#minibots specifically

[doux-mirages]

Tracks doesn’t approve of Mirage’s taste in mechs

I drew the original 2 years ago but I went to a medieval town for the week last year and I accidently deleted almost all of my older art.

I have a lot of stuff for cliff and mirage that I will inevitably post :] 

#transformers #transformers animated #tfa #transformers tracks #transformers mirage #tfa tracks #tfa mirage #tf mirage #tf tracks #maccadams #maccadam #cliffraj #tfa cliffjumper #tracks doesn't like short people #minibots specifically #gossiping race cars #miragejumper

[in1-nutshell]

Hi!

How would TFA team and elite guard react to buddy children?

(Like for example: Buddy adopted some children)

Ooohhh! This is going to be fun! Since you did not specify which characters specifically, I will be picking them at random.

Hope you enjoy!

Optimus, Ratchet, Jazz, and the Jettwins reaction to single parent Human Buddy

SFW, platonic, familial, Human reader

TFA

Buddy was Sari's babysitter.

Well, her human babysitter. Professors Sumdac thought it was important to at least have another person in Sari's life that wasn't him or a robot.

And they were a great babysitter. They had the job roughly 3 years before the Autobots came to Detroit.

That was roughly the time they had recently adopted a set of baby triplets. They had opened their door one night and a classic wicker basket filled with the babies. The note on the basket simply said to take care of them. Buddy's original plan was to take them to Fanzone in the morning.

But Buddy had gotten attached to them.

Buddy explained their new situation to the Professor which was met with understanding and a pay raise with additional medical insurance.

Buddy's friends had noticed their sudden absences and tired look on their face. Everyone was getting worried. So, an intervention was called.

"Why is everyone here?"--Buddy

"It's an intervention kid."--Ratchet

"For who?"--Buddy

"For you! You've been so sleepy and tired recently."--Bumblebee

"Not to mention you missed our game tournament."--Sari

"The gaming--Oooh! I forgot to tell you guys!"--Buddy

"Forgot to tell us what?"--Optimus

"I'll show you guys tomorrow! Make sure to bring the Elie Guard if you guys want!"--Buddy

The next day Buddy came into the base with a baby carrier and two in the stroller.

To say everyone was surprised was an understatement.

Optimus

Vietnam flashbacks to the first episode.

Optimus is surprised to find out that Buddy was taking care of new born children. Even more finding out they are triplets.

Twins are something that rarely happens on Cybertron. Even fewer after the war was over. Triplets were in a sense unheard of.

He is nervous to even touch the little ones. They looked so fragile and tiny! They were even smaller than Sari!

The babies on the other hand were enamored by the firetruck.

By the end of 15 minutes, Optimus had his servos with the triplets who were crawling around and hugging his digits.

He swears to protect these kids with his life.

"Gah!"--Baby 1

"Aw they like you Prime! Isn't that cute, wait are you crying?"--Buddy

Optimus sniffling and trying not to let the tears spill.

"...no-no... I'm fine..."--Optimus

Ratchet

At first Ratchet thinks the smaller humans are the equivalent of human minibots.

Then he finds out they are babies, he stops for a good couple of seconds.

Rebooting: Grampa mode activated.

As said before, it's rare to have twins on Cybertron. He had never seen triplets in all of his technical career.

He suddenly understands why Buddy has been acting the way they had for the past months. They were taking care of the kids.

Ratchet makes sure to brush up on his knowledge of babies to help Buddy out a bit. While Buddy takes a break or a much needed nap, he makes sure the kids are well taken care of.

"Aww. The Doc bot's gone soft!"--Bumblebee

"Hear that kiddo. That's the sound of a bot who's going to get strapped to the medical slab in 5 minutes if he doesn't quit."--Ratchet

"Bah!"--Baby 2

Jazz

Jazz is floored by the amount of cuteness these babies are.

He totally gets why Buddy would be tired from these kids.

It's bad enough trying to keep track of the Jettwins and they are at least old enough to be here. Those babies still have a long way to go before even walking!

Jazz handles the babies with the utmost care. Makes sure that the babies are having fun while being safe.

The babies themselves are enamored by Jazz's voice. He is the to go bot for nap time. The babies fall asleep in record time.

"So these little guys are all related?"--Jazz

"Yeah they are."--Buddy

"I wish you luck then. If the Jettwins were hard enough now..."--Jazz

"...I know Jazz, I know..."--Buddy

Jetfire and Jetstorm

The twins are freaking out!

In a good way!

They've never seen another set of twins back on Cybertron, much less human twins.

Now they know that they know that there can be triplets!...

Jazz has to calm them down before they can hold the babies. And they have to promise Buddy that they will not use their powers around the babies.

The twins once they have the babies are uncharacteristically quiet and still. They take in the tiniest details of the babies and how each one differs from the other.

They promise each other to look after them, even when they get older. Siblings have to stay together. The triplets are now the twins siblings now. Buddy has two more robo kids to take care of.

"Buddy! It's my turn to get 1 but Jetfire isn't letting them go!"--Jetstorm

"Jetfire, listen to your brother and pass your siblings to him, gently."--Buddy

"Please! Just a little longer!"--Jetfire

"You either pass your siblings or they come with me and you have to go back to Sentinel."--Buddy

"Here brother!"--Jetfire

Somewhere on the Steelhaven.

"...Someone just insulted me..."--Sentinel

#transformers #transformers x reader #maccadam #transformers animated #tfa optimus prime #tfa ratchet #tfa jettwins #tfa jazz #tfa x platonic reader #human buddy

[wifetomegatron]

Imagine Cybertronians trying to understand the concept of motherhood when they are, as a species, sterile. I would assume Cybertron, was born with an individualist culture, even before the war. Spark brothers exist, but that doesn’t carry the same gravity as being a mother. Conjunxes, friends, companions; they make the Cybertronian vernacular less lonely, less cold. But they ring empty next to the word mother — giver, carrier. How painfully gentle must the word be, the role even more so.

One of the human liaisons is a single mother, and she had no choice but to bring her child with her, well aware that the ship was no place for her son. And yet, circumstances were difficult: no one was surprised at the lack of equal treatment for working mothers — and so she never lets the child out of sight. And this had sparked a few curious questions from the crew. 

Tailgate, specifically, found the idea weird. Why does the little human struggle with feeding themselves? Or why can't they accomplish basic, ordinary tasks? The minibot knew he could be dependent, but this was just overboard. She had to explain to him that humans were different.

If Cybertronians were forged and welded, humans were moulded. They need to be shaped as they mature.

Humans don't come with a series of pre-programmed instructions. Those are nurtured into us. And no, Tailgate, they are not transferred through the umbilical cord.  

(Pregnancy was another complicated — if not terrifying — phenomenon for Tailgate.)

He's old enough to feed himself. I just don't want him to be alone, the mother smiled, bouncing the giggling toddler in her arms. That's why he has his mommy.

After that, Tailgate found the concept rather convenient, if not unfair: why is it that the small human gets to have someone to care for them, hold them, and love them all day long, and Cybetronians don't? The liaison had laughed, noting that the bot still had a long way to go to understand if he continued to dumb down the idea of ‘motherhood’ as simply being someone’s daily caretaker. 

Until an incident rocked the ship, and the Lost Light had a close encounter with the DJD. Only then did they see it : the teeth and claws and fear behind her usual, gentle eyes — how the liaison had carelessly thrown herself in front of Tarn, defiant and loud, mustering more courage than her trembling body could hold to put herself between his blaster and her child. The DJD leader’s optics had widened with something akin to shock, melting to interest as he faltered, just for a few seconds, at the blasphemous show of courage. That was the distraction Ultra Magnus needed to land the blow to save them. And once the crew was back in hyperspace, lightyears away and safe and quiet — she wept in relief. 

She tried to soothe her cub, choking on her tears to pretend she wasn't afraid. And it did not matter to the child whether her strength was tangible or not. He was in his mother’s arms. And to him, it was enough. Always, it was enough. 

Magdalene and the sword of grief; Loss decorated the long history of this million-year war between Autobots and Decepticons. And yet they never ring heavy with the cry of a mother who had lost a child. It had been a close call. Too close. Rodimus immediately ordered tighter security, and there was a shift in the air as everyone returned to their stations.

Mommy’s here. The mother crooned, stroking the hair of her child as the baby sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. And something sad and heavy tugged itself against the strings of Tailgate’s spark.

He finally understands. 

inspired by this post <3

#i want to write more but this has just been gnawing at the back of my head #lost light #mtmte #transformers idw #tf imagines #tf mtmte #tf idw #tailgate #idw

[holographic-mars]

any specific wishes for earthspark cosmos? as in how do you hope he will be

YES ABSOLUTELY I DO

1) he’s gotta be a silly goofy guy ever

2) PLEASE BE FAT PLEASE I MISS ROUND COSMOS SO BAD PLEASE EARTHSPARK MAKE COSMOS ROUND AND FAT PLEASE

3) I want him to sing it would be really silly

4) Soundwave interaction idc if cosmos just gets thrown against the wall by soundwave that’s enough for me

In all seriousness I am very confident he’s gonna turn out really well, I’m very excited to see how Weird Al portrays cosmos because that’s such a goofy casting decision and perfect for my lame minibot cosmo. The only thing I’m super worried about is design, I just want him to look lovely and silly and small. G1 Cosmos is my favorite design and I really want people to go back to making him round. I like the ‘getting his alt mode from a b-movie set’ idea so I hope they do that too.

THANK TOU FOR THE ASK!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️🛸🛸🛸I REALLY APPRECIATE ITT!!!!!!!!

#already thinking about earthspark cosmos and how I will make coswave real #weird al voicing cosmos is perfect bc they’re both weird little guys who just say stuff for fun #I’m so excited #I am NOT going to be normal when he shows up #mars blurbs #cosmos #transformers cosmos

[mychlapci]

time for a few of my favourite sfw cybertronian headcanons!!!!

a big one that is so special to me is cybertronians using their altmodes/altmode features to communicate. i really like smaller cars like bumblebee and cliffjumper beeping when they get startled or when they get excited

bumblebee running around and beeping happily lives in my mind rent free

bigger trucks like magnus and optimus would probably make chuffing noises with their engines as either threat displays or when content. i can so easily imagine optimus as a young soldier honking loudly whenever he's excited. big ole HONK! of sheer joy whenever he gets praised or does something fun

soundwave, blaster, rewind, and other such cybertronians who can record audio or video stim by replaying specific clips. and flight frames like pharma, cyclonus, and the seekers clank their wings together in favour of clapping with their servos. speedsters rev their engines or spin their tires just to burn off extra energy

i also think that communal group bonding is done via altmodes. stuff like sleepovers where it's just a bunch of cars cuddled up to each other, or a group of smaller minibots sprawled out across a convoy like magnus. flight frames probably bond by flying together and speedsters consider challenging others to a race to be a form of getting closer to one another

i imagine that asking someone else to clean your altmode would be a big sign of trust. most altmodes aren't really tailored to quick movements, especially while stationary so perhaps asking someone to help you bathe yourself would be a big deal, especially during the war where resources were scarce and bots were more likely to stab each other in the back over smaller things.

hmm maybe it's even a rite that comes with conjunx ceremonies, both amica and endura. mechs will spend the evenings with their endura to be in the bath, slowly scrubbing down every inch of their partners just to prove they can keep them safe and healthy

grooming might also be another bonding thing. not full out bathing but general stuff, like polishing and getting junk out of the joints. i imagine bigger bots like magnus or overlord might need extra help getting fully buffed and polished because of all their kibble. hmm au where overlord isn't such of a dick and he ends up joining the lost light and the first thing he does to prove that he doesn't wanna cause trouble is ask for help getting all the grit out of his joints.

i'm imagining a little lineup of bots all helping each other polish and wax their plating. maybe even helping with removing plating to get a good scrub at the old protoform. ohhh maybe some bots are small enough to reach deep into vents so that their bigger friend don't need to go to the medic to get themselves fully decontaminated.

i do think that the war complicates things somewhat. luxuries like oil baths and fully solvent showers are rare treats and so many bots are on edge all the time that really asking for help can be hard

hmm i like the idea that the decepticons are actually better at asking for assistance for the autobots. many of them were working class individuals who had to more rely on their communities for assistance when things went wrong

megatron and starscream taking breaks from killing each other to help buff out the scuffs and dents in their plating together. just because starscream knows how annoying it is to reach the hard spots on the back and megatron understands that sometimes starscream doesn't want to burden his trine with cleaning his wings

they go back to killing each other the next day but it's the thought that counts

soundwave and his cassettes helping each other get clean and maybe even dragging shockwave out of his lap to help him with self care. i can so easily imagine frenzy and rumble making a game out of scrubbing shockwave down as fast as possible

the combiner teams always look the best because they know personally that they can fully trust each other

i have too many thoughts about cybertronian cleaning culture for this ask so i'm going to cap it off here

yessssss to all of this. alt-mode communication is so important to me. little honks and beeps, letting sirens go off when you want attention. I bet you Prowl’s police siren has gone off when he was frustrated so many times and he hates it. This isn’t really alt-mode but I always imagine that when Optimus is frustrated his smokestacks start to fume, which is kind of hard to hide… 

I also really like to imagine speedsters, or most grounders really, would bond by going on drives together. And if you have a speedster with a slower grounder, they’d purposefully go slow so that their friend can catch up <33

CLEANING!! GROOMING!!! I LOVE cybertronian grooming practices. deep in my heart i know cleaning is a big thing in cybertronian culture. If you have a species that have seams that are hard to reach, it makes sense cleaning is a communal thing. Of course a cybertronian can wash themself, even properly and thoroughly if they take their time, but it’s much easier to have someone helping you… Maybe it’s a communal communal thing, where multiple cybertronians would regularly wash together, with all kinds of frame-sizes abound to make sure all the little hands get in the smallest crooks and the big hands can clean off the smaller bots in one quick swipe. Combiner teams are usually the ones who keep this tradition well into the war because they’re mostly a hive-mind so they know they won’t really hurt one another. 

now i’m thinking about lost light communal washes. in a normal way.

#normal i’m normal #tf hc’s #i’m making a tag whatever #i could technically main tag this.... #texty

[moonlight-tmd]

*during boot camp*

Longarm: “Bumblebee, would you play a game of 21 questions with me?”

Bumblebee: “Oh, sure! Umm, what’s your favorite color?-“

Longarm: “Triangle. Now what is your opinion on mixed faction relationships?” Pulls out a stylus and datapad. “Specifically the romantic kind. Don’t spare any details.“

Bee: proceeds to list off all the aspects of it being dangerous, treasonous and a taboo subject "-but yeah, I think it would be exciting!"

XD i like this. Shockwave being internally torn in half because he loves Bee but he also loves his job.

Maybe if Bee hadn't met Bulkhead then Longarm would pull him into Decepticons and they'd be together. Another long-term solution is, my favorite, Shockwave becoming Longarm full-time and abandoning his old life to be with Bee.

He's kinda weird as Longarm- it's similar how Blitzwing switches personalities; Longarm is calm, focused and organized while doing datawork and messing with the files but the moment he is with Bee and maybe Bulkhead- the saying "Primes don't party" is invalid. He'll have a dance party/karaoke with Bee and will defo join him in shenanigans and pranks.

When he's Shockwave, he's almost always serious and collected. There is not much entertainment around Decepticons and Megatron- excluding Blitzwing, he tolerates Blitz enough to hang out with him sometimes.

Then one yellow minibot shows up at boot camp and whoops- your Spark says different than your Processor.

#maccadam #tfa #ask box #tfa shockwave #shockbee

[archie-sunshine]

What are all the races in your knightformers au? I cant quite ID some like bumblebee but others like starscream im p confident are? Elves? You also mentioned in the jetfire post about transformation into a flying machine so are they all able to do that :0

NO they cant turn into machines or stuff- someone asked a bit ago if the seekers turned into dragons or something and i decided i wanted them to be wyvern riders, so in relation to that, skyfire can fly because he has a flying machine rather than a wyvern, basically instead of having alt modes they have steeds, though the steeds arent really that important in this au-

AS FOR RACES!! I thought it would be funny if there were no humans, which is to say, they're all still 'aliens' kind of. I'll be getting into more specifics later if people are curious, but so far, these are the races, basically just decides what i draw the folks as depending on how big they are in comparison to other folks.

some examples of each are:

mountain folk: big warframey types, like Optimus or megatron

elves: high elves are more slender types like seekers and speedsters, like starscream, drift or rodimus. and wood elves are more like common frames like ratchet, first aid, or ambulon.

Halflings: kinda. obvious. minibots are halflings, casseticons are halflings, etc etc.

Bumblebee is also a halfling! their fur on their tails, specifically the long part, tends to match up with their hair texture, and my bumblebee, though he has a pretty closely shaved head, has 3c or 4c hair.

#archie answers #transformers #my art #my requests

[fictional-love-is-my-life]

First time asking for a oneshot so I apologize if it sucks, but could you write something about soundwave or blaster adopting a cassette? Thank you!

The version of Soundwave is not specified. So, this was quite open-ended and I went in a certain direction with it. But honestly, I really enjoyed writing this, and now all I can think about is Soundwave and his new little friend.

Warnings: War scorn area, not specifically mentioned but hinted that it is during the war, abandonment, panic, explosion.

~~

Soundwave was scavenging through the abandoned Autobot territory. All the Autobots were long gone, the area damaged and destroyed from a recent attack.

He didn't have to come himself, he had his cassettes ready and willing to search the rubble for valuable information. But he had been tucked away for a while, he wanted some time outside in the real world.

Ravage's growls caught his attention. Before he could assess what it was, Ravage had pounced and began chasing something. Soundwave followed at his normal pace, he trusted Ravage and knew he was capable of keeping himself safe.

Soundwave found Ravage snarling at a corner. He peeked around his companion and spotted a minibot, cowering in fear, trying their hardest to disappear into the corner. Ravage had them pinned with no escape.

It was an Autobot minibot, they had a small insignia branded on their chest. Soundwave thought it was such a pity that they had been left behind, most likely forgotten because of their size. They would not have been valuable in the fight, so they likely hid which is probably how they survived the attack.

Soundwave stepped behind Ravage, coming into view of the tiny bot. They spotted Soundwave, their optics widening. In a panic, they transformed, a protective measure Soundwave assumed. They transformed into a cassette, their body clinking as they hit the floor in their tape form.

Ravage was about to step forward and attack the defenlesss tape. But Soundwave stopped him, making Ravage sit at his command. Ravage looked up at Soundwave confused. It was their job to take out any remaining Autobots, so he didn't understand why Soundwave stopped him.

Soundwave looked down at the tiny cassette tape. For the first time ever, he felt sorry for an Autobot. They were left all alone, scared, defenseless, unable to do anything but lose. What a shame. And what a shame that such valuable information was almost lost forever. Soundwave wondered what important things this tiny bot could know.

Soundwave knelt on one knee and extended his servo. He then waited. After a few minutes, the minibot transformed back to their bot form. They looked at Soundwave, untrusting, scared, yet unsure of what to do.

Soundwave did not move, just waited with his servo out. The minibot stared at the servo. They had a quick look around, but both Soundwave and Ravage were blocking any chance at an escape. They had nowhere to go.

Slowly, the minibot started to step forward. They gently placed their tiny servo into Soundwaves. Just then a large explosion sounded behind them. Panicked the minibot leapt into Soundwaves servo and transformed.

Soundwave stood and placed the Autobot cassette into his chest to keep them safe.

He was looking for a computer that may have been able to give him information, but an alive Autobot was even better.

Soundwave sauntered out of the enemy territory, heading back to base. Ravage complained about taking the cassette, but Soundwave told Ravage to trust him.

Back at the Decepticon home base, Soundwave removed the Autobot cassette. He placed them onto his berth and grabbed some Energon from his personal supply. When he returned the cassette had still not transformed.

He waited, patiently, and eventually, the bot transformed. Soundwave handed them the Energon and watched them drink the entire thing hungrily. The poor thing must have been without Energon for a while.

Soundwave released his other cassettes. Frenzy and Rumble were quick to start roughhousing with the new bot, wanting to declare dominance. But Soundwave stopped them, ordering them to behave around their new friend.

He watched the Autobot closely, watching their expression when he called them friends. For the next few days, he stayed close to the cassette, taking them with him wherever he went. Even choosing them over his others. He made sure to give them plenty of Energon, and lots of his undivided attention.

One night, weeks later, he woke to the sound of scratching. He opened his optics and spotted the minibot in a corner. Soundwave walked over to them, their tiny frame turning when they heard his footsteps. He looked at their chest, seeing they had scratched off their Autobot insignia. Or at least tried to. Soundwave picked the bot up, and helped them to clean up their chest, ready for a new insignia.

The next day, his new cassette was wearing the purple badge, and proudly showing it off to Frenzy and Rumble. Lazerbeak squawked happily to have a new companion. Ravage knew what Soundwave wanted, but he wouldn't spoil the new bot's fun.

Soundwave waited a few more days. Then began asking questions, small things at first, questions that could have been common knowledge. The more time went on, the more detailed and in-depth the questions got. And Soundwave was happy to see his new cassette was more than willing to talk.

Soundwave was very happy to have such easy access to the information, and so happy he got the bot to give it up so willingly. But as he looked at the little purple insignia on his new cassette, he also felt happy to have a new companion, a new bot he could count on.

Ravage could think all they wanted. But Soundwave was starting to grow soft for the tiny thing. Not only were they useful, but they were quickly becoming a close friend that Soundwave wanted to protect and keep safe.

#ask #transformers #Soundwave #tf soundwave #ravage

[i-starcreamed]

Ayye another transformers blog!! Hello! :D

Could you write a oneshot about Swerve meeting the human liaison? Like they both have similar personality traits and Swerve just freaks out with excitement? Nonbinary reader please so they/them pronouns

HEYY so excited for my first request, hello fellow tf blog :D

jhsdbjc i am so normal about Swerve btw, i love him

Swerve x Human Liaison!reader

You were beyond excited to be on a giant ship full of Cybertronians, when Rodimus first briefly introduced you to the crew you couldn't help the wide grin on your face as you looked around. Here you were, the first and only human liaison on the Lost Light. A human! And you get to work on a starship! All that studying and overworking yourself back at your organization had been worth it, you think, since it gave you the chance to really see these beings up close. By up close, you meant having to crane your neck up if you weren't on someone's servo.

You were currently on Chromedome's servo as you traveled through the ship's long and extending halls, Rewind was close beside their partner. You were busy answering what seemed like hundreds of questions from Rewind, him claiming it was a "historical and monumental" event that just had to be recorded. You happily answered though, a smile on your face as you went on about your home planet. Suddenly as you all turned the corner, the sound of laughter and talking filled your ears. It wasn't hard to spot the commotion, not at all. Loud voices came from a specific part of the ship. The noises sounded rather... excited? Or rather, one specific voice overpowered all the rest. This piques your curiosity as you gesture that way.

"Wait wait Chromedome, what's over there?!"

"Hm? Oh, this would be Swerve's. And er, that's Swerve over there, the barkeep." Chromedome entered the bustling room, immediately you realized oh, this is a bar. A cybertronian bar. Your wide eyes scan all the different glowing, bubbling beverages with amazement. They looked extremely toxic to your system but tempting, you were ready to ask all about that.

Rewind chuckled. "He's the chatterbox of the Lost Light. Can't get him to shut up- well, you can do it, I have, but he won't stay shut up. I think you'll like him actually."

Swerve was in the bar, doing the only thing he knows how to do: talking and serving drinks. To a group of a few bots in particular. As you neared the front counter, you could finally make out the words they spoke.

"Do you understand how terrifying the concept of infinity is? I mean, it's, like, INFINITE, but then again, what ISN'T infinite, you know? What I'm trying to say is that-" The red minibot suddenly paused as he saw Chromedome and Rewind out of the side of his optics, with a wide grin on his face he opened his mouth to greet them. Then he saw something move on Chromedome's servo, Swerve did a full body double take as he saw you holding onto Chromedome. He's heard all the news about you, sure, but seeing you in person?! That was entirely different. "Wait wait wait wait wait, wait! You're real?! Like- really real- like you're- a human?" He gasped, suddenly running over to the three of you. His exciting nature seemed to only increase yours. You suddenly lurched forward, hanging onto the edge of Chromedome's servo in order to see the mini-bot more clearly. (which almost gave Chromedome a spark-attack)

"Yep yep yep, I'm real and human! I can't believe you're real though, oh my gosh. You have no idea how unbelievable it feels to be working with you guys. It's been less than a day- wait, I think? How do you keep track of time out here?" You hummed, then shook your head, dismissing the thought. Swerve on the other hand was absolutely exhilarated.

"OHMYGODOHMYGOD. You're actually speaking! I've heard all about you! This is incredible. This is wonderful. What an honor, oh- Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you drink alcohol? Wait, don't answer, it's a dumb question, of course you drink alcohol. Wait, should I not say that? Probably right, not every human drinks. Wait, what if- wait, just, hey! What's your name?"

Chromedome attempted to escape the both of you by setting you down on the ground, in a split second you let out a yelp when you were swiped up by a red servo and placed on the counter. To your luck, you were now about the height of the mini-bot. You weren't at all startled by his babbling.

"The name's (Y/N), and I've gotta say, this place is in-cre-di-ble! I had no idea cybertronians even drank alcohol. Which means you can get drunk too...is this stuff toxic to humans by any chance?" You tapped one of the square glasses to your right, the glass itself was a bit shorter than you were with a red, luminescent liquid inside. Swerve hummed, under the visor, his optics glanced from the high-grade energon to you and back. "Well, for now it is. But, don't think it'll stay that way for long. I've done my fair share of research on what humans can and can't consume..you know, just in case." Suddenly his visor seemed to light up, he just remembered something.

"OHH OH OH, okay so, I was reading an article about humans...is it true that you shed? Is that why you're so soft?" The bot asked with an excited grin, leaning down towards you. You let out a loud laugh and leaned against the glass. A nearby bot gasped in the background, the glass in their hand was almost dropped on the floor.

"They can do that?!"

"Not now, Trailcutter I need to hear their response!"

Just wait till you tell them about...uh, everything

#transformers #transformers x reader #tf x reader #mtmte #mtmte x reader #lost light x reader #swerve #swerve x reader #transformer x reader

[loveofbots]

Can you write about Rodimus, Swerve, and Whirl sneaking on their human s/o computer because they’re curious. and they accidentally install a bunch of viruses and other stuff?

I’m in a silly mood so I shall!!

Whirl:

- Where is his human >:((

- Charges into your hab suite as if he is coming to kill you, but in reality that’s just how he says hello

- Human isn’t here?? Puter!!!!

- Ok fr whirl is the WORST person to ever have open access to your personal stuff. He doesn’t even try to hide the fact he was on your computer. That bird is opening every file, clicking on pop ups to try and go down a rabbit hole. 

- He wants to see if you’re secretly as fucked up as he is, if you are, congrats! Whirl feels terrible that you went through a similar experience to him.

You return, head pounding from the droning of Ultra Magnus and his list of highly specific rules that you promise to yourself you will never memorize. Honestly you just wanted a warm drink, your cozy pajamas, and your big bird to cuddle with. Hopefully he wasn’t feeling too chaotic today. Upon opening your bedroom door you found that wasn’t going to be the case. There was whirl, hunched over your tiny laptop that was blue screened, one golden optic staring back at you. 

“Hey, ‘puter broke.”

“Goddamnit Whirl.” 

Swerve: 

- Actually the only person on this list allowed to use your laptop, specifically for watching human shows/YouTube. 

- One day however, after watching one too many hacker shows and a couple computer tech tutorials, curiosity gets the better of swerve and he opens up the files on your laptop. 

- He types in a few commands, hoping to discover the hidden secrets of the human internet. Totally not looking for anything dirty you may have saved. All goes well at first, he does end up finding some dirt on you. Good luck keeping that a secret now btw. 

- Until he goes into your settings and completely messes up your computer. He’s freaking out, what did he just do!? Swerve is frantically trying to fix everything and just making it worse. The poor minibot starts panicking when he imagines your angry face seeing how he messed up your computer. 

Seeing Swerve crying in front of your laptop was... surprisingly not uncommon. Usually the answer was a very sad earth movie, or perhaps even ultra cute earth animals. So when you went to comfort your mech you were taken aback when he tried to push you away. 

“Swerve, what’s wrong?” 

“I-I-I messed up! I really, really messed up! I’m so sorry Y/N.” The bot burst into tears when you saw the state of your computer and gasped. Babbling about how it was his fault and an accident and he would do anything to make it up to you. Your sweet kiss shuts him up effectively. “You’re not... Mad?”

“No, we can work this out together.” Your computer was fine. 

Rodimus: 

- Him? With unrestricted internet access? That’s the set up to a bad joke. 

- Roddy got bored and like the devious totally innocent captain he is, decided to look at what you’ve been up to online. Please please imagine him laying on his stomach with his feet kicking in the air on this tiny ass laptop this is so funny to me.

- Definitely checks ALL your socials. Dating all the way back to when you were still on earth. His spark warms a bit seeing you so happy on a planet he’s been to before. Maybe makes a few embarrassing posts as you on your social media. 

- Checks your search history to see if there’s anything raunchy. Rodimus ends up on some really sketchy websites. And yeah, he does try to download a car.

- Freaks out when suddenly a thousand pop ups start clouding the screen of your laptop. OH- Oh he’s in big trouble now. 

“What are you doing?”

The prime lets out an indignant shriek as he slams your laptop shut. Your accusing tone mocking his very existence. Wide blue optics meet your eyes, and he tries to give you a smile. A very, guilty looking smile.

“NOTHING! Nothing, I mean. Just being your captain and making sure you aren’t hiding some super secret earth information or anything.” Primus, that sounded bad even by his standards. Your crossed expression was what broke him however, and with a pout handed you back your laptop. 

Needless to say he was definitely grounded from the internet the next month or so, child locks and all. 

#transformers #mtmte #tf #maccadam #idw #lost light #sfw #g1 #rodimus #whirl #x reader #swerve #my babies!! #asks #swerve my bbg istg

[altraviolet]

I saw someone ask about the joint door, decided to share my notes on chapter 21 about said door— I find it sort of as a tool (? Not sure if that’s the right word for it) to show Rodimus’ growth specifically but that’s just my interpretation, I could be mistaken ofc:

This was the door to Drift's room.

No, this was the door to Soundwave's room. The one they shared. The one Rodimus had sealed up over and over. He lowered his hand. Wrong door.

I love that as his feelings for SW grow his hesitancy to open the down vanishes. Here he’s still a little hung up on Drift because he has never been able to vent about the gray years yet, later when Soundwave is ignoring him after the Stardrive incident he sneaks in the room— Update: In chapter 46 he just bursts in there and it is implied he comes through there all the time to be with Soundwave. I have the suspicion he barely leaves SWs room at this point.

Would love to hear more about your thought process including the door<3

First, the fact that you took notes and put down your thoughts concerning this detail makes my heart really happy, thank you for sharing 😭❤️

Second, you're spot on! The 'relationship' between Rodimus and the door changes as we move through the fic, and what you've stated above is correct. I'll admit, while writing, it wasn't cemented firmly in my brain in actual words. I just knew that the door would be ready when Rodimus was, and he'd use it.

Though! It might interest you to know that in my mind, for most of the fic, it was about Rodimus getting over his unhappiness with Drift. So, while you phrased it as, "Rodimus becomes more comfortable with Soundwave, so the door opens more," which to be clear IS TRUE, in my mind it started as "Rodimus becomes less uncomfortable that the room used to be Drift's, so the door opens more." There's a definite distinction there, but the two things happen to go hand-in-hand. One can't happen without the other.

I honestly can't remember labeling the door as a symbol in my brain early on while writing (some things are definitely Symbols and other things just Become Symbolic When I Look Back At Them), but if I had sat down and thought about it, or been directly asked, I would've realized that it is xD It's a literal door opening onto a new part of Rodimus's life, where he has let Drift go and welcomed SW in. By degrees, of course. There are a lot of messy feelings still, regarding Drift. And it's not always easy to let people in... we'll see more next chapter about that ;)

I'm trying to think if there was anything else about the door... oh yeah, he definitely used it when Drift lived next to him. For nighttime visits xD That's why he was so bitter about it later and had it sealed up. Those things aren't directly stated in the fic, but I'm hoping they don't have to be. It's all implied and follows the internal logic, so I hope folks picked that up.

And oh yes! One other thing. Folks may remember we got a description of Rodimus's room early on. I'mma copy paste that here as a reference for the next thing I wanted to share. Oh oh but while we're here:

The walls didn't answer. They did erupt into shifting holograms, photos and looping videos. Some were of Rodimus posing for the camera, action shots of him in battle or meteor surfing. Over the years, most of the solo images had been replaced by grinning selfies with friends, arms around shoulders, hoisting up a minibot or two.

The above, actually, isn't door related. I just wanted to say that the bolded sentence was meant to show that Rodimus had matured a little since LL #25. The tolls of their journey had forced him to recognize others above himself, and we see that reflected in the decor he chooses to display in his private space. OKAY back to the door:

Across the room was a collage of special images. Rodimus with the original crew of the Lost Light. Individual pics of him with 0001 Mirage and 0001 Trailbreaker and 0001 Skids. A pic of 0001 Ambulon with the rest of the medic crew. Tripodecta, Shock, and Ore sitting down for a drink together. Rodimus didn't have a picture with 0001 Atomizer. He did have a security footage loop of him and Whirl sneaking down a hallway. As always, Rodimus's gaze shifted from the photographs to the section of wall they adorned. It had once been a door. A door between his and Drift's room.

The door, very very specifically, is where he displays pictures of the mechs who died during the LL's canon adventure. These are the mechs he's always looking for. The ones he's already found, of course, are Trailbreaker, Ambulon, and Mirage.

So the door symbolizes not just his past with Drift, but his failures (in his mind) as a captain to keep those original crew members alive. That detail was deliberately chosen to link all those things together. No one's ever asked about it or mentioned it, as far as I can recall, but now you know :)

Woo, that's a lot of pressure for one little door!

So swinging back to your ask, in Ch 21 Rodimus was so excited to talk to Soundwave, he momentarily forgot how much he hated that door, and went right for it. And yes, when SW was avoiding him, he sneaked in that way (since there's a camera in the hall). And yup, he does spend quite a few nights at SW's now ;D

Hmmmmmmm... ok, I think that's it for the door! If you have any other questions just let me know. Thank you again for the interest in my writing!!

#nikkimna #echo garden related #ask #secret door #secret door lore #long post

[ao3wasntenough]

Anon again, I love all your versions of cybertronian sam and the little scenario snippets. Fr glad I found your page. :00 especially like the mini bot Sam with prowl and Sam being a jet ngl the chaos is perfecto. Pfft thanks for answering my previous chatter.

Do you have any cybertronian Sam fics or ones you recommend?

Mini bot Sam is one I’m excited to explore and create Sams dynamic with other bots! And what other Cybertrionians would think or react like to not only a mini bot /minicon but a human turned minibot, the mini bot lore has as many options and origins as big bots but even with whatever notion I go with it would rely a lot on The bigger bots knowledge and emotions around the ideas of mini bots and their “role” . I feel like Sam from human to mini bot so badly wants his role in everything and being a mini bot makes it easier for some bots to bridge that gap for him

Recommendations

Conceptions of self , my most recent reread and hands down one of the best at giving you more time with Sam and other bots!! Made me enjoy the idea of Sam and Prowl and where I could explore more

Newspark has some easy short one shots for a fun happy time, I found the second one in the series my favourite

Crossroads Converging in a paradox , Pax Cybertronia , and Antebellum are juggernaut of Sam and cybertron world building and pack a lot into their narratives that should take awhile with

And Tilt is one of the two I consider the most drastic with the concept of Sam transforming? Definitely read tags and warnings for all recommendations but Tilt specifically pushes Sam and Bumblebee especially. Really fascinating read and it’s like on the harsher edger reality and difficulty that would come with something like changing into a completely different life form and life expectancy. be warned it’s one of the heavier stories

Ao3’s bot!sam or cybertrionian tags are the easiest way to browse though few gems in groups on fanfiction net

#transformers #transformers bayverse #sam witwicky #cybertronian sam #bot!sam #transformer minicon

[in1-nutshell]

Hey me again with old Predacon buddy maybe have Predacon buddy join Bee's team how would the other Autobots react meeting old Predacon buddy

Bot Buddy the Old Predacon is just traveling where ever their wisdom is needed.

I combined this one and another request that was similar to this one.

Hope you enjoy!

Bot Buddy the Old Predacon meets Team Bee

SFW, Platonic, Cybertronain reader

RiD2015

When Buddy dreamt about Prime, they half thought it was finally their time.

But then the idea ruled out as the Prime told them that Bumblebee needed help with his situation with his team on Earth.

Buddy is ready to tear down any wall that stands in their way.

No wonder Bumblebee hadn’t been returning their calls.

He was all the way down on Earth.

And with a team?

What situation?!

What was going on?!

Buddy was getting too old for this.

Thankfully a spacebridge was provided for them.

Buddy had to admit they missed Earth.

Less alt mode judgement here

As soon as Buddy caught a whiff of Bee’s scent, they were off in the night sky.

Once they were near a scrapyard the scent had gotten stronger.

Buddy carefully descended nearby the tall trees and took a moment to sit.

Buddy venting a bit.

“This is definitely not going to be easy this time around.”--Buddy

Snap!

Buddy turns their helm towards a small human boy.

“…I didn’t know Dinobots got this big.”

“I’m not a Dinobot kiddo. Wait how do you know about Dinobots?”--Buddy

The human boy scratches his head a bit.

Buddy raising their optic a bit.

“You’ve met one haven’t you.”--Buddy

“What if I did?”

Buddy pauses before chuckling a bit.

“You have some spunk kiddo I’ll give you that.”--Buddy

“My name is not ‘kiddo’.”

“Then what is your name my little friend?”--Buddy

“Russel.”--Russel

“Russel… that sounds like a nice name.”--Buddy

“Really? I mean sure, I guess. What’s yours?”--Russel

“Buddy. And before you go ‘Buddy?’ ‘That’s a weird name.’ or ‘I thought it would be Maimer or Bonecruncher.’ Yes, that is my name.”--Buddy

“I mean you do seem like a nice Con—”--Russel

“Not a Con. I am a Autobot, specifically a Predacon.”--Buddy

“Predacon? Is that something like a Dinobot?”--Russel

“Not exactly. My species is an old one from Cybertron’s earliest years.”--Buddy

“…So. you said you were an Autobot, huh? Prove it.”--Russel

Buddy tilting their helm.

“How do you want me to prove that?”--Buddy

Russel humms while tapping his foot.

“…I don’t know.”--Russel

Buddy laughs a little.

“You’ve mention Dinobot’s an awful lot. Mind showing me your friends. I’m trying to find one myself.”--Buddy

“You lost your friend?”--Russel

Buddy huffs a bit.

“More like ‘Let-me-drop-off-the-face-of-Cybertron-not-tell-anyone-and-let a dream-let-them-know where-I-am’.”--Buddy

Russel laughs a bit before stopping.

“What’s you friends name?”--Russel

“A young mech name Bumblebee.”--Buddy

Russels eyes go wide.

“You know him?”--Buddy

“Know him? He’s my friend too!”--Russel

Buddy chuckles a bit.

“Bumblebee always did have a way with humans. Well now, what are we waiting for.”--Buddy

Buddy rests their helm in front of Russel.

“We’ll cover more ground like this.”--Buddy

Russel smiles.

“Awesome!”--Russel

He climbs onto Buddy’s helm, carefully minding the optics.

Buddy slowly lifts their helm up.

Buddy motions towards the scrapyard.

“Is he over there?”--Buddy

“Yep! That’s where the Team is and my dad.”--Russel

Buddy starts walking towards the Scrapyard.

“Hopefully this will go better than last time.”--Buddy

“What happened last time?”--Rissel

“…I’ll tell you that story another time.”--Buddy

To say there was a bit of panic when a giant metal dragon showed up in the scrapyard was a bit of an understatement.

The dragon was bigger than Grimlock!

And they weren’t even standing up straight!

Buddy simply looked around to see if they saw Bee anywhere.

The group of Autobots had their weapons out and… was that a minibot?

Buddy hadn’t seen one of them in a while.

“Hello!”--Buddy

Most of the Autobots draw out their weapons, minus Grimlock who just transforms into his Dinobot mode.

“Oh! This was the Dinobot you were telling me about Russel?”--Buddy

Russel’s head pops up from on top of Buddy’s helm.

“Yep! Hey guys! Their friendly!”--Russel

“Russel get down from there!”--Drift

“But like how? It not like I can jump down with out break my knees if I wanted to.”--Russel

Buddy slowly lowers their helm so Russel could climb down.

“If you wanted down, all you need to do was ask.”--Buddy

Russel jumps off the last set while Buddy raises their helm back at the Autobots.

“Have any of you seen Bumblebee? I have been looking for him.”--Buddy

Strongarm tensing her shoulders.

“What do you want with the lieutenant?”--Strongarm

“Well first off, lower your—”--Buddy

“No, we are not going to lower our weapons. The first thing your going to do is make us into scrap metal the second we do.”--Sideswipe

“What is the name of Ratchet’s rusty knee joints is going on?!”--Bumblebee

Buddy and Bee stare at each other.

Buddy jumps on to Bee’s chassis making the other scream and try to pry them off of him.

They aren’t lucky.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF CYBERTRON WHERE YOU THINKING!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS WHEN YOU WEREN’T ANSWERING MY CALLS!”--Buddy

Bumblebee shrinking a bit.

Buddy expands their wings throwing everyone off.

“I swear to Prime’s spark, if you EVER think about pulling a stunt like that AGAIN I will personally go into the Well of Allspark myself and drag Prime out so we can both give you the scolding of a life time!”--Buddy

Bee chuckles nervously.

“Its good to see you too Buddy.”--Bumblebee

Buddy stops scolding and wraps their wings around the young bot tightly.

“…Anyone care to explain what just happened?!”--Sideswipe

Bee was relieved to finally have some help around.

Buddy was an excellent voice of reason when he felt like he was being a bad leader.

Also a voice to knock some sense into him sometimes.

Whether it be literally or figuratively.

Buddy whacking Bee on the helm.

“What kind of stunt were you trying to pull back there?!”--Buddy

“Well Optimus did it—”--Bumblebee

“Optimus did his things with his limits. You have to do your things with your limits.”--Buddy

“But what if that’s not good enough for the team? It will be my fault if we loose.”--Bumblebee

Buddy sits by Bee.

“Bumblebee, you’re the leader, of course its going to be your fault.”--Buddy

Bee giving them an unimpressed look.

“You know this is the part where you help me—”--Bumblebee

Buddy whacks him in the helm again.

“Will you quit doing that!”--Bumblebee

“When you learn to let me finish.”--Buddy

Be aggressively rubs his helm.

“Everything is going to be your fault one way or the other. As leader you need to accept that. The same way you need to accept that your limits and Prime are different. You both are accomplishing different things in different ways. His ways may not be the best for your situation, as I see it, you have to try some things your way.”--Buddy

“…Thanks Buddy.”--Bumblebee

Buddy chuckling a bit before stretching a bit.

Buddy grunting a bit as some of the joints pop hard.

“Hey, you okay?”--Bumblebee

Buddy giving him a bit of a tired smile.

“I’ll be fine little one. These old joints still work fine.”--Buddy

Strongarm and Sideswipe constantly tried to impress the old Predacon with stunts and facts.

Buddy loved seeing them try and impress them. It was a great source entertainment on slow days.

Though Buddy definitely put their pede down when things got a little too out of hand.

Buddy laying on top of Sideswipe and Strongarm.

The two are grunting and trying to get out of the Predacon’s weight.

“Get! Off!”--Strongarm

Buddy unamused and unbothered.

“Have the both of you decided to apologize to each other?”--Buddy

“Never!”--Sideswipe

Bumblebee walks by and spots them.

“They were fighting again?”--Bumblebee

Buddy just nods their helm looking at their claws.

“Bumblebee! Help a bot out!”--Sideswipe

Bumblebee backing off a bit.

“Yeah not doing that. The quickest way your getting out is if you apologize, trust me.”--Bumblebee

“Wait what did you do to get this?”--Sideswipe

Buddy and Bee have a flashback to him and Smokescreen under Buddy’s weight.

“That’s a story for another time.”--Buddy

Buddy stretches their tail a bit.

SQUEAK!

“…”--Everyone

“Not. A. Word.”—Buddy

“Yes Buddy.”—Bumblebee, Strongarm, and Sideswipe

Grimlock loved being around Buddy.

Finally, someone who understood the struggle of having an alt mode that wasn’t a vehicle!

Grimlock loves hearing all the stories Buddy has.

He means everyone.

From the happy ones.

To the sad ones.

To the funny ones.

And the serious ones.

It surprised him a lot how well Buddy kept up with him and how many times they would win during sparring matches.

After another victory from Buddy.

“Wooowie! That was fun!”--Grimlock

“Sure, was Grimlock.”--Buddy

“Wanna go another round?”--Grimlock

Buddy already laying down on the sunny part of their training ‘arena’.

“Maybe in a bit Grimlock. I’m a bit tired out.”--Buddy

Grimlock looks at them confused.

“But its only been half an hour? The team usually does an hour before we take a break.”--Grimlock

Buddy chuckles a bit getting comfortable as Grimlock sit in front of them.

“Well I am a bit older Grimlock, this frame is only going to go so far with my age.”--Buddy

Grimlock now laying down in front of them.

“Okay, then I guess I’ll nap here too.”

“You don’t have to Grimlock.”--Buddy

“Nuh nuh. I’m staying right here.”--Grimlock

Buddy smiles a bit before tucking their helm into their wings while draping their tail over Grimlock’s as they both take a nap under the warm sun.

Drift and the minis were a bit cautious at first.

Drift thought Buddy was going to be another Grimlock.

Except older and bulkier.

But he was sorely mistaken.

Drift never imagined a Predacon such as Buddy to be so fluid with their fighting motions, even when training.

The samurai has defiantly asked Buddy to be his sparring partner more than once.

He was not immune from the grandparent vibes.

His mini’s loved hearing Buddy’s stories with Russel.

Drift coming back from patrol to see the mini’s and Russel sitting down as Buddy acted out something.

Drift couldn’t hear what Buddy was saying.

“What do you think they’re talking about?”--Denny

“I do not know.”--Drift

Buddy makes the motion of a sword going through a body.

“…Maybe its something they saw on TV once?”--Denny

Buddy now mimics the motion of body slamming something.

“…I do not think so.”--Drift

One thing the team did notice was Buddy sometimes having trouble flying for long periods of time or remembering where things were.

It was the least they could do.

Bumblebee is especially vigilante over Buddy’s little problems.

Everyone wants to do their part in helping the ageing Predacon with their life when they helped them so much. Even do some less exciting things with them.

Buddy starts to lay down in a shady spot in the scrapyard.

“You’re not going to your sunny spot today?”--Russel

Buddy shaking their helm.

Russel just sits next to Buddy’s helm and leans back.

“Russel? What are you doing?”--Buddy

“I’m going to take a nap here.”--Russel

“You don’t need to. I’m sure the rest of the team—”--Buddy

“—is coming over.”--Russel

“What?”--Buddy

The team shows up and starts getting ready to take a mid-day nap with Buddy.

Buddy raises their wings and tail and carefully drapes them on their little family.

This is nice.

#tf rid15 #tf rid 2015 x platonic reader #bot buddy #maccadam #transformers x reader

[helenaheissner]

Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 14

Hello, lovelies! Hope y'all are doing well :)

Don't forget you can read three chapters ahead on this story, twenty chapters ahead on "A Dream of Summer Rain", and two chapters ahead on "Magical Girl Exorcist Squad", by becoming a paid subscriber on my Substack or my Patreon!

***

Zeke

12 months earlier

I squatted in the Pits, putting the finishing touches on our minibot, Gurren, in preparation for our fight with Team Bottle Rocket in twenty minutes. I was so zoned in on getting all the screws extra tight that I almost missed my phone blaring out a Kendrick Lamar song. I groaned when I saw the caller ID. “Hi, Mom,” I said, attempting to keep the stress and frustration out of my voice. It was better to get whatever ‘conversation’ this was out of the way now- if I tried to put it off and ignore her, she’d just be even more cantankerous about it when we actually got around to it. 

“Hellllo, Ezeekielll,” she slurred, her words blending together at the borders of the syllables. Oh, good. “How are you this evening?”

“Uh, a little busy to be honest, Mom,” I said. 

“Busy? Busy with what? It’s not like you have a job.”

I breathed in a sharp sigh through my nose. “I do have a job, Mom. It’s just seasonal.”

“Those obnoxious shows you go on don’t count as a-”

“Mom, was there a specific reason you called?” I asked, focusing on keeping the screws tight. “Like I said, I’m a little busy.”

“Too busy to talk to your dear ol’ mum,” she said, her accent starting to slip out. She’d been training herself not to have one ever since she’d moved to the States back when she was a teenager, but sometimes it still flared up. Usually when she’d indulged in one too many Screwdrivers. “That’s a problem, you know- you’ll never get a girlfriend if you hate your own mother.”

“I don’t hate you, Mom,” I said monotone. 

“Love the exact phrasing there, Ezekiel. Very gentlemanly.”

The screwdriver, my screwdriver, a literal one, slipped out of my hands. And as I reached down for it, I noticed my breathing- sharp, fast, all inhale and holding my breath, only exhaling when I absolutely needed to. “Thank you, Mother, I try.”

“Don’t you get sarcastic with me, young man- that’s hardly a trait that will do you any favors with the ladies either.”

I reached for the screwdriver on the ground, but my hand trembled when I tried to grip it. It slipped out of my grasp and hit the floor once again. “Look, Mom, my match starts in a few minutes, I really need to finish these repairs on Dai Guren-”

“Oh God, I forgot you gave that stupid thing a name. How asinine.”

Cold, soggy shame dripped off of me, and I let myself inhale and exhale through my mouth. 

And of course she kept going: “And that’s another thing- why is it just you doing this? Don’t you have teammates for this nonsense? They don’t appreciate you. If they did, they wouldn’t force you to do all the work-”

“They don’t force me to do all the work, Mom!” I snapped. “And I’m doing these repairs because I’m good at them. They had to go handle other stuff for the match. It’s not actually that complicated, but you refuse to understand!”

A few moments of deafening silence poured out from the other end of the line. “This is clearly not going to be a productive conversation. I think I’m done with you for the evening. I’ll call you back when you’re in a more reasonable headspace.”

“Mom-”

She ended the call before I could get another word out. 

It wasn’t quiet in the pits- people were using saws to carve up metal, flames were welding parts together, drills were digging into machinery. All the high-pitched screeches coalesced into a singular plaintive wail. 

A tear fell off my chin and shattered on the ground. I tore off my work gloves and wiped my eyes, hoping nobody would see me. I wasn’t much of a crier. No reason to ruin that reputation now, when I had other things to focus on. The bot was ready for the fight, and that was what I had to focus on, not the hollow pit in my chest rapidly filling with anger and resentment and freaking exhaustion-

“Hey, what’s wrong?” 

My fingers parted across my visage. I hadn’t even realized my face was buried in my hands. I looked through the gaps to find Calloway there, standing across the narrow middle walkway that ran down the white room. He was standing there in jeans and a black hoodie drawn up over his head, but he pulled it back and shaked out his shaggy brown hair. His eyes always looked… Harsh, angry, aggressive. But not now, not at this moment. Now they looked… Softer. Concerned. And… Genuine, in their concern. I’d gotten pretty good at spotting the difference between genuine concern and artificial; having parents like mine forces you to learn as fast as possible. But right now, here, he… 

“I… Just a difficult phone call with my mom,” I said, pulling my hands away from my face entirely, directing my gaze at the floor. 

Calloway stepped forward and gave me a hug. I flinched- the guy really had no sense of personal space, but honestly… I needed it, then, so I hugged him back. “Thanks.”

“Of course.”

I mumbled, “I guess I just…”

“What?” Calloway asked.

“It’s nothing, it’s…”

“What?” Calloway said, pulling out of the hug and looking me directly in the face, furrowing his brow. 

“I’m… Just surprised that you care,” I said. 

He gulped and took a step backward, along with a slight bite to his lower lip that ended as soon as it began. “I, uh… Yeah, yeah that’s fair.”

“I didn’t mean-”

“No, you did,” he said, turning his head so he didn’t have to look me in the eyes anymore. “It’s fine. Really, it is. I just… I really must come off like I’m a lot, all the time, huh?”

“I… What do you want me to say here, dude?” I said, taking a step towards him. 

He took another step back. “Just the truth. Just… How you really feel.”

I drew in another deep breath. “Yes. You… You do.”

He gulped again. “That… That explains a buncha stuff. I kinda figured people knew I… But I guess they wouldn’t. Fair enough.”

“Look, Calloway-”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a playful wave of his hand, plastering a bogus smile onto his face. “Just means I sell the heel routine well. That’s not a bad thing. And this isn’t really about me- I was asking you what’s wrong. Um… Do you… Do you wanna talk about it?”

My phone alarm hollered inside my pants’ pocket. Ten minutes till the fight. They’d be starting the introductory monologues soon. “I dunno if I have time right now, but… I appreciate it. I really, sincerely do. Maybe… Maybe next time?”

“Next time I catch you crying, tough guy?” he said, the smile edging just a little closer to genuine. 

I forced out a little chuckle. “Yeah, I guess so. For now… Can I just get another hug?”

He nodded rapidly. “Of course.”

Then he went in for it and wrapped his arms around my back. And it felt… Good. Supportive. Strong, but not aggressive.

Maybe there was more to Keith Calloway than I thought.

***

NOW

I sprayed some breath spray into my mouth while I paced up and down the hallway of my apartment, my hands wringing together as I tried to keep my mind clear and focused. 

I liked Kate. That much was hard to deny. She was bright and funny and passionate, just radiated warmth and empathy, and I felt like I could let my guard down around her in a way I couldn’t around other people. Including Faith.

But I liked Faith. I had for a while now. She was chill and focused and creative, a freaking dancing ray of light that always brightened up my day, who I desperately wanted to protect and take care of. 

And they were both incredibly pretty. 

Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit what is wrong with me? Just like my jackass of a father, can’t keep it in my pants, can’t be happy with what I have, like a real man is supposed to. 

But that didn’t matter. I was going on a date with Katie tonight. I was moving on from Faith, because that was the right thing to do, because she didn’t like me back, because she didn’t swing that way and just wasn’t physically attracted to me. And Kate… She made it really easy to want to move on, and she seemed to really want to be with me, for some unfathomable reason. Holding her in my arms made me feel like the strongest person in the world; the way she’d just slid up to me and put herself there like it was the most natural fit possible… It felt really good. I felt really good around her. 

My phone buzzed, and I saw from the caller ID that it was my mom. 

My finger loomed over the ‘accept call’ button for a solid minute before the phone simply stopped ringing altogether. Then it immediately started ringing again, because my mom was physically incapable of taking no for an answer. 

A spark of anger caught in my chest, burning my insides and sending proverbial smoke out of my ears. Goddammit, I was twenty-three years old, financially self-sufficient, and living in my own place. She did NOT get to keep pulling this crap. She hadn’t reached out to me in months and now, when I had something legitimately important to do, she decided it was the perfect time to interrupt. Couldn’t even be bothered to text first, asking if now was a good time. 

I thought about a year ago, and the mess I’d become when my mom called before that match, and Kate, back before I’d known she was Kate, before she’d known she was Kate, before she and I could even call ourselves friends, let alone whatever we were now, had held me and comforted me. Didn’t have to be asked, just offered and did her best to make good on that offer. That was when it had started to dawn on me that underneath it all, she really was a kind person with a big heart. 

It was also when it really started to dawn on me that my mom was an absolute bitch. Maybe she wasn’t as unbearable as my dad, but it would be a truly Herculean feat to be anywhere near as unpleasant as that selfish asshole. 

I hit ‘ignore.’ 

I breathed out, slowly and carefully, leaning against the wall. I was emphatically not going to cry right now, because I didn’t want Kate to feel like she had to take care of me tonight. I wanted to take care of her, to show her that yes, she really was the cute, sweet, wonderful girl she was trying to be. 

The tumblers of our lock shifted as the front door opened. Faith stepped through, a sad smile on her face. “Heyo,” she said. “Your hot date is downstairs waiting for you. Show her a good time tonight, yeah?”

“Of course,” I nodded, double checking my pockets to make sure I had my phone and wallet. Good to go. “You gonna be okay by yourself tonight?”

She gave an errant wave of her hand and said, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I can get caught up on my soaps.”

“You watch soap operas?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, old ones from the 1960s, mostly,” she said. “They’re really funny when you’re stoned.”

“Fair enough,” I said. I gave her a quick hug, which she happily accepted. “Don’t wait up for me!”

“Will do!” she said as I made my way out the door. 

I headed down the stairs and out front, where Kate’s pickup truck sat in the thin driveway that led into the parking garage below my building. I did a double-take when I saw her, leaning against the front of her truck. She wore a red dress that covered her chest wholesale, but beneath, what looked like boobs protruded from the dress in question. Falsies, presumably- Faith must have loaned her old ones out. Still, it couldn’t be denied that they looked real good on Kate, bringing the whole look together. Her dress had a slit going up the side, showing off her long, smooth legs well up her thick thighs. Bright red lipstick was painted across her mouth, and my whole body was screaming at me to cup her face in my hands and shove my tongue down her throat. So, of course, in my infinite intelligence and articulation, all I managed to choke out was, “Whoa.”

She smiled the kind of smile you want to protect with every fiber of your being. “Like what you see?” Her voice was high and breathy, each syllable enunciated slowly and carefully. She’d only been out for a few days and she’d already come so far. It was astonishing. It was… She was… 

“Absolutely beautiful,” I said, unable to blink. 

Her jaw dropped, and she stared at me.

Then a car pulled up behind her and honked at us- I recognized one of my neighbors behind the wheel, an older, heavyset woman named Nina. 

“C’mon, let’s get going,” Kate said. She gestured me into the truck and then we pulled out of the driveway. “So, where are we going?” she asked. 

“Uh, Indian place on Lincoln Boulevard. It’s over by my old college,” I said, trying not to stare at her too much and venture into the dubious territory of ‘creepy weirdo.’

“Sounds good, I love Indian food,” she smiled again. 

Kiss her, you idiot, my brain hollered. Wait, no, she’s driving. Bad idea. But kiss her before the end of the night! “How’d the appointment go?”

“Fantastic! I’ll be able to start hormones hopefully by the end of the week!”

“That’s fantastic!” I said. “How’d the other one go?”

She spat out a petulant sigh. “Less good. My sponsor is…”

“Is?”

“Let’s be charitable and go with ‘pragmatic,’” she said, her voice dropping low. She grunted with frustration and her eyes peeled wide as she heard her own words. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said, trying my best to sound reassuring. “I don’t mind if you use your… Other voice.” I managed to stop myself from saying ‘boy voice’ or ‘normal voice.’ Thank God.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “It’s… It’s not that I don’t want you to hear it, it’s that I don’t like hearing it.”

“That’s fair,” I said. 

“But yeah, if I want to keep Gaines as my sponsor, I may or may not have to lean into this whole trans thing as part of my ‘brand.’ Ugh, I hate that word. Gag me.”

“Is that a request?” I smirked. 

She blushed redder than the Red Comet. “What if it is?”

“Then I’d be happy to accommodate.” What the hell, when did I get this bold?! It must have been my dick talking for me. Made sense- I’d spent… Several years not listening to it. How long had it been since I’d last had sex, anyway? Two years? Three? 

Getting ahead of yourself, Underhill. “Do you think you’re gonna stick with Gaines?” I asked. 

“Don’t see what choice I have,” she replied as she turned onto Lincoln and started driving west. “I don’t exactly have the capital to self-fund. How do you and Faith raise money, anyway?”

“Uh, a couple ways. Grant from our old college, a loan from Faith’s parents, and the money she and I raise doing temporary engineering jobs during the off-season. Usually like…, four, five months full time work with one of the aerospace companies in the city, then we spend the rest of the year working on the fun stuff.”

“I should probably look into something like that,” Kate said. “I don’t dislike working for my parents, but I’m never gonna make the kind of money I need to keep going in the ‘bot battle circuit working twenty hours a week at an indie retail outlet.”

“I have some contacts at a few places that I can send your way,” I offered. “Might be able to help you get a foot in the door, do some interviews.”

“That… Would be amazing,” she beamed. “You’d really do that for me?”

“‘Course I would,” I said. I want you to keep smiling that smile. “I just… Want you to be happy.”

“Thanks,” she said. “For… Everything.”

“No problem, Katie,” I said. 

She giggled. God, her laugh was adorable. So, I said that out loud. 

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“You have a cute laugh,” I said simply.

“It’s not cute… I’m not…”

“If you’re about to say you’re not cute, just know that there’s nothing cuter than a cute girl insisting she’s not cute.”

“... Dammit. You’re right.”

 “Gotcha,” I said, snapping my fingers. 

We carried on like that until we got to the restaurant, where, to my astonishment, we were seated immediately. I ordered a lamb vindaloo with a side of garlic naan, and she ordered butter chicken with onion naan. We split an order of vegetable samosas as well, and we were seated by the window looking out into the street. A pair of candles sat between us on our glass table, casting a bit of glow in the darkened dining area. 

“So, you went to that school over there, then?” Kate asked. “LMU?”

“Yeah, all four years.”

“How’d you wind up there?” she asked. 

“Uh, well, I applied to UCLA and didn’t get in,” I said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Which is true of, uh, most of the school, actually.”

“They couldn’t get into UCLA?” Kate chuckled. 

“Or USC. Or Harvey Mudd. Or Cal Poly.”

“Ahhh, gotcha. You said you grew up around here, right?”

“For a given value,” I said. “I was raised in Riverside.”

“Inland Empire, I see,” she said. “That place as horrifying as David Lynch makes it look?”

I chuckled. “Only when it’s on fire.”

“So, like, all Summer?”

“Pfft, basically.” 

“It’s funny, you know, we grew up in the same neck of the woods but never met till we started doing what we do,” Kate said, resting her chin on her hands while her elbows were propped up on the table. “I know that Venice and Riverside aren’t actually that close together-”

“Especially with the traffic in this town making it a longer trek,” I said. 

“Still,” she said. “It’s cool, knowing that someone like you was relatively close this whole time.” 

Her eyes… 

“Zeke?” she asked. “You okay?”

“Hm? Yeah, why?”

“You went quiet and started staring at me,” she said, raising her head, putting her hands flat on the table, concern exuding from her frown. “Did I lay it on too thick?”

I shook my head. “Not at all.” I reached for her hand. “Honestly, I’m worried about doing the same, so why don’t we just be ourselves tonight, and see how that works for us?”

“I’d like that,” she smiled again. That smile… 

The server, a middle-aged Indian man with pot-belly and an impressive beard, brought our samosas and a few different sauces over and set them between us. And with him came, very unexpectedly, some familiar faces. 

“Zeke?” Olivia asked. She was flanked by her new teammates, Tom, a medium-height black man in his late twenties with a shaved head and massive hands, and Winston, a white boy with a wild mane of brown hair who looked like he was still in college. And standing next to them were Team Forest Fire and Team Sparky-Sparky-Boom. Forest Fire was three guys all in their thirties, each of them shredded and rocking full beards. Their captain, Lance Masterson, was a behemoth of a white man with a shaved head and some burn marks on his arms and neck; his teammates were Jake George, a tall black man with long dreads and nose ring, and Evan Hernandez, a shorter Mexican-American man built like a powerlifter. Team Spark-Sparky-Boom, meanwhile, was two people, a husband and wife team called David and Eileen Portman. David was comfortably in his early forties, hair more salt than pepper, clean shaven and thin as a rail; Eileen looked like she was in her late thirties, and was shorter and thicker, with long brown hair beginning to spark with silver. 

A low-pitched groan escaped my throat, and I was surprised at how loud it was, only to look over and see that Kate was making roughly the same mouth-noise. 

“H-h-hey,” I eventually choked out. “How y’all doing?”

“Not bad,” Masterson said. 

“Not bad at all!” Hernandez said, snapping his fingers and pointing at Kate.

She blushed, then looked down at her food. 

“So, this must be Kate,” Olivia said. 

“Um, how do you know about-”

“Faith told me.”

“Faith told you what?” I said, my eyes narrow. 

“Oh, just that you’d finally found a girl for you… Wait a sec. Wait wait wait a second. Calloway? Is that you under all that makeup?”

My eyes bulged with panic, and I saw Kate’s lips trembling and her hands wringing together. Oh, this was bad- she wasn’t ready to come out to everyone at work yet, she’d said as much to me in the car ride. She’d been planning to come out in two weeks when she had her next fight, with the same kind of surprise announcement that Faith had been afforded. 

And now… Now she was having to come out to her work rivals by accident. For the third time in two weeks.

Goddammit.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice dropping low. Then, in her higher, breathier voice, she said, “Yes. It’s me. My preferred name is Kate, pronouns are she/her.”

Olivia’s eyebrows shot up. 

“Oh, so you’re a trans too?” Mrs. Portman said. 

I died inside a little bit. 

“I, uh, yeah. I’m a trans woman,” Kate said.

“Wow, two of you in the tournament this year, huh? What are the odds?” Mrs. Portman said. “And this isn’t a publicity stunt?”  

“Dear, hush, that’s rude,” Mr. Portman said, playfully swatting his wife on the arm, blissfully unaware of the psychic damage he and his wife had just inflicted on Kate. 

“No,” Kate said, eyes dropping low, fingers drumming nervously on the table. Oooohhhh dear. “I’m just… I’m a woman.”

“Hey, listen, it’s nice to see you all, but Kate and I were just trying to have a nice, quiet dinner,” I said. “Alone. As in just the two of us-”

“That’s fine, broseph,” Masterson said, “We can all take that big table outside, leave you two to your date.”

“I’d appreciate that a lot,” I nodded, putting a metric ton of emphasis behind each syllable. 

“As would I,” Kate said. Practically squeaked. Must… Protect… At all costs. 

“No problem, brosephine,” Masterson said. “You look great, bee-tea-dubs.”

They all cleared out and headed for the massive rectangular longtable outside… Except Olivia, who remained standing exactly where she was in front of us with her brow creased and her hands on her hips and her jaw slack. 

“Uh, Olivia, you coming with?” Tom asked while standing in the doorway, with an ‘aw shit here we go again’ expression on his face.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Olivia said. 

Tom sighed and let the door close as he stepped outside. You tried, Tom. You tried. 

“Can, uh, I help you with something?” I said, trying not to get too distressed by Kate’s thousand-yard stare. Given that she’d only a few days prior called out and challenged Olivia in front of a screaming crowd while on camera and then immediately proceeded to have a massive panic attack… I didn’t like what this was almost certainly doing to her brain. 

“I just… When Faith said you’d found someone, this wasn’t what I expected,” Olivia said. “Does she… She knows who Kate really is, right?”

“Yeah, she does,” I said, creasing my own brow, “Why do you ask?”

“I just… I really just… Calloway? Seriously?! Calloway?!” Olivia said. “Of all freaking people, you choose Calloway over Faith?!”

“I’m sitting right here, you know,” Kate said. 

“R-right. Sorry, I… You look nice,” Olivia said. 

“Thanks,” Kate said. “Just, uh, quick question: why do you care?”

“Because I care about Faith,” Olivia said. 

“Right, sure you do,” Kate said. “You care so much about the girl you brutally dumped in the most vulnerable moment of her life. Right. Definitely. Absolutely.”

“Also, why would Faith care?” I said, attempting to navigate the conversation away from Kate’s (admittedly accurate) criticism of Olivia. “She and Kate have patched things up- they’re friends now.”

“Really?” Olivia said. 

“Yes, really,” Kate said. “She and I hung out literally all day today. She helped me pick out this dress, helped me with my voice. She and I are fine. And she’s fine with this.”

“Oh, honey,” Olivia said. “You don’t… Really believe that. Do you?”

Kate blinked, and her eyes went low again. 

“What does that mean?” I asked. 

“It means-”

“Don’t,” Kate said, slamming her hand against the table. 

Olivia took a step back. “Right. Sorry. It’s… Look, Zeke, I know you and I were never super close, but I gotta ask- is Faith really completely on board with all this?”

“Yes! Why wouldn’t she be?” Did someone slip me a crazy-pill? What the hell was going on?!

“I just… Can’t believe you would choose Ke… Kate over Faith,” Olivia said. 

“It’s not a choice,” I said, grabbing Kate’s hand and squeezing it tightly, a fire lighting inside my head. “I like Kate. She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out.”

“Phrasing,” Kate said in a thirsty whisper, eyebrows raised. 

“Babe, not now,” I said. 

“Babe?” she said with a bright smile.

“Babe? Wow,” Olivia said. “This is… A lot to accept, tbh.”

“And why, exactly, do you get a say?” I said. 

“I-”

“That was a rhetorical question,” I said. “You don’t. At all.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll back off,” Olivia said, holding up her hands, palms flat. “I just… Can’t help but think you’re making a mistake. You and Faith would be cute together, that’s all I’m saying.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I growled. 

“You would be,” Kate whispered. 

“What?” I said. Seriously, WHAT?!

“Backing away now,” Olivia said. “I’m sorry for saying anything- you’re right, it’s really none of my business. But, uh, Calloway? I still remember what you said last Friday. I’ll see you in the battle box.”

And with that, she walked away. My head spun with confusion and anger at the implications of what she said, the insinuations, the freaking hubris. And on top of it all, Kate looked ready to cry again. 

Our waiter finally came over with our food on a tray and set it down, but looked at us with a worried expression. “Would you two like this to go, by any chance?”

“Yes, please,” Kate and I said simultaneously. 

We waited till the food was put in takeaway boxes, and we made a hasty departure. I was pretty sure I heard Mrs. Portman shouting something at us as we walked out the front door, but I wasn’t sure what. “Where should we take all this?” Kate asked. 

“I have one idea, if you’re up for it,” I said, with a grin I hoped would be the first step to salvaging this evening. 

We headed for Dockweiler Beach, only a few miles from the restaurant, basically deserted in the waning hours of the evening before it was closed to the public. Waves lapped against the sand in a steady, drawling rhythm, and the rich, relaxing scent of seawater filled the air. We sat on a blanket Kate kept in her truck, eating our food while watching the tide crashing into the shore and the setting sun casting an orange-gold glow over everything. Kate had tied her hair back while we ate, but loose strands kept blowing about from the seabreeze and colliding with her face.

I reached over and brushed a strand back, and she smiled at me. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m, uh, sorry about what happened.”

“Don’t be, it isn’t your fault,” she said. “Honestly, you handled it really well. Way better than I would have in your position.”

“And what position is that?”

“The guy’s. You’re… You’re a really good guy, Zeke Underhill,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. 

I laughed in spite of myself. “That’s nice of you to say. I… I’m not really used to hearing it,” I admitted, slumping my shoulders. 

“I find that hard to believe. You’re such a gentleman.”

“I… The thing is,” I started. Oh boy, I was about to admit this to her. This was big. I rarely talked about this. Not even with Faith. “... My parents… Are not the types to give out praise often, and a lot of it had to do with them thinking I wasn’t living up to their expectations of what a man was supposed to be. My Mom… Well, she’s English, she’s got all these old-fashioned, old-world ideas about men and women. She sent me to my room when I cried at a movie once when I was seven. My dad wasn’t much better- kind of a rough and tumble man’s man type. When I didn’t make my high school’s basketball team in ninth grade, he reamed me out for half an hour straight. Never mind the fact that I was short and fat back then. Which they both reminded me of constantly.”

“Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry,” Kate said, putting down her food and placing her hand on my shoulder. I gave it a squeeze. She continued, “My parents have always been so chill and supportive. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to… To grow up with that instead of what I had.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Honestly, I’m mostly over it at this point. I moved out for college when I was eighteen and never looked back. The only thing that really still gets to me is how hypocritical they were about everything. My dad… He’s a total pig, cheats on my mom constantly, and Mom just drinks to forget it every time the proof is thrown in her face. They’re both so full of shit, but I still… I still have this fear sometimes, that they’re right, that I’m not good enough, that there’s something I’m doing wrong, that…”

“That?”

“... That I’ll be a cheater like my dad, constantly balancing multiple girls, stringing along someone I’m supposed to be committed to. I think… I think that’s what bugged me about what Olivia was insinuating, like I was somehow being disloyal to Faith. Which is ridiculous, because… I… And she doesn’t even… And I’m not-”

“Not what?” Kate said, wrapping her arms around me. 

“I’m not with her. I probably won’t ever be with her,” I said.

“... You really like her, don’t you?”

“... I’m not sure you want me to answer that question, Katie.”

“You already have,” she said. “It’s kinda obvious.”

“I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kate said, nuzzling my shoulder. “You’re allowed to like more than one person at the same time. And you’ve liked her for a while, I’m not surprised I’m…”

“You’re what?”

“... Second prize.”

 “You’re not,” I said, turning around and putting my hands on her cheeks. “Listen to me, Kate Calloway. I recognize we’ve only just started really getting to know each other, but in that time, you’ve shown yourself to be… Amazing. Caring. Funny and thoughtful. Beautiful. I… I don’t know if I deserve you, but I’d like… To keep seeing you like this. To get to know you better, and to hold your hand while you go on this journey.”

Tears streamed out her eyes, and she bit her lower lip before saying, “Would you… Would you still say that if Faith liked you back?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoffed. “Faith is gay.”

“...”

I blinked. “Faith is gay, right?”

“I…,” Kate stammered, pulling out of my hands. “I’ve said too much.”

I blinked one long, sustained blink as the gears turned in my head. Faith��� Wasn’t gay? And she… It… This made it seem like… 

Like she… 

No. 

Just, just… No.

There was a beautiful girl who I liked in front of me, and I wasn’t gonna let her slip away. “You’re fine. And even if she did, it wouldn’t matter.”

“You… You really mean that?”

“She’s not here with me right now, on this beach, sharing this meal, this evening,” I said. “Life moves forward, not back. If Faith really liked me, she should have said something. You, though, you said something. You made the first move, and… God, I’ve had to do that myself so many times, only for it to fall apart. Do you have any idea how good it makes me feel, that you like me enough to be the one to push things forward? How special that makes me feel? Because it’s amazing… You make me feel… Amazing, Kate.”

She looked at me with those big blue eyes, shining in the multicolored light of dusk as the sun set over the horizon, her red lips spread wide, hope and astonishment and joy radiating out of every inch of her. She gulped, and then she grabbed my lapel and said, “I’m gonna push things forward again now. Is that okay?” 

I didn’t answer. I just went for it, pressing her lips against mine, melting into her as we made out on the beach while the sun finished setting. My heart was alight with ecstasy, my lust burning at maximum temperature. I didn’t know for sure if I liked her more than I liked Faith. I just knew that in that moment, there was nobody I’d rather be with, nobody I’d rather be kissing, nobody I’d rather be getting to know.

For just one moment, everything was crystal clear. 

“You really had to ask?” I said as I pressed my forehead against hers, reveling in her aftertaste.

She smiled. Oh, Lord, that smile. “I just had to make sure.”

We carried on like that for a while longer, her hands touching mine, my lips touching hers, our bodies interlocking.

#original fiction #serial fiction #trans woman #trans protagonist #web novel #wlw #bisexual #polycule #polyamory #love triangle #enemies to friends to lovers #first date #romcom #romance

[mychlapci]

i have not stopped thinking about pitcher plant pussy since you started posting about it and now my mind has combined it with that ask i sent a while back involving minibots being used as permanent spike sleeves

so uh, enjoy my deranged horny ramblings

i've been thinking so hard about a minibot whose owner is in a relationship with another bot, specifically another mech who is far bigger than their partner. which leads me to the image of the minibot still firmly stuck on their owner's spike being thrust into a hot wet valve, gasping as their frame is surrounded by tight calipers and trying desperately to keep their intake shut as lubricant and fluid coats them in all sides, their own valve clinging to their owner even as the extra lube begins to shift them off the spike they're surrounding

their armour begins to creak and shift as the valve surround them clenches down in overload and they get to deal with a mouthful of fluids and the overwhelming feeling of transfluid flooding their own valve as their owner begins to pull out. but the pulsing, clenching valve of their owner's partner is so tight that they get trapped inside it

and then, very faintly, still reeling from all the sensations of being fucked while being fucked into someone else

"you can just keep them as a gift, from me to you" and then there's the distinct sound of a panel sliding shut and the minibot realises with horror (and arousal) that they are now trapped inside someone's valve

they get nervous at first, pushing at clusters of internal nodes and quickly realising that it only makes the valve walls lubricate more and the hot wet environment gets even hotter and even wetter. they can feel the transfluid from their owner's overload trickle out of them slowly and they can only squirm and wriggle about even as their new owner goes about their day, completely helpless because of the now locked modesty panels keeping them firmly contained

an unknown amount of time passes and the minibot gets used to being trapped, they start to tug and press on specific nodes, relishing in the muffled moans and the feeling of calipers clamping down on top of them. normally they don't get to actually stimulate or play with their former owner's spike, forced to sit there and be quiet, so the minibot takes their own pleasure by fingering themselves, pushing old, half dried transfluid out of their valve and enjoying the feeling of hot sticky walls pulsing around them

maybe their owner comes back later, a pair of digits wrapping around their pedes and dragging them outward into the light. they're blinded at first, not used to the brightness of a normal room after being trapped in a place with only the dim glow of biolights to illuminate their surroundings. but they adjust and they get to see their owner's spike standing proud, dripping precum and they get tossed to the side as the sounds of rough and rigorous interfacing fills their audials

"did you enjoy the gift?" they hear faintly, still half dazed from the sudden influx of stimulation in their optics and audials

"a-aa-ah, y-yes, the p-lug worked quite nic-ah-ely, so wonderfully filling" and the minibot can only moan helplessly and finger themself vigorously at the way they're only treated like an object

and then when their owners are done interfacing, they're shoved right back up into the valve they were just pulled out of, and the click of a panel locking into place is the only warning they get before they're trapped once again

i just really like the idea of a bot helplessly squirming inside a valve, trapped by panels and forced to just sit there. maybe the minibot has to subsist off of lubricant (and potentially period energon depending on how long they get trapped in there) because their owners don't bother to refuel them while they're outside the valve. maybe their owners get another minibot for their spike since the old one is now being used as a plug, and occasionally the minibots get to frag each other while their owners are going at it

maybe their owners have a huge wardrobe of minibots that get switched out depending on the occasion, like one for formal events, another for more casual outings, another for work and the plug minibot and the others have a massive orgy while their owners are out

sorry for the long ask, but i cannot stop thinking about a minibot being trapped inside a valve

-burnt ice anon

this is… exceptional. sorry if I seem speechless, it’s because i am. I have no idea what to add. 

A minibot living inside someone’s valve is a crazy hot concept. A minibot living inside of someone’s valve and enjoying it is even hotter to me. Fingering themself constantly while pressing against the various clusters of nodes within their new owner’s valve, adding to the constant stream of valve juices that’s covering them. Their plating is always slick and warm, sometimes they still choke when their owner overloads and a wave of lubricants washes over them. The squirming stimulation would be so much more different than a plug, the new owner would probably overload a lot, letting the little minibot enjoy a steady diet of lubricants and transfluid <33

#you so insane for this (in a good way) #valveplug #dubcon #<- because of the Implicaitons

[moonlight-tmd]

ok so I was thinking about the Amica bond (specifically bout bee & bulk) and how it's kinda like the Conjux bond; while they can feel each other's presence and emotions it's faded, like they can't fully understand it but it's there. idk it's my take on it. anyway, say that the rest of team prime doesn't know of bee and bulk's Amica bond.

how funny would it be when bee senses that bulk is in trouble and without warning dashes straight towards where bulk is (and vice versa). the team would be so confused on how both bee and bulk know where the other is at random given moments of danger without a signal/warning/comm. or anything

Lol yeah, just Bulkhead suddenly stopping mid-sentence and driving out of base and everyone's so confused and then he comes back with semi-dented Bumblebee.

It just keeps repeating- tho it's most often Bulkhead who leaves and comes back with Bee than Bee with Bulkhead. (little man's got troubles for days-)

I never knew how Amicas worked so i came up with my own idea of it; it's like the Conjunx sparkbond but not that intense- as in they have a vague idea of what the other is feeling (sad, happy, scared, etc) but there is no exact emotion pointed. Amicas also don't feel what their other is physically feeling, for example Conjunxes would feel each other's pain if one was hurt and would react too, the one's emotions can also affect how the other feels. And while Conjunxes can send like, a short visions of what they see to the other thru their bond, Amicas only have a feeling of where to go in order to find each other. There is this presence both parties have of their significant other in them but with Amicas it is very faint. Like, Conjuxes have ot touch Sparks in order for the bond to form. Amicas are made with light emmiting from the baren Spark- there is no physcial bridge for the energy to flow and form a strong bond, hence why Amicas' feelings are muted in comparison to Conjunxes.

I imagine it happened after the Wasp incident when he replaced Bee. Bee was sad and a little disappointed than none of his friends noticed it wasn't him. Not even Bulkhead- at least not at first. Wasp was fooling him a good while before the big bot finally noticed something was off.

Bee and Bulkhead had quite a story together- the big bot tried his best to befriend the minibot back at bootcamp but never succeeded, the yellow bot just kept pushing him away. Only after one of the rougher encounters with Wasp, Bulkhead found Bee sitting all alone crying. Bee argued to leave him alone but Bulkhead didn't and they talked. It turns out Bee was depressed and most likely suicidal from all the torment from Wasp. That one moment is all it took for them to become nearly inseparable.

Soon enough Bulk got to learn Bee's true nature as a prankster, he pulled a rather malicious prank on Sentinel and was having one heck of a fun time with it. Then Longarm came along and Wasp was deemed a traitorous spy. The trio had a good time together until Bee got kicked out. Bulkhead was short from getting the degree so Bee secretly hung around the ship until Bulkhead was out and he got him a job as a repair bot in the same squad.

It was after Wasp came and impersonated Bee Bulkhead felt that it was time to do something. They became Amicas, life-long best friends.

It sure as hell was awkward at first but they got used to the new feelings pretty quickly. And obviously, they did not bother to tell the others about it.

I think the team only learned that they were Amicas when they were trying to find Bee after they split up to scout the forest for some mission and Bee did not come back on time. They were in the middle of talking about what he must be doing when Bulkhead spoke up with a disappointed yet concerned face. "He's in trouble again."

He didn't answer any immediate questions, just started walking in a direction and yup, sure enough Bee was fighting for his life with the weird non-sentient insecticon creatures Blackarachnia conjured up out of nothing again.

"You two aren't telling us something here." Ratchet was fed up with this, it was primus-knows-which-time this happened.

Bee and Bulkhead were just like "Didn't you tell them?" "No, I thought you told them?" "What? No I thou- oooh I see what happened." "Oh.. Yeah." "Yeah, we forgot to tell you."

"Tell us what??" "We're Amicas." And Bee said that so nonchalantly before talking about what he found so far. The others were literally bewildered while Ratchet facepalmed. It was unreal how they took such a big commitment as something on the same level of importance as a reminder to take out the trash, for example.

I think Bulkhead would be so used to covering for Bee when he gets in trouble he know immediately when he did a prank and is on the run from consequences. Like, he'd be minding his own business painting in his room when all of a suddent he'd get this phantom feeling of adrenaline and he knows. He's just doing the little countdown and Bee bursts into his room begging to hide him quickly. "No I didn't see him, although I think I saw some yellow speeding down the hallway a moment ago." Bulkhead said when Optimus came to ask about Bee with some oddly and overly sparkly spots on his plating.

Bee put transparent glitter in his polishing paste. Okay, that one is funny, he has to admit.

Also, i think Bee would try to do the whole Amica rite with Sari after she gets upgraded. He'd aks Bulkhead first if he was okay with it- even if there was no need, according to Bulkhead Bee can have as many life best friends as he likes and vice versa. So yeh, Bee takes Sari for a fun day, just them 2 and then does the whole 'you are important to me' rite. He kinda has to teach her how to reveal her Spark-Heart thing cuz she's still learning about her techno part. And so- tadah! Those two are also Amicas.

And yeah, i think that's it. Thank you for the ask!

#maccadam #tfa #ask box #tfa bumblebee #tfa bulkhead #tfa headcanons #tfa sari #long post