#i need to write more driftrod

[dramamelon]

jf;afja;fji;afkj;aofija;ofij

Got a surprise comment on my Lost Light #25 write up from five and half years ago from Jack Lawrence this morning. Artist confirmation on the driftrod moments? Sure read that way, if I look at it sideways. 💖💖💖 *LOL, waves at Jack if he happens across this post too* XD

But, anyway, gonna see if I can finish the next Constructicon prompt today. Between work and Hook just being very recalcitrant, it hasn't moved along like I want it to. Or maybe he's just a snob.... *snicker*

All right, time to get to work before I don't have the time any more.

[of-nyon]

Synopsis of an angsty Driftrod groundhog day fic that came to me fully formed during a nap today but idk if I really want to actually write it so I release it into the wild, you have my blessing if you want to take a crack at it (I reserve the right to write it myself also if I ever decide I'm ok with writing it)

Drift is the timelooper, the fic is set during his marriage with Ratchet while Rodimus is on the Exitus (and generally having a Bad Time). He starts looping a pretty innocuous day and has no idea as to the cause. He loses track of how many times the day repeats as he tries to figure out how he can break out, starts anticipating everything Ratchet says/does. Ratchet catches on that Drift is being squirrelly and weird. He probably suggests to Drift one day to maybe catch up with Rodimus because [scene missing, idk you tell me I'm not the one writing this thing properly].

Drift contacts the Exitus because Roddy's not picking up. Thunderclash is like oh he's not on shift right now we'll go see if he wants to speak to you.

Rodimus is passed out in his room, engex overdose or something this is the part i'm not comfortable writing tbh. He gets rushed to the medbay, Thunderclash relays it to Drift and admits no-one would've checked on Rodimus if Drift hadn't asked.

Drift goes to bed that night knowing it's not his relationship with Ratchet he needs to Fix, it's Rodimus.

The day resets. Probably a few permutations where Drift calls earlier before Rodimus passes out in his room, but it doesn't stop the timeloop. He decides he needs to go to see Rodimus himself.

This part might be a bit of a pulling-it-out-of-my-ass but he still has his contacts from when he was Deadlock and decides fuck it, might as well see if Skywarp will a) pick up and b) agree to help.

Skywarp is like 'fuck off' and Drift is like 'pls I need help :('. Doesn't work. Loop resets at the end of the day.

Tries Skywarp again but this time Drift goes for the 'hey I'm still Deadlock and I need to infiltrate an Autobot ship' angle (this might be after a few more tries and he figures out what will get Skywarp to agree). Drift eventually manages to get himself to the Exitus early enough in its day cycle to get to Rodimus before Bad Thing Happen.

Rodimus is Very Surprised to see him, Drift goes straight for the kiss, it's angsty but also not. Day DOESN'T reset after he winds up in berth with Rodimus (maybe in a guest room since Roddy's room is a tip and he's embarrassed about it). Wakes up next morning to a message from Skywarp asking where the fuck his money is, (he gets paid after some badgering) and Ratchet just like 'you could've left a note >:('

He smooths it over with Ratchet, this can end up as dratchrod if you like but driftrod is the main focus of the fic.

Rodimus gets support and therapy and a friend group who actually gives a shit about him. the end.

[squireofgeekdom]

Tagged by @fezwearingjellybananas! thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

117 (115 of which are solo authored)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

810,361 (717,002 of which are solo authored, and more than a quarter of that is just mitm 😂)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Whatever catches my attention long enough to give me a fic idea that I finish writing, honestly! I'm fully of the 'scroll twice to get to the end of my fandoms list' writer. But for specifics I'll try to just stick to the past two years, where I've collaborated on fic for USS Interpreter - a cast of original Star Trek ttrpg characters, the Spider Gwen comics (and Squirrel Girl comics), Star Trek Strange New Worlds (and Discovery, and a bit of TOS), Spider Man 2017, Raimi Spider Man, The Flash, IDW Transformers, The Untamed by way of Murderbot fusion/crossover, and Arcane

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Does It Hurt? - MCU CACW fix-it fic, with Tony and Bucky, and tonyrhodey

Don't Miss It - Ford and Mabel Gravity Falls Weirdmaggedon fic, optimistic speculation at the time

Meet in the Middle - My very, very, veeery long-ongoing driftrod fic

More than This - Aro (and ace) Obi-Wan

What You (Don't) Need to Hear - Aro Stanford and Dipper Pines

I do love that 2/5 of these are aro-centric fic

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I love comments and I enjoy replying, and from talking to regular readers I think it helps encourage folks to comment. It's never something I expect from when I comment on other's fics, I just want to share my appreciation, but I always am happy to get replies myself.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Restraining myself to the past two years for specifics, I think You're Just A Little Boy, my transmasc La'an fic, has the most outright Unhappy Ending - at least for this fic, I might write a more hopeful follow up. I'll throw in when you're gone we won't say a word (but you know that's okay), my alternate future Pike fic, goes in for the most bittersweet, and I've definitely cried the most over it

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I write a lot of happy endings, but they're often threaded with a bit of angst or bittersweetness. Fungus Not-Amongus is altogether pretty delightful fluff for Tilly and Pike, though.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

I have once or twice, but not for a good long while, I've been quite lucky

9. Do you write smut?

Not yet! Got a project or two down the pipe that might have some, but it's not something I typically write

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! All the time. In the past couple years, I've written Ghosts in Your Head, Ghosts in My Head, The Flash fic in a Pacific Rim setting, more of a fusion setting, but I'll count it. Intersections, with Spider Gwen & Squirrel Girl, which are technically both Marvel Comics, but I'll count them as a crossover event in the comics spirit. Artificial Survivor is more of a Untamed fic in a Murderbot fusion setting, but the Murderbot characters are technically alluded to, so I'll count that too. Plus there's the Star Trek/Star Wars crossover with Star Trek OC's I'm helping out on. Generally you can find a lot of crossovers I've written, I find them really fun.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A reader asked to translate a tonyrhodey fic a few years back

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Given that I specified solo-authored fics above, you can probably guess the answer to that is yes! 😁 I'm co-writing fic about ttrpg Star Trek characters - I play & write Chief Engineer Piper Hawthorne. @severeannoyance is our captain and @plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows is our Star Wars expert for our Star Wars crossover fic.

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

Given that MITM is 1/4 of my solo wordcount, and I have updated it in the past two years, it's probably gotta be driftrod, at least for this ask. ask me next week, you might get a different answer 😂

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a West Wing / X-Men 2 crossover that's been sitting in docs for many many years. I might release some of the finished scenes at some point, like I did with E2bard, because there's lots of good stuff and I always have fun with the West Wing character voices

16. What’s your writing strengths?

Dialogue, introspection, and replicating particularly strong character and narrative voices

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

I tend to repeat phrases and overuse dashes, and don't expect much setting description XD

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I usually just indicate that something's in another language and keep it in the same language as the rest of the fic - English for me, I'm currently pretty monolingual, but I think other options are perfectly workable for other authors.

Not actually related to the question, but I've gotten comments in other languages or with phrases in other languages, and I always find them an especially high compliment - that my fic was not only worth reading in a language that wasn't someone's first, but that they also put in the time to leave a comment. I usually have to use a bit of google translate and ask my bilingual friends for help translating (thank you), but all the comments have been very nice.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I think I wrote what was Star Wars fanfic for vocab assignments back in middle school, though I didn't know that was what it was called. My first published fic was for Bleach.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Sticking in the past two years, Ghosts in Your Head, Ghosts in My Head is one I'm really proud of. And of course I have to mention Meet in the Middle, something I've stuck with for more than five years at this point.

tagging @severeannoyance and @plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows plus @philcoulsonismyhero and @vetoing-clocks if yall want! Plus a blanket tag for anyone who wants to!

[mech-mantis]

For salty asks 1, 2 and 3?

1.What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?* Megop it doesn’t really bother me but i see them as incompatible even when we see them before the war friends yes lovers no not really shockblurr shockwave turned blurr into a cube he tried to kill him and that was their only interaction i love crackships but if they did get together no way in hell would that be healthy Megastar just what Jazzprowl (not including tfa) sometimes i feel like we need to gatekeep jazz some of yall dont know how to write for him when it comes to ships and i dont think prowl should be shipped with anyone really Glory x tsunami cute ship i just dont see it 2.Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?* Driftrod their amica endura best friends basically i see where y’all are coming at but i can’t argue with amica/conjux stuff Optiratch another ship i dont mind its cute i just like to see them as old friends

Peril x clay i think peril has more chemistry with turtle than clay and dont get me wrong her and clay have a great dynamic but i dont think peril should be shipped with clay

Graystripe x firestar listen i too hate the male lead has to be shipped with a woman by the end of the series thing as much as you do but Firestar and sandstorm is a ship im okay with and graystripe is his best at the beginning and when he’s a old man with Millie

3.Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion? I have unfollowed a few people over them thinking sentinels misunderstood like no hes an asshole and using his trauma as an excuse get rid of his charater

Orion as an uwu precious cinnamon role owo. Oh my god can you be anymore insufferable Orion is an adult and has been shown to be capable countless times where did you get this from

An embarrassing amount of times over jazz headcannons

Starscream is innocent he would make a great autobot he just needs to meet the right person <- this always leads to the most godawful ships ive seen in a good while

The fandom interpretation of rodimus

Ashfur just wanted to be loved need i say more

Darkstalker was misunderstood/just needed a redemption

[itsgrayblue]

Just felt like writing a long post on why I just

don’t like Driftrod

And before people start coming at me saying I’m one of those Dratchet shippers who blames Rodimus for too much and sidelines him, you’re absolutely 100% correct. Enjoy.

Let’s start with Drift and Rodimus’s friendship. It’s strong and endearing, but rooted in a sense of obligation that Drift feels towards Rodimus. It’s something we’ve seen a lot throughout Drift’s arc; he latches onto people. Gasket, Wing, even Megatron for a time.

And I think it comes from that sense of belonging that he’s just never had. As soon as someone gives him the time of day, he throws himself into the relationship with everything.

Then along comes Rodimus with promises of friendship, adventure, salvation; something that Drift can’t say no to, not when Rodimus the only one willing to vouch for him as a former Decepticon.

But even from the start that friendship has this sort of subtextual conditionality, a sort of “look at everything I’ve done for you” dynamic that I can’t stand. Drift writes his speeches, takes his side, takes the fall, and in an early script draft of MTMTE issue 5, we even see that it had been Rodimus who volunteered Drift to go to Delphi.

And we catch a glimpse of the way Rodimus defaults to that line of thinking in the Dark Cybertron prelude.

Now you could certainly make the argument that Rodimus says this for the sake of, well… saying it in front of Thunderclash. But regardless, it’s a pretty inconsiderate way to refer to someone who considers you a friend and ally, not some sort of chaperone (And someone standing right next to you).

It’s a hint of the utilitarian attitude he has toward Drift. Of course we only get to see this interaction after Drift has been banished.

I know people tend to get annoyed when the exile arc comes up, but that’s a HUGE contention point for me. Drift, a former addict, former Decepticon, and all around former loner, after finally finding someone he thinks will be on his side, loses everything.

All the work he’s put into being accepted, changing his ways, into simply finding a place in the universe is taken away. Rodimus finds him guilty of a crime they both know he didn’t commit in front of the entire Lost Light, and exiles him.

All because Rodimus convinced Drift that he needed to be on that ship more than he did.

I’m awfully tired of that entire situation being ignored, I really am. Yes, Rodimus admits his mistakes, yes he learns, and yes he has his own issues.

Having issues is okay. Making other people, people who TRUST you, pay for it is so incredibly not.

Oh yeah, and Rodimus never goes looking for him

And while Drift and Rodimus seem to have a sort of reconciliation once the latter apologizes for his wrongdoings, Drift never says “I forgive you.” And while he probably does forgive Rodimus at least on some level, I don’t think he felt that it was something he could stomach saying out loud. Which is good.

Rodimus has not earned forgiveness. Nor has he earned any of the trust Drift placed on him in the first place.

Now I’m sure by now a lot of you have labeled me as some sort of sociopathic Rodimus-hater, and I’m sure a lot of you won’t believe me when I say I’m not. But the fact is: I'm not.

I think he is absurdly fun and alarmingly relatable at times, and he’s certainly earned his place as the poster child for MTMTE. But there comes a point when you just can’t excuse the amount of hurt that has been bestowed upon a person, especially not to the point where you could somehow assert that they could possibly have a healthy romantic relationship.

While his chronic bad decisions may be at the forefront of his relatableness as a character, he makes an awful lot of them at the expense of others. Making decisions that benefit you but harm others is a toxic trait. It’s harmful. And he does it constantly. Just ask Drift, Chromedome, Ultra Magnus, Megatron…

Now here comes the part about Ratchet, brace yourselves.

Ratchet never poses his relationship with Drift as anything other than what it really is. At first, they’re amicably disagreeing but equally intelligent occupants of the ship, with a shared memory that seems lifetimes ago yet lingers in the space between them constantly.

They have beef with each other, they’re even angry at first. But they’re both trying to come to terms with a universe without war and their role in it.

Ratchet struggles with his diminishing significance, Drift struggles to atone.

There’s this beautiful mixture of very grown-up, very complex emotions and interactions mixed in with the undeniably juvenile tendency to simply bother each other.

And Ratchet is the one who finally takes the initiative to seek him out.

Now I’ve seen it thrown around that people don’t like Dratchet because it was never integrated into the story until later on. I wholeheartedly disagree. You cannot tell me that there is no merit to the “avoiding your feelings by being rude” trope I mean come on, just look at the trend.

They’re two adults who have no false pretense to each other, who have a beautiful dichotomy and a habit of emotionally charged rescues.

So the basis of what I’m trying to get at is that I happen to find Driftrod upsetting from a psychological standpoint. I’m upset that Drift spent so much energy trying to maintain loyalty to a friend who tossed him to the lions so quickly. I love the dynamic they have at times, but sometimes I can’t even reconcile them having a friendship.

I think Ratchet is someone who would actually allow Drift to become who he is, not some sort of tangentially bound sidekick.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[decepti-thots]

N, Z

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

i will do this one again for you. there is a part of me that just wants someone ELSE to write the driftrod stuff we have been discussing lately mostly bc i would LOVE to roll around in it but alas, nobody will write the extremely specific niche for those two i desire and so i will one day find the time to do it myself.

Z: Major character death--do you ever write/read it? Is there a character whose death you can't tolerate?

yes, i actually fucking love major character death hahaha. i like to read it when i Need To Be Sad. i enjoy writing it. fuck me up dudes!!! kill off my faves!!!!! honestly i find tf fic to be sadly Lacking in this. i guess canon is murder happy enough for most?

the more i like the character the more that works for me so there isn't a character i wouldn't want to see it with, no.

[bitegore]

driftrod or hotlock, uhhhh 69/49?

69 (nice): Flirting Under Fire 

49: Fake Married 

how about both. how about driftrod AND hotlock. how about both

SET AND PRELIMINARY STUFF

Two parts! One well before the end of the war and one during the first part of MTMTE

i love the headcanon that Drift and Hot Rod knew each other before the war so that’s also coming out here

Part 1: [Fancy Angsty Poetry as a title. i’m thinking smth about blood]

cold open onto a pitched battle

zoom around a little bit. desperation, blood and guts

show how everyone is upset

and then show deadlock and hot rod

They’re not together at first; initially the tone is exactly like everything else. Hot Rod is lighting people on fire. Deadlock bites some guy’s throat out and shoots the one next to him

and then the two of them clash themselves

and its like an almost instantaneous tone change

they are FLIRTING

they’re also trying to kill each other but like. flirtily. someone tries to get to Deadlock while Hot Rod is fighting him and both Deadlock and Hot Rod turn to them and go “FUCK OFF” lol

then admittedly Deadlock does eventually get lit on fire and shot by Rodimus but like….non fatally. they both are like adrenaline high and floating on crush emotions when they leave with their respective factions

bonus points if they text each other after

double bonus points if they fantasize about getting together after the war

triple points if they think about being friends before the war

Part 2: [slightly less angsty poetry as a title]

They land on a planet.

The planet has a weird and extremely important culture that centers around duality

which means they need a married couple to speak to

they REFUSE to talk to anyone who isnt transformers-married

Drift and Rodimus are both kind of like “bro are you thinking what im thinking”

they are

they’re constantly on the same wavelength when it comes to this sort of thing when i am writing the fics

they kind of both present themselves as conjunxed

all goes well

then it turns out the planet inhabitants are trying to stall them so that the Black Bloc Consortium can show up and murder the Lost Light and its crew

ohno.png

They have to fight their way out

this includes more flirting under fire but they’re on the same team this time

then they flee

Epilogue: a short dialogue snippet

“We should probably get real-conjunxed”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Wanna?”

“Nah. You already know.”

“Yeah, that’s about where I’m on that, too.”

“So we’re not doing it?”

“We’re not.”

“Alright. Remember to meditate later.”

“Uuuuugh.”

“I’ll let you play with my sword.”

“Meditating now.”

end scene

this partially inspired by some megastar fake dating fic i read a while back

[respirdal]

Do you have any fluffy driftrod fics recommendations?

It’s time for the “Fluffy DiftRod Fics List” of 2k19 

the *Incomplete Compendium by Res because its missing angst. 

*The following list are fics do not include sticky interactions or they are simply mentioned in passing.

 This list also features some angst but with the intentions of a happy ending or a hopeful resolution. 

There are, of course, so many more wonderful fics. Might be for another Fic Rec List because this one is…pretty long.

 MTMTE/LL

-

The Cusp of Return - antepathy

https://tf-rare-pairing.livejournal.com/370865.html

“What do you believe in?”

“Hope.  A future better than now, better than the past.” A pause. “That’s what I’ve always been fighting for.”

-

Affection - Owlix

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3524294

The first time Rodimus put an arm around Drift and tried to pull him close, Drift punched him in the face.

-

Two Patients, No Patience. - Shadow-Vector

https://shadow-vector.livejournal.com/161517.html

“I know they werereal. I know they existed. I know that’s what they believed. And they were,” asmile that looked almost painful, a cup of memories, “right about everythingelse.”

-

And Here’s Your Own Spaceship - Sophisticated Adult

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12239529

“Two outcasts! Two robots, going it alone!”

The funny thing was that Prowl said it like it was a threat.

-

Return and Return Again - hellkitty

https://archiveofourown.org/works/377747/chapters/616459

“One day,” he said, “You’re going to drop this shallow act of yours. I can see through you.”

-

Rodimus’s Lessons in Leadership - Shadow-Vector

https://shadow-vector.livejournal.com/165566.html

Rodimus grinned. “That’s why I try not to think.  Look at the trouble it gets you into.”

-

Comfort - tasteful robot loving

https://tasteful-robot-loving.tumblr.com/post/187392130416/hello-driftrod-anon-here-thinking-about-them

They will not lose each other, not today.

-

Assumptions - Owlix

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1876149

Drift has made mistakes. They’ve left marks.

Rodimus takes him as he is.

-

Apologies - dracoqueen22

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8323132

In the still and quiet before battle, Rodimus takes an opportunity to let Drift know how sorry he is.

-

Across the Valleys at Sundown - carinatae

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8124868

Self-doubt keeps you awake.

-

Someday - squireofgeekdom

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11313699

In the aftermath, Drift and Rodimus finally have a moment to talk about the impact Megatron has had on both of them, and about their own past and future.

-

Like Crystal Flowers - Sonamae

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5928772

Rodimus has to deal with so much. Amusement Parks, Awkward Tea Parties, Space Bovine, Captain Enamored, and more! At least his boyfriend is there to take some of the weight off his shoulders. 

Now if he could only get Drift to stop teasing him.

-

Summit - Choomchoom

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13939431

Drift and Rodimus take a trip to visit a temple on the other side of Troja Major during the events of LL 8 and 9. 

There’s a lot they need to talk about, and a dangerous adventure may just be the best place for it.

-

Prelude to Adventure - timelessmulder/timelessalice

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17761883

Drift and Rodimus have a carefree moment.

-

We came to dance -Owlix

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1222213

Rodimus decides to teach Drift how to dance.

-

Meet in the Middle - Squireofgeekdom

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15307938/chapters/35514627

“I’m going back for Drift, and I’m not stopping until I find him, or until whatever took him kills me.” Rodimus stares around the circle, one by one. “No one else has to come with me. You want to find the Knights? You’ll do it without me. I’m going to find Drift.”

-

AU - Rodimus but with a faceplate

Bonk means I love You- butteredbutter, frostyfallon

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997271

When you don’t have a mouth kissing becomes a lot harder. Rodimus finds a way to work around this though because not kissing Drift is not an option.

-

AU - humanformers

-

On the drive home -choomchoom

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17046434

Rodimus and Drift first meet for real in the grad student office at eleven at night.

Sequel: https://choomchoom.tumblr.com/post/186388219002/for-stories-i-would-love-to-see-you-write-more

-

The Ferris Wheel Job - Squireofgeekdom

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16679344

In which Drift and Rodimus are shmoopy and ridiculous, their teammates are exasperated, shopping the food trucks does not count as doing a proper search, and no, neither does winning silly carnival prizes for your boyfriend, and things end up back on mission entirely by accident.

-

Sundays in Sunlight - BlueFingers

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20358916

drift and roddy make cookies together and it’s very very sweet

-

HOTLOCK

-

anyhow, have some more hotlock pining  - MarsReds

https://marsreds.tumblr.com/post/181885491094/anyhow-have-some-more-hotlock-pining

Deadlock didn’t have, couldn’t have the words for what this was.

-

Primus help him.- alyonian

https://alyonian.tumblr.com/post/185565600509/hello-have-soft-hotlock-cause-im-in-the-mood

And that’s when Hot Rod, as if he knows, begins to hum something under his breath

-

Snow - Haluwasa2

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13143696

Deadlock takes his little Autobot prisoner out to see snow for the first time.

-

The Monster in the Shadows  - Knight of Cybertron

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19835116/chapters/46967830

"Cold?”

That voice was so different. Drift never purred like that.

-

Ocean Eyes -Autobratty

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17994911

Deadlock takes an interest, and finds that the line between intrigue and attraction is thinner than he’d thought.

Hot Rod Medic AU: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1305464

-

THE ENTIRE DECEPTICON HOT ROD AU BY VETO POWER OVERCLOCK

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1189521

Special Mentions forExtra Fluff and Pinning:

Starchart - https://archiveofourown.org/works/19410514

A picnic under the stars.

  -

 PLAYLISTS

Stand by You -Squireofgeekdom

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65angSQ9reB5en0ftPpDLg?si=ew8mg7uSTueQDkY443vwYQ

-

Circles around the moon - rhapsodaze

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3UhBlYJMpWY4JUEyq5vN5R?si=oRgtLyWCRVy5U6GGNOgnvQ

-

although we are faraway - steelsuit

https://8tracks.com/steelsuit/although-we-re-far-away

[choomchoom]

For stories I would love to see you write: more grad school au driftrod! Also wreckers era drift and roddy shenanigans and developing friendship! Also, you write adventure & action so well and such good lugnode and chromeblade, and we always need more of those, would love to see more of that from you!

…turns out i too wanted me to write more grad school au driftrod, because suddenly i have 1.1k of studying and shenanigans (takes place between the second-to-last and last scenes of on the drive home): 

Probably anyone looking into Rodimus and Bumblebee’s apartment right now could tell that it was finals week. “Hey, while you’re up, could you get me some more coffee?”Rodimus’s voice, and the footsteps that had prompted it, brushed at the edge of Drift’s awareness, but didn’t stop him from typing the answer to the next flashcard on the screen.“Drift, your boyfriend wants more coffee,” Prowl said as he passed through the kitchen, stepping through the space between Drift, curled against the wall, and the oven, which contained cookies that Drift was watching for done-ness between flashcards. Prowl went to the fridge and took out a seltzer, not even glancing at the coffee pot.“It’s after midnight, he’s cut off,” Drift said to Prowl without looking up. He was sixty-four percent of the way through this Quizlet, and maybe he’d finish before this batch was done…Rodimus groaned from his position…on the couch? “On the couch” wasn’t quite the correct term. His head was on the floor, with a tablet held upside-down in front of it, and the rest of him was on the couch in what was commonly considered to be the wrong direction. Prowl had to cut a wide arc to avoid being hit by Rodimus’s feet swinging through the air.“You could get up and get it yourself,” Bumblebee said, which just made Rodimus groan louder. There was a dull thud as Bumblebee plopped his laptop down in front of Prowl. “My half of the research should all be on the slides. You can look it over while I take a nap.”Drift’s brief glance to that side of the apartment was rewarded with the image of Bumblebee, true to his word, pillowing his head in his arms and Prowl patting his friend’s head a few times before pulling the laptop closer and starting to make corrections on the presentation.Seventy-one percent of the way through the flash cards, the cookies looked like they were starting to brown. Oh well. Drift put his laptop down off to the side and stood up. Rodimus followed suit with a gentle “oof” when his descent from his precarious position perhaps wasn’t as graceful as he’d hoped. Drift figured he was on his way to either help with the cookies (or just snag one) or grab the last of the coffee while Drift was distracted, but neither of those things happened. Rodimus came right up to Drift and wrapped his arms around Drift’s waist and tucked his chin over Drift’s shoulder to watch as he moved the cookies from the sheet to the cooling rack. “I thought you were coming over here to help,” Drift said as he navigated his task around Rodimus, who moved in step with him as he went to grab the bowl of dough from the other side of the counter. “Iamhelping.” Rodimus sounded kind of like he was falling asleep, so Drift decided not to bother correcting him. “What are you working on over there?” Drift asked as he scooped more dough onto the cookie sheet, Rodimus still draped around him. Whatever Rodimus uttered next was unintelligible. He stayed wrapped around Drift as Drift put the new sheet of cookies in the oven and washed his hands. He twisted around to poke Rodimus in the forehead, which made him blink his eyes open, and then held part of a cookie up which Rodimus immediately snagged with his mouth.“Mmm. We should go to bed.” Of course now Rodimus sounded coherent. “I have to finish the Block Three flash cards. Then the cookies. Then I’m done.” Drift promised, patting Rodimus’s head as he repositioned himself, now with his cheek on Drift’s shoulder. “You can’t fall asleep there.”“You’re so smart. I bet you know everything.”“Don’t jinx it,” Drift said with the great depth of seriousness as he felt about the issue. He could feel Rodimus chuckling against him regardless. Drift had to unhook Roddy’s arms from around his waist to reach for his laptop on the floor, and Rodimus sighed as he made his way back to his own study spot as Drift resumed his studying-slash-vigil over the cookies. He finished the flash cards before the cookies were done and shut his laptop. Rodimus was sitting kind of like a normal person on the couch, now, looking through lecture slides on his tablet with his legs tucked tightly under him and a stylus flying around his fingers as he twirled it. Drift took a page out of Rodimus’s book and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, resting his chin on top of Rodimus’s head. “I think I’m ready for the exam,” Rodimus said, reaching the end of the slides and shutting off his tablet. “Does saying that jinx it?”Yes. “No. I’m ready for bed, I just need like two minutes for the cookies,” Drift said. He let go of Rodimus and pulled out the last batch, transferring them to a cooling rack and the cooled ones to a Tupperware. He’d do the dishes after the exam tomorrow. “I think he’s actually asleep,” Prowl commented from the corner, looking over the top edge of Bumblebee’s laptop at Bumblebee, whose face was slack with his cheek mashed against the table. “We’re bowing out too,” Rodimus said with a yawn. “Lock the door if you leave, yeah?”“You’re the only one who ever forgets to lock the -”“Goodnight, Prowl!”Drift hid his snickering at Rodimus’s cheerful dismissal until the two of them were safely in Rodimus’s room, and even then he was careful to keep it quiet.“That wasn’t really that funny,” Rodimus whispered to Drift as he blinked away tears of laughter. He was smiling too, though. “I know, I just really need to sleep,” Drift said before bursting into another round of choked-down giggles. Rodimus patted Drift’s shoulder until he actually got himself under control. When Drift was calm enough to get ready to sleep, they did, Rodimus reaching over to loop Drift’s arm over his body as they settled. By now, the light in the common area was out. “Did you turn off the oven?” Rodimus asked, right as Drift was about to fall asleep.“Ughhhhhh,” he replied, and rolled out of bed. Rodimus seemed to already be asleep when he got back, and Drift was careful with his movements as he climbed back in beside him.Not careful enough, apparently. Rodimus mumbled something that Drift couldn’t decipher at all, but he had a suspicion…“Don’t jinx it,” he tried as a reply. In response, Rodimus chuckled and pulled Drift’s arm around him again.

[liaswritesrobots]

How about 11, 12, and 19 for the ask meme pls? Love your blog and writing!!

(Thank you!! 😄)

This might be another long one idk, I'm more into self ship really 🤷🏻‍♂️

11. Favorite ships

TFA: Blackarachnia/Optimus, Sentinel/Elita/Optimus, Jazz/Prowl, Bee/Bulkhead, MegOp, Bee/Blurr

TFP: Bulkhead/Wheeljack, KOBD, Predaking/Dreadwing, Optimus/Ultra Magnus, Starscream/Knock Out

RID15: Drift/Grimlock, Bee/Grimlock, Sideswipe/Windblade, Drift/Bee, Strongarm/Windblade

IDW: Dratchrod, DriftRod, Dratchet, Cygate, Cywhirlgate, CDRW (idk much about either of them but they are an adorable couple), Prowl/Constructicons, Lugnode, Thunderclash/Rodimus, Rodimus/Roller, Rodimus/Ultra Magnus, Rodimus/Starscream, Rodimus/Swerve, Red Alert/Fort Max/Cerebros, Thundercracker/Marissa Fairborne, Swerve/Skids, Rung/Skids, Rung/Nightbeat, Nautica/Velocity, Perceptor/Brianstorm, Brainstorm/Whirl, Starscream/Skyfire

Cyberverse: Bumblbee/Hot Rod/Cheetor, Bumblebee/Hot Rod, Megatron/Dead End, Optimus Prime/Tarn, Clobber/Lockdown, Hot Rod/Soundwave, Grimlock/Arcee

12. Least Favorite ships

Megatron/Starscream, Starscream/Windblade, Tarn/Pharma, Megatron/Rodimus,

19. A character you love that no one else does

TFA: FUCKIN SWOOP AND SCRAPPER NO ONE POSTS ABOUT THOSE HIMBOS!!!

TFP: Airachnid I guess? I know she's not a very popular character, but she still has some fans.

IDW: Fuxkin ... Tesarus and Helex get overshadowed by the rest of the djd especially bitchface Tarn and I'm very disappointed and tired of it because they're big and sexy and have extra arms that shits hot! Also Deathsaurus needs more love, motherfucker has 4 eyes and wings and NO ONE is thirsting over him??? Sunder is gaining a little more popularity it seems but he still doesn't have much for him either. Also Overlord because I have shit taste in men.

RID15: I don't really know whose liked and whose not for this show but I'm gonna say Razorpaw since I never see anything for him.

Cyberverse: Wheeljack. People like him but they hate his design but I think it's nice and very dad like, he's gonna take me out for ice cream after I ace a test and then we're gonna throw a football around in the yard after we get home. Also Bludgeon he's hot.

[postapocalyptic-cryptic]

I need to write more messy fwb driftrod

[starvonnie]

Hi! Genuinely curious, would you ship Rods and Megs with anyone else? What are some of your opinions on other ships (popular or not) that include them them? Love your blog

I’m glad you find enjoyment in this tire fire

I love Driftrod!  I prefer them as best buds that occasionally have sex, because, y’know, it happens.  But I enjoy them being in a relationship, too.

Rodimags is good, too.  Honestly any configuration involving Megatron, Rodimus, and/or Ultra Magnus is Good Shit™

I used to be really into Megarung and I still enjoy it but then megarod took over and the rest is history.  Like, I spent days writing this megarung fic when I used up all my internet so that was just what I did.  Must’ve been 50 written pages long.  And no, no one’s gonna get to see it because it was bad.

OH AND I CAN’T FORGET ABOUT MEGASTARROD (I need more content like air I don’t understand why this is such a rarepair LIKE THE PARALLELS BETWEEN RODDY AND STAR ITS RIGHT THERE)

[squireofgeekdom]

Finished two scenes tonight. I think I have three flashbacks left to write for chapter 15, but we’ll see if all the concepts make the cut after I’ve looked at how things are working out. And also if any more scenes make their way out of the outline woodwork ... genuinely not sure how long this is or how much is left at this point... XD at least it’s not chapter nine, where I was in a state of *has four scenes left* *writes two scenes* *somehow still has four scenes left* with alarming frequency. (and also chapter nine was just. oh god so much pain. like i like writing angst but i have limits) I hope it will be ready in a few weeks, knock on wood? I can’t begin to tell you how much editing is going to be involved in this one. dear god. i’m tired just thinking about it.

also made some more progress on chapter 16, which wraps up act 2/starts act 3. my optimistic goal is to have that one out for mitm’s third anniversary in july. i am open to suggestions for how to celebrate the end of act two and the anniversary XD

oh and also. if you want more of my writing that’s actually. yknow. done (and lovingly edited) you should check out the driftrod zine, which is currently having leftover sales! it’s a great zine with a stellar lineup and really spectacular art and fic, and i’m deeply fond of the fic i have in there and i think yall will like it a lot if you like mitm and are looking forward to the eventual happy ending tag coming to fruition ;D (also my share of proceeds from the zine will go to lambda legal, which is a great org and will be sorely needed to fight the legal battles to protect trans youth from the various shitty state laws passed in the us this year.) anyway check em out!

So after not touching the document for… over two months, for various reasons, last night I sat down and wrote two scenes of chapter 15 of meet in the middle in one sitting. Now it’s at 8/24 scenes? 25 scenes? 26 scenes? look at this point even I don’t know how many scenes this chapter is. anyway it’s somewhere vaguely in the neighborhood of a third drafted.

This productivity brought to you by the instrumental versions of the Holy Musical B@man songs