#no beta we die like optimus prime

[withloveoptimus]

It's Prime Time Chap 1.

was posted on ao3 first but i wanted to post it on here too since I'm writing more lmao

this is a two-shot little story that may end up with its own series but who knows that may also change n e way onto the story

---

Chap One of It's Prime Time

Pairings: Optimus Prime & Reader (platonic), Smokescreen & Reader (platonic)

Summary: Optimus wishes to take you somewhere because he wants to spend quality time with you, and fun ensues.

---

You spent the day like any other, sitting at the base with the kids, either sitting around or playing video games, which would often get too loud and Ratchet would shout, “Quiet down! Some people are trying to work here!” which was of course like any other day at the base. You were eating snacks you brought as you watched them, occasionally playing when they asked but mostly watching.

As you stuff another chip into your mouth, your eyes wander before landing on your partner in crime, and guardian, Smokescreen. His back was turned to you as he was engaged in a conversation with Bulkhead, probably talking about past battles or something, and you were honestly happy that their friendship was getting better since they got off to a rocky start. Bulkhead was a good influence on Smokescreen, in his own way and they acted more and more like brothers. A “Bromance” as Miko put it when you two talked about it one time.

That did leave you with a few thoughts, like imagining those bro memes you would see and you had to keep yourself from laughing.

While lost in your train of thought, you hadn’t noticed Smokescreen walk over to the human area until a metal finger was poking you. “Oh shit!” You jumped, turning to the owner of said finger only to meet Smokescreen’s gaze, “Oh, hey Kachow.”

He immediately shoots you a look that only makes you laugh.

“C’mon, you promised!” He whined.

“I may have promised but your reactions are so worth it.”

You will never let him live down the fact that you walked in on him doing the 'Kachow!' in one of the empty rooms of the base, after having a Cars movie marathon with the kids. It took lots of bribing from him but you promised to keep it between the two of you–he would never know that you let it slip to Optimus and had to swear him to secrecy–, although you can't help teasing him with it.

He rolls his optics at your teasing but you know he isn’t upset if the little smile on his face is anything to go by. “Anyways,” You close the bag of chips and place them on the table, “what were you and Bulk talking about?” 

There’s some shouting and you sneak a glance to see Miko doing a victory dance as she beats Jack, who watches in defeat, in one of the fighting games you brought. You can only laugh as she shouts, “In your face!” and Jack just sighs. Arcee, Bumblebee, and Raf watch in amusement, making comments here and there.

“Bulkhead was just sharing some battle stories,” Smokescreen says, excitement clear in his voice, and you turn your attention back to him. “just hearing about them makes me so jealous! I would’ve been so awesome on the battlefield back on Cybertron.”

You chuckle and decide to indulge your guardian, “Mind telling me some stories then?” You ask as you get up from the couch and walk over to where he was standing by the railing.

The grin you get in return is worth it and you can only smile as he picks you up and goes somewhere quieter.

—-

It was late night by the time the kids went home and you lounged on the couch, waiting on a certain Autobot leader, who was your other guardian. Smokescreen had offered to take you home but you declined, wanting to spend what little time you could with Optimus, seeing as he was always busy and you were kind of missing his company.

You were officially bored after attempting to keep yourself busy by doodling, reading some books you brought, or playing games. You were blaming it on Optimus taking so long doing whatever it was he was doing.

It's quiet, save for Ratchet typing away at the computer with his occasional grumbling.

An idea comes to mind and it might be a bad idea and maybe it'll piss off Ratchet but you're bored and it's Optimus' fault.

It's too late to back out now as you look over to where he is. "Hey, Grumpy?" You call.

There's no response and you aren't surprised.

"Doc Bot?"

He pauses but continues working.

"Mister Grinch?"

A heavy sigh and shake of his head and you're fighting the urge to just laugh.

"Rat–"

"What do you want?! Can't you see I'm working!" He finally snaps, and you howled with laughter. His reaction was totally worth it as he just watched you, utterly annoyed and ready to just send you through a ground bridge home. He fails to understand how Optimus deals with you.

It takes a bit for you to calm down, still a fit of giggles, but when you look at Ratchet again you're close to another laughing fit.

He's gone back to ignoring you, probably for the better, but he's frowning and grumbling about something. Just as you're about to open your mouth to say something, totally not to mess with him some more, you're being picked up.

“I can’t leave you alone, can I?” Optimus says as he sets you in his palm, using a finger to nudge your little body. 

“What do you expect me to do, I was bored! And would you stop doing that–” You growled, attempting to bat his finger away.

Optimus looks to Ratchet, "I apologize for the disturbance, old friend." The medic only grumbles in reply, waving them off so he can get back to work.

You breathe a sigh of relief when Optimus pulls his finger away, you swear he and Smokescreen only do it to mess with you. Before you know it, you find yourself in Optimus' passenger seat.

"What took you so long, Big Red?" You inquire as he starts the drive out of the base.

He's silent for a bit. "I was taking care of some business. I apologize for making you wait so long, Little One."

You snort, “Any longer and I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

Optimus sighs, knowing all too well how much you love messing with Ratchet. The two of you could have your moments, but primus could you grind the poor Medic’s gears. The Autobot leader couldn’t even count on his fingers how many times he’s had to pick you up and take you somewhere else before Ratchet hauled you through a ground bridge. It’s even worse if Wheeljack is around.

“Must you mess with him so much?”

“Uh, duh! I do it out of love though so it's okay!"

That pulls a chuckle from him. “Out of love, you say?”

You nod, crossing your arms over your chest, sporting a huge grin. Any teasing from you was always out of love or just joking in general. Still, you weren’t the best at reading the room or reading people in general, so sometimes it went farther than you’d have liked.

It isn’t long before Optimus is pulling up to your home, the ride feeling a little shorter than usual and you can’t help but feel just a bit upset. You kind of want to ask him to drive around for a bit, just so you can spend just a little more time with him, but decide against it. You’d rather not keep him from his duties.

“Little One?” Optimus calls, worried at your silence and the slight change in mood. He decides not to mention the pout you were now sporting.

You shake your head, “Sorry, Big Red, I was just thinking.”

He hums, waiting patiently as you collect and calm yourself. You’re glad he let you do so, even if he could read you like an open book.

Once your thoughts are clear, you pat the dashboard, ready to say goodnight and let him be on his way but Optimus stops you.

“Before you go,” He starts, “I must ask something of you.”

Now that puzzles you. A little weird, you think.

“What’s up?”

He was silent for a moment, trying to piece together whatever he was going to ask. You’re silently hoping it isn’t anything too bad, your behavior has been good this week.

“I ask that you do not stay up late,” Okay now he is being weird, “I wish to take you somewhere, Little One. I do not know where, but we shall go somewhere.” He finishes.

And now he’s completely thrown you for a loop.

Of course, it wasn’t weird for him to take you places, there were a few times he had taken you on patrol if he wanted some company. Sometimes he’d even take you and the kids out if you had projects to do because he was hesitant to let Ratchet help with them again, though he would never say so aloud. So what was this all about?

“What?” Is all you manage to say.

"We'll be spending the day together." He simply says.

That is enough to bring back the grin you were sporting earlier and you have to stop yourself from squealing and kicking your feet. Your wishes had been granted and it honestly felt too good to be true. 

"Really?!" You look at the steering wheel excitedly then pause, "You're not joking are you?"

He's a little offended you'd think he would joke about this. 

"Of course not, Little One, I speak only the truth.”

You pump your fist in the air, “Fuck yeah!” Ignoring the silent reprimand for your profanity. 

Optimus chuckles when you hurry to unbuckle yourself and open his door. “Goodnight, Big Red! Love ya!” You shout and dash to your front door, almost tripping in your excitement. You wanted nothing more than to hurry to your bed and sleep the night away. Although you didn’t think you would even be able to sleep with this much excitement, you were going to try.

Once you finally manage to open the door, you turn and offer your guardian a final wave goodnight before scurrying inside.

You find yourself rushing through your nightly routine, and just as you slip on a baggy shirt to sleep in, your phone buzzes on the nightstand. Sneaking a glance, you realize someone was messaging you. That someone being Optimus.

Big Red: Please be ready by ten.

Big Red: Sleep well, Little One, I love you.

You go to bed with a smile and a warm feeling in your chest.

[gritsandbrits]

Last week we published a letter sent to us by the former magnus of Cybertron, Sentinel Prime. Today we're here with another piece written by him. TW for mention of addiction&health problems

Wow! I had no idea so many people loved reading my dumb letter! Well I guess one more won't hurt. I have so much to talk about, but it's been a rough winter here so unfortunately my time is limited. This isn't as long as I want it to be but eh! I had enough of getting what I wanted anyways.

First things first: why did I call it a memoir if it's not a full book? Well, calling it a letter sounds too boring. You know me I love a little bit of grandiose! Heh, I'm thinking maybe after this I might write a whole book. Or Two or three?

Another thing I want to clear up is my health. I don't feel comfortable talking about it but I feel like mentioning it here. Chief Burns told me I was suffering from an addiction. My inability to limit myself & personal pains drove me to gouge bottle after bottle. He helped me through my withdrawal. It was hell, but I'm alive. My T-shift is fragged up so I have trouble switching between modes. Ratchet said I might have to go to physical therapy or even surgery to have it fixed. At least I still have my chin in tact thank the Allspark. Also so please stop lying about me having died in Chicago. It's fragging annoying.

Living on that rock gave me a lot of time to reflect. I didn't know just how much baggage I was carrying until it was too late. Even now I wonder if it had been better if I was the one left on Archa-7 instead of Elita. At least I knew she would've gotten the help she needed. I don't know her whereabouts but wherever she is I hope she's safe. I still think about her often, how I played a part in how horrible her life turned out. I've blamed Optimus for it because I was afraid to face my own guilt. As a result I straight up became a monster.

I have to admit getting kicked off Cybertron was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I got so tired following every rule and protocol. Of being scared of breaking the rules and ending up in jail. Though I admit I hated every second of living on that deserted island. At first, I wanted to run away so bad but doing so would've gotten me into even more trouble. So I had to do what I could to survive even if it meant getting risk of infection. But also the Burns family were really nice, which was odd given how I almost destroyed their planet. We didn't get off on a good start either, though I realize that was just them enforcing personal boundaries. They weren't letting me walk all over them!

Me and Optimus still talk on occasion but we're not friends anymore. We're simply too different now, plus I've been a huge prick to him for years. It was only a matter of time before he got sick of my shit. That's one of the hardest lessons I had to learn. No one wants to put up with you if you treat them any kind of way even if you are friends.

We grew up together. Practically came from the same factory! We lived in the same district had the same classes. We all thought we were going to be part of the same team in the Elite Guard. But after that horrible day, everything went downhill between us. Optimus was kicked out and I was left all alone. I was so lonely, but I didn't want to be pitied. I hated the pitying stares from classmates, the questions kept getting thrown my way. So I put all my focus on gaining rank. You can't think about grief when you're too busy.

Eventually I got to be an instructor in boot camp. Funny I didn't even like doing boot camp but I too the job anyways. With Optimus gone I needed something to vent my anger out on. Even if it meant taking it out on the cadets. No one really questioned it because to them, I was merely doing my job toughing them up for future conflicts. Of course that doesn't excuse they way I treated them either. If I wasn't so blind, I would have found out Longarm was a traitor. I only took up Bumblebee's word because I knew catching a spy would put me on the map as a loyal Autobot. And it worked.

After learning the truth, and seeing the monster Wasp(inator) became due to my selfish actions, I feel like fragging garbage! I have that to answer for as well. I have plenty to answer for and a lot to apologize to. I'm not owed forgiveness the least I can do is stay out of everyone's business. I just hope Wasp(inator) doesn't come after me!

Back to Optimus. At some point I stopped seeing his as a friend and more as a threat to my power. I didn't want to listen to him because I felt he was just going to repeat the same mistakes like last time. But he was looking out for me still. Even as I hurt him and his team, he still saw something in our relationship worth salvaging. But my plans in trying to ruin two planets in the name of safety broke our friendship. He deserves a better friend than me anyways. We may have been old pals at the Academy, but that's all in the past now. The distance helped me look at him in a different light he wasn't his mistakes. He was just...himself. Being apart also helped me focus on bettering myself as well. Our relationship is on the mend but we both been focusing in ourselves and our other friends. That's another lesson: you can still focus on yourself without being a selfish prick. Thank the allspark I got that latter part out of my systems.

I know you must despise me for confessing to all these crimes but, like I said before I'm not sugarcoating anything. The last thing I want is to go back to being the world's little victim. What I hope readers can take away from my story is life has a funny way of changing so don't get used to comfort! Also, grief is not a magic get-out-of-exile free card. It's just something we all have to live with. The world doesn't stop for you but also, you have the power to change how to live in it.

I hate to end it here but they're calling me right now. They need someone to unblock road leading to the state park. Looks likes job for the best snowplow in the galaxy 😉

- signing out, Sentinel.

[riderkaitlyn5]

Ehehehehe my first transformers fic... and it's for tfa and idw, both of which I've never watched or read. But enjoy this BlitzBee tfa/idw crossover fic I'll never expand upon 😎

Summary:

After years of living in this new universe with his conjunx, Blitzwing, Bumblebee didn't think he'd ever see his old team again

Oh how wrong he was

Well, things just got really complicated

Fandoms: Transformers - All Media Types, The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers Animated (2007)

Relationships: Blitzwing/Bumblebee (Transformers), Brainstorm/Perceptor (Transformers)

Characters: Bumblebee (Transformers), Blitzwing (Transformers), Optimus Prime, Ratchet (Transformers), Bulkhead (Transformers), Prowl (Transformers), Sari Sumdac, Brainstorm (Transformers), Perceptor (Transformers)

Additional Tags: Crack, Angst, sorta, i find it extremely hilarious that my very first tf fanfic is for two tf media's i've never consumed, which honestly seems on par for me, No Beta we die like Prowl, also can someone explain why i kept writing this at ungodly hours?, those lawless hours took any semblance of coherency from this fic 😔, and if you see something that isn't canon... no you didn't, enjoy bee making out with blitz to piss off ratchet btw, BAMF Bumblebee, also please read the authors note or you're going to be so confused

[simping-on-the-daily]

though we don't share the same blood you're my brother and i love you (mayhaps a bit too much)

Summary: Your family has just moved to Witwicky, and you're trying to cope with it as smoothly and healthily are you can. An outburst from your little brother at the dinner table sends his sister after him, and the next thing you know, you've got two new siblings. They're a little off, though. And no, it's not because they're part Cybertronian.

Warnings: General yandere themes, possible OOC characters, unhealthy sibling dynamics, not beta read we die like Brawl

Notes: Twitch, Thrash and the reader are adopted siblings and purely platonic. Do not be weird about this or I will piss on your toes and shove them up your nose. Title is from Brother by Kodaline, reader is in their teens and the oldest who does not want to be here and is trying to get used to everything

You had zero interest in living in Witwicky, much less a farm. Saying goodbye to all your friends and the big city stung, much less the unfamiliar environment that you were now. You loved mum and dad, you really did, but did they expect you to tend to cows? Sure, mum wanted to be a park ranger and you wanted the best for her, but you still felt a little grumpy at the strange and sudden change.

You tried to deal with it, though. The Internet here wasn't the best, but you got some online guides about how to cope with moving and tried to replicate them to the best of your ability. You still responded to your friend's group chats and tried to not complain about it. You didn't want to accidentally hurt your family's feelings by being overly grumpy, and Mo especially was prone to a wide and wild range of emotions.

It was just one dinner. One normal dinner turning into Robby venting about his issues and running away from the table, Mo after him. The two were close, so you didn't chase after them, and besides; your dad had cooked tonight. You were not abandoning such good food made by yours truly.

So, after dinner, you went to bed, blissfully unaware that your younger siblings were creating a brand new species from lake water and ancient alien artifacts.

The next few days were fucking hectic, to say the least. Mum was now a GHOST agent, working alongside Optimus Prime and the Autobots (the inner child in you really wanted one of their autographs, but you knew it probably wasn't the right time), Robby and Mo got new alien tattoos which you realized were permanent, and you were in the car, chasing after the aliens that Robby and Mo had gotten attached to. Because they created them.

.....Fuck, could you go back to Philly now?

Now you had some Cybertronian human hybrids (Terrans, that apparently some mad scientist had called them) living in your farm with your younger siblings insisting that they were now your new siblings and for you to please be nice to them because they knew you could be a little blunt. You just wanted to burrow your head down in the dirt like an emu and let sweet death take you.

As for Thrash and Twitch, they had no reservations to calling you family. Just because you didn't have a cybersleeve like Robby and Mo that doesn't mean they weren't your sibling, and wanted to treat you accordingly.

To your credit, you weren't rude to them, and though you knew it would take a while to get used to their presence, you treated them with dignity and basic respect as you did to Robby and Mo. But it was obvious to everyone that you weren't fully on board with them just yet, always hesitant when talking to them. The move, the threat that GHOST would invade the place and get you in trouble, and the close contact to the Cybertronian's (god, fucking Bumblebee lived with you now) would take you a little while to get adjusted to.

But for Twitch and Thrash, that was a bit harder to understand. With Robby and Mo, the cybersleeves allowed them to feel what they felt and get to the root of the problem. But you didn't have a cybersleeve, and though they could get that you weren't on board yet, they thought that it they just got close to you, you'd be comfy around them and you could fully embrace them as your siblings!

And so, they got.....clingy. Twitch offered to help you with the chores, not taking no for an answer, and even went against her competitive nature to let you keep the stars. She even tried to let you ride her alt mode like Robby enjoyed, but you were heavier then him and a rocky landing got you a broken ankle, a hit head and some bitter feelings for the time being. Twitch didn't understand the time being part, and cried to her parents about hurting you, despite their assurances that you would be fine and that they knew any bitter feelings from you would pass. She tried numerously to sneak out and see you at the hospital, but some reprimanding and reminders about GHOST stopped her, but instead made her sulk all the way to the barn.

Thrash was desperate to act like a 'cool bro' to you, but he often tried the same things he did with Mo, temporarily and frequently forgetting that you didn't have the same interests as her. He tried to project of someone trustworthy and realible, constantly by your side and attempting to impress you by showing off fancy tricks, alt mode based or otherwise. But when he and accidentally bought Swindle to the house, bad blood increased, especially when them sneaking out to assist him resulted in Mo sneaking out and breaking the law. Nine was no time to develop a criminal record!

Everything was happening so fast for you. There were no time to sit and breathe because everyday something was happening and you just wanted to be safe. Fuck, you wanted to go home. You wanted to meet your friends again, you wanted your family to be safe, you just wanted everything to be normal, and God damn it you mean it in the nicest way possible but Twitch and Thrash were anything but normal. You had made new friends but you could never invite them over because of the aliens living in your house, you were terrified for your mum's safety every day, and spending time with your dad, who was always so assuring, didn't quell the anxiety

They didn't get it. Mo and Robby were completely fine with them despite getting in trouble all the time, but you were still hesitant over them despite it having been a few weeks. Shouldn't you have been used to them by now? Everyone else was, except you. Were they doing something wrong? They just wanted to feel accepted by you; they didn't want to make you feel scared around them. They would just have to try harder!

Without the cybersleeve, they made a list of all of your hobbies, likes and body language, doing everything to figure out what they would need to do to make you enjoy their company. You like flowers? Twitch stole mum's flowerbed and handed it to you. Thrash would beg Dot and Alex to set up your favourite holiday decorations and celebrate early. And yes, they watched you sleep. The way you clutched your pillow, the way your chest heaved with every breath, even the incoherent sleepwalking, Twitch and Thrash kept it in a special file all about you in the processor if they needed the info later (thank Bumblebee for telling them about that)! They asked Bumblebee to contact your favourite Autobot, provided that they weren't going to rat them out, and begged the Cybertronian to write their autograph on your behalf

Everyday when you came home from school, they asked you all the questions. With Robby and Mo they unconsciously knew all the big details, but with you they wanted all the gossip. If you were getting bullied or harassed during school, they'd try to take your mind off of it by distracting you with all the things you like, which they know about due to the files. Occasionally they'd try and teach your bullies a lesson, but a few sharp reminders from Dot about no sneaking out forced them to rely on mum and dad to handle any personal issues at school. They'd help you with homework, taking in every note from your hatred of algebra to the way you stuck out your tongue while working, all in the hopes that you'd learn to love their company.

Don't worry, they're not going to do anything too drastic, as they still have a decent set of morals and the rest of the Malto's to rein them in. Still, their relationship with you is different from the one with Robby and Mo. All they want is to be a big happy family with everyone, and they're willing to do anything to achieve that with you. Even if they roped in the three new Terrans into feeling the same way about you and engaging in the same activites and adding their own notes to the general, you were family! You wouldn't hurt your family, right???

[sleepisapriviligethatidonthave]

MegOp Week 2024

Day 6: Guilt/Banter

Continuity: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Megatron/Optimus Prime

Tags: Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Angst, Ambiguous/ Open Ending, no beta we die like everybody

[steelthroat]

So hm... in the near or not so near future would anyone like to be my beta reader?

The "no beta we die like Optimus Prime" tag is nice but it's a bit too strong for me you know :)

This is me trying to seduce you into being my beta reader. I hope my charm works on you :3

I don't even know how this thing really works, so this is more me trying to understand and testing the waters instead of me being 100% certain amd ready to pick my sacrificial lamb.

So idk if you're not interested but you're willing to give me advice and things I'm here <3

(Be an adult. Please. I don't write anything that would make your average christian grandma proud)

[iwozlegit]

A “10 year anniversary server event” submission for Predacons Rising.

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Major Character Death

Category: M/M

Fandoms: Transformers: Prime, Transformers - All Media Types

Relationships: Megatron/Orion Pax, Megatron/Optimus Prime, Megatron & Optimus Prime, Megatron & Orion Pax

Characters: Megatron, Optimus Prime, Orion Pax, Autobots (Transformers), Decepticons (Transformers)

Additional Tags: Post-Predacons Rising (Prime Movie), Post-War, Post-Canon, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Implied Relationships, Self-Harm, Starvation, Descent into Madness, Heavy Angst, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, No Beta - We Die Like Cliffjumper

Summary:

It had all begun with a look. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 look. Megatron will be doomed to continue remembering it. If only Primus decided to favour him for a change. So, Megatron just keeps doing what he does best. Enduring. Mining. And then, surviving - even if that means teetering on the verge of sanity. Though, he likely hasn't had that for a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Wednesday (4th October 2023), we reach the 10-year anniversary of the release date for Predacons: Rising, and the conclusion of Transformers: Prime. Yes, it's really been 10 years. I'm fortunate to be a member of a fantastic Transformers server (Wheeljack And Co Doing A Sequel) who have decided to host an in-server event on discord as a tribute to the end of a show that we all love, and naturally talk about an unhealthy amount. Thank you guys for enabling me here :D

T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶t̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶M̶E̶G̶O̶P̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶ ̶2̶0̶2̶3̶ ̶s̶u̶b̶m̶i̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶b̶t̶w̶

[deadlysoupy]

Can't Beat Them - Join Them

Chapters: 2/? Rating: General Audience Relationships: Breakdown & Bumblebee, Bumblebee & Starscream, Bumblebee & Cassettes, Breakdown/Knock Out Tags: Comedy, no beta we die like my back, Adventure, Character Study, Enemies to Friends, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

G.H.O.S.T. is no more. The only thing left is to unite two separated Cybertronian factions. Sounds easy enough, right?

Bumblebee would beg to differ. Sent by Optimus Prime and Megatron as an envoy, Bumblebee's main mission is to persuade Decepticons into unifying with Autobots to heal their wounded nation.

His secondary mission? Survive on the Nemesis, surrounded by past enemies, for two weeks.

'Till all are one.

[sonicasura]

Was there suggestions that Optimus should have go be the one to eat the Sala-Sala Fruit? It could have applied a great advantage to have a leader and Prime that could heal quickly , though who would be vulnerable to water and the ocean.

(Considering 'No beta we die like Optimus Prime' is a tag or Optimus dying in any iteration is considered tradition...)

Prime was literally tied with Ratchet on who should eat the Sala Sala Fruit Model Axolotl. The man nearly got himself killed multiple times and his martyr type mindset doesn't help either. Optimus learn just how distraught everyone would've been if he died right there.

Compromises were also stacked on to this. No more being reckless, don't try to donate parts without Ratchet's permission, and things like that. A shit ton of trust is going into this as well.

Here is how I see things would go if Optimus ate the fruit.

Animal: 42 ft, Hybrid: 45 ft

Optimus would be quite a bulky axolotl with his truck alt mode becoming armor. Tires go down both sides of the tail, finials/antennas split into four that frame his cheek plates, truck grill becomes part of his helm and frames it sorta like a samurai helmet.

His hybrid form also resembles an actual hybrid version of his bot than a pseudo-costume like other Zoans. Face more narrow, Optimus' legs are bulkier while his arms are longer alongside wider, and smaller/thinner sections of his frame become thicker.

Man gotten so many questions from everyone especially Ratchet. The medic put Optimus throw multiple tests even with Chopper's reassurance whose an actual Zoan. Miko recorded the whole thing, took a lot of pictures and began calling OP 'Axolotl Prime' whenever he shift into either Devil Fruit form.

It was quite an experience for Optimus to say the least. He had a pretty good handle on moving in both forms since the bot once lived in the wilderness as a bitlet. It felt like a crash course for his more primal instincts.

You can bet the Team Rescue Bots were thrown through a loop when they got the news. They been given an simple explanation on Devil Fruits so to learn Optimus eaten one guaranteed some shock. Even more when he puts the Rescue Bots through water rescue.

Axolotls are aquatic and spend their time in water. Optimus practically becomes a speed demon from how fast he can now swim. High Tide had a bit of difficulty matching the Autobot Leader's newfound agility.

Optimus does use his Devil Fruit ability against the Decepticons. Megatron experienced it firsthand when Prime quickly shifts to slaps him in the face with his tail. Although the more harsher brawls were against the Predacons. You can say these bots brought out some animalistic behavior in Zoan!Optimus.

It's not uncommon to find the Autobot Leader lounging around in animal form. Axolotls are relaxed animals so it might've rubbed off a bit on the bot. The kids, Bumblebee, Corazón or both usually nap next to him.

Now Optimus does survive the events of Predacon Rising with a very risky move. He dug out the matrix from his chest and regenerate his old Spark Chamber. Albeit separating his own spark nearly been fatal if Corazón didn't bring that special Vivre Card in time. The scolding from the blonde and Ratchet was legendary.

Post War, Optimus lies about being a Multi Changer since Devil Fruits were something no one should know. He does donate a few parts to clinics, with Ratchet's obvious permission. Both versions of Optimus' Devil Fruit forms became popular charms sold across various shops on Cybertron.

Corazón has two in his room much to Prime's embarrassment. As for the Matrix of Leadership, Optimus decided to live without it. He'll learn to lead by his own experience.

[csilis]

Road to redemption (fanfic)

Hi guys! I finally finished my story, so I guessed I share the news with you too! If you're interested you find the AO3 link with the tags under the cut, attached with a snippet from the fanfic. (And you also have this beauty of photoshopped picture to pique your interest XD)

Chapters: 24/24

Fandoms: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Relationships: Megatron (Transformers)/Original Female Character(s)

Characters: Megatron, Original Female Character, Original Male Character, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Soundwave

Additional Tags: no beta we die like cliffjumper, i wanted a redemption fanfic so i wrote one, Xenophilia, stuck in a different body, Human Megatron, Redemption, anger issues, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Human/Transformer Relationships, Megatron talks about his feelings, Ice Skating, Torture

Summonary:

Megatron thought his fate was to rule over Cybertron as he meant to be from the beginning.

Now he is ripped from everything he used to know (thanks to a certain scout) as he's stuck in a human body that belonged to someone else. Starting again from the bottom, he is determined to reverse whatever happened, no matter the price.

But Primus may have even more surprises in store. Starting with the stubborn human female, Elisabeth Osborne, who makes him question everything he believed in.

Snippet:

“In the grand scheme of things we all have our burdens to carry and parts to play, my child” he (Primus) stated, sounding gentle. “You happened to carry more burden, because I gave the hardest battles to my strongest soldiers.”

“And when did I sign up for the war?” Megatron asked, hands folded, eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh, that’s a good one. Elisabeth’s work is clearly visible, I see” giggled Merlin in delight.

[ao3feed-skystar]

Forged/Bound

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/97topUZ by taiyari Orion Pax, a simple clerk working at the Hall of Records of Iacon, is sent to work to a mysterious archaeological site in the mines of Kaon. There, everything they know about the regime that rules their world will change. ---- I resurrected my old TF Webcomic, and it came back as a fic. Words: 0, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Transformers - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: Gen Characters: Orion Pax, Megatron (Transformers), Impactor (Transformers), Terminus (Transformers), Original Cybertronian Character(s), Jazz (Transformers), Shockwave, Windblade (Transformers), Elita One (Transformers), Chromia (Transformers) Relationships: Megatron/Optimus Prime, Megatron/Orion Pax, Impactor/Megatron (Transformers), Impactor/Orion Pax, Megatron/Orion Pax/Impactor, Chromia/Windblade (Transformers), Jetfire | Skyfire/Starscream (Transformers), Megatron/Soundwave (Transformers), more I guess who knows this is a wip and I'm free Additional Tags: no beta we die like orion pax, Comic, webcomic turned fic read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/97topUZ

[valarianflood]

...Roll Out

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37921093

Rating: T

No Archive Warnings Apply

Transformers: Prime

Relationships:

Arcee/ June Darby if you squint

William Fowler/Optimus Prime

Characters:

Miko Nakadai, Rafael "Raf" Esquivel, Wheeljack (Transformers), Jack Darby, William Fowler, June Darby, Ratchet (Transformers), Arcee (Transformers), Bumblebee (Transformers), Bulkhead (Transformers)

Additional Tags:

Major Character Injury, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/ mostly comfort, dont jusdge me im soft, no beta we die like cliffjumper, Attempt at Humor, Suspense

English        Part 2 of series    Words:1543    Chapters:1/1

[mk-wizard]

Let me explain how Transformers are not robots

Hi, fans. Today, I am not discussing a theory, but something that is a fact and perhaps the most denied, resisted and challenged fact in all of Transformers lore: they are not robots.

I have gone as far as having long debates with even my own husband about this subject, but the truth is the truth whether you like it or not. Maybe they were introduced as robots and maybe their definition of what a robot is can be different from Earth’s, but they are not robots and when you stop and think about it, they never were. And here is the list of reasons to back it up and I am only counting facts that Hasbro has confirmed as officially part of the Transformers lore;

They have parts (organs) that cannot be replaced by building a new one from scratch. They either get crude replacements or they require an organ donor to replace the part that is lost. Also, these same parts can sometimes be deformed which affects performance. The most obvious they cannot simply replace is their T-cog which is the unique organ that Transformers have that gives them their ability to transform. If this gets damaged or lost, it cripples that ability leaving them as an unchanger. It is also possible for a T-cog to be deformed in which case the Transformer is an unhcanger at birth or has trouble transforming. This organ can only be replaced by a donor or corrected with surgery. It cannot be built. In fact, even body parts like hands, optics and even a foot cannot simply be replaced. They can be put back on, but trying to make a new one is not that simply and at times, the fact that it is a prop shows as seen with Prime Ultra Magnus’ hand, Prime Breakdown’s optic being lost for good and Animated Red Alert’s hand being replaced with a tool. If they were robots, their parts would work like an assembly line of which they are easily replaced and made from scratch. The fact that not even a hand can work this way for Transformers is proof that they are not robots. Like us, if they lose a body part, they won’t be the same. They are even made up of something called CNA which is what DNA is to us. In fact, they share many organs with us like bones and veins.

They have genders and this has been confirmed since the IDW comics and Beast Wars. I admit that initially, they didn’t have genders in the time of G1 which caused confusion for the G1 fans later, but this fact was officially changed by the Beast Wars era. They have biological genders and work the same way as ours. With that said, as radical as it sounds, they come to be through reproduction like us not through being built. Yes, they can be put back together if broken apart, but they don’t come into the world like that. Every Transformer has a mother and father biologically just like you and me.

They can age and die which is something robots cannot do. A robot may wear and tear with time and its batteries will eventually run out, but it never actually was alive to begin with, it never ages and it doesn’t die. You can simply replace the robot’s batteries and they will be fine. As we have seen especially Alpha Trion since G1, Transformers can age and even grow old. And in Rescue Bots, we see that they even start off in the world as children. And most notably, once a Transformer dies, it’s for good. Optimus was the exception through a miracle of Primus. The norm is that death is forever with them. And if you want to look at this from a spiritual perspective if you’re devout like me and believe in that stuff, they have an afterlife where their souls go which is the Allspark. If the ability to age and die while having a soul is not the definitive trait of being a living being, I don’t what is.

They have biological familial relationships which is impossible for a robot. Since the days of G1, we saw many examples of this; - The Lamborghini twins are twin brothers. - In some continuities, Optimus and Ultra Magnus are either cousins or brothers. - Hound and Mirage are cousins. I don’t know if they are close or distant ones, but it is why they share similar powers. - In some continuities including G1, it is subtly hinted that Elita-One is Alpha Trion and Beta Maxx’s biological daughter. - G1 Arcee is Beast Wars Rattrap’s great aunt. - In some continuities, the Prime system is hierarchical meaning from parent to child so all Primes are family. The Megatron system works the same way. - In some continuities, Ratchet is a father and grandfather. - In Rescue Bots, Ratchet is Medix’s uncle. - The Constructicons are brothers. - In Animated, Jetstorm and Jetfire are twin brothers. - While it was initially a joke that he had a mother, it is now a fact that Optimus Prime had loving parents who sadly, were two of the many casualities in the war. I don’t know which one was the Prime though. - In current times, each Dinobot is a parent. - In Animated, Bulkhead came from a big family. - In Animated, Kup has a nephew. - In the comics, it is hinted that Wheeljack has a son out of wedlock.

They can get sick or hurt which is also impossible for a robot. As we have seen since the days of G1, Transformers have health needs and cannot only emotionally feel, but also physically feel for better or for worse. When they get injured, they don’t just simply break. It hurts and in some cases, the severity of an injury can have repercussions such as permanent damage. In the case of Fixit, he is handicapped for life because of the injuries he sustained from his crash. In some fights, Transformers have wound up dead. Which leads us to the diseases they can endure which can be fatal. And unlike a robot that simply acts wonky or nutty when bugged, Transformers act like we do when they are sick. They are weak, they are in pain, they moan and even physically look awful hence needing to stay in bed. And like us, these diseases require treatment.

They can have handicaps and imperfections which cannot simply be corrected by repairing or rebuilding. If a Transformer has a handicap of any kind especially a mental one or suffers from some kind of insanity, you can’t just simply reboot them or fix their processor (brain). And they can have imperfections such as not all having the same level of fitness or even being fat or possibly even being physically deformed. And like an organic person, sometimes, you cannot simply operate on them to fix it because it can be dangerous. For example, it has been confirmed that Lugnut is hideously deformed (though that didn’t stop Strika from loving him), it is hinted that Megatron is a mutant and years of forced surgery to be a great miner mutated him further, and it has been confirmed that out of all the cop Autobots, Prowl is chubby and a lot of evidence points to most versions of Optimus being fat. A robot cannot suffer from insanity, it cannot gain or lose weight and they cannot mutate because they don’t have a biology.

So there you all have it. Proof that the Transformers are not robots and these are facts Hasbro backs up. I hope it has cleared the air and ceased the confusion. Take it or leave it. Personally, I like the fact that they aren’t robots because I find it makes them more interesting and dynamic. That and I find the fact that they can have families endearing. And as side note, the fact that Optimus Prime had kind loving parents.

If you have a Transformers theory or fact you want explored, let me know in my ask box and I will delve into it.

Thanks for reading and talk to you later. EDIT: Forgot to add a fact. Added sickness and injury now. EDIT 2: More significant things have been added to the family list. Plus, another significant fact came to mind.

[tentoriwrites]

Set Adrift: The Charbee Remix

For Charbee week day 4 for the song Back to Life by Hailee Steinfeld

I always played around with the idea of there being multiple factions of Cybertronians with specialized tasks/functions. I really latched on to the scientists/engineers because someone had to develop all that super advanced tech. But also they would have so much drama because both sides would want them. I found a great way to write in 2 of the main characters but never had a great way to bring in the third as she was completely a non-combatant. ENTER CHARBEE!

----- ------ ----- ----- -----

Bumblebee’s optics went wide as he thought back on the time he stuck his finger in the outlet at Charlie’s house. He looked away embarrassed by the stupidity of the action. Little did he know the ramifications of such a simple act would be so widespread and… ongoing…

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

Prologue:

The universe is full of innumerable stars. Rotating around those stars are even more planets. What makes this one so special? At first I didn’t understand, but then I finally went there. It was full of organic life and energy. I knew the moment I landed it would be perfect for the experiment. So, I released them: enough nanobots to make thousands of Energon batteries. Enough to power a Cybertronian colony for far more cycles than would ever be necessary. This whole system was a proof of concept. No matter where we Cybertronians went, we would always have a source of Energon.

As soon as the nanobots were released on this pale blue dot the results were immediate. I was extremely optimistic. I left the experiments to run as I retreated to the observation bunker established on a moon in the far reaches of the system. I went into stasis to conserve energy and woke up periodically to check on the experiments and receive reports from home.

As you might imagine I missed a lot existing like this. But I knew about the war and that it was escalating at a frantic pace. The war and my experiment seemed to be poles that could not coexist. The better my experiment went, the worst things seemed to go at home. The transmissions kept coming until one day they spotted altogether. I denied it for as long as I could, but I understood what that meant. The Prime Constructors was gone and the only reason for that was denying the Decepticons. I took precautions against those who would try to use my experiments for their own ill deeds. In my processors I said I was neutral, like all Constructors, but in my Spark I hoped the Autobots would win. that hope to hold on to, I went to sleep for the last time.

A bot tall and slender in frame but devoid of all the color floated gently up and down in a cryo-stasis chamber. The frost on their silvered metal panels tinkled as it melted away. It was time for the annual check on their experiment. They had created a countless number of nearly imperceptible nanobots and flooded all the planets of this solar system with them. It was a first of its kind experiment for the Cybertronians. Each bot collected energy from any and all available sources and converted it to Energon. Once the bot was fully charged, it floated towards the collection point on the planet and deposited it. Once the batteries were full, they could be collected and transported back to Cybertron.

The Cybertronian stretched out their arms over their head before floating over to the console on the far side of the room. Tiny boosters on the tips of their transparent wings gave them the propulsion they needed to move in the zero-gravity space. Once they were seated, they slid their hand against a flat space marked off by a frame on the console. It lit up with a gentle yellow glow a moment after they touched it.

“Constructor designation.” A synthesized voice filled the darkened room.

“C-377.” A less synthesized female voice answered.

“Project Identification number.”

“1284092186.”

“Hello, C-377. I hope you slept well.”

“I did, thank you.” She looked up at the screens as they buzzed to life.

“I have compiled the latest data on all 10 planets in this system.”

“I see them on the screens now. The numbers for some planets are a little disappointing, I must say. However, planet 3 has been an extremely lucrative source of energy.” She put her free hand to her chin a moment. “There has been a very large spike in the last 100 years. But then it drops off steeply.”

“Yes.”

The Cybertronian started to speak again but the computer cut her off.

“There was a huge spike in Energon detected. The spike caused the nanobots in the area to realign with the Cybertronian responsible for the spike and become unresponsive to outside communications. This caused a cascade effect until all the nanobots on the planet had become realigned.”

The Cybertronian’s purple glowing optics went huge. “W… wh… what… faction?” She was shaking so violently her hand almost pulled free from the console.

“The surge was caused by an Autobot designated B-127.”

The Cybertronian visibly eased, sinking into her seat at the news.

“The Decepticons can never have this technology… They’ll just use it to destroy ev…” Her chilled declaration was cut short by an alarm blaring. The security system was alerting her to a breach. “Activate emergency protocol alpha.”

“Understood. Preparing full transfer to remote station Beta.” The small, underground base started whirring with life.

The Cybertronian’s hand was released from the console as the computer listed each step in the protocol being fulfilled in the background. “Launch the backup and my escape pod to Earth then full wipe.”

“Understood. Preparing to launch decoys. Randomizing decoy coordinates. Power and memory transfer to ARC initiated.”

“Time to breach?”

“Irrelevant. Please proceed to escape pod.”

“But… Yes… Understood…” She couldn’t argue with the computer as power was already being diverted to a black monolith. The lights dimmed and the alarm turned off. The bot drifted into a random escape pod. The black monolith joined her in a different, random pod.

“Transfer complete. Launch sequence activated. Final shut down commencing. Creator protect you.”

The tube shook violently as it hurtled towards space. Moments before cresting the top of the tube, the screen in the escape pod started blinking errors. A camera on the outside of the pod showed fire surrounding it. Something likely set off the self-destruct trying to disarm it. While she was happy no one could get anything out of the base, she hoped against the odds the pod survived the trip to the third planet. Much to her dismay, the alarm blared on…

 The sky burned as a Cybertronian pod streaked across the blue expanse over the planet Earth. Pieces broke off and burned away in the atmosphere causing a showy display of friction's power. It came to rest in a dry field in the middle of nowhere at the base of a tree. The scorched dirt pit left in the wake of the landing alien smoldered and it wouldn't be long before humans found the site. With great effort the figure rolled over and pushed themselves to their feet. The journey had taken far longer than they had thought but soon it would all be over. The mission was the only thing that mattered now.

“Halt!” A voice called with a musical quality and the figure turned around slowly.

“Auto...bot... Thank goodness...” The clearly female alien replied weakly just before falling to her knees. Any scans indicated that she had been severely damaged from the entry. She was dying before his very eyes! He immediately disarmed and moved to her side. “I have a very important message to deliver to you Autobot. I am one of the last of the Constructors and charged with an experiment put into motion on this planet... No time...” She explained as quickly as she could with her dying body.

Bumblebee dropped her and backed away. A look of disdain colored his normally genial features.

She chose to ignore the familiar coldness her faction afforded her and pressed on. “After I die the information must be pulled from me. They are on their way... Decepticons... Not sure... how much... they got out of lab...” Her optics flickered so dim light could barely be seen within them as Optimus and the others arrived.

“Bumblebee! Report!” Optimus barked as he transformed and ran up to his ally. “A neutral?” He gasped in a voice stricken with an ill feeling as he kneeled down next to the ailing creature. “A Constructor?” She nodded slowly before falling to the dirt completely.

“A Prime...? How fortunate...” A smile was clearly written on her face as her life faded away.

“Out of the way!” Ratchet grumbled as he gingerly moved between Optimus and the slain. “Her injuries are grave. I haven't seen anything in this bad of shape in awhile...” He looked her over briefly before shooting her three times with his special regeneration laser. She jumped and twitched and he quickly set to work attaching a thick cable to a port in her back. “She needs an energy transfusion... What's this?” He wondered spotting a foreign black cube deep in her back. “It's a retrofitted piece connected on a molecular level with nanomachines... It appears to be some sort of energy collection or converter... But it's been disabled.” He awkwardly reached a finger into her back and poked the unharmed box.

Suddenly, her wings spread out and became covered in a transparent film. After a few moments she gasped and her eyes shot open. “The energy converter worked!” She half shouted as she twitched back to life.

The Autobots in attendance looked at her dumbstruck.

“I need to find the monolith…” No sooner did the words leave her mouth she passed out again.

“She's not very stable at the moment... We'll have to be careful...” Ratchet explained checking her status. “Right now, that converter is the only thing keeping her functional.” With that being said he got to his feet and started hauling her away unceremoniously over one shoulder.

“All right you heard Ratchet! We have to get her back to the base!” Optimus ordered as he started to transform into a semi-truck. “I’ll carry her in the back.”

A flurry of whirring radio dials punctuated Bumblebee’s reaction as he searched for songs to speak with. “Something… you need to know… easier… if… she's… dead...” Bumblebee looked up at Optimus with his displeasure clear on his face. “Shouldn’t… we… let it be?”

“No information could be worth her life... She's been through much to get here and I'm certain once she's had time to recover, she can tell us everything we might need to know.” Optimus replied as the hum of a plane grew closer. “Autobots! Roll out!” It was clear Optimus was ignoring the callousness of the comment.

“I… will… guard… her…”

As they rolled back to the Autobot base on Earth, the being stirred weakly. “You.” There was a long pause before the Constructor went on in a quiet voice. “You are the one who started all this.”

Bumblebee tried to ignore her, but her persistent staring finally prompted a response. He cocked his head to the side. “Misunderstanding” by Phil Collins started playing.

“You have lost your voice?” She looked up at the open roof wistfully. “It must have been an accident then.” She took a deep breath. “You created an Energon surge that interfered with an experiment I was conducting on this planet. It caused the nanobots I brought here to align with your energy so they no longer respond to me.”

Bumblebee’s optics went wide as he thought back on the time he stuck his finger in the outlet at Charlie’s house. He looked away embarrassed by the stupidity of the action. Little did he know the ramifications of such a simple act would be so widespread and… ongoing…

“That means we must protect you at all costs until the nanobots can all be removed from the planet.”

“You should rest now. You can explain yourself later when we can all hear it. But I would prepare yourself now, Constructor. Not all Autobots have a favorable opinion of your kind.” Optimus commented stoically.

“I… I can understand that sentiment.” With that she closed her eyes and went into stasis again.

 After returning to the base, the newest Cybertronian was offloaded for repairs. Optimus and Bumblebee waited patiently nearby as they discussed their next move.

“What do you think, Bumblebee? Is she someone we should trust?” Optimus turned to the yellow bot.

“Danger Zone” started blaring loud enough to wake the dead.

“I understand your feelings on Constructors. However, they only did what they felt was best for Cybertron. Is that really any different than what we did?” Optimus tried to reason with Bumblebee.

Bumblebee shook his head wildly. “So, what difference does it make? It makes none.” A line by The Smiths accompanied the action.

Optimus sighed heavily. He started to say something but was cut off by Ratchet.

“Well I can safely say this is my best work...” Ratchet sounded quite full of himself as he came out with the Constructor in tow. He had replaced her missing plates with smooth steel. “She explained that box to me as well so we'll have to move her while she recovers. She needs a place with more light.” He added cracking his hands as he stopped where Optimus and Bumblebee had acquainted themselves.

“What is it?” Optimus asked looking over to him.

“It's a miniature version of an experimental system the Constructors implemented here on Earth in a closed circuit.” Ratchet explained with a smile. “It was developed on the off chance the experiment failed. She brought many unused copies with her!”

“So that's the black box we picked up not far from her crash site.” Optimus added thoughtfully.

“YOU FOUND THE MONOLITH?!” The Constructor nearly collapsed in her relief. “Th… that monolith is very important to me.”

Bumblebee’s optics narrowed sharply and “Danger Zone” started blaring again.

“Bumblebee…” Optimus chided him gently and the yellow bot huffed.

The Constructor looked a bit hurt but went on. “I am Constructor C-377. I specialize in nanobots. I developed nanobots that absorb energy in all its forms and delivers it to batteries. The batteries were to be sent back to Cybertron…”

“Cybertron… has fallen.” Arcee answered solemnly offering her comrade a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“Oh…” All of the Constructor’s excited energy evaporated like fog in the sun. “I… see…” Sparks lit up as her fingers dug into her hand. “Well then… I guess… a new end goal for the experiment is necessary.” She nodded solemnly as she walked over to the monolith. She placed her hand on the surface and it immediately lit up with a gentle purple light.

“Should this experiment yield the desired results then we will be able to build a new home planet for our race.” Ratchet began with his smile beaming wider with each word. “It is capable of converting solar energy into Energon!” The news completely shocked everyone in the gathering.

“This is great news!” Arcee cheered in uncontained happiness.

“It’s not that easy.” The Constructor injected quickly. “The nanobots are designed to seamlessly integrate into whatever they are gathering energy from. So, they can become anything. If you cannot see why that might be a problem then you had better reconsider your intelligence level.

“We should give you a code name.” Wheeljack finally interjected.

“Familiarity with me is not advisable. I will only be on this planet long enough to remove the nanobots and any threat they may cause. My association with this planet will only serve to endanger it further.”

“She is a true Constructor...” Ironhide shook his head bitterly. “I've never met one but I would bet they're all just like this. Loners who don’t think they need anyone and don’t care about anyone.”

The Constructor deflated a fraction, but it was still enough to be noticeable. “I will need an energy sample from B-127 so I can start reprogramming the nanobots. Please place your hand on the monolith.”

“No sugar tonight.” Blared through Bumblebee’s radio.

"I don't think you understand what's at stake here." She started with hurt in her voice. "The nanobots can be reprogrammed to do anything... become anything. Power supplies, weapons, defenses..." The meekness in her voice faded as she spoke, replaced the a genuine passion. "If the Decepticons get a hold of them, they would be able to destroy anyone who opposes them!"

"Why would you put such a dangerous experiment into action at a time like this?" Ironhide voiced his suspicions openly.

A perfectly logical question she gave an honest answer to. "The experiment was started before the war." She started to deflate once again. "Had I known it would come to this... I... never would have..."

Just before her voice faded into nothing the monolith whirred loudly before disappearing completely. Her optics went huge and she started shaking. The plates of her body clinked gently, but audibly. "A Decepticon is here..."

An uproar immediately erupted from the Autobots. Some went on the defensive, seeking out the enemy. Others went on the offensive against the Constructor.

"I knew she couldn't be trusted!"

"Constructors only care about their experiments and creations!"

"She probably is a Decepticon herself!"

"She must have led them here!"

"I'm not a Decepticon!" Though she was quick and vocal in asserting this, she deflated quickly again. "But I may have led them here without meaning to." She shrank away from everyone, clutching her arms around herself.

"Enough!" Optimus's resonant voice silenced all others. He placed a firm hand on the Constructor's shoulder. "We will judge her guilt based on evidence after we eliminate the Decepticon threat."

The familiar whir of a plasma gun charging and firing in the distance ended any further discussion. Optimus did a quick head count and looked confused.

"The threat has been eliminated." The Constructor whispered looking over in the direction the sound came from.

"How can you be so certain?"

"My monolith is back." She pointed toward the source of the shot. Sure enough, one could see a peek of the monolith floating lazily in the air. Closer investigation revealed a small, smoking crater with the remains of a small Decepticon spy at the bottom. Her whole countenance grew grim as the monolith wafted to her side. "I warned you the nanobots are dangerous. Now the Decepticons likely know B-127 controls them."

“Your monolith is made of nanobots then?”

“Yes.” She answered quietly. “But they only respond to me. They cannot be overridden like the ones on this planet.” She turned to look at Bumblebee resolutely. “The Decepticons will stop at nothing to gain every advantage they can. If you will not help me save the experiment here. Please help me shut it down. The nanobots can be ordered to permanently fuse. Order them to fuse into batteries and all of you will have a viable source of Energon for the foreseeable future. Once it’s done, I’ll leave and never come back.”

Once again, Bumblebee pulled away.

“They will stop at nothing. The place where your Energon surged was a residential area. They will start there first.”

Bumblebee’s face instantly snapped back to hers.

“They will take hostages and once they do, those hostages will die. It doesn’t matter if you agree to help the Decepticons or not.”

Bumblebee looked visibly distressed now. His optics swiveled around for a moment before he shoved past the Constructor and turned into a bright yellow car with black stripes. As he did, the monolith disappeared again.

“We have to protect him at all costs!” The Constructor yelled and she took off after him on foot. A moment later she spotted an old, beat up truck from the 40s roll by. She quickly scanned it and used it as her cover. Following a faintly iridescent line of nanobots, she was able to follow Bumblebee even if she could in no way keep up with his reckless driving. Eventually she pulled in at a house at the end of a cul de sac. Bumblebee was honking his horn trying to get the attention of someone in the house.

“I wondered who could possibly be honking so much!” An older women excitedly declared as she rush out of the house. “Charlie’s going to be so excited to see you when she gets back, Bumblebee.”

Bumblebee struggled through finding the right song lyrics to convey the urgency of the situation. Seeing him struggle so, the Constructor spoke instead.

“Where did she go and when will she return?”

“Oh? A girl…” The older woman gave Bumblebee a knowing smile. “I’m so glad you found someone special, Bee~~~ I was just telling Charlie it would be nice if you found you a nice lady bot and settled down. She didn’t seem to like that for some reason.”

“It’s not that kind of arrangement. I am in need of his assistance.” The Constructor answered simply. “Where did Charlie go and when will she return?”

“She went to the store for me and should be back anytime now. Is… Is something the matter?” The woman was clearly worried now.

“No. I simply wanted a name. Bumblebee said Charlie gave him his name. She might select one for me as well.” It was pure fabrication to minimize collateral damage.

“Awe… That’s so sweet! I’m sure Charlie would be so happy to meet you and give you a name!” The older woman bought the explanation wholesale as a smile crept across her face that spoke to how adorable she thought the situation was. “There she is now!” She flailed her arms in a wave.

The pair of Cybertronians backed around to see a red car coming down the street. An arm reached out and started waving wildly. Suddenly, a shimmer on the air caused the view to be distorted.

“That vehicle…” The Constructor whispered.

The vehicle came to an abrupt stop causing Charlie to slam into the steering wheel. Bumblebee revved his engine in a hostile display. It was clear he already knew what the Constructor was about to say.

“That vehicle is a Decepticon.”

Bumblebee’s engine revved loudly again.

“B-127 if you would like this human returned unharmed you will come to the coordinates indicated on this tracker.” A map shot out of the glove box and fluttered to the ground, almost comically slow, in front of the Decepticon. With Charlie still inside, they turned into a plane and flew off.

Bumblebee shifted out of car form and pointed his plasma gun at the retreating plane. He quickly thought better of it since Charlie could get hurt if the Decepticon crashed or jettisoned her.

“We should regroup with the Autobots and plan our next move. There… there has to be a way to get her back safely without putting you or the planet in danger.”

The Constructor tugged on his arm but Bumblebee pulled himself free once again. Punctuating his disdain with a glare, visor still down. The radio blared static and it got the point across aptly.

“I lost everything and everyone I cared about.” She said quietly as she clenched her fists, metal scraping on metal showing just how tight her grip was. “I don’t like fighting, or war, or the Decepticons. If we’re being perfectly honest, I don’t really like any of you Autobots either because YOU’RE the ones who were doing all the fighting!” Her feet ground into the pavement causing it to crack and chip.

There was a long silence as Bumblebee stared at her taken aback when confronted with the fact there isn’t just one side in a war.

“But…” She started more calmly now. “Even though you couldn’t save all the innocent lives lost in this war…” She looked up at Bumblebee with determination. “You aren’t the ones who deliberately put them in danger to begin with. I could stop you from going. I could imprison you with my nanobots because you would be doing the EXACT same thing as the Decepticons. Deliberately putting all the innocent lives on this planet in danger for that one human. Are you prepared to bare the burden of responsibility if we fail? You and you alone?” She gave him a challenging poke to the chest.

His optics darted back and forth rapidly as he tried to process his response.

“Why do you fight, B-1… Excuse me…” She shook her head. “Why do you fight, Bumblebee?”

That single question seemed to harden his resolve. His optics focused on the Constructor before he nodded his head, radio whirred through stations until it spelled out his reason. It didn’t blare loud for all the world to hear. It was quiet and sincere.

“In that case,” She smiled slightly. “I’m not asking you to trust me, but let me help you.”

Bumblebee looked down at her outstretched hand and hesitated.

The Constructor smiled ruefully. “It is asking a lot, I suppose. Let’s go before it’s too late.” She glanced off where the Decepticon had gone briefly. “Please lead the way.”

Bumblebee shifted back into car mode and peeled away. Unlike the last time, he made sure the Constructor could nominally keep up with him. Traffic gradually gave away to open roads as they sped down a nearly abandoned access. After turning down a rough access road, the forest opened up to an abandoned mine. Standing cockily at the edge of the pit mine was the Decepticon. They bent over and picked up Charlie from where she sat bound in chains on the ground. They rattled ominously as the Decepticon held her in the air by the waist. Bumblebee’s radio whirred wildly as he skid to a stop by changing into his bot form. He was clearly worried for Charlie.

“We have come as you requested. Please release the human as agreed.”

“The agreement was for B-127 to cooperate with us. I have no use for you.” The Decepticon sneered as a needle shot up from the end of a slender digit. “Let’s make this interesting…” He stabbed the needle into Charlie’s neck.

Charlie let out a momentary scream of pain before gritting her teeth. “Don’t, Bee. Don’t help them.”

The Decepticon snickered before yanking the needle out. “Those are your Nanobots, C-377. The imperfect ones you left behind, but they’ll still drain this girl of all her energy.”

Bumblebee immediate bristled at this comment. His visor locked into place and his plasma gun primed.

“Ah… none of that. Shoot me and you won’t be able to stop the nanobots.” The Decepticon wagged a mocking finger at Bumblebee with a wicked grin.

Bumblebee lowered his gun rather begrudgingly.

“You are not in this alone.” The Constructor whispered encouragingly. “I will be very convincing.”

“So, what’s the verdict?”

Bumblebee sighed deeply and started walking forward with his hands up.

“B-127…” A sharp voice from behind him made him stop. “Would you really sacrifice all other life on this planet for one?”

Bumblebee spared her a sharp glance over his shoulder. It was then he noticed the shimmer and remembered what happened the last time her monolith disappeared. He gave her an understanding nod before focusing on Charlie again.

“Then you leave me no choice.”

Bumblebee didn’t look back again. One slow step in front of the other he marched towards the Decepticon. With his sole focus on Charlie, he missed the unsettling way they behaved. The Decepticon was very excited every time Bumblebee took a step forward. They did a happy little jig, jostling Charlie in the process.

The Constructor watched careful from behind until she noticed something. She soon noticed the Decepticon was only looking at the ground. That had to be important…

“Bumblebee! Do not take another step forward!” Using his real name signaled to him to stop. “It’s a trap! There’s something in the ground!”

Bumblebee looked around but didn’t see anything immediately in his path. He picked up his foot and set it down in a slightly different place. That slight movement was all it took to spring the trap. A burst of electricity rippled through his body overloading his circuits and sending a huge Energon burst out.

“BEE!” Charlie screamed desperately as she watched her friend fall to his knees. She kicked and screamed but couldn’t free herself.

“Perhaps you should start concerning yourself with your own situation. Your value as a hostage has been spent after all.” The Decepticon jeered as they eyed Charlie with a wicked jeer. Without a second thought, they tossed her into the pit.

Bumblebee tried to call out to her but his radio just bogged down and flickered like a car trying to start when there isn’t enough power. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Charlie disappearing over the edge.

The words of the Constructor echoed in his mind. “You are not in this alone.”

“I trusted you… That was a mistake.” The warnings flashing on his screens suddenly stopped. His optics snapped open. Before his very eyes, Charlie was levitating in the air, bounds removed. A faint shimmer covered her whole body and he realized she was covered in nanobots. He looked around wildly and saw the Constructor kiting the Decepticon around as they fired at her. She was fast, but extremely clumsy in her movements. He knew it was only a matter of time before she got hit.

He staggered to his feet, sensors still not fully recovered, and stumbled towards Charlie. After just a few steps, an electric jolt shot up around him. He prepared for another frying, but the shock never came. Instead, the electricity seemed to be diverting around him then disappearing completely.

“The nanobots can take any kind of energy and turn it into Energon.” The audio played back in his head. His gaze darted to the Constructor quickly. The horrible realization settled in: If her nanobots were helping him and Charlie, she was truly defenseless.

“I’m fine, Bee. I’m fine.” She smiled brightly for him as she looked up into his optics for a moment that seemed like an eternity. The trance seemed to break for both of them at the same time and they both collapsed into a hug. “I missed you so much…”

Bumblebee nuzzled her cheek as if to say he missed her too. He finally pulled away when a nearby explosion caught his attention.

“You should help her. I’ll just go hide over there.”

Bumblebee nodded stoically as his visor clicked into place. He turned towards where the Decepticon had the Constructor pinned to the ground. He fired his plasma gun to break them apart before charging forward.

Charlie watched for a moment before heading towards the cover of the trees. It quickly became apparent something was wrong as she had to push harder and harder just to move. All her limbs felt sluggish and heavy. The tiredness quickly started spreading to her mind as an overwhelming urge to sleep took her. The last thing she saw before darkness consumed her was the tree line and a fistful of leaves in her hand.

“Now how did you get free?” The Decepticon pondered as they squared off with Bumblebee. “Was it my vacillating former colleague?” They glanced down at the Constructor as she tried to drag herself away. “You are just full of tricks, aren’t you? But I think you’ve used them all up now!” They gave her a swift kick that sent her rolling towards Bumblebee.

“I will… take care of Charlie.” She pulled herself up and started retreating towards the fallen human.

With no other distractions to come between them, Bumblebee focused on the Decepticon. “You have a codename now too. My codename is Doppel. I have a twin named Ganger.” The Decepticon went on to explain they used to be Constructors too but now they work for the Decepticons.

After a few moments listening to Doppel’s prattling Bumblebee started firing.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you manners?!”

If ever Bumblebee wished he had his voice back it was now. Unable to deliver any sort of retort, he just kept firing. Unlike the other Constructor, Doppel clearly had some combat experience. Only some. This was not going to be as easy as he hoped, but still doable.

“Miss Charlie. Please wake up.” C-377 gently lifted Charlie into her arms.

“Just 5 more minutes…” Charlie muttered absently as she swatted at the air.

“Well she still has basic functions…” A quick scan revealed a glimmer of hope. “These nanobots are very old and extremely inefficient. It seems her body’s energy generation is outpacing their ability to absorb it as long as she is in maintenance mode.” The Constructor gave Charlie a troubled look as she tried to shut down the nanobots. “Not them too…” Her gaze shot up to Bumblebee.

“STOP! Don’t destroy him!”

Bumblebee looked back at C-377 incredulously.

“We need him to shut down the nanobots inside Charlie!” She scooped Charlie up and started walking toward the fighting pair. “You have control of my nanobots. Order them to isolate a sample of his Energon.”

“Like I would ever let that happen…” Doppel jeered from his place under one of Bumblebee’s feet.

Suddenly, Charlie let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“He overloaded the bots. We have to hurry or they’ll drain her dry then blow up!” She was frantic now as red warnings flooded her screens.

Blood red optics glared down at Doppel as Bumblebee grabbed his neck with a crushing grip. A long, thin needle grew out of his knuckle. He jabbed it into Doppel’s chest with far more force than was needed. The needle took on a red hue quickly as it filled with Energon.

“It’s not going to be enough…” Doppel jeered as he fell back to his knees. Those were the last words he ever said.

“Bumblebee! Hurry! I have to use that sample to hack the nanobots before they explode!”

Bumblebee turn and saw Charlie encased in the monolith. The monolith was taking on a red glow. C-377‘s expression became increasingly grim. “I… not enough time. Preservation protocol Alpha!” An explosive flash of light momentarily blinded them both.

“The nanobots created a pocket dimension where time moves at a fraction of what it does here.” C-377 explained as Bumblebee’s optics locked on the glowing sphere before him. “As you might imagine, that requires a large volume of energy. I need your help keeping it stable for a few more moments while I finish disabling the nanobots.” To emphasize this point, her energy collection wings were spread open wide and Energon coursed down her arms into the sphere.

Bumblebee tentatively reached out to sphere and solid plates former beneath his hands. Even before his hands touched the plates he could feel his energy to be pulled to his hands. He hesitated for a moment before pressing his hands to the plates. Instantly, the Energon started to drain from him in massive waves. His sensors indicated an eminent shut down in a matter of moments but he focused on Charlie. Suddenly, she was no longer obscured by the veil of energy and nanobots.

“Charlie?” He started at hearing his own voice.

“Who’s there?” Charlie spun around quickly. “BEE!” She ran up to him happily.

He scooped her up in an embrace. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

“Same, buddy. But… where are we and what’s going on?” She looked around confused by their surroundings.

“You were infected with Nanobots that were draining your energy and then were going to explode. That other Cybertronian put you in a pocket dimension while she shut them down.”

“Oh. No big deal then.” She seemed to take that news in stride. “And the Decepticon?”

“Destroyed.”

“So… I guess we just have to wait for her to finish and we’ll get out of here.” She sat down and patted the place besides her.

“Probably.” Bumblebee answered opting to settle in behind her and hug her midsection.

“Probably? You mean you don’t know?” Charlie looked a bit alarmed as she gripped Bumblebee’s hand.

“I’ve never worked with her before. In fact, we just met earlier today. I’m still not entirely convinced I can trust her.”

“She saved my life.” Charlie said simply. “She said every life is precious.”

“You trust her then?”

“I have no reason not to.”

“Then… I guess I can trust her too.” Though he said this begrudgingly still.

“How long have you been able to talk, by the way?” Charlie spun around to look him in the eyes again.

“How long have I been in here with you?”

“Does that mean you might not be able to talk once you get out of here?”

“Yeah.” Seeing the disappointment she was trying to hide made him regretful. “But I’ll always have the voice you gave me.” He tapped the radio gently.

“That’s true.” She seemed content with this as she settled her back against the plates of his chest again. “I don’t suppose you can pick up any stations in a pocket dimension, can you?”

“Probably not.” He sounded amused as he answered. Still, he gave the dial a spin anyways.

“B-127!” Familiar voices flooded the space. “I mean Bumblebee! Listen you have to let go! Your Spark is being absorbed!”

“That sounds bad.” Charlie mirrored the Constructor’s worry.

“It is. Our Spark is the thing that gives us life and makes us who we are.” He paused to look around. “I don’t know how to go back.”

Charlie immediately jumped to her feet and put her hands on his shoulders. “Bee! You… you have to find a way to go back! Your soul… Your soul is here and if you can’t get back your body you’ll be gone forever!” Tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

Charlie doesn’t cry for just anyone… She only cries for the people she really cares about…

“Don’t worry!” He wiped the tears from her cheeks with gentle thumbs.

“What did you do to C-377?!”

“I’m not going to leave you.” He took her hands from his shoulders and wrapped her in a warm embrace.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“No matter what…” He nuzzled her head to his chest.

“Who else could have done this?!”

“I’ll always be with you.” A barely audible whisper.

“I think… he did this himself.”

“Because I…”

The arguing voice over the radio faded to static all at once. A blinding flash ripped through the space and then, nothing. It took a long time for Charlie to resister the cold feeling of metal on her limbs. But once she did, her whole body went into hyper-drive. Her eyes snapped open and were greeted with the Autobots weapons drawn and pointed at her in the distance. In foreground was the blunt end of some very sharp looking spikes floating in the air. She spun around and saw the very haggard looking Constructor looking back at her with barely glowing eyes.

“Wow! What happened to you? Oh yeah a fight! If we go back to my garage I could fix you!” It was all one word spoken at an almost incomprehensible speed.

“Miss Charlie.”

“We could give you an awesome paint job too! OH! What kind of vehicle do you turn into?! I bet it’s some snazzy sports car!”

“MISS CHARLIE!” C-377 grabbed her by the arms carefully. “I need to focus right now, hard as that may be.” Her voice was failing and the glow in her eyes flickered. “Everything Bumblebee ever was, is, or will be is inside of you right now.” The Constructors cold hands slid down Charlie’s arms making the human focus on herself for the first time. Her whole body was glowing blue.

“His Spark?”

“Yes. You are the only one who can bring him back now.” She gestured to Bumblebee’s lifeless body beside them.

“You big idiot.” Charlie whispered in exasperation as she crawled up next to his head. “When you said you weren’t going to leave me, did you really think I’d be happy with this?” She rested her hands on his faceplates and put her forehead to his. “If you’re not here, what’s the point?” Her whole body started to glow brighter. The glow travelled up her body and grew brightest where she touched Bumblebee. Once all the glow had faded, there was a long moment of uncertainty.

Radio static broke the silence and Bumblebee’s optics slowly lit up. A collective sigh of relief filled the air, none louder than the Constructor’s. She slumped over on her side and rolled short distance away as the spikes her nanobots created melted away to nothing. As the revelry around her reached a fever pitch she tried to summon up the strength to form her monolith again. The transparent wings on her back flickered dimly but could not generate any power.

“Overheated…” She muttered bitterly. She let out a tired sigh. “Bumblebee.” She called out to him but he couldn’t hear over the celebration. “Bumblebee.” A bit louder this time. “BUMBLEBEE!” She yelled as loud as she could finally garnering the attention of the others. The looks were not entirely kind but she endured it anyways.

“I cannot access my monolith at this time. You are the only one who can shut down the experiment on this planet.” She reached up weakly and offered him a small stick made out of nanobots. “This has all the instructions you need to order the nanobots to permanently fuse into Energon batteries. I suggest having them coalesce in a secure location. It will take quite some time for all of them to fuse.”

Bumblebee was quick to shake his head.

“You still don’t trust me. I cannot blame you on this.” She replied defeated.

He quickly shook his head. The radio spun through countless stations and static but nothing of use for what he wanted to say came up. Now it was his turn to sigh. Then his head quirked up and he looked a bit disturbed.

“Please speak your mind now.” C-377 said wearily.

“Hello?” Bumblebee spoke tentatively. Everyone looked shocked. “You… should be the one to finish it. See this through to the end. That is… one of the principles of the Autobots.”

“You have shown yourself an ally. I hope in time we can come to some kind of better understanding.” Optimus spoke clearly and definitively.

“With all due respect, Master Prime, I have no interest in siding with the Autobots or the Decepticons. I would like to try to remain neutral. However, it is clear the Decepticons and I do not share one important core value.”

“Every life is precious.” Charlie answered quietly.

“Yes. Hate me if you must, but I refuse to be a tool of destruction.” She clasped her fingers around the bar in her hand. “That’s why I have to shut down all the experiments.” She dropped the bar into Bumblebee’s hand. “And why I can’t join you right now. Please finish this for me so I can move on to the next planet.” She gave him a wry smile. “Besides, they won’t respond to me anyways.”

Bumblebee looked suddenly bashful, perhaps because he remembered why they would only respond to him. Still, he took the stick this time. With that out of the way, the Constructor shut down.

 “Couldn’t she at least pick a 40s streetrod or something? No. She picks a rusted out… Something…” Charlie groaned as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “But she cleans up great once you give her a nice buff and shine.”

Bumblebee beeped with approval from the driveway.

“Do you think she’ll ever wake up?”

The chorus to “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey started playing.

“Yeah… It’s only been a few days.” Charlie wandered over to Bumblebee and climbed in the driver seat. “How about you? How long are you going to be in town?”

The chorus to “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell started playing.

“Yeah. I figured you could only stick around until she left. Optimus filled me in on Constructors and how they got their bad reputation. Not siding with anyone made a lot of people think they were turning a blind eye to all the death and destruction. I bet some of them were just scared of getting used to do bad stuff.”

“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie started playing.

“Why… is there so much noise?” There was a loud thud and the pair looked into the garage. The Constructor was in bot form ducking to keep from hitting the ceiling seemingly for a second time.

“She’s a wake!” Charlie beamed hopping to her feet.

“It would seem I have been repaired as well. Do I have you to thank for this, Miss Charlie?”

“Looks like you picked up some country when you scanned that pickup. What with the Miss Charlie and all.” Charlie poked fun of the Constructor with a fake Southern accent.

“I suppose my speech patterns were slightly altered. I will correct them.”

“Nah, it gives you character! Like all those, uh, dents and stuff!” Charlie vaguely motioned to a large dent on the bot’s posterior.

“I see. I did just scan the first vehicle I came across.”

“How about something like this?” Charlie showed her a full spread of a street rod in a magazine.

“It does have a certain aesthetic appeal. However, it will have to wait for another time. I must leave now and complete my mission.” She looked to Bumblebee grimly. “Did you?”

“The battery thing?” Charlie looked between them quickly. “Yeah there are already so many of them!”

Bumblebee turned around and popped the trunk to reveal two batteries. The Constructor reached down and took one out. A faint smile came across her face.

“I’m glad to see my proof of concept was valid. But in making the nanobots so adaptable so they could gather energy harmlessly… I created something truly terrible. I cannot apologize enough for all the danger I put you both in.” She carefully put the battery back in his trunk.

“So how many more experiments do you have to shut down?” Charlie asked looking to the Constructor.

“Nine. But they can be shut down remotely assuming my back up bases weren’t found and destroyed by the Decepticons. Then it’s just a matter of collecting the batteries.” A desolate air settled over her. “Though, I have no idea what to do with them now that Cybertron has fallen.”

“Collect them for the day when we reclaim Cybertron. Or, for when we make a new home for our people.” The brightly painted and ostentatious Semi tractor said from the street.

“Master Prime.” The constructor looked startled for a moment but quickly regained composure. “I will look forward to that day.”

She took a few steps forward and turned back into a truck.

“Hey wait!” Charlie grabbed her tailgate to keep her from moving. “You need a codename! That way you can communicate and no one will know it’s you!”

“A codename? Like Bumblebee?”

“Yeah!”

“I wouldn’t know how to decide on such a thing. Please call me whatever you wish, Miss Charlie.”

“Then I’m calling you Seraphim!”

“When I return, you will have to explain to me it’s meaning and why you chose it for me.” With that she pulled away and followed Optimus down the road, a faint shimmer distorted the air as she went.

“Aren’t you going with them?” Charlie looked to Bumblebee expectantly.

“Push it” by Salt-n-Pepa started playing as Bumblebee slowly drove towards her. She backed up into the garage with a confused expression.

“Do you know what that song is about, Bee?” He didn’t answer as the garage door slid down. “Don’t you tease me, Bee.”

[kanonkitastuff]

What’s this? It still produces Transformers content, too???

Chapters: 1/5 Fandom: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Optimus Prime/Skywarp, Megatron/Starscream (Transformers), Elita One/Optimus Prime, Elita One/Various Femmes Characters: Optimus Prime, Skywarp (Transformers), Megatron (Transformers), Starscream (Transformers), Thundercracker (Transformers), Prowl (Transformers), Ironhide (Transformers), Elita One Additional Tags: Arranged Marriage, Political Marriage, Postwar AU, First Time, Seal Breaking, Mpreg, Mechpreg, Size Difference, Angst with a Happy Ending, I make no promises about the ratio of angst to ending, I will doubtless prove myself wrong, no beta we die like optimus prime Summary:

Politically, it's a great idea. In practice, Optimus would really rather not marry Skywarp.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Sexual Tyrannosaurus

A few months back, i reviewed one of my all-time favorite films; Alien. I absolutely adore Alien. Horror films don’t really work on me, at all, but Alien pulled that sh*t off effortlessly. That flick was the first movie to ever really scare me. The performances, the direction, the atmosphere, the aesthetic; It was all incredible. A few months later, i stumbled upon a film called Predator in my Grandpa’s Beta Max collection. I was curious and checked it out as he took a nap. My mind was blown. This movie was everything that Alien was not, and i loved ever second of it. How was that a thing? How can something be the opposite of what i adore, and i still adore it? I wanted to revisit that flick, like i did Alien, and see if my adoration for this movie has held up over these past few decades.

The Great

Out the box, i have to commend the dialogue in this flick, man. It’s outstanding. It’s full of those great, 80s action, one-liners that you can’t hep but love. “I ain’t got time to bleed” and “You are one, ugly, motherf*cker” are just classics. Absolute classics.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Alan "Dutch" Schaefer is the archetype for 80s action star. You can keep all of your Commandos and Cobras and Rambos. Give me Dutch Schaefer and we are good. This was my first experience with Schwarzenegger and made me an instant fan.

Jessie Ventura was f*cking hilarious as Blain Cooper. Dude was always great on the mic, you can tell just by looking at his time in wrestling, so this character fit him perfectly. All of that macho bravado and casually sexist rhetoric is hilarious. I imagine cats nowadays would fined that character problematic, most likely this entire movie come to think about it, but I'm too old to be offended by every little thing. This movie and this character is a product of it’s time an that needs to be taken into account when giving it a viewing.

I want to give a shout out to the late, great, Kevin Peter Hall. This gentle giant plays the actual Yautja, the Jungle Hunter, and he does it without uttering a word. Every move of this beast was so animalistic, so alien, that it strikes a deep chord with the audience. I bought that this massive, reptilian, monstrosity was from another wold and so much of that has to do with Hall’s brilliant physical performance.

The rest of the cast was pretty dope, too. Sonny Landham, Bill Duke, Elpidia Carrillo, Carl Weathers, and Shane black all turn in great supporting performances. I particularly like Weathers, landham, and Duke but i need to make specific mention of Peter Cullen. That’s right, Optimus Prime, himself, is the voice you hear, when the Predator does his shrieking. That sh*t is awesome!

While we’re on the subject of vocalizations, i have to tip my hat to the sound design in this flick. My, goodness, is it great! I mean, the Predator shrieks and hisses are ridiculous but the eerie ambiance of the jungle sets the mood perfectly. The little clicks, the overlapping rampage shootings, the epic score; All of it it adds as much to this film as Schwarzenegger or Hall. This movie would not be the same without the sound effects to help carry that emotion.

Speaking of effects, this movie has some of the best. I grew up on 80s films so practical sh*t will always hold a special place in my heart. Matte paintings, miniatures, in-camera optical effects, and suits will always take precedent over computer imagery for me and The Predator has two of the best examples of this tactile film making; The cloaked Yautja and the Yautja suit, itself. Stan Winston built this thing on the fly, after scrapping the original design. The f*cker is amazing in every aspect, and very uncanny valley, which lends itself to the extraterrestrial nature of the film.

The action in this thing is some of the best the 80s have to offer. It’s over-the-top, absolutely ridiculous, and delightfully tongue-in-cheek. I love how everything is just slathered in a thick, pungent, sticky, Masculinity as toxic as it is vibrant. It’s sweaty, filthy, muscly, goodness that is unapologetic about it’s violence. Predator is absolutely reptile brain viewing, for sure. That sh*t is rare nowadays but quite prevalent way back when. I miss this type of movie sometimes.

It takes a steady hand to manage all of these egos and effects and still coalesce al of that chaotic energy into one, digestible, film. The director of this flick had to have the patience of a saint to take on such a challenge but John McTiernan nailed that sh*t. Dude has a number of hits under his belt, Die Hard and The Hunt For Red October for example, but those came after Predator. It was never a question of talent but more ability. McTiernan delivers both in spades, gifting the art form, arguably one of it’s best examples in action, ever.

The Verdict

I still love this movie. It’s absolute, 80s testosterone, He-Man, nonsense. There is no subtlety to be found in this movie whatsoever. It’s full on, Rambo-esque chaos and it’s glorious to see. Where Alien is this tight, atmospheric, exercise in panic, Predator is this garish, wide-open, deceptively horrifying, action extravaganza. The script is tight, the pacing is brisk, and the direction is focused. There isn’t much of a story to tell, it’s basically the bones of a narrative used to string together ridiculous set-pieces, but it’s one of the best, brainless, explosion riddled, blockbusters out there. The dialogue is outstanding, the one-liners come fast and furious, which is testament to the writing but the real gem here are the performances given by the main cast. These Beefaroni ass f*ckers are great, Schwarzenegger in particular.

This role is what made me pay attention to him. This role is what lead me to Terminator and Conan and Total Recall and True Lies. Even with all of that awesome under his belt, it was his Dutch that made me a fan. Predator is not a great movie but it is a fun ass time with outstanding performances, saturated in this macabre camp that infects every aspect of this production. It’s Bayhem at it’s best, vapid action overlord, executed by a director who is competent in his craft, not lost in his ego. If you’ve never seen it, definitely check it out. It’s totally worth a watch. Keep in mind, though, if you’re triggered easily, this might set you off. It’s completely 80s in tone and sensibilities. If you can’t separate that, definitely give this one a pass.