#i just need to learn to do mechs and then it can be me

[chazz-is-a-zelda-fan]

“yeah i’m fine why” and has been microdosing whatever-not-gender-dysphoria-is-but-not-euphoria-either by listening to Connor’s Theme from Detroit: Become Human

[s0urte3th]

i mean, im not saying im.. bad i guess?

[draconic-desire]

To the Grave (400 subs!)

Yandere Aventurine x Reader

Yet another escape attempt thwarted. How will Aventurine react?

Warnings: Yandere behavior, implied kidnapping, forced imprisonment and affection

The room is cold, and not just because you’re half naked and shivering, clutching at your thin pajamas. No, it’s because the man across from you is radiating an aura more bone-chilling than Jarilo-VI.

Aventurine dismisses the IPC grunts who dragged you in with a wave of his hand. You get a sick sort of satisfaction that it took four of them, plus a senior staff member in a mech suit, to finally restrain you this time.

Your escape this round was spontaneous, but you couldn’t turn your nose at the opportunity when you noticed the guards had failed to lock your door that evening. You’d sprinted out wearing nothing but the ridiculous, skimpy nightwear that Aventurine liked to return to you wearing. You’d made it as far as the outskirts of the manor before you were grabbed and tackled by the pursuing goons.

Hence how you found yourself here, presented to the very man who held you captive against your will.

The room is dead silent. His back is to you, so you can’t gauge his expression, but you notice he’s playing with a single chip, tossing it back and forth between his hands—a tick that you’ve learned means he’s thinking, calculating.

“Did you really think your little stunt would work?” His voice is calm, barely over a whisper, but it still sends a shiver down your spine. Your nails dig into your palms ever so slightly harder, leaving crescent moons in their wake.

“The odds haven’t stopped me before,” you throw back, mocking his own betting lingo.

Aventurine lets out a dry, breathy laugh. “And that’s what makes a gambler. That desperate desire to cling to the hope that the next time will be the jackpot.”

“I’m willing to take those odds if it means a lifetime without you.”

He does not have one of his normal, clever comebacks for that, apparently. He merely flicks the chip one more time and snatches it midair in his left hand, which then moves to settle behind his back.

“Do you have any idea the lengths I go to in order to keep you safe?”

At first, you think you imagine it—the edge of hurt, the crack in his voice. But then you notice his posture, the hand held behind his back, the fist shaking ever so slightly. It’s the same as when he’s making a risky bet, when he’s scared of the next play.

Some of your bitterness morphs to confusion. “Aventurine—”

This time he turns, and his mesmerizing, beautiful, terrifying Avgin eyes meet your own. “You know what to call me.”

“Kakavasha,” you breathe out after a pause. At the sound of his true name, you see him release a breath, some of the ice melting around his eyes. “This isn’t safety, this is a prison. You can’t expect me to…”

Your voice trails off as he wraps his arms around you, one hand caressing your hair while the other attaches to your hip. He buries his nose into your neck, right at the base of your jaw, and you suck in a breath. You still feel the ghost of pain from each previous bite and bruise he’s left on your neck, the marks he uses to stake his claim on you.

He releases a choked laugh, making your knees weak with fear. You brace yourself for pain, for the sting of his fangs as he sinks his teeth into your flesh—

Except you realize he’s not laughing, he’s crying.

“I was so frightened, (Y/n). I thought—I thought you were gone—” Each attempt is cut off with another hitched breath, his grip on you like a vice. “You’re all I have left, the only thing that I can protect. I can’t lose you, too. I’ll give you anything. So please, just…stay.”

Your initial shock starts to bleed into uncertainty. Strings of doubt, of guilt, wrap around your heart. How can you pull away from him, knowing his past? How fate has stolen every loved one from him, leaving him a broken shell that he himself was forced to piece back together? Can you truly blame him for his possessiveness, his need to keep you?

Of course you can, logic tells you. But the lost man—no, the frightened Avgin boy, the last of his kind—who is clutching you with such unbridled affection and sadness doesn’t need your reasoning, he needs your understanding, your compassion.

You sigh, placing your hand on his head and running your fingers through his golden tresses, in the manner you know he loves so dearly from you. “I’m sorry. I—I’m not going anywhere.”

“No,” he agrees, his voice suddenly clear, “you aren’t.”

Something rattles and wraps around your neck with a click.

“Wha-what—!” You scratch at your nape, at the metal fixture that you don’t even need a mirror to identify. No. He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t, not after everything he himself has been through, he wouldn’t subject you to the same humiliation and torture—

Aventurine gives the chain attached to the shackle around your neck a light tug. When your eyes lock with his, you see they are void of tears, brimming only with smug victory. The basted fucking faked it.

How easily you had fallen for the mask of Kakavasha, only to be met by the reality of Aventurine, his heart as hard as stone.

You immediately thrash, baring your teeth at him. “Bastard! Liar! Heartless wretch!” You growl when you hear him laugh at that last one. “I will never stop fighting you, not until you are alone, dead, and buried as you deserve!”

“That may be so,” he drawls, “but your willing compliance certainly isn’t something I’m willing to bet on.” He pulls you close by your chain, licking your fallen tear of frustration. “So how about I bring you to the grave with me, hm?”

[fiber-optic-alligator]

Requesting IDW Megatron x Lost Light human liaison reader. Based on the song "Heaven's Light" from Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Thanks for the request! Sorry for such a long delay! I spent a lot of time writing and rewriting this because I wanted to get it right. I went with Autobot Megatron for this one. I hope that is okay with you! Feedback is always appreciated! :D

Heaven's Light

Pairing: IDW Megatron x Human Liaison Reader

Word Count: 3588

Summary: Though he is now a hardworking Autobot aboard the Lost Light who's just trying to make up for the sins he's committed in his past, Megatron still believes he is a monster who is unworthy of ever being loved. That all changes when you, a little human liaison from Earth, makes your way into his life and implores him to reluctantly open his spark.

Megatron knows he is a monster.

  He has done horrible things. He has killed, he has tortured, he has maimed. His recharge cycles are plagued with the echoes of screams and the fallen frames of mangled bodies. He stands atop a pile of them. When he looks at his servos, they are drenched in wasted energon that isn’t his own. Nightmares, Rune calls them. Terrible warped memories of his past. He cannot escape them. The guilt will stain him forever.

  Megatron is aware that most of the Lost Light’s crew is afraid of him. With the exceptions of others like the captain, most steer clear of his way. When they see him thumping down a hallway with steps that seem to shake the entire ship, they scurry like glitch mice when a cyber cat is near. They speak to him with tremors in their voices and rattling in their joints.

  Not that he makes things easy for them, he admits. Megatron is aloof, calculating, and antisocial. His violent tendencies have devolved into simple growls and annoyed huffs. He’s not here to make friends. He’s here to do a job: atone for the sins he has committed.

  And yet, the nightmares remain. They do not leave no matter what he does.

  Megatron is not a gentle being. He knows he is rough around the edges, and that scares people. So when he hears the announcement about a human boarding the Lost Light, his first instinct is to avoid them at all costs. It does not matter if they are a liaison. Humans are fragile and too easy to break. And he hardly believes Earth wants their delegate to be interacting with the former Decepticon warlord who has slaughtered thousands.

  Unfortunately, his dimwitted captain has different plans.

  “No.” Megatron crosses his arms and lifts his chin defiantly. “Absolutely not.”

  “Oh, come on.” Rodimus throws his helm back with an exasperated groan. “You're the perfect bot for the job! Why can’t you just say yes?”

  “I did not board this ship to inevitably become a human babysitter.” Megatron’s words come out harsh and unyielding. “The answer is no, Rodimus. Get someone else to do it.”

  “I agree,” Drift says. “In no way can I see this resulting in a positive outcome. Um…no offense Megatron.”

  Megatron snorts. “None taken.”

  “You two don’t understand.” Rodimus rubs his forehelm in faux exhaustion. “The human is here to learn about Cybertronian history and culture. Who else knows more about that sort of stuff than you?”

  Megatron bares his teeth. “Are you calling me old?”

  “I’m calling you knowledgeable,” Rodimus shoots back. “You can tell the human so much about us, more than Drift or I could combined.”

  “That is not my area of profession. Get Rewind to do it.”

  “No,” Rodimus objects. “I want you to do it.”

  “Rewind would be a much better option if we want this human to successfully integrate into the ship’s social life,” Drift advises.

  Rodimus punches the other mech squarely in the shoulder plating. Drift yelps and jumps back. “Ow! What was that for?”

  “Are you on my side with this or not?” Rodimus snaps.

  “I’m on the side of wanting the human to like us, and I don’t believe pairing them with Megatron is the best way to achieve that! Again, no offense to Megatron, but we need to make a good impression.” Drift straightens and rubs his shoulder, wincing. “We have to think about this clearly, Rodimus.”

  “I am thinking clearly. I am the most clear-thinking mech in this room. I have never been thinking clearer, and I don’t think I ever will.” He points at Megatron. “You are going to be this human’s companion for the next six cyber-weeks they are here. You will educate them on our ways, teach them our history, and convince them that we are awesome and amazing and incredible. Understand? Come on, remember their little human motto! ‘Salvation through understanding, understanding brings in the light!’ There’s no way you can say no to that!”

  Megatron feels indignation churn within his tank. That indignation turns into something dangerous, something he has not been able to snuff out of himself completely since he’s turned over a new leaf. That something is hostility borne from the frustration of being told to do something he doesn’t want to do. He snarls, but Rodimus does not cower. The red-and-orange mech’s plating bristles and clacks together in an act of instinctual dominance. The two leaders stare each other down in a silent battle. It takes Drift being the middle-man to relieve some of the tension crackling between them. “Alright, enough! Both of you stop right now! The human is going to be here at any moment, and you want their first impression of you two to be this? Calm down and get a hold of yourselves!”

  Megatron scoffs. Without looking at either of them, he shoulders past Drift towards the door. “I will do as you say, Rodimus,” he rumbles. “But don’t you think I will enjoy a second of it. You are making a mistake.”

  He hears Drift whisper “This is a bad idea” to the captain. Megatron stomps off, ignoring how every mech around him presses themselves against the walls to avoid his path. They should have chosen Rewind.

  You are…not what Megatron was expecting.

  You arrive on the ship with a swagger in your step and not an ounce of nervousness within you. Your eyes are wide with awe and your little dermas are split in a wide open smile as you turn in a circle to take everything in. There’s something distinctly adorable about the way you shift the weight of your stuffed backpack from one shoulder to the other and drag a tiny little suitcase behind you that makes the softer side of Megatron want to say “Awwww.” Apparently he isn’t the only one either; Rodimus is smiling like an idiot, his servos fidgeting like he wants to scoop you up and coo at you dotingly.

  Drift elbows him. He snaps to attention and announces himself grandly, which makes Megatron want to cringe. “Liaison Y/N! So good to finally meet you in person! Welcome to the Lost Light!” He kneels and extends his servo with surprising mindfulness. “I am Rodimus Prime, captain of this ship.”

  Your smile widens when you hold the tip of his index digit between both of your little fleshy servos and shake it. “I am honored to be here, captain.”

  “The honor is all ours. And please, just call me Rodimus. You're one of us now. There’s no need for formalities.” Rodimus rises and gestures to Drift. The red-and-white mech steps forward and dips his head while he is introduced. “This is Drift, my third-in-command. And this is Megatron, my…co-captain.”

  Megatron keeps his expression neutral when he steps forward to loom over you like a mountain. You have to crane your neck back in order to take all of him in. Here we go, he thinks. Any moment now, you’ll recognize his name. You’ll retreat to a safe distance. Maybe even start screaming in fear. He shouldn’t be surprised. After all, he is Megatron, feared former leader of the Decepticons, one of the most ruthless and terrifying beings in the-

  Your smile does not waver and your attitude remains just as bright. “Megatron. It’s wonderful to meet you. I’m Y/N.”

  It takes a moment for him to register your words. Wait, what?

  Rodimus coughs and eyeballs him critically. “Oh.” Megatron blinks. “Um. Yes. Hello. It’s wonderful to, uh, meet you too.”

  Drift snickers. He wants to punch him.

  “I apologize for his flustered state.” Rodimus laughs nervously. “We’re all just very excited to have you on board. This is the first time much of the crew will be meeting a human, so I hope you’ll understand that some of us might not know how to interact with you.”

  “It’s no problem,” you say. “I get it. But that’s why I’m here! So if you are curious about me, then I encourage it.”

  Rodimus relaxes, looking relieved. “Yes, of course! We’re connecting two worlds! It’s absolutely incredible.”

  “If anyone makes you actively uncomfortable though, please let one of us know,” Drift adds. “We understand that there is a clear power imbalance between you and all of us. It’s important that you feel safe here.”

  “Well, that’s why Megs is going to be your partner during your time here!” Rodimus grabs Megatron’s shoulder and shakes him. It takes all of his strength not to growl. “You're here because you want to know more about us, right? Well, my co-captain is extremely knowledgeable in all things Cybertronian. He’ll do his best to answer any and all questions you might have!”

  You show no trepidation over this. In fact, your eagerness only seems to grow. Megatron is honestly stunned. “Oh, absolutely, I’d love that! As long as it’s okay with you?” You look back at him inquiringly.

  He starts to object, but Rodimus slams his servo over his intake. “He’s totally okay with it! He volunteered, after all! And he’ll start with showing you to your habsuite with Drift, so you can take all the time you need to settle in!”

  Your concerns are soothed. Taking up your suitcase, you follow Drift and leave the docking bay, with the other mech walking at a turtle’s pace in order to stay in tandem with you. Megatron rips Rodimus’s servo away from his intake. “You,” he hisses, “are the bane of my very existence.”

  Rodimus shrugs. “I can live with that title. But seriously, I’m doing you a favor right now. Enough with the brooding miserableness and more with the reinventing yourself. I’m trying to help you feel more at ease here. If you start with the human, you may find yourself actually being gentle.”

  He snarls, and for the first time in a long while wonders if he can get away with killing one last Autobot. But when he looks at you and sees the way you smile up at Drift with so much young excitement…something in him softens.

  “So, I was told you know a lot about Cybertronian culture,” you say to him. Drift is long gone, and your habsuite is set up to house all of your accommodations. You sit back on the miniature berth covered with blankets and pillows, thin legs swinging idly while you regard him with a curious look. He glances at you fleetingly, then returns his gaze to the data pad he’s holding.

  “That I do,” he answers.

  “Mind telling me some stuff?”

  Your question is blunt and to the point. There’s no hesitation. You don’t look the least bit afraid. For a moment, Megatron wonders if you even know who he is. You just seem so…clueless. Did your human superiors really give you no sort of debriefing on who you would be dealing with here before you left?

  “What do you want to know?” he asks reluctantly.

  “I want to know about turbo foxes,” you reply.

  He stares at you. Then he bursts into raucous laughter that causes his entire frame to shake. You throw your hands up in feigned exasperation, grinning like an idiot. “What? What did I say?”

  “You said nothing wrong, little one.” He manages to calm himself down, shaking his head while still chuckling. “I just…I was expecting you to ask about the war.”

  “Why would I ask you about that?”

  “Because that is what everyone wants to know about. The war is essentially a defining factor of our history and culture. Our image cannot exist without it.”

  You shrug. “I can learn about the war from anyone. I already have. But turbo foxes? I’ve only read a single paragraph about those. They sound so cute! You have to tell me more.”

  “Wait.” He pauses, confused. “You…you’ve learned about the war?”

  “Of course I have,” you reply. “Like you said, it’s part of your history and culture. Who hasn’t at this point?”

  “So…you know who I am. Megatron. Me. You’ve learned about me.”

  “Yes?” You tilt your head. “I don’t know what this has to do about turbo foxes.”

  “No, it-it has nothing to do with them. I just-” He sighs, rubbing his optics in a tired way. “I just don’t understand why you haven’t acknowledged the fact that you know me. You know what I’ve done. You know what I’m capable of continuing to do.”

  “I haven’t acknowledged it because it’s not worth acknowledging.”

  “That is absurd. Of course it is worth acknowledging. I am Megatron. I’m the former leader of one of the most feared armies known throughout the universe.”

  “Former leader,” you say.

  “That-” He sputters. He isn’t sure where you are going with this; you’ve thrown him for a loop. “That has nothing to do with the current situation.”

  “Yes it does.” You stand up. “You used to be the leader of the Decepticons. You’ve killed, you’ve destroyed. But you don’t do that anymore. So now here we are.”

  “You are okay with completely looking past everything I have done? You're just going to…ignore it?”

  “No.” You take slow steps towards him. “I’m not. I’ve done my research on you. I understand that you’ve done terrible things. But I also know that you're trying to make up for all of that. You're good now. Being here, helping me…I know you're trying to be better. I appreciate that.” You hold up your hands. He understands, yet hesitates to fulfill your wish. You have to encourage him. “Come on, it’s okay. You won’t hurt me.”

  He bends down and extends his servo. “How can you be so sure?”

  You hold his index digit and bring the tip to your cheek, allowing him to caress the soft organic skin of your face. You are so small, so delicate, so carefully made. Megatron isn’t caught up on the stories about the gods of your world, yet he knows-he can feel it-that whatever being made you put so much care and love into their work, he is sure their power rivals Primus himself. His walls crumble. He wants to hold you forever.

  “I’m sure because I trust you,” you say. “And when you earn the trust of someone you can so easily hurt…you know you are good.”

  Six weeks later…

Swerve’s bar is filled with life. Megatron hears it all the way from the deserted hallway he sits in. The laughter, cheers, and songs echo like the hauntings of spirits. Yet, he feels no urge to join in. The bench he sits on is as cold as space. He’s sure he can feel the chilling void through the large observation window he’s in front of right now.

  The soft pitter patter of human feet turns his attention away from the window. He sees you heading towards him with cheeks flushed red and a stupid smile. His olfactory sensors pick up on the faint scent of alcohol sticking to your skin when you make it over to him.

  “Are you drunk?” he asks.

  “A little,” you reply. A soft pat to his pede signals what you want. He gives it to you, scooping you up into a gentle hold and placing you on his right tibulen. You lean against him with a soft exhale. “Why didn’t you come join us?”

  He lifts his gaze to the window. “I’m not a big drinker.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s okay. Neither am I.”

  The warmth of your little body is comforting. It makes him want to focus on you. Yet, he can’t manage to do so. It’s such a foolish situation; him, of all mechs, so infatuated with this little human, he can barely look at them.

  But it goes beyond that. He knows it does. So do you. Six weeks are nearly over. Your time here will soon be done.

  He doesn’t know how to handle that anymore.

  “Why did you leave Swerve’s?” he chooses to ask you, because if he brings up the topic of you leaving, he thinks he’s going to lose control of his emotions.

  “I wanted to be with you.”

  He snorts. “I hardly think a party being thrown in your honor is worth leaving in exchange for spending time with some old bot.”

  “Oh, please. You aren’t just some old bot to me. I like being around you. Is that so hard to believe?”

  He smiles humorously. “You might be the only one on this ship who does.”

  You don’t respond, and Megatron fears he might have offended you in some way. When he looks at you, he sees your shoulders slump and your head hang like you are mourning the dead.

  “I’m leaving soon,” you murmur.

  “...I know.”

  “I asked my superior if I could stay.” You draw your knees to your chest and hug them. “I begged him. Another week. Hell, another day. But he wouldn’t give in. Fucking asshole…he knows I’ve gotten attached.”

  “Getting attached was the point of you coming here.”

  “I know. But…not like this.” An invisible chord tightens around your little body. He can tell your composure is crumbling. “This…wasn’t something I was trained for.”

  His spark aches painfully. If he were younger, he’d do something rash; threatening your superior would have been his first course of action. If that didn’t work, he’d steal you away and whisk you off to the far reaches of space, away from Earth, away from anything or anyone who might prevent the two of you from being together.

  But he’s not his younger self. He’s old. He’s tired. So he simply heaves a sigh and lifts his optics to the stars. “You know…so many times out there, I’ve watched a happy pair of lovers walking in the night.”

  You lift your head and look at him. There are tears in your eyes. Megatron rumbles out a deep purr and reaches for you, gently maneuvering you into his servos and lifting you up to his faceplate. You lean forward and place a tiny hand on his nose.

  “What were they like?” you ask quietly.

  “They had a kind of glow to them,” he responds with a sense of wistfulness. “It almost looked like…Heaven’s light.”

  That makes you giggle. “How the hell do you know what Heaven is?”

  “Lets just say I’ve done my research,” he answers with a smile.

  You lightly tap his nose with your fist. “Sap.” Your expression falls into a contemplative frown. “What were you thinking when you saw them? The lovers? Were you jealous?”

  “Well…not exactly. Jealousy isn’t the right word to describe it. But…I envied them. I wanted to be like them. But I knew I’d never know that warm and loving glow, though I might wish with all my might.” He closes his optics, steadying his breaths. He doesn’t want to cry, not in front of you. “No face as hideous as my face…was ever meant for Heaven’s light.”

  You open your mouth to retort, not at all willing to listen to him put himself down. That’s one of the things he loves about you. No matter who it is, you will always step in to make someone feel better. It’s a quality many Cybertronians are lacking, yet it abounds in humans plentifully.

  He had been wrong about your kind, back when he was still the leader of the Decepticons. You are so much more beautiful than you realize.

  Megatron cuts you off gently with a low puff of air into your face from his nose. You sputter and stumble back, and he laughs. His thumb comes up to stroke your hair, then travels down to trace the outline of your jaw. You still, eyes widening when you see the lovesick look he’s giving you. “But suddenly an angel has smiled at me…you, little one. Come on, smile.”

  There’s no sharp-witted reply from you to make him chuckle. You just obey him and smile. His spark skips a beat and he feels like he is going to melt right then and there. “You are the only one to smile at me in this way,” he whispers. “And you…you’ve touched my face without a trace of fright.”

  “I could never be afraid of you,” you say. You press yourself against his nose, hugging him in the best way you can. He feels you trembling. “I’ve dreamt of this. I’ve dreamt of you. I still dream. I dare to dream that you might even care for me…”

  Megatron leans into your touch. “My cold dark tower seems so bright…I swear it must be Heaven’s light.”

  There is silence between you for some time. The noise from Swerve’s bar has faded away. You sniffle and don’t pull away. “Stay with me,” you beg.

  “You know I can’t,” he says. “Not forever.”

  “Then just for tonight. For as long as we have left. Stay with me, please. I don’t want to let you go. I love you.”

  “You don’t have to.” He hugs you with his free servo. “Not right now. I’m here. I love you too. You are the only one I will ever love. My Heaven’s light.”

  “Salvation through understanding,” you sob, tears streaming down your cheeks. Yet, you are smiling. It’s a grateful smile. A smile that tells him you are so, so lucky to have ever met him at all.

  His optics well up. He lets the walls break. “Understanding brings in the light.”

  Megatron knows he is a monster.

  But after meeting you…he knows he’s a monster who’s worthy of receiving love.

[callsign-relic]

I was hoping to request some more first contact Rodimus 👉🏽👈🏽 Now that him and the resident human can communicate he's learning exactly what their boundaries are. Basically him just realizing how smothered they felt and falling into a much more comfortable and tentative friendship. Maybe she even explains how she doesn't like some of the things he did like not being given a choice w the laying on top of his chest plate thing?

Aahhh I’m happy to do some TCFC!Rodimus for you! After this request I did note in my rules that if you’d like a First Contact Rodimus separate from my Too Close For Comfort series you’re more than welcome to do that, it’s explained further in depth there! But seeing as you specified events from TCFC I’m assuming you’re asking for a continuation, which I’m happy to do for you :) and for those who aren’t familiar with my Too Close For Comfort series, you can find all of the parts either in my masterlist or under the tag “#too close for comfort fic”, which is listed below!

Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: SFW, GN!Human!Reader, First Contact AU

The bots did keep their promise— the Lost Light was now headed back towards Earth. But seeing as you were lightyears upon lightyears away from your home by now, you had a feeling you had a very, very long trip ahead of you.

While part of you dreaded that fact, you at least felt some relief in that now you had a voice. Gone were the days of getting dragged along against your will, with these Cybertronians none the wiser. They could understand you, and you could understand them, all you needed now was the glue to piece those two parts together: decent communication.

And that was something that, to your surprise, both you and Rodimus were keen on upholding.

There were your high days and low days, of course. Sometimes you didn’t wanna be anywhere Rodimus— your homesickness getting the better of you and pushing you away from everyone.

But there were other days where you somehow found you adored spending time with him.

Standing high in the air up on the captain’s shoulder, watching the world race by as he merely walked. Seeing the world at his level almost made you forget you were the odd one out here. You’d feel the constant presence of the captain beside you, the feeling of every little motion he made running waves through your comparably tiny form. A small huff of air blows past you, and you turn your head upward to see Rodimus gazing at you with a small, sweet smile— huffing a small chuckle through his nose.

“What?” You ask, playfully raising an eyebrow and crossing your arms.

“Oh, nothing,” he replies nearly instantly, shifting his head back forward, but keeping his attention focused on you through the corners of his optics.

“C’mon, Rodimus— I know you well enough to know when something’s on your mind.” You lean forwards just a bit to try and make better eye contact. “Well, I mean. It’s not like you’re very subtle to begin with.”

The orange mech laughs, “Hey!” and you find yourself laughing too. “I-I dunno’, I just…”

When Rodimus trails off, your grin fades. A dark, familiar feeling stirs within you. No, you couldn’t think that way anymore— Rodimus had changed. You and he had both agreed: you had started fresh now.

“I’m… glad to see you like this,” he finishes, and you release a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

You tilt your head, “What do you mean?” You had a feeling that this conversation was going to be a hefty one, so you took the opportunity to get comfortable— taking a seat upon the mech’s shoulder and dangling your legs off the side.

Rodimus struggles to find his words, stammering for a moment as he turns to look at you fully. “Not sure, I mean… seeing you happy, I guess.” When you offer another raised eyebrow and a disbelieving smile, the captain chuckles. “You know what I mean! Actually happy! And not in the way that’s just me imagining it cause I couldn’t understand you and was too worried about how cute you were.”

“What?”

“Uh— ignore that last part!” He scrambles to say, and you have to hold your stomach from how hard you ended up laughing. “Look, all this is to say is— I’m… I’m glad we’re okay now.”

Once you cool down, you look up into the mech’s blue optics and offer him a little smile of your own. “I am too. I mean, back before everything, I didn’t really feel like my own person anymore. You were nice to me, of course, but there were a lot of times where I felt… dragged along. Without any real regard for myself.”

Rodimus’ expression falls, and he looks at you with furrowed brows. “What do you mean?”

You absentmindedly fiddle with your hands as you go on, “Well, uh… take for example, that night we were going to sleep and you laid me on your chest? You might have not thought much of it, but in reality, I felt… kind of terrified.”

The captain began to slow as you spoke, and though you felt it beneath you, you didn’t let that stop you from continuing— even when he eventually came to a stop. “Your… your hand was directly on top of me and I was scared of waking you up and you putting me, like— on your neck or something,” there’s a slight chuckle to your words, but the memory still stings. You didn’t even realize you had long broken eye contact with Rodimus by now.

“But… then I felt your heartbeat underneath me, and that’s really what scared me. The fact that I’m so… small, compared to you. So small that even a natural function like that shook me to my core.”

You only manage to look up when you notice Rodimus wasn’t speaking. The sorrow you thought would be spread all over his faceplate looked more like… confusion, than anything.

“I’m sorry, ‘heartbeat’?”

You’re taken aback— you don’t think you’d have to explain something like that to him. Was he being serious? “Uh, you know. Your heart? Beats in your chest? Keeps you alive?” You pound your fist rhythmically to your chest a couple of times for good measure.

The captain only blinks. “Do… is that what you call your spark?”

“My what?”

“Your spark,” he repeats, as if it was common knowledge. “Beats in its chamber, keeps you alive.” He also pounds a servo to his chassis— the clanging metal vibrating through you and stinging your teeth.

“Okay, okay, point taken,” you laugh, and it warms your heart a little to see a smile return to Rodimus’ face. “But, really, do you get what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do. Again, I’m sorry I made you go through that,” he says earnestly, and you give him a nod of thanks. Then, a yellow servo rises before you— the mech had offered it as a platform beneath you. You gaze up at him questioningly, but when the only answer he gives is a tilt of his head, the only thing you can think to do to oblige him.

Slowly, you slide down from his shoulder and land in a crouch on his palm— and as you come to your feet, the mech brings you around and over near his chest. “In that case, I wanna’ ask,” he begins as he does so, “when I bring you near my chest at all in general, do you feel… as uncomfortable?”

Your eyes flick down from his face and over to his bright yellow chestplate. The stark red Autobot brand stares back at you.

“…no,” you decide, finally tearing your eyes away from his chest and back up to Rodimus. “No, when I’m just level like this, it’s fine.”

“Okay,” he says, and slowly, he pulls you in closer. His servo bumps against his chassis, but you’re still free to roam around in his palm. “And this?”

“No,” you answer, and with more confidence this time. Though you can hear the constant rumble of his engine churning within him, you didn’t feel put off by it. “This is fine too.”

Then, your world begins to shift around you. Rodimus’ hand tilts forward, and you have no choice but to lean your hands against his chest as you’re gently held against it. “And… this?”

You don’t respond as quickly as you did before. You didn’t even need to tune in and listen— the feeling was right there, throbbing and pulsing beneath you with just as much strength as you remembered. His heart— spark, you correct yourself— there, living within him. You feel your breath start to pick up in pace, and you nearly push yourself as far back as you can—

But then, you look upwards, and see Rodimus gazing at you. Listening intently for your next words.

You take a deep breath. “I… not for now, no,” you lightly push yourself off from his chassis and the captain takes the hint, pulling you up and away and bringing you back to his face. “Maybe… maybe with a little more time, though.”

Though you give him a smile to assure him not to worry, Rodimus’ concerned pout never changes. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he says, “again, the last thing I want is for you to be uncomfortable here ever again.”

You actually laugh at that, though you aren’t sure why. Rodimus— the mech who put you through the most uncomfortable scenarios all the way up until now— didn’t want you to ever feel uncomfortable again. It was… sweet.

“I know I don’t have to,” you reply, stepping forwards on his servo and closer to his face. You dare to land a hand on the tip of his nose, and though the mech blinks in surprise, he doesn’t pull back. Rather, he lifts one of his own hands and very gently places a thumb on the top of your head, running it down the back of your head in smooth, slow motions.

“But, with how we are now… I’m willing to try.”

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Neon, a couple of GFL girls, and velvet crowe having an S/O who basically does shit that Gundam heavy arms custom does (AKA trowa fucking hi jump acrobatics with fucking 4 miniguns in a Gundam) despite holding weapons that would force immense slow down on people.

(GoV: Nikke/GFL/Tales of Berseria)

Neon, RPK-16, AK-15, M4 SOPMOD II, and Velvet's S/O performing insane acrobatics

"Gravity? Who gives a crap about gravity?!" - Scout, TF2

Also that is one of the sickest ways for a mech to make an entrance, I don't care how dumb it is, it's so cool.

(Neon) "First of all, how?! Second of all, HOW CAN I DO THAT?!"

Neon is completely mesmerized with how S/O is able to break physics and leap so high into the air with so much equipment.

Now, everytime she goes into the firing range, she wants to replicate that trick.

But she has to be stopped by literally everyone because she'd just fall and break her neck.

Not that it would stop a Nikke, or Neon for that matter, but she tries!

Neon hops up and down as the weapons she's carrying barely lets her get an inch.

(Neon) "This is SO UNFAIR! HOW DOES A HUMAN DO THAT, BUT A NIKKE CAN'T?!"

Surely, the gods of firepower laughed at her attempts.

16 watched in a mixture of horror and amazement as she watches S/O leap so high into the air, quadruple wielding heavy weapons.

She doesn't even fire as S/O mows down the enemy drones effortlessly.

(RPK-16) "Hm. And humans had to create T-Dolls when they had you?"

She finds it fascinating that S/O seems to be the only human capable of this feat.

But now she's starting to believe that S/O wasn't human at all, considering.

16 lends S/O her LMG just to see if they could replicate their trick perfectly.

Which they did.

(RPK-16) "Well, I suppose there's no need for me to be here. I'll let you take it from here.~"

She's only half joking.

15 stares completely deadpan at S/O when they finished.

If there was anything she hated, it was absolutely wasting your time and doing things inefficiently.

Which S/O just performed both spectacularly.

(AK-15) "...If you can fire normally, you do not need to waste your time doing a flip."

She is not impressed at all.

If anything, it irritates her.

Why the hell did they even do a trick like that when standing completely still got the job done?

(M4 SOPMOD II) "THAT WAS SICK, DO IT AGAIN!"

SOPMOD is cheering every single time she sees S/O do that sick ass flip, decimating the entire enemy force with a volley of those guns!

She absolutely wants to learn how to do that, not giving a damn of how unnecessary or impossible it was!

SOPMOD pouts when she can jump, but not wield the guns at the same time.

(SOPMOD) "Hmph, no fair! What kind of secret trick are you using, S/O?!"

She doesn't really question the fact S/O can defy the laws of physics, only why she can't do it either.

Velvet knew you had to perform some insane feats to be part of her plan.

But the degrees of which S/O did their attacks was bordering on Magilou levels of extra.

She watched as S/O leapt impossibly high into the air, slamming down cannons that even she couldn't lift that easily.

Maybe it was some kind of power she didn't know about? Honestly, she didn't care too much.

As long as it got the job done.

(Velvet) "Should I even ask how you're able to do that?"

Magilou and Eleanor agree with Velvet that S/O is just wasting time doing those acrobatics.

However, Laphicet, Eizen, and Rokurou think it's one of the coolest attacks they've ever seen.

Which makes her big sister instincts kick in.

(Velvet) "If Phi tries to copy you, S/O, I'm eating you."

[cyberrose2001]

could i have a couple hcs about tfp ratchet and optimus (seperate) having a s/o that has pains/aches all over their body that pop up without warning? just some comfort hcs, if that’s okay

TFP Optimus and Ratchet w/ reader who has sudden aches/pains (hcs)

I'm assuming you mean those ass hole stabbing pains that hurt like a biatch... those are a menance fr. I especially get those in my stomach often, so that's what I went with. I hope you enjoy these headcanons!

Warnings: SFW/fluff, reader has sudden pain, very slight mention of death.

Word count: 693

Optimus

- You both would be resting together in your shared berthroom. Optimus would read a data pad while you scroll aimlessly on your phone. It'd be relatively peaceful until you feel a cramp in your abdomen. It makes you wince a little, but you'd ignore it and continue your internet surfing.

- Then, the pain hits you, your face twists in agony, and you let out a silent scream, clutching your abdomen.

- Optimus notices from the corner of his optics and instantly jumps into action, not hesitating even once as his spark sinks to his tanks.

- He won't know what to do, servos hovering over you in hesitancy as he watches you writhe around on the berth like a tortured snake.

- "What's wrong?" "Did something happen to you without my knowledge?" "Should I take you to Ratchet?"

- He would eventually scoop you up into his servos and cradle you until whatever was going on inside your tiny body stopped, optics never leaving your face, worry etched into every crevice of his frame.

- After a few moments, the pain stops, leaving a dull ache where the piercing pain once was, and he watches as you sigh in relief.

- This poor mech would be so confused. He'd ask you what happened and why you're suddenly not in pain anymore.

- You then had to explain to him that humans sometimes have 'hiccups' in their nervous system, thinking you're injured when you're really not.

- The amusement you gain from his confused facial expression is somewhat entertaining, but you'd ultimately need to reassure him that you're not hurt in any way. You're safe, and he breathes out a shaky ex-vent. 

- "It seems I still have much to learn about your kind, but I am glad you are okay."

- Proceeds to snuggle you for the rest of the night until he is sure you are unharmed, and you decide that reassurance cuddles from Optimus are the only cure for anything your fragile body throws at you.

- But if you ask, he'd massage the area to soothe the remaining aches for you. He'd be delighted to assist.

Ratchet

- It would be a typical day for you, lounging around on the couch watching Ratchet work on, well, whatever experiment or research he was conducting on the computer. It didn't matter what he was doing; you'd always admire him from a distance, and he would do the same, glancing his optics over to you occasionally to ensure you were still there.

- During your 'medic daydreaming', as you like to put it, a sharp sting hits the side of your abdomen, and you yelp in agonising pain. Tears pool in your eyes as your face scrunches up, trying to bear the sudden wave of pain.

- Ratchet abandons his station and is immediately beside you, reaching over the guard rail and scooping you up. His optics flutter over your frame and potential multiple diagnostics courses through his processor.

- "What the frag??" "Why are you holding your- for Primus' sake, move your hand! I need to see!" "Why didn't you tell me you were in pain?!"

- He'd be frantic, racing you to the med bay with you cupped in his palm.

- Ratchet has June on speed dial, and as soon as she is about to pick up, he no longer hears your whimpers.

- He'd be confused, gobsmacked even, when he sees you laying on the gurney, not a sign of pain on your face. It's like it never even happened.

- "What-" "Were you not just in distress?" "Why are you acting like you're fine?!"

- You'd hold back a chuckle as you explain to him that humans can get a little 'quirky' at times and cause you unexplainable pain for absolutely no reason. All Ratchet can do is stare at you wide-eyed as you tell him exactly why he dislikes the primitive design of the human nervous system.

- He'd be relieved, though. Thanking Primus that you weren't in danger or worse. He'd pick you up again, mumbling profanities and words like "Don't fraggin' scare me like that again." and "You humans and your body's strange aversion for death and dying scare me."

- You won't be let out of his sight for the rest of the day, keeping you cradled to his chassis. His thumb would rest against your chest in a self-soothing tactic, reassuring himself that you were okay.

- Much reassurance and thumb kisses are prescribed to him until he's calm again.

[justeclotilde]

Thoughts on LEGO Monkie Kid, pacing, and season 5

I’m taking this from Twitter, but basically this thread about “Say something BAD about the show Monkie Kid” came up and my biggest gripe so far has been :  The show has way too short episodes. Like, 11min30. And tries to do SO MUCH in those 11min30 that either somethings get scrapped (DBFamily but not just that) or big important elements get solved way too fast (Samadhi fire and broken scroll among other things). And it steams I think from the fact that the show went from episodic to serialised while keeping the same amount of time. 

I ramble :  I see a lot of newcomers say that they jumped s1 and 2 and really started with s3/4, and while everyone has their reasons I think that’s silly Because that format is what made me love the characters and settings in the first place. The episodes are short, so the show can only focus on a tiny thing, but sprinkled LBD being a menace throughout the season, with the spider gang being a menace. And now ? lBD is still reveared as one of the best villains, and Spidergang is still very appreciated. Same thing for DBF : Red Son was slowly developed through s1, and returned on s3 Granted he wasn’t in s2, but since he was a major part of s1, and the spider queen special, we grew to care about him and the family to an extent. Because that’s what the show is good at ! Characters interactions, character personalities, CHARACTERS !! And now, the show is going for serialised, which is great and maintains attention, but it wants to do too much with the same amount of time: - In s2 : LBD took 10 ep to build her mech. MK started slowly to grow, and his relationships were explored one ep at a time. Slowly. - In s4 : we lose SWK, MK meets Azure, we learn about Tang, Pigsy and Sandy through their ancestors, we start to question MK’s existence, Monkey MK, the scroll is a menace, Azure betrays the group, MK loses his mentor and morale, DBF is important but scrolled, the JE is defeated and BAM world explodes we have to kill God in 4 episodes now. 

Granted for the characters as well it feels rushed. We don’t have to see everything either. Of course. They have a life outside the show. And overall they did a good job in those 11 bloody minutes 30.

But

But

But.

Now that we have a bit of breathing room, maybe it’s time to have that character moment by episode we’ve been asking for instead of cramming feelings and heartfelt conversations in an episode while the world is teared apart outside. Especially since we’ve seen the characters go through hell for a whole season. MK needs to breath but he isn’t the only one. We could have an episode on Red Son and his time in the scroll, an episode on MK going monkey a whole episode, an episode on SWK and Macaque in coloc, an episode on Tang Pigsy and Sandy trying to get back to their lives since they’re the most normal of the bunch - technically (cuz apparently having episodes focused on them in s4 wasn’t enough to have conversations about it but that’s a gripe i have with the community for LATER). We could have SWK and DBF reminisce on their time together, since DBK is one of the last friend that doesn’t QUITE hate him anymore, or an episode on how Nezha starts rebuilding Heaven by himself while keeping the JE power safe, or an episode on Mei just being awesome honestly, like just Mei observing MK going insane and being the girlboss she is, especially since she went through the whole “excess power that could kill everyone you love” and is still living with that, in a way. That could answer where the Samadhi fire business went. Cuz like in real life some things are tamed but don’t disappear, she might still be struggling but has learned to live with it. And MK is going through a similar path. We could also have Red Son in this one since he’s honestly the most controlled in a way.

And through all that… discretly… the world starts to break apart again ? Tears appear and with it new monsters and ghosts of the past maybe start seeping from the Underworld ? Maybe an unmasked man tries to prevent Mk’s attemps at coming back to some normal because as long as he’s confused and scared he stays the Harbinger of Chaos ? Idk ! TL:DR A lot of critics I see sum up as « They should show this more, why did THIS disappear out of nowhere, this is wasted potential », which seeps from the show not having time to show all that happens at once. Maybe it’s time to take a breather and tackle the problems one at a time again, ep by ep, like in season 2. And then go back to « We’re all gonna die in 4 episodes » to get the panic back on track.

Anyway Please come talk to me about the show and your theories, or headcanons about what the characters are doing now that the wreck of S4 has rolled past them. I wanna talk about my babies some more...

[magnuficent76]

Jealous of how gracefully you draw mecha stuff,,, do you have any... Advice or tips or?

Howdy-do ! I can certainly try to explain my process !

With mech, I always start with an idea first, and I draw it how I usually do it— Like say, Mephisto's prosthetics ! The first step is to just draw regular limbs first and figure out the individual parts. This is the "it does not need to look good it just has to exist first" stage, and you're basically just doing what you know. [Four limbed Mephisto jumpscare]

Now, you're gonna take these shapes and try to see exactly how they join together and bend. I like doing it by taking everything apart in 3 groups- The big shape (The "flesh" if you will, basically everything you see on the outside), the lil shape (Articulations for the big shape, basically what allows it to move) and the connectors (The skeleton for how your big shape is going to be structured ! it defines how lifelike or how robotlike your character will feel depending on how bendy or stiff). The simpler everything is, the better for stylizing !

Looking at ball jointed dolls and other such puppet characters has really helped me understand anatomy as a whole, but it's been especially helpful to robots since it has that certain natural stiffness to it, which I personally find crucial in robot designs. Here it is applied to the diagram !

Then, you're gonna wanna refine these shapes into something more cohesive ! Really string everything together with the same principles, but a little more stylization. These still look like limbs, but you can see exactly how they bend and stay in place through the exposed articulations. Just remember to keep it all relatively straight-edged and using of the skeleton to make sure you don't get too organic looking ! Mech is about geometric designs most of all !

And finally, once you feel it looks good, you go back in again and carve out your detail ! Add some stuff to that guy ! Make him look more interesting !

AND you still get to follow principles ! How fun is that !!!

The best way to practice this method imo is to just trace over robots you know and love. Transformers especially is a really good source of inspo for me, since they're made with toy features in mind and therefore allow for greater range of movement. You can do it to basically anything though ! Even more humanoid looking bots ! Here's two I did on Optimus prime and Fl4k from BL3!

A really good tutorial on this stuff is How to think when you draw: by TheEtheringtonBrothers on DA. Seriously, their stuff is highly informative, and they do a better job explaining than I ever could ahaha. They've got a bunch of tutorials with really good breakdowns of fundamentals and all that stuff up on their pages too, so I highly reccomend you check em out !

But yeah, most of all, practice is your friend. Observe how other people stylize machines and try to replicate it, read up on tutorials, see real life machines, get inspired by your favorite cartoon robots— It's all part of the process ! Like with anything in art, you need to crack a whole lot of eggs beforee you finally learn how to make an omelet you like, but whats most important is that you make an omelet at all. Some stuff is gonna burn or turn out not how you wanted it, and that is also normal, so you need to learn to embrace it and keep on going !

Happy drawins ! Here's a peepaw seal of approval just for trying :]

[imminent-danger-came]

MK: "What! Awww, no fair! Come on, you can't just run away when I'm right about to win!"

(1x00 A Hero is Born)

-

Princess Iron Fan: "You came back to me." MK: "You can't just- ugh, again, REALLY!"

(1x10 The End is Here!)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "Run along, destiny will find you soon enough."

(2x05 Minor Scale)

-

Game Wukong: "REMEMBER. NOT EVERY OPPONENT CAN BE BEATEN WITH BRUTE STRENGTH! DO YOU WANT TO LEARN A COUNTER ATTACK?"

Game Wukong: "Sometimes, using your enemies strength against them is the strongest move of all! This will leave them open for a counter attack!"

(2x06 Game On)

-

Lady Bone Demon: “Now do you understand? From the start you never had what it took to defeat me. All your power could do was make me stronger.”

(2x10 The End is Here!)

-

Sun Wukong: "I needed something to fight her—something so powerful even she wouldn't be able to win. A weapon."

(2x10 The End is Here!)

Macaque: "Come on kid—you must have seen it. She might be stronger than ever, but she's spread too thin. The mech, the crystal, and now Monkey King? I bet you anything that keeping him suppressed is using every ounce of strength she's got!" Red Son: "Meaning there's-" Sandy: "-There's some vulnerability!"

(3x13 Time to be Warriors)

Macaque: "Point is, it’s time to start making your own choices—something I wish I would have learned a lot sooner than I did. You don’t want to fight Azure because people might get hurt, you don’t want to not fight him because people might get hurt–so do something else! Only you get to decide who you are kiddo.”

(4x10 The Jade Emperor)

Ne Zha: "You fools! We should have stood and fought till the end!" MK: "We didn't stand a chance against them—if we'd stayed, it wouldn't have made a difference." Ne Zha: "So you're just going to stand aside, and let Azure become the new Jade Emperor?!"

MK: "There's only one person who ever stood against the Jade Emperor and lived to tell the tale." Ne Zha: "Monkey King."

(4x10 The Jade Emperor)

The wise warrior leads their enemy into their own destruction. And sometimes, that requires running to form the right counter attack.

So I'll put "Azure is his own undoing" down for 500.

[chazz-is-a-zelda-fan]

you should never give me attention because know i patiently await either a flood of anons or my friends to spam me with their au ideas

[lets-try-some-writing]

I brought this up with some friends a while back and wanted to see what thoughts you could have about it:

when Optimus first is assigning the kids’s guardians, initially he was going to assign Jack to Ratchet. So what if Ratchet actually was his guardian?

What an interesting concept. I've always wondered how a swap up of guardians would have gone. Arcee certainly wouldn't have ended up as well off.

Ratchet & Jack

Ratchet had always been rather hostile toward the humans, even after years of interacting with military personnel. Optimus didn't blame him, but he did have a plan to rectify that hostility before it became detrimental. The children merely gave him the perfect opportunity to adjust and then implement that plan.

The children needed guardians, and while Arcee's mental state was worrying, her pain would pass with time. Ratchet's hostility however was a long brewing thing, a danger that needed to be dealt with. So even after Ratchet tried to reject the order, Optimus pressed and assigned Jack to Ratchet nonetheless. The medic was, simply put, not at all pleased.

Ratchet: Optimus! You can't be seriously assigning me a flesh bag to watch over on top of my work!?

Optimus: I am. You need the interaction.

Ratchet: How am I supposed to operate the groundbridge!?

Optimus: Arcee will take over that duty when required.

Ratchet: And what about repairs?!

Optimus: Both myself and Bumblebee have basic knowledge of medicine, enough to keep a mech alive until they can be seen by you.

Ratchet: .... This is outrageous.

Ratchet was not pleased and neither was Jack. Both hated each other with a passion simply because they were stuck together. More than once Ratchet dumped Jack in a box and left him there with a blanket like some stray cat while he went about his work. In retribution, Jack took to slapping stickers with all sorts of obscene things all over Ratchet's plating when the medic wasn't looking and then stealing his smaller tools.

For weeks they were practically at each other's throats, both going to Optimus daily to request separation. Of course Optimus said no, although his hopes in his plan were dwindling as time went on. The duo bickered like an old married couple, with Ratchet lamenting having to do anything for the boy and Jack hating being stuck with the medic. Jack suddenly gained a great deal of sympathy for women who tried to poison their spouses as Ratchet ranted and raved, grumbling all the while when he needed to pick Jack up (which was rare considering his alt-mode).

Whenever both could manage it, they would stay as far away from the other as possible. Jack even took to trying to hang around with Arcee instead of the prickly medic, an act that was not taken to kindly but reluctantly accepted by the two wheeler. He also did his best to only ride with Bee or Bulkhead so that he wouldn't have to piss off Ratchet more than necessary and be forced to listen to his lectures the next time he needed a pick up.

However with time, just as Optimus had predicted, the two developed a begrudging respect for the other. Ratchet saved Jack and the children from being crushed a handful of times. The medic took the time to assist Jack with his homework when the boy's procrastination got to him. And there was even an instance where he bailed the children out of school with his holoform when Miko got them all stuck in detention. In return Jack began actually taking the time to learn from his guardian, quickly picking up bits and pieces of Cybertronian medicine simply because he had nothing better to do. He also learned more of their history and gradually came to actually be a bit of an asset as Jack could offer up information only Ratchet generally had when needed.

Of course the duo never said anything about their slow acceptance of the other, but as their personalities began to clash less and instead work together, the team noticed.

Ratchet: *throwing a wrench at Bulkhead* Downright ridiculous! You tore a whole cable set in your left arm you buffoon!

Jack: And dislocated his right shoulder if the jutted plating is any indication.

Ratchet: EXACTLY!

Jack: Honestly you should be more careful. Stressing those joints too much could lead to deterioration further down the line.

Ratchet: Precisely! At least the HUMAN gets it!

After the incident with Unicron where Optimus was out for the count, they only grew closer in response to the stress. Jack began operating the groundbridge and dolling out basic medical advice while Ratchet worked to find their Prime and restore him. They became a real team, working together in tandem with Jack riding on Ratchet's shoulder to keep him up to date on things and to give a second opinion on things.

Jack even took to mimicking his guardian alongside Rafael once enough time had passed. He was never as bad as Rafael who might as well have been a human clone of the medic, save for their differing skillsets. But Jack certainly gained the stare of utter disappointment that Ratchet often bore down on any who displeased him. Jack also took to throwing things at offending bots as well, although mostly because it was the best way to get their attention. Together Ratchet and Jack became a terrifying force capable of dragging anyone, human or bot, back down to earth and in for a medical exam.

There were more than a few instances where Jack took to quietly watching the bots and reporting back to Ratchet with what he had seen since the team tended to overlook humans in base while focused. Then like a drug dealer, Ratchet would give Jack something he had been wanting and take the information and use it to drag bots over to his medical bay for any number of reasons. Optimus most of all wasn't safe. Jack was trained by the medic to notice signs of common aliments the Prime suffered and tried to hide. With this knowledge he would scurry to Ratchet the instant he noticed Optimus standing eerily still for too long or noticed his optics being unfocused.

Of course Jack also reported back on the others at Ratchet's behest. He was told how to notice when Bee's voice was bothering him, in which case Jack would as usual, tell Ratchet or silently slide over pain medication. He was taught to notice joint pain in Bulkhead who often tried to walk it off, earning him a visit from the doctor of doom once Jack informed the medic. And lastly he was trained to pick out when Arcee was having a bad day, in which case he would report and Ratchet would leave the two wheeler something nice to cheer her up.

The team knew Jack ratted them out, but no matter where they went or how hard they tried to hide their pains, Jack found out. If needed he would even get Miko and Rafael involved in helping him gather information. He would never admit it aloud, but he cared for the bots, especially more so after learning of their history and woes from Ratchet. If he could help, he would do so. And both Miko and Rafael were always spoiling to get into a little trouble and so happily aided Jack in his efforts when needed.

Ratchet: Report.

Jack: Arcee has a blaster wound she is hiding in her right leg. Bulkhead damaged his knuckle joints again. Bee seems fine but looks a little unsteady, and Optimus is, as always, dead on his pedes.

Ratchet: *patting Jack on the head like some evil mastermind* I see... good work. Take Bee some painkillers while I haul those resistant glitches into my medical bay.

Jack: I was already planning on it.

Optimus wanted to regret getting having Jack be Ratchet's ward considering how deadly they were when they worked together. But seeing Ratchet so much less... aggressive and more open to the idea of protecting humanity made the constant visits to the medical bay worth it in his mind.

[heyimcelery]

Okay so I watched all of Ninjago Dragons Rising s2p2! I've got so many thoughts and I'm dumping them all here in a long list. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

to start: Cole!! He's a family man! He's got a boyfriend and they hold hands and they care for their kids and Bonzle so obviously came out to them and omg I wanted to cry. The joy of acceptance. I mean come one she kept saying how alone she felt, they're found family, she was repeating that she chose he town name and identity and the villains were insistent that she wants a person but just a spell like come on

But there's more than that, I have questions I have concerns!! Like wtf happend on Coles quest?? With Sensei Wu??? Like he disappeared and turned up again and said he would explain but never did.

Cole also came back from that in his bolder form so did he figure out he could do it on his own then? Is that what he learned on his quest?? If so it's gonna be a little awkward when he tried to explain that to his bf Geo.

With part 2 I really want to see the whole gang meet them and talk and catch up on everything. Like cole has been missing since the merge and no one this season cared. At all. They hadn't seen him in ages- didn't even know if he was alive until drs1 but nope no worries or concerns. Not even a question of what he was up to.

When he came through the portal Zane wasn't worried or confused at all, just oh? You need some help?? Sure let's beat these bad guys and not worry or show emotions! Is a tearful reunion for my fav character too much to ask?? Cuz he clearly deserves it. :(

And then into both Zane and Coke this season!! Love them!! They've always been my fav duo (gonna have to start shipping geo/Cole/Zane as poly now) it was so fun to see them going around together with Bonzle. They had some great moments and I'm praying we get more in the next part.

On the other hand it was a shame they got such small roles- just seperated from the others as a way to help Bonzle. It means they didn't have the same lessons or knowledge the others got which is totally unfair!! They have a lot to catch up on. They also never got a chance to be part of the main battle

It's dumb but I was kinda hoping for Cole to show off his stronger powers (he always seems to get new powers every other season but that's a discussion for another day). Like sure he could use his robotic mech suit but that's been done before! He can do his boulder thing now (unless somehow he still thinks he can't which means he kept up that form for several days on his quest) and when he made that giant mid hut to protect his family!! I want to see him do that again! Let me man go ape shit to protect Bonzle.

And on another note, Geo my beloved, you should get a chance to shine with your powers. A chance to show off or at least have a talk about them with Cole.

Next up WyldFyre. I was worried they would make her the annoying comic relief cuz if her injury but her talks about losing loved ones and dragon culture and her home were really sweet and it was great to see some development so driven by battles. I love those too don't get me wrong but like I needed to see this side of her. And I adore her relationship with Kai, being besties/mentors/dad for her works so great for both characters.

I will be first to admit that

Kai wasn't really my favourite. If you couldn't tell I love Cole followed by Zane. Always have and likely always will. I suppose that early Kai reminded me too much of some guys form my class and they turned into shitheads and I've always struggled to reconcile Kai's image form theirs. He was always a little too brash, hotheaded, and too often written as stupid to fall into my good graces.

And yet this season I adored him. Of course I've never hated him but like this season made me see what all his fans (many many fans) see in him.

I thought Kai being the first to master such a new, difficult and crucial skill was incredibly satisfying. Form all the way back to season 1 he's been the butt of jokes- having to learn he's not the centre of the universe and sometimes it's others like Lloyd who are the chosen ones. That's all great but him now getting a starting role, his ability being fueled by thoughts of his family, by his childhood and by protecting is friends was just too good to ignore him. Love this form of his character more than any other I've seen.

And now Kai is trapped :(

I'm glad he's got Bonzle with him tho so hopefully they can have each other's backs (she's meant to be a POWERFUL spell after all) they'll need each other if they're trapped with those other 4 guys. If they can apparently demolish everything then I'm rather worried for the duo. Tbh I'm sure they'll survive just fine, probably making jokes at Cole's expense all the while.

On a side note, I found it super cute how WyldFyre was willing to protect and go down with Kai. Besties I'm telling ya

Now Jay. I've never thought too hard about him I know he's one of the favs of the fandom but like Kai I was never so besotted with him. Still a great guy and omg I feel so bad. One of his worst fears was always being alone and now stuck, confused, forced to hide such a fundamental part of himself.

On the other hand he's got a gun now so that's fun!!

And you can't talk about him without mentioning Nya. He worst fears being him forgetting hurts my soul. And she was so sure it could never be true that she snapped out of her nightmare state!! She's going to break when she finds out.

She's already grieving her own brother, we saw her break down into WyldFyre (more proof she's an honorary sibling by now) but now knowing what's happening with Jay, I'm saying the angst is going to be overpowering. It's a greek tragedy fr

Part 2 is going to be rough. Jay only had a single scene but it's already a sign for the worst to come.

Speaking of things being rough, Lloyd is going THROUGH IT!! give this poor guy a break. I do appreciate that we physically get to see the effects of all his trauma- that everything that's happened has real consequences for his character and the story but I can't help but feel bad.

I've also suffered from anxiety for most of my life so to see it in a character like that feels really personal to me. Hope he gets a little break though, god knows he deserves it.

Have to say it's pretty funny that Lloyd's had so much Oni trauma that he forgot that he's part dragon too. Yes ninjas dragons can do spinjitsu why are you surprised at this point

The animation this season has been incredible, the fights were beautiful the angles so interesting and dynamic and I could go on for hours about how much I love it. It's always great when kids -and even animation in general is treated with respect. It doesn't dumb it's ideas and stories and characters for the sake of it's younger audience, and that makes it so much better for me who is definitely out of the age range.

I have my more points to make but I've been adding stuff in and off for ages so I'll probably go through this all later. Thanks for reading, please I want to know your own thoughts too I love discussing that kinda stuff!!

<3

[happy-beeeps]

Slip of the Tongue

WC: 1.3k

Pairing: PoexMando!reader (Mando a la Sabine, not Din)

Prompt: “You look so pretty” “What did you say?” “I said you look shitty.” from @ghostofskywalker fic exchange because I saw someone write Tech with this prompt and it changed my life.

Warnings: language I guess, but that’s it! Pure fluff~

A/N: This is a oneshot, but I’m gonna start writing more for this pairing soon, I think!

“My favorite thing about you is that you continuously surprise me every day with the new ways you manage to be so stupid.” You say, barely audible over the sound of the power tool Poe is using on one of the open consoles in the Falcon. He cranes his neck over to where you’re at, suspended by a harness working on the ceiling of the ship, head angled towards him.

“And you surprise me everyday with just how romantic you can actually be.” He chirps back, sending you a wink as he gets back to work. You’re grateful he can’t see your expression now beneath your helmet, the glare you’re shooting at him and the rising blush on your cheeks.

Your work on the Falcon seems to neverend, and despite you and Poe’s mutual deep seeded hatred for one another, he’s begrudgingly told you that he “respects your craftsmanship” and refuses to take the Falcon to any other mech in the Resistance. You, in turn, get the immense privilege of working on the ship of your childhood dreams, learning the ins and outs of the hunk of metal. Besides, with Poe comes BB-8, Rey, and Finn, and you much prefer his team to the pilot himself. Today, unfortunately, Poe’s fancy flying has not only placed the Falcon in need of medical attention, but Finn as well, and you’re left alone with Poe to work on the fried circuitry and damaged hyperdrive. 

“What was it this time? Hyperdrive jumping?”

“Correction. I was avoiding hyperdrive jumping by gravity launching, you know, going in and out of the different moons and propelling myself forward with it.”

“Both an impressive technique and an impressive failure.” You sigh, and he pokes his head out to peak at you. 

“What’s it gonna take to impress you, huh Mando?”

You cringe at the nickname. Well, not as much cringe as you do blush, but still. “I’ll be impressed when you can get her back to me in one piece.”

He smirks, “Yeah, but then I don’t have any excuse to come see you.” When you don’t respond at first he continues, “I bet your helmet is getting steamy just thinking about me.”

He narrowly avoids the wrench you throw at his head.

Poe is remarkably frustrating, he has the unique ability of getting under your skin more than nearly anyone you know, and you’ve worked with Mandalorian coverts and Imperials. It also doesn’t help that he’s sickeningly attractive, and knows it, and you can’t help but wonder if you didn’t hate him so much if you could love him. He’s clearly got a soft side, BB-8 is the most precious droid in the world and follows him around like his shadow, and you’ve never known Finn or Rey to be a bad judge of character. Still, there’s something so aggravating about him that you can barely stand to be in his presence. Then, just as he steps back from the spot near the wall to admire his work, you see him in all his glory, and it dawns on you. Poe is remarkably beautiful. His sleeves are pushed up past his elbows, and his curls are flopping haphazardly around his face, partially slicked back with sweat, and despite it you have a fleeting feeling of wanting to run your hands through his hair. His shirt hangs open in the front and clings to his chest, and he has grease coating his hands and running up his arms, and it makes him look even more ruggedly handsome, as if that was possible. 

“You are so pretty” you whisper, then clamp your lips together and pray it was soft enough that it doesn’t get picked up by the modulator in your helmet. Fate is not on your side today, however, and Poe glances at you with wide eyes and a smile.

“What did you say?”

“I said you look shitty.” You respond, voice hurried and nervous. 

He doesn’t buy it, not for a moment, and walks over to where you’re suspended, placing a grease covered hand on the cheek of your helmet. “You sure about that, mando?” Before walking down the ramp of the ship and towards the base. You let go a sigh you hadn’t realized you were holding before removing your helmet, and sure enough, inspecting the large grease-print he’s left on your beskar. 

“Dank ferric, Dameron.” You hiss, but he’s already gone.

* * *

You’re in your quarters, scrubbing away at the stubborn mark Poe left on your helmet, mumbling to yourself, when you’re distracted from your work by a tap on the foot. BB-8 is in front of you, beeping excitedly and rolling around your quarters. “Hey buddy,” you smile, setting your helmet down beside you to pat the little droid. 

“How's the cleaning?” comes a voice from the hallway, and you whip your head back to the doorway to see the insufferable pilot looming in it.

“Come to admire your handiwork?” You say, gesturing to the still spotted helmet beside you.

He laughs and lets himself into your quarters, looking at the various discarded armor pieces and ship pieces lying around before letting his eyes fall back to you. “Something like that, yeah.”

You feel tiny underneath the intensity of his stare, and now worry that you may have 

offended him with your comment earlier. “Look, Poe, I-”

“I was thinking about what you said earlier.”

You wince. “Oh?”

“I think you look shitty too.” He states, walking towards you and picking up the helmer from the floor. “I think you look so shitty with your helmet on.” He brushes a hand over it delicately, so carefully that you stand up immediately.

“Ok, listen, I didn’t mean-”

“You look super shitty when you’re in a flight suit too, when you join us on a mission.” He’s looking back around your room now, and your mouth is opening and closing like a fish. 

“Excuse me?”

“You look even more shitty when you meet Rey for a drink, and you wear that one green top with the,” he moves his arm across his chest to indicate a cutout, you think, when you imagine the green top he’s thinking of.

“Poe.”

“But,” and he moves to stand in front of you, his chest rising and falling quickly now, and you realize how red his cheeks are when he’s standing in front of you. “I think you look most shitty right now, with your hair like this, in your rec clothes, hanging out with bb-8.” And then Poe Dameron does the most unthinkable thing. In a quick movement, he runs his fingers over the hair by your ear, pulls his other hand up to meet your face, and cups your cheeks to bring you in for a kiss.

And oh. Oh. You get it. You get absolutely every good thing that’s ever been said about Poe Dameron before. He tastes like sweets and a little bit of alcohol and smells like fuel and something warm and musky, is it amber? He kisses you with the slowness of a nervous man and the hunger of a starved one, before pulling back and looking at you.

“Did you get it? The shitty thing? Because you said I was pretty and then shitty?”

“I got it, Poe.” You breathe, arms draped around his neck. You haven’t moved since you both pulled apart, and neither of you wants to break the moment first, worried you’ll scare it away. 

He makes the first move, going to play with a piece of hair that slipped free from your braid, running it between his fingers. “You really are pretty, Mando,” he mumbles, and you blush before opening your mouth to respond. He doesn’t let you, instead pulling you in for another kiss. Poe Dameron doesn’t need you to tell him you think he’s pretty. He already knows.

[primus-why]

More on the MegOp-centric Orion Pax arc we deserved 😤

Okay but imagine during the Orion Pax arc in TFP if it lasted longer. Imagine if Orion started to get to know some of the Vehicons (or even another large truck like Breakdown?) and would periodically hang out with them in the mess hall during fuel breaks.

Imagine, if you will, that Orion had also taken the time to research his own frame schematics. The change from his old frame was visibly obvious, but what other secrets did it hold? Turns out he is well-stocked with weapons, and has an increased stamina to accommodate them. Clearly, he is built for battle and for hauling large loads, no longer a mere archivist. And because of this, he thinks he could be doing more to help out Megatron and their cause...

Fast forward a bit, and Orion decides he wants to help move some of the energon ore that has been mined that day while on a fuel break. He assures the other Vehicons that it's no trouble at all before stepping through the ground bridge to the mine.

Suddenly, as if lured to their location, the Autobots arrive and make a direct assault on the mines! Orion ducks behind a part of the cave, preparing to online his weapons and defend his comrades...

... only to find that he can't!

His processor races, trying different commands to release the weapons, but they won't engage. A pair of Vehicons spot him while hiding in a similar spot, and they urge Orion to run back to the bridge.

"We'll cover you!" One of them says, just as the other steps out of their hiding spot to return fire.

Orion doesn't really get a chance to answer. He didn't want to leave without them, so he doesn't move right away. In that moment of hesitation, he watches as the other Vehicon is struck by blaster fire, and their companion steps out to pick up where they left off.

Orion is moving before he even realizes it. As other Vehicons pull back to retreat to the bridge, Orion moves across to reach the wounded Vehicon and their companion, who is now one of the last Cons still providing cover fire.

"Pax!" They say, "You need to get outta here! Megatron will--"

"-- Not without you! I won't leave a fellow Decepticon behind." And he means it. Orion doesn't care that he can't activate his weapons, he can still bring the wounded to safety.

Just as he scoops up the fallen Vehicon, some blaster fire catches the remaining Vehicon on the arm, grazing them and coming extremely close to Orion. He feels something shift, and before he knows what he's doing he's pointing one of his servos in the direction of the blast...

... only, it's not just a servo! He's got a blaster now too!

Orion acts on instinct, providing some additional cover fire while he and the rest of the Vehicons eventually escape. Once back, he delivers the Vehicon in his arms to the medbay and they thank him, their voice full of awe.

(Once out of audial range Knock Out advises the Vehicon to not let Lord Megatron catch them looking at Orion like that, as he doesn't tolerate "challengers" of any kind. 🙃)

Orion of course gets an audial-full from Megatron on how he is not to go into battle. It's far too dangerous! And Orion agrees somewhat-- he explains that he's learned of his weapons schematics, but since his servo transformed back after they returned to the ship he hasn't been able to re-engage the blaster.

"Perhaps... you could train me? To use my weapons, this frame more effectively?" says Orion. He sighs, "... I just want to help."

"And you are helping." Megatron assures him, "We need that database decoded--"

"-- Soundwave can do it just as well, yet he enters the field from time to time." Orion pouts, which is an expression Megatron hasn't seen in a very long time.

The silver mech chuckles. "Soundwave was a gladiator. His frame might be different than it once was, but as you say-- he's effective."

Orion slumps in defeat.

"Tell you what," says Megatron, "if you reach a point where you can reliably engage and disengage your weaponry on command, I will train you in the basics of combat."

Orion perks up at that, looking more determined.

"I'll get there. I promise, Megatron-- I won't let you down."

Megatron holds his gaze, smiling softly, "I know. You never disappoint, Orion."

Fast forward again. Orion is talking to the Vehicons about built-in weaponry (since they have blasters in their arms similar to his own schematics.) He still can't seem to do it on command, however.

One of them suggests he recreates the circumstances that brought it out the first time. (Another helpfully reminds everyone that would involve Orion facing down angry Autobots, which isn't likely to happen since Megatron has banned him from leaving the Nemesis until he's combat-ready.)

Orion offers to let them fire upon him in one of the training rooms, to which they all vehemently refuse.

"If Lord Megatron heard you were in the medbay because we shot you?? He'd snuff our sparks!"

Then one of them proposes that perhaps it wasn't actually blaster fire that caused them to activate, simply the encroaching threat.

"What if all Orion has to do is convince his frame he's in danger?"

After some more thought, they put a plan into action a couple days later: Orion will jump from the highest level of the engine room, and the threat of impact will cause his weapons to engage. He will study his frame's reaction in a controlled environment, ideally being able to remember how it feels to engage his weaponry, and therefore would be able to (in theory) recreate that feeling. Of course, before he hits the ground one of the flight frames will catch him, or at the very least slow his fall so he's not hurt too badly. It's brilliant! What could possibly go wrong?

After gathering some courage, Orion finally takes the leap, careful to study his internal reactions along the way.

"So... aren't you gonna go after him?" He hears one of the Vehicons above him say.

"What?!? I thought you were gonna--"

Wait... what?

Oh scrap. Scrap!! They're not flight frames! He's falling to his death for real!!

Orion scrambles for purchase on the sides of the smooth walls, to no avail. Sparks fly off his servos as he tries desperately to slow his fall in any way he can, knowing no one is coming to save him.

Suddenly, he spots a maintenance team emerging on the ground floor below, clearly there to do a routine inspection.

"Look out!!" Orion yells, "Move out of the way!!" He would hate to see anyone get sent to the medbay due to his own foolishness...!

Just as the Vehicons scramble back from whence they came, another figure emerges casually sipping energon, entirely unphased by the commotion.

"Megatron! Watch out!" As Orion calls out to his friend, he can spot the exact moment Megatron recognizes him. The silver mech's optics flare to their widest setting and he drops his cube, spilling precious fuel on the ground. His arms move up, as if to catch him...

... just then a ground bridge appears below Orion, which he goes through immediately (not that he had much of a choice in the matter.) When he comes out the other side, he discovers he is... falling upward?? And significantly closer to the ground from where he last left off, at that. Soon gravity takes hold and he falls back down again, but not nearly as drastically. With his descent successfully slowed, the bridges wink out of existence as quickly as they came, and Megatron swiftly catches him.

"Yes. Thank you, Soundwave." The silver mech says into his comm before turning to the mech in his arms, "Orion, what in the Pits possessed you to jump down the main engine shaft?!?!"

"I-I... uh..." was all Orion could manage to stutter. His processor was still overwhelmed, having just narrowly avoided a painful injury or worse.

Among his racing thoughts, an unbidden memory file queued up-- one where Megatronus was holding him in a similar fashion during one of his many visits to Kaon. The gladiator had literally swept him off his pedes, insisting he carry Orion the rest of the way to their destination, lest the archivist get too tired. Orion knew he could have protested-- he wasn't tired in the least-- but he wanted... by Primus, how he had wanted to be close to Megatronus...

Back in reality, the parallels of the situation sunk in, and Orion felt a blush creep onto his faceplates-- again, not unlike that particular memory. He had been smaller then, much easier to excuse being picked up by his larger companion, but now his frame was bigger and stronger. It should have been embarrassing. There was no reason to be carried, so he had accepted early on that there was no chance of repeating such an indulgence. Yet, here and now, Megatron was holding him; he had caught him, and Primus below it's like he was an archivist again, back when he weighed practically nothing to the gladiator--

"... I'm sorry." He said lamely, acutely aware of all the optics on him now. His blush deepened, wishing not for the first time he could hide behind the facemask that came with his new frame. "There's no excuse, I was being foolish. It won't happen again."

Megatron regarded him for a moment. "Your servos..." he eventually said, and Orion finally noticed just how badly he had scraped up his digits.

He let out a hiss as he flexed, inspecting the damage. "Right... I should probably visit the medbay." He made a move to get down, but Megatron simply readjusted his grip and turned around.

"Uh... Megatron?"

"I'll see to it you get there." Said the silver mech, like it was the easiest, most logical thing for him to do in the world.

"... Oh. Thank you, I... but I can still walk." He huffed out an awkward laugh, "Besides, I think we can agree I've troubled you enough for one day."

Megatron stopped walking and looked at him.

"Do you... want me to put you down?"

Surely he doesn't mean... he's not actually giving him the choice, is he??

"I-it's just that... I don't want you to strain yourself! I'm not as light as I used to be..." Orion couldn't bear to meet Megatron's optics, because he feared his friend might see right through him.

But the silver mech simply shrugged, "You're not that heavy. I don't mind." He paused for a moment, as if waiting for something.

"... If that's your only objection, then..." and with that he continued down the hall, making sure he took the long way to the medbay.

Megatron continued to steal glances at Orion when he could, noticing his flushed faceplates.

'... Cute.' He thought. 'Reminds me of that time I picked him up in Kaon. He blushed nicely then, too.'

Eventually the mech in his arms relaxed enough to rest his helm on his chassis with a small sigh, making his spark flip. However he was still aware of his archivist's bleeding servos, and the fact that Orion would probably start to wonder why he hadn't called for another bridge into the medbay. Megatron stayed his course, but picked up the pace a little.

'Forgive my indulgences, Orion... I want to stay by your side just a little longer...'

[holographic-mars]

This is kind of a silly question but can you explain what you think Cosmos and Soundwave's dynamic is? For those of us who struggle with understanding characters,, cough cough me

Not a silly question at all! Not a silly question at all!!

I want to do a quick disclaimer I’m not the ceo of coswave (or am I 🤨) so everything I say is how I interpret coswave. I pull a lot from canon as well as my own hcs and stuff so it’s up to you whether you like how I interpret them!!

Soundwave and Cosmos’s dynamic from the beginning has always been about constantly learning and growing. These are two mechs who have very little experience with normal and healthy relationships (soundwave having significantly less experience than cosmos) so they end up building off of what they learn together.

They’re both very firm with their beliefs. Cosmos will never be a decepticon just like how Soundwave will never be an autobot. They compliment eachother very nicely with how they act and react to things, so where one mech struggles the other can be a pillar to lean on (for example soundwave struggles greatly with interpersonal relationships, so cosmos helps him with proper and polite interaction as well as trust building. Cosmos struggles with standing up for himself and putting his own comfort and safety first, so Soundwave helps him figure out how to say no when someone wants him to do something out of his comfort zone).

Soundwave’s idea of love stems from his understanding of loyalty which is incredibly unbalanced and unhealthy (ie complete devotion and submission). Cosmos’ idea of love is much more balanced but he tends to see love as something that is conditional (ie love that will only be given if you do something for them first). A massive part of their relationship is getting past these preestablished ideas of what love is meant to be and understanding how to treat their partner as an equal and treat love as unconditional.

Cosmos is not intimidated by soundwave one bit. He’s respectful of the fact that it’s Soundwave’s station that he’s on, but if he needs to challenge something soundwave says or does, he absolutely will. Cosmos may be nervous and has trouble standing up for himself, he is not shy about standing up for his morals or for other people. Soundwave is still a decepticon—he has selfish tendencies and nasty habits , but he won’t ever get too far in his malicious scheming if Cosmos has anything to say about that. Cosmos is always challenging Soundwave’s views and behaviors, and Soundwave honestly finds it exciting. Not many people can do that with the confidence and spunk that Cosmos can (and get away with it the way Cosmos can).

Soundwave has a whole decepticon space station to run and is notorious for Not Taking Care of Himself so fueling tends to be in the hands of Cosmos and TRUST Cosmos takes it very seriously. Due to energon shortages that effected the decepticons so bad during the war, Soundwave didn’t really fuel as much as he needed to (oftentimes giving his rations to his cassettes) so Cosmos was quick to rectify that and get him up to a healthy size. Cosmos keeps soundwave (and the cassettes) fueled and healthy.

Soundwave tends to express his love for his partner physically. He likes to have a hand on Cosmos’ plating whenever he is within reach, even if just for a second. He’s not good with his words (the irony of the communications officer who sucks at communicating) so he likes to show that he loves and trusts cosmos by touching him and letting him touch in return (this one is very important. Soundwave likes when Cosmos returns his physical affections the same way you say “I love you” back when a loved one says it to you). Cosmos, on the other hand, likes to express his love verbally. He doesn’t mind physical affection (he loves it) but he likes hearing it out loud. He praises soundwave and expresses how much he loves him on a regular basis, and though Soundwave struggles to return the affection verbally, he makes sure he holds cosmos extra tight or presses his mask against Cosmos’ own a little longer when Cosmos says I love you.

OUHH THATS ALL I GOT FOR NOW!!! GOD I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE AND ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION BC I GOT A LITTLE LOST AFTER A WHILE. THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!!!!!!!! IM AO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO ANSWER!!!!!❤️❤️❤️🛸🛸