getting buddy buddy and he's kinda just wresled into the courier job bcs sprigne considered him shadowing arcee constantly loitering and he might as well help w the work she does etc etc idk im still thinking abt it I just think he's a funny character to bounce off a bubbly arcee

shes very close w/ hot rod too as he's usually the one rushing to greet her when she arrives to nyon w/ mail n packages etc etc

shes the one dragging them both into dangerous situations while hot rod does his best to make sure they both Survive.

I don't think ill get to this anytime soon but uhh first aid, nautica and slipstream are somewhere there too... first aids running the only clinic in nyon atm, nautica is a researcher from an island in the middle of the rust sea which nyon borders, and im imagining slipstream to be a seaplane that crahsed in nyon n that's how flamewar meets her n the whole shebang <3

bumblebee is in there somewhere bcs im a bit obsessed w how idw bumblebee is such a hater @ rodimus but rodimus is like, honestly pretty amicable in comparison to him? keeping this up, bumblebee is a little clown car in my head and works as a performer in Iacon or smt idrk who this all fits in I just think its a rlly cute idea

unrelated to the nyon group but some small things I've been thinking up is the outlier academy that I thnk blurr eventually leaves the courier business for , n that's ran by shockwave n optimus is somewhere there too as a librarian or smt (maybe. idk yet.)

hand waving I really really like soundwave and blaster too so I've been wondering what they'd do its just kinda been ooohhh what r some characters I like and what r some interactions thatd be fun as I mish mash personalities and backstories frm diff continiuties I doubt ill get to drawing most of these guys though I barely have 5 characters pinned down

[cliff-and-the-kid]

(Headcanon time: Extra Feels with a Side of Angst)

So we know in TFPrime, Ratchet was the 'field medic' who patched Bumblebee up after Tyger Pax and did his best on fabricating a replacement voicebox with limited resources, something he still feels guilty about however many years/centuries/whatever later on Earth.

Howsabout, we turn the screw a little deeper, and say Cliffjumper was the one who actually found Bee lying on the battlefield where Megatron dropped him, and did some frantic patch work before dragging his fellow scout off to find help?

They'd been friends before then; sometimes working on joint missions, more often training together, sharing tactics, trying out new tricks. Spending downtime hanging out, catching little stolen moments of feeling normal.

Afterwards...

Cliffjumper does his best to fill the gap while Bumblebee recovers from his repairs. He wants the younger bot to take as much time as he can, balanced against the ever-present awareness that the Autobots need every able frame they can get. It's both a relief and not when Bee rejoins the active duty roster; it's a constant battle not to flinch when Cliff hears binary beeps instead of proper words.

But they adjust, and go on, and do their best.

Until it comes time for evacuation.

There's no single, massive ship to carry the entirety of the Autobot forces to a distant world - instead, the high command splits up, small groups going in different directions, all carefully balanced in terms of who goes with who. Tactics, special operations, security, frontliner, scout, no two group members from the same specialty.

Bumblebee is assigned to go with Optimus Prime, along with Ratchet, the best medic they have, and a dependable heavyweight named Bulkhead, formerly of the Wreckers. Cliffjumper has no reason to be worried about his friend in a line-up like that, now does he?

...right.

But if he can't go with Bee, well. Cliff doesn't really want to fly off in the clear opposite direction of space, either. So. He decides to skip the evacuation instead, volunteer to stay put on Cybertron, and go looking for Autobot stragglers, maybe punch a few lingering Decepticons while he's at it.

And he can be among the first to welcome back anyone who returns.

Dumb, in hindsight, but hey, that just makes it even better with how things actually worked out, getting captured and falling in with Arcee and ending up on the same backlane planet as Bee and Prime anyhow!

And Cliff doesn't die after only three years, no, that's crazy talk-

[devilart2199-aibi]

Transformers Skybound Reading update: Issues 6 & 7!! 📚

As a Soundwave enjoyer, these were crazy. Thoughts and spoilers below ⤵️

I gotta say I feel like someone on the team likes Soundwave haha. This fella feels like he always gets the short end of the stick. Always incredibly efficient, loyal and quiet, but never rewarded. But in this one!! Soundwave steps up! I had to go over it a few times to just take it in and be like "Wow Soundwave really just did that?!?"

It kinda felt weird almost, like maybe we're getting too much from him? You know when a character usually occupies a quiet role and they work on something in the background (a scheme or something). Additionally him really caring for his Cassettes is something I love so much so getting that too, I almost feel spoiled! Or like maybe this is too good? Like something horrible is gonna happen?haha I dunno.

The panels too of Soundwave fighting Screamer and them all saying his name!! OOF!!! *Chefs kisses*!!

I loved this so much too T__T ahhhhh

Also I feel so bad for Thundercracker! He lost both his seeker bros T_T I kinda hope he finds out how Skywarp died actually and maybe goes on his own again like in IDW1.

Arcee being trained by magnus is a cool idea! Magnus always fluctuates in importance and age so much between interpretations!

She looks so adorable here. Poor baby T_T (also is she holding Magnus' hand?? 🥺)

And I was very happy to see Warpath for 1 second 😭 rip silly guy (also Kup)

I'm enjoying it so far! One thing that always gets me confused in Transformers series is just how much it takes for them to die? Like when should I be heartbroken or can they just be put back together? IDW1 eventually makes it pretty clear, but I'm still a bit confused with Skybound.

Some characters have gotten killed off and I'm just like "Dang... you too??" Starscream doesn't count because he's Starscream. You could put him in a blender, feed him to Unicron, have him poop him out and then be tossed in the dark universe and he'd still come back! Probably with a spiffy new paint job too!

Anyway the whole things with Sparkplug and the Matrix ehhhh I'm not sure what's going on? I get the a soul for a soul kinda thing, but I'm not sure how i feel about it 🤔well! I'll find out eventually! It's just different and interesting rn! 🤔

I have one more issue so I'll yap more then! What do you think so far?? Please no spoilers tho for the next issues! (8 onwards since I'm reading the physical releases!) I'm curious what your thoughts are!

[justafoxkit]

TFP Agere Headcanons

Human edition!

🚁Agent Fowler:

🚁Father Caregiver!

🚁Kind of confused at first, but Lord help you if you insult any little/pet in his care.

🚁Very good at setting up routines for littles who benefit from it.

🚁He finds the biggest stuffed animals in existence bc his Gramma showered him with toys as a kid and he'd be damned if his kiddos didn't deserve to be spoiled too! (Even if said kiddos are 70+ feet tall)

🚁The kind of CG who loves to watch movies with the little ones, he just has to remember that horror movies probably aren't good for regressed kiddos.

🏥June Darby

🏥Mama Caregiver!

🏥Total doting Mama: cute nicknames, gentle tones, forehead kisses, the whole nine yards! Raising Jack was a hard time for her since her husband left, so reliving motherhood is very healing for her (similar to Ratchet)

🏥Very good at dealing with meltdowns, June has a very soothing presence that helps to calm any overwhelmed or upset kiddo.

🏥Tag teams with Ratchet to keep little ones safe; she may be small, but all she has to do is say something and they instantly stop.

🏥Has nicknames for everyone, and they love it! She makes each one unique to them.

🏍️Jack Darby:

🏍️Big brother caregiver!

🏍️Like Fowler, a bit confused, but if it helps Arcee feel happy and safe, he's all for it!

🏍️He cares deeply for Arcee as his partner and friend, but absolutely adores her when small!

🏍️He becomes Arcee's official caregiver rather quickly, and Jack encourages Arcee to talk about her regression to help her feel more comfortable with it.

🏍️Like his mom, uses a lot of nicknames; he calls Arcee Putty Tat(and immediately got her hooked on Looney Toons bc she had no idea what it meant.)

🏍️He takes care of the other little ones as well, and is good at talking down an upset kiddo. He also makes amazing snacks for those that eat!

🎸Miko Nakadai:

🎸 Caregiver/little sister regressor! (Age range: 5-9)

🎸She was absolutely all for the whole regression thing; she thinks Wheeljack being a wolf regressor is the coolest thing!

🎸At first she was only a caregiver, but found that she really enjoyed slipping into that smaller headspace. She had a lot of expectations laid on her as a kid, so being able to just relax and be a kid is a nice feeling.

🎸If you thought she was hyper as a big kid, look out! Little Miko is a calm and sweet baby one moment, then a ball of energy the next.

🎸Miko is definitely the "don't tell your mama about this" type of caregiver. Mama Bear Ratchet always finds out though. She still doesn't know how.

🎸She absolutely has to be near Bulkhead when little. Miko still has nightmares of the incident with them getting trapped in the abandoned mine (which she hasn't told anyone), and if Bulkhead isn't in her line of sight there WILL be a meltdown.

💻Raf Esquivel:

💻Toddler regressor!

💻Since he has a big family, Raf often doesn't get any exclusive attention from his parents. Because of this, he enjoys being little at base and just being cuddled and loved.

💻 Bumblebee acts as a big brother for Raf, as usual. This dynamic is magnified when they're both regressed.

💻He actually doesn't like using the computer when small, he prefers to color or play with the toys they stashed at base.

💻 Nobody can say no to him; if he puts his arms up to anyone, they're immediately scooping him up. He most often goes to Miko(because she spins him around to make him giggle) and Ratchet(because he feels so small and safe when Ratchet cradles him close)

💻It's hard to understand Optimus because he has a difficult time talking when small, but Raf is one of the few besides Ratchet who can understand him. Because of reasons, no one really questions it.

Nicknames:

🚁Agent Fowler: Flower (an adorable mispronunciation by OP), Dad, Papa Bear.

🏥June Darby: Mom, Mama.

🏍️Jack: Jackie, Bro, Big Bro.

🎸Miko: Sis, Little Monkey, Wild Child, Rockstar.

💻Raf: Baby Boy, Honey, Sweetspark (courtesy of Ratchet)

Hope you enjoyed these, Decepticons next!

[decepti-thots]

☕ ~ trans woman whirl?

I love trans Whirl headcanons but I think I love them for totally different reasons than I usually see, tbh? That is- I think a lot of the time the fandom just goes 'oh! Girl Holoform Spotted! now this character is girl, and we can say character is trans girl because in the comic they are called he/him' and tbh I find that attitude as fandom often implements it annoying for a couple reasons; one, it often feels like a kind of 'if character Looks Like Girl, well, character Is Girl' deal which tbh feels kinda shallow to me ngl, and two, it (and similar under-expanded upon headcanons) not infrequently seems to be a way for the fandom as a whole to justify the general lack of content for the very explicitly canon trans characters by instead being like 'all the material we make for these characters not treated as such in canon proves that we definitely love trans characters. don't think about how lug or anode or arcee don't get that same attention, or that this content only offhandedly actually deals with transness 90% of the time', you know? Bit mean, but I can't help but feel that's a repeated tendency in the fandom, tbh. I would feel less like this if the fanon trans headcanons did not just vaguely go 'oh. also ig they are trans, how nice' with no follow up and instead actually treated these characters as having opinions about being trans, but in too many cases they unfortunately... don't. (And no, them being robots is not an excuse. Anode has opinions on this. Arcee has opinions on this, a lot of them!) But we're here to talk about Whirl, and I want to talk about why I do love trans Whirl, so.

I love trans Whirl for reasons far outside of that, and I think taking that approach to the idea does it a disservice tbqh. Specifically I like trans Whirl for the same reason I like reading Verity as trans, because it adds to Whirl's character arc about being denied agency over identity and clawing it back on purpose in a way where the trans reading feels especially resonant and like it genuinely adds to the overall subtext of her arc. Whirl's entire character is one where the violent removal of agency in her life is so much a focus it changes the course of history; Whirl refusing to let the functionists that ruined her life win is why Elegant Chaos plays out as it does. Whirl is a character whose entire sense of self as a person with the ability to make any choices at all was viciously ripped away from her, and in turn a character whose response to that is to make her ability to choose exactly what she does so utterly undeniable that even if you hate her, even if you think she's repulsive, even if you want to throttle her, you cannot pretend she is not in control. In that specific context, adding in the idea that she would choose her own gender, in defiance of a Cybertronian culture that implicitly treats gender as an alien unwelcome influence, so she can have what she wants- that rules. There's also such a line to be drawn there between Arcee's arc and Whirl, I think, that is so great. That's where I see why it is so good. Being seen as just a gun to be aimed that everyone professes distaste for but still wants to stick around and do dirty work, but you insist upon your interiority being seen as just that; your interiority. And all the things the people who want to do to you which you hate being what you embrace. It's fantastic. I simply prefer that as an angle through which to view the ideas than like... haha well Whirl's holoform is Girl With Guns how funny. You know?

And one of her most "humanising" moments is when she extends that to someone else. I'm thinking of when she tells Tailgate that Cyclonus was lying about his injuries; that part where Cyclonus is trying to protect Tailgate in a way that is ultimately toxic for them both. Sure, everyone else agrees that the best way to handle this is to lie for your own good so you don't make a decision people don't want you to. But that's not fucking fair, and who gets to decide what's "your own good"? Viewing that in light of a Whirl who is not just vaguely a woman but specifically linking that to the way Whirl's rigidly defined role under a functionist heel ruined her sense of identity, because they know what's best for you whether you like it or not- damn, that is COMPELLING. And I find that just. So much more compelling than what fandom so often does with the idea. Whirl, above all else, knows how important demanding agency is. I think that makes Whirl a character ripe for a reading as trans, and I love that for her so much. she'll grab you by the throat and make you acknowledge her. and she's right every step of the way, no matter how much you want to look away. i love her.

tl;dr WHIRL TRANS WOMAN GOOD. LOVE IT. no really i just, it's so good.