#megatron and june darby

[dezmolad]

a celebration of our glorious in-universe robotfuckers

[frostfloweragainlol-alias-juno]

Some lil headcanon stuff for Torque lmao (ft team prime)

↳ Optimus and Ratchet are conjunxs, tho initially just Bumblebee and Torque knew as they are really private about it. They are really private about Bumblebee and Torque being their sparklings too (a bit more difficult with Torque since she really looks like Ratchet but they played it off as a coincidence. Somehow it worked for a while) The main reason for their secrecy is because they fear the decepticons will take advantage of both these informations. Team Prime eventually figured it out tho.

(how sparklings work in my au [completely Sfw and asexual])

↳ Her Alt mode is an ambulance. Sometimes she uses her holoform as well

(This is Torque’s holoform + Ratchet’s)

↳ Torque really likes human music, any kind. Her first introduction to it happened when she got stranded alone for years before she got reunited with the team. The only signal she could pick up was a radio station’s one and to help take her mind off everything and combat the solitude she started listening to it while she scavanged for supplies or tried to find a way to contact other autobots. She picked up the habit of quietly humming along to whatever song there was, and it continued even when she arrived at the base.

She sometimes hums along when Miko happens to play her guitar at base too.

↳ Torque and Bumblebee sometimes switch places with Ratchet when they have patrol with Optimus so him and Ratchet can spend a bit of time together without interruptions. They are aware their creators are busy and often don’t have the time to do much of anything together so thats their way to help them get a bit of that time off and they offer to take on a few task to convince them to take the day off (for example Torque offers to take on Ratchet’s tasks and Bumblebee to take on an extra patrols)

↳ Most of she’s pretty friendly and cheerful but she can be very blunt at times and takes after Ratchet in some aspects.

↳ She goes along well with the team, tho she didn’t at first with Smokescreen. Being a medic like Ratchet (even tho in training she still goes to help fix and weld together injuries of the team as she is literally one of the two medics left) she saw her fair share of horrors in the battlefield and she genuinely got annoyed every time he talked about how cool it was fighting and stuff because she saw it from a medic standpoint: just a senseless spilling of energon. She eventually warmed up to him however and they became friends

She didn’t go super along with Ultra Magnus at first either

Referring to at the beginning of ep 9 season 3, the tone in which he spoke to the team kinda pissed her off, that’s when she threw a quick “you did not just use that tone” glare at him. She knows he meant well but she really didn’t like how he said all that. It felt low-key disrespectful to her

↳ Torque doesn’t fully believe decepticons can change but she doesn’t discard the possibility. Except for Megatron. She despises the guy for what he did to her brother and if she could punch him in his faceplate she would.

↳ She rarely argues with her creators, even less so with her brother

The only time she argued with Optimus it was when he decided to stay behind when the base was blown up and she argued with Ratchet when he tested the Synth-En on himself

She argued with Bumblebee when he went on patrol when he didn’t have his t-cog and put himself in danger

In all 3 occasions, she was more worried than mad

↳ Torque goes along pretty alright with Jack and Miko tho she does find Miko’s tendency to jump into the groundbridge worrying.

She goes along really well with Raf and she’s happy to answer any questions he has about Cybertron when Ratchet is too busy and Bumblebee is on patrols

She goes along enough with Fowler and June, sometimes she asks June how human medicine works

↳ Her mask and visor originally had a medical function, they were to deal with contagious viruses (such as cybonic plague), but she uses them more when fighting.

(Tw, light mentions of tortur€)

↳ Torque can’t feel pain. When she was taken by decepticons back on Cybertron, before she managed to escape with the escape pod she was tortured for information so badly that her pain sensors got damaged severely.

Because of that she can’t feel if she is critically injured in a fight and continues on until she just drops and doesn’t feel the discomfort of needing to refuel so she most of the times forgets and often runs low on energon.

Optimus is very careful in sending her in missions because of these reasons and Ratchet is trying to fix the damage but so far was unable too.

The team took first notice of this, or at least Optimus and Ratchet did, in the aftermath of the scraplet incident (she went with Arcee and Optimus in the artic but when she was back she didn’t appear to be suffering like Arcee or Optimus even being in the same condition)

+ bonus doodle of Torque being very pissed off

[moonjump65]

First time creating an art post on Tumblr. I was trying to reinterpret Sari’s design in TFA into TFP for my AU and I had so much fun analyzing the art of Prime, Jose Lopez’s concept art of the humans, certain design choices and shape language that went into Sari’s original design in TFA and the design choices in Prime. And just I am so happy with how cute it turned ouuuuut. Will probibly expand and explore on the designs later with a season 3 look and post timeskip look. Please feel free to share your thoughts, and feedback with me!

[transingthoseformers]

Whenever TFP Optimus is paired with a human I just imagine Megatron having THE most destructive rager on the Nemesis. He was going to be irked regardless if Optimus got together with anyone, but a HUMAN? He feels OFFFENDED that he moved on to such an insignificant organic!

June, having had a past tumultuous marriage herself, would not be sorry for causing such a hissy fit. She can recognize the patterns alright. 🍷

Yes

And it's SUCH A FUCKING THING sfsfsgdg

[lonelydreams-world]

Raf's Notes as originally presented on The Hub's website.

TRANSMITTING FROM INSIDE AUTOBOT HEADQUARTERS

What if you could have secret access to the Autobots' base, getting the inside scoop on their latest missions and battles with the Decepticons? Well, that's Raf! He's got full access to all things Autobots, and he's taking notes.

We've gained access to his laptop, so now you can peek over his shoulder and see what's really happening behind the scenes. (Just don't tell him we gave you the secret password, or he might hack our system.) Check out Raf's Notes every week -- EXCLUSIVELY--here on HubWorld.com!

THE NOTES SO FAR

Gotta keep track of all of this ACTION! This is my stash of all my entries--super-encrypted so that Megatron and his boys (or Agent Fowler) can't get to the goods!

ENTRY # 1

This Is NOT a Diary!

OK, not sure where to start, since a LOT has happened, but I figure I better take notes, cuz ... well, let's just say, life's been pretty different lately. And I want to remember as much as possible, cuz if someone else said all this happened to him, no way would I believe it. I'm saving these notes as a triple-encrypted file in my laptop, so no one will ever see them. I'd do hex-encryption, but who has the time?

AUTOBOTS!!!

Where was I? OK. Autobots. My life hasn't been the same since I met them. They're these huge autonomous robotic life-forms who came to Earth to protect us from these other huge guys called Decepticons. Optimus Prime is the leader of the good guys, and Megatron is the really bad Bad Guy. (Except they used to be friends ... but that was a REALLY long time ago.)

They're all after this stuff called Energon, which is kinda like food and gas and blood and electricity all mixed into one. (Note to self : Eww.) They used to live on a planet called Cybertron, but they destroyed it by fighting for, like, forever. Optimus says he's trying to make sure that doesn't happen to Earth next. They've been here in secret for a while, but since me and these other kids Jack and Miko accidentally saw them and discovered their secret, they're protecting us ... in case the Cons come after us.

Bumblebee's my buddy. Mostly cuz I'm the only kid who understands him. Not sure why ... he makes perfect sense. He just doesn’t use words. Might be the same reason I could understand digital code, even when I was three years old. Anyway, most people talk too much. Best thing? Bee's an awesome muscle car, and he’s my friend.

Arcee is Jack's partner, and Bulkhead watches out for Miko. I guess I should point out that Jack and Miko go to my school, and normally we'd never even talk. But lately, nothing's normal, so the three of us hang out at the secret Autobot base a LOT. It's awesome, cuz they have the sickest computers and other way-cool tech.

My mom asked where I was going after school all the time, so I told her I joined the Computer Club. Which is kinda true.

ENTRY #2

The Bigger They Are....

Woah, what a week! Looks like Megatron, the main Decepticon, went down for good this week, out in space. Lucky for Earth! Most of us felt like cheering, but not Optimus. He never likes it when a spark gets extinguished, no matter whose. A spark is like a Bot's life spirit, more or less.

Game Over?

After that, we were all thinking Game Over. No more Megatron, no more trouble. So we got busy with our science fair projects. I have to say, it was pretty cool getting science help from the Bots. They have so much data to work with, and all that amazing hardware.

But it never stays quiet for long around here. Optimus and Bee went to go check out a blip on the Energon grid. It's how they keep track of all the Bots and Cons everywhere -- like a radar screen for the whole universe. They figured it was probably Cons, but had no idea who or what they were headed for. But soon as they saw Skyquake, it was like -- GO time.

Turns out these other Cons, Starscream and Soundwave, had come to Earth just to find and reanimate this massive guy. Bee said Skyquake made Optimus look small! Even worse, his whole mission was to destroy Optimus, under ancient orders from Megatron. They'd faced off on Cybertron before, but that was forever ago.

Bigger AND Badder!

Thing is, big as Skyquake was, he wasn't as swift as the Bots. Our guys had him down and pretty much out.. until good old Agent Fowler came along in a plane. Skyquake scanned the plane, and then it was ON again. But, then snap -- the GUY BECAME THE PLANE!!! (btw, scanning sounds awesome. Like instant cloning.) Wish I'd seen that!

Anyway, in the end, our guys nailed Skyquake, and his spark went out. Huge relief in some ways, but Optimus was sad again ... he always hopes he can bring the bad guys around to being good.

Meanwhile, Ratchet seriously messed with my volcano project for Science Fair. I will NOT let him help again. I had to stay late at school and try to repair the Energon damage in the auditorium. Which took more than a little explaining.

ENTRY #3

Scraplets Scare!

OMG. What an insane week! We had a Scraplet infestation at the base. Imagine raccoon-sized termites wired on too much coffee! Or zombie dogs on candy! Or ... well, I'll explain.

It all started when Bumblebee and Bulkhead were scouting for Energon in the Arctic. They found this big metal egg/pod thing and brought it back for examination. No one knew what it was. But by the time it thawed, it was too late!

Here's what happened: Once the pod thing was in the lab, Optimus and Arcee went back to the Arctic for more recon while Bee and Bulkhead thawed out. Turns out they get frostbite too, almost like us. Miko and Jack were playing a video game ... and since there's only two controllers, I was like, No, you go ahead. (Mr. Nice Guy. As usual.) So I was just hanging near the lab when I saw the first Scraplet.

It was kinda cute, for a bot. It was like ... well, like a dog, like I said. But a friendly dog. They only eat metal, see, not organic material -- so when it saw me, it was like: "Hmmm. Not tasty."

But then it followed me back to the main area and BAM! It attacked Bee like mad. I had to smash it with a pipe to make it stop. Bulkhead seriously freaked. Never seen him like that before. And then we knew it was an infestation. There were like HUNDREDS of them, all inside the walls, chewing up the pipes and cables! Which explained the Comm-Link and power failures. Optimus and Arcee were out there freezing, but Ratchet couldn’t activate the GroundBridge to bring them in.

Since us kids weren't Scraplet food, we went to fix the hole in the Energon pipeline -- just in time, too. It was scary, but way more scary for the Bots. For once, WE got to protect THEM! It was cool and all, but still ... I'd rather not do it again.

I'm not so much the Protector type. More the Defensive Crouch type. Still ... it's good to know I can work it if I have to.

ENTRY #4

Don't Judge a Bot by Its Cover

I learned something new about Decepticons this week. Something huge happened -- a Bot made contact with us! Wheeljack. He's an old friend of Bulkhead's ... this big soldier Bot guy who just roams the universe solo. Or that's who he was supposed to be.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

It started when we got a friendly Bot signal from deep space this week. Bulkhead was psyched to see it was Wheeljack, cuz they used to be best buds, back in this elite fighting unit called the Wreckers. (Sounds like a reality show, right?) When he showed up, we kinda had a party. They played this game called "lobbing" which is basically playing catch with the biggest things they can find. Miko jammed on her guitar (I think she may be getting better), and I showed Bee how to do the Robot. It was awesome.

But then Bulkhead started getting suspicious, cuz he said Wheeljack wasn't acting like himself. Turns out it wasn't Wheeljack at all! It was just a Decepticon pretending to be the real Wheeljack, who was imprisoned up on the Nemesis -- that's the Cons' ship.

That's right! We actually had a REAL LIVE CON inside the base!!! Gives me chills just thinking about it. Bet Miko gets worse chills -- when Bulkhead blew the Con's cover, he took her hostage. She was pretty cool under pressure, I gotta say.

Anyway, thanks to some quick thinking and awesome fighting, we got the real Wheeljack back. He actually busted out of the Nemesis himself! Way cool. So then we had another party. For reals. We all kinda thought Wheeljack would stay, and we'd have another Bot here on Earth ... but he took off soon as Ratchet fixed up his ship. Everyone was bummed that he left.

Bots aren't always what they seem. Maybe that's true about people too. That's why I like computers! Cuz you can always just reprogram. Simple. Elegant. No surprises.

ENTRY #5

One Laptop, Over Easy

Whole new thing this week. The Bots had to fight humans AND Cons!

Agent Fowler was taking this radioactive device called a Dingus across the country when Cons attacked him. That's what he thought, anyway. So he asked the Autobots to GroundBridge it out of danger, but it's too risky to transport radioactive devices that way. So Optimus and the other Autobots had to roll out and form a convoy to take it over land.

I stayed at the Base with Ratchet and watched everything on the grid via Comm-Link. The attackers were in fast attack cars and totally harassing the V-mode Bots. That's when we found out they weren't Cons at all -- they were humans working for a crew called MECH. Then, as if being chased by a bunch of heavily armed flesh and blood criminals wasn't enough, six Cons showed up out of the blue.

We had to protect the Dingus, so I got to hack into the rail system and divert a train. Highlight of my week -- GroundBridging Jack and Miko onto a moving train! Ratchet didn't think it was possible, but I got the train's coordinates online and zzzoom -- off they went! But then MECH hacked into the same system -- and they fried my laptop! Not sure how, but major bummer. Good thing my files were backed up.

I guess Miko and Jack were pretty freaked by how serious it got on that train. It almost derailed, and Optimus had to stop it with his bare hands. Kinda wish I'd been there. But mostly? Glad I wasn't. Not that I'd say that out loud.

Optimus was bummed, cuz the Bots blew their cover in front of MECH when they transformed to fight the Decepticons. And we're all pretty sure MECH will be back. But at least the Dingus didn't blow up or get stolen.

After all that, Ratchet sort of helped me fix my laptop ... even though he kept saying how lame it was. Well, now I've gotta figure out a better firewall. Still can't believe I got counter-hacked! Very embarrassing, actually. Hoping everyone forgets really soon.

:)

ENTRY #6

Breaking and Energon

This week, we got to break into a museum! But it was for a good reason.

It all started when the Autobots saw an Energon blip on the grid over in Greece. Bulkhead was trying to help Miko see how homework can be cool, so he took her with him to Greece. So there they were at these excavations, when they found a mosaic showing an ancient Cybertronian Energon Harvester. Pretty unexpected!

Miko took a snap and showed it to Optimus, who said the mosaic was a signpost for the real thing. So I did a quick image search online and found this ancient Greek statue on display in a regular museum. We knew the Decepticons were after it, so we had to snag it first ... which meant breaking into the museum. Like Optimus said: We were only breaking a law to save lives.

Here's why lives were at stake: Not only can a Harvester suck Energon out of the ground -- it can pull it right out of a living Autobot! That'd be like a vampire sucking all the blood out of you just by pointing at you. No way did Optimus want the Cons getting that thing.

So we planned this total heist, like in the movies -- only with a forklift and us kids. It would've worked, too, but then these Cons Breakdown and Knock Out showed up, and there was a massive Bot brawl in the parking lot.

During the fight, Jack and I came face-to-face with Soundwave in the museum! That is one scary guy. But he was so focused on the Harvester, he left us alone. Lucky!

The Autobots were bummed he'd snagged it, but they eventually got it back over in Greece. Took more fighting, and Bulkhead lost some Energon, but it worked out.

Oh, and Miko got caught by a museum guard, but for once Agent Fowler was pretty cool. He came in, flashed his badge, and then just sent her on her way. Like, Yo, there's Bulkhead. Go.

I guess we have friends in high places now.

ENTRY #7

Playing the Race Car

Wild week. Jack pretty much got everyone in trouble, but gotta say ... we were all kinda responsible. Mostly cuz we didn't really step up and help him resist temptation. Optimus wasn't happy with any of us.

According to Jack, it all started when this girl at school asked if she could have a ride on Arcee. Of course, Arcee was like no way, that's against the rules, and it's not happening. But then this dumb bully from school who drives a street racer talked some smack about Arcee -- I think he called her a moped?! -- and she was like, OK, that's it. (She takes that kind of thing personally.) So she and Jack smoked him right there. The bully guy wanted a rematch, but Arcee said nope -- we're not breaking the rules again.

So here's where I came in. Jack didn't want to look like a chicken in front of that girl (he likes her!), so he asked if Bee would help him win the race. That didn't seem like a good idea to me, but I'm all for taking down a bully. And besides, Bee was really into the racing part. So he and Jack showed up at the race. But then ... so did a Decepticon! It was one of the car Cons we saw at the museum ... Knock Out? Anyway, as soon as he saw Bee, the Con got violent. Bee said it was scary. And Jack couldn't understand what Bee was saying, so it was like total chaos.

It's weird: We all basically broke the rules and then, boom -- the worst-case scenario happened. What were we thinking? Optimus totally went out and tracked everyone down and saved the day ... but he wasn't happy about it. Then he gave us all a serious talking to. Sounds corny, but I think we all learned our lessons.

In the end, Arcee did let Jack give that cute girl a ride ... and now he won?t stop talking about the girl. Or about Arcee.

ENTRY #8

Bugging Out

Jack and Arcee had a wicked time out in the forest this week. They were looking for an Energon signature, but turns out the blip was this super-creepy Decepticon called Airachnid. (Like "arachnid," which means spider.) She has eight limbs, spits webbing, and likes to hunt. Creepy! I wasn't there, so all I have to go on is what Jack said, but sounds like it got super hairy out there.

He says he's never seen Arcee that afraid before, and it's cuz she has history with Airachnid from back on Cybertron. She wouldn't give him deets, but it must've been bad for a Bot that fierce to get that scared. And her Comm-Link wouldn't work, so she couldn't call the Base for backup.

Jack ended up running, since Airachnid was actually hunting him! She travels the universe looking for different species to add to her "collection." Kinda like a big game hunter. I think hunting's gross enough already, without humans being the prey. Too bad she didn't land her ship in the middle of one of those controlled hunts, where people "hunt" captive lions and tigers. Yeah, that's a fair fight.

Anyway, Jack was pretty swift. He tried setting traps, which didn't work, but then he actually went into her spaceship and started a fire in her ship?s leaking engine thrusters. That messed her up just enough to let Arcee get up on her. Then Airachnid just fled. Took off. Adios.

Arcee's been quiet since they got back. Big and tough as they are, I forget how vulnerable Autobots can be. Bumblebee says she's not talking to him either. Not sure what she's going through -- and I'm not asking -- but she and Optimus took a couple long drives this week.

OTOH, Jack's all puffed up now, cuz Arcee finally started calling him her "partner." Miko keeps reminding him he's just a kid, but seeing what he just went through, I'm OK with letting him feel whatever he wants. Not that he wants to know what I think.

Anyway, I feel like we're all partners here.

ENTRY #9

Inside Megatron's Mind

I don't know what was a bigger deal this week -- Optimus Prime nearly losing his spark, which was huge, or Bumblebee going INSIDE Megatron's mind. Yes, INSIDE it! And we thought that guy's spark WAS out.

Here's how it started... Out on a recon mission with Ratchet, Optimus Prime caught Cybonic Plague, a deadly virus Megatron invented on Cybertron. It looked like he was a goner. But Jack figured that if Megatron invented it, he must have invented an antidote too. Luckily, the Nemesis's cloaking tech was down, so Ratchet was able to bridge Arcee and Bumblebee up to the enemy ship to search out the cure.

But they couldn't find it, so Ratchet said they'd have to enter Megatron's mind through a Cortical-Psychic patch -- using Decepticon medical tech. Arcee was like "Are you out of your fragging mind?!" but then 'Bee volunteered to enter Megatron's mind. I was proud... and terrified.

Us kids stayed at the Base, of course, but we got to see literally inside Megatron's twisted mind through a comm-link. That guy is wacked out. I translated for Jack and Miko while Bumbleee scouted -- and then Bee met Megatron in the guy's own unconscious -- and totally stood up to him -- IN HIS OWN BRAIN! He even outsmarted him by saying that if the plague virus destroyed Optimus, Megatron would never get to do it himself. Which Megatron -- whose fantasies are all about obliterating Optimus -- totally bought.

So Ratchet grabbed the antidote formula via comm-link, and our Autobot pals bridged back. Optimus is fine now, but Bee is acting a little strange. Spending time inside such a sick mind must leave some weird aftereffects. Hope he feels better soon!

ENTRY #10

Out of My Comfort Zone

Up on the Nemesis, Megatron snuck into Bee's brain using the same Cortical-Psychic patch that Bee used to get into his. Then he hijacked Bumblebee. What a nightmare. To think we actually had Megatron inside the Base! Good thing he was more into getting revenge against Starscream than infiltrating our systems and defenses. He did nearly nail Bulkhead with a metal basketball, but that didn’t seem so weird at the time somehow.

But I should have known what was up when Bee forgot to pick me up for school.

Funny. The base's defenses are all physical, and Megatron exploited the groundbridge using kind of a mindbridge. Well, never judge a 'Bot by its cover.

The scariest part of all was watching Bumblebee's mind struggling to control his own body. I knew he wouldn’t let Megatron hurt me. At least, that's what I hoped. So in a way, by forcing Bumblebee to stay focused on me, I was our best defense against Megatron. And it worked.

Wow. I stood up to Megatron. I’d do anything to save Bumblebee ... and that's pretty much what I did. Went waaaay out of my comfort zone to help my buddy. But hey. We're family. We were tight before, but we're even tighter now.

ENTRY #11

Zoned Out

This week, Miko got us kids into big trouble. As in, Terrorcon-sized.

It all started when the Autobots rolled out, and Miko made a break for the Groundbridge! Me and Jack tried to stop her, but we got pulled in too.

The Bots thought they'd found Megatron trying to raise more dead Decepticons (Miko calls 'em "zombie Cons"). But it was actually Starscream. He fired a missile and almost hit us. Yikes! Then Optimus shot off Starscream's arm.

Something went wonky when the Autobots 'bridged us back. We stayed put, but they couldn't see us. It's like we were ghosts. Creepy. Ratchet said we'd gotten sent to the wrong place, but I realized we really went into a different dimension. A shadow zone. Never figured I could think quicker than an Autobot. I was pretty proud of myself! And pretty terrified.

Worst part? Miko got her zombie Con: This massive Terrorcon called Skyquake was with us in the Shadowzone. Wow, I can run a LOT when I have to!

Starscream's arm was in the Shadowzone too. I figured out how to launch its missile. (More pride. More terror.) We actually knocked off Skyquake's arm ... but the ARM CHASED US TOO! It was like, game over. Thankfully, the Autobots 'bridged us out.

Miko actually told Optimus it was her fault! Jack was like, can you repeat that about a million times? But I was remembering how we three had to work together to escape. What if she HAD gone in by herself?

Scary thought. Weird to say I'm glad I was there, but ... I guess sometimes being in the worst place is the best place you can be.

ENTRY #12

Nervous Breakdown

You'd never expect Bulkhead to say no to a rescue mission. But this week, he told Optimus he wasn't gonna do it, no way no how. Not even for the "greater good."

I get it. The Autobots were rolling out to save a Decepticon. How weird is that? And the Con in question was Breakdown -- Bulkhead's archenemy.

I wasn't there, but I got the deets from Bumblebee and Miko. Bulkhead and Breakdown were having a smackdown, and Bulk got pretty messed up. (Note to self: Never ask Miko if Bulkhead was LOSING, 'specially when I'm in arm-punching range. Ouch.) Then those spooky techie guys from MECH showed up and captured Breakdown. Optimus knew it could be bad for humankind if MECH learned the secrets of Cybertronian biology.

Amazingly, Optimus was OK with Bulkhead flat-out refusing the mission. But not Miko! She acted super-angry about it, but I knew she must've really been massively disappointed. Either way, she talked him into going. How? She said, "No rescue, no REMATCH!" Yeah, they totally speak the same language.

I almost wish I'd seen Bulkhead and Breakdown team up. Except, 'Bee said Starscream and his troopers showed up, so I'm glad I didn't. Starscream creeps me out.

Anyway, pretty soon Bulkhead and Breakdown were back to fighting. But Optimus was proud that Bulkhead rescued his rival. Strange but true: Sometimes you can be totally selfish and still end up serving the "greater good."

Pretty sure Miko was just glad Bulkhead got his rematch -- and won it!

ENTRY #13

Mom Meets MECH

OMG HUGE NEWS! This week, Jack's mom found out about the Autobots! She even came to HQ with him and Arcee.

Me and Miko couldn't even believe it when we saw them riding into base. But by then Jack's mom had been through so much, meeting Autobots was practically no big deal.

I mean, no big deal compared to being KIDNAPPED by MECH and webbed-up high on a ledge by Airachnid, who I guess was working with those techie soldier guys. Silas, MECH's leader, didn't even care about hurting Jack or his mom. He just wanted to get ahold of Arcee. The Autobots would never harm anyone for their own gain. Does that make them more "human" than Silas?

Anyway, Jack's voice got kinda shaky when he told us how Airachnid and Silas made him race against time to save his mom -- alone, while MECH was trying to take Arcee apart. Scariest! Can't even think about it.

Good thing Jack's smart (don't tell him I said that) -- and tricky. He tipped off Agent Fowler, but Airachnid and MECH got away. I can only imagine how upset Arcee must be ... no way am I actually gonna ASK her.

Jack said Airachnid scanned Agent Fowler's helicopter and used it for her new vehicle mode. Now she can travel under the ground OR in the sky. Great. Just what we needed.

It's been tough to keep the Autobots a secret. But Jack really didn't have a choice. Family's more important than secrets, and his mom is all the family he's got. Well, except for me, Miko, and the Autobots.

ENTRY #14

Stuck With It

Sticky situations this week! The Autobots had a close encounter with a weird magnetic weapon -- and we all got stuck with Jack's mom.

Remember last week, when she found out about the Autobots? I kinda thought she'd just tour the base and leave. But she started hanging around, like, every day. Jack's pretty used to his mom worrying about him, but Miko's totally bugged about how things have changed.

It IS weird. Ms. Darby makes us feel kind of embarrassed or something, like we have to explain what we're up to. Everything's awkward, instead of fun. But I still felt bad when Miko said that Arcee's as bad as Jack's mom -- just cuz Arcee sent Miko back to base to keep her safe.

I mean, it WAS dangerous when Arcee and Bulkhead took on Airachnid and Breakdown over this "Polarity Gauntlet" thing. It makes metal stuff stick together -- metal stuff like, well, Arcee and Bulkhead. They got unstuck, but Airachnid and Breakdown got away with the gauntlet. Ratchet seems to think it could be a game-changer -- and not for our side. That makes me pretty nervous.

But what's that thing people say? Change is constant, right? I guess it doesn't have to be bad. But this thing with Jack's mom is still gonna take some getting used to.

ENTRY #15

A Hard Place

Seems like Jack and Miko always get to be in the middle of the action! But this week, I really didn't mind. I mean, would YOU want to be stuck in a massive cave-in with Starscream AND Megatron? Yeah, no way.

Jack actually came face-to-face with Megatron! Even trapped under tons of rocks, that guy is ultra-terrifying. Can't believe Megatron dared Jack to finish him off. Jack said he was really tempted to take a shot, but he knew Optimus wouldn't want him to destroy a helpless opponent. Not even the baddest Decepticon ever. Optimus was proud of Jack for that. Me too.

But wow, poor Miko. She and Bulkhead were in a bad sitch when Jack found them -- with Starscream. Miko was totally dealing, as usual ... until Bulk made Jack get her out of there. Jack said she got so worried about Bulkhead, she was CRYING. Still trying to picture that. Kind of sweet that she cares about the big guy so much. Not that I'd actually TELL her that. Hmm, hope she never sees this!

Anyway, at least they all got out OK -- except Starscream and Megatron. Even Optimus drew the line at actually digging them out. Maybe they'll stay buried ... at least for a while.

ENTRY #16

Split Decision

A Decepticon, changing sides? No way, right? Especially not Starscream. That doesn't even make sense, but this week it almost happened. Sort of.

Us kids stayed behind when the Autobots rolled out to track a Decepticon signal. Good thing too, since Airachnid totally ambushed them with this weapon that freezes Bots in their tracks. Cool part was, Bumblebee got to be the hero. Airachnid stopped Optimus AND Bulkhead, but my buddy faked her out and saved the day. Sweet!

Anyway, about Starscream. The Autobots found him in one of Airachnid's webs, and he completely shocked them by asking to JOIN them! Sounds like a trick, right? And I guess it was. But you know Optimus. He wants to believe that anyone can change, even Starscream.

Pretty sure Arcee didn't give a scrap about redemption when she figured out Starscream's the one who snuffed Cliffjumper, her old partner. She nearly extinguished his spark! But Bumblebee stopped her. I couldn't see why getting rid of Starscream would be so bad, till 'Bee explained that acting out of revenge only makes us weaker. Cuz it's not right.

But I get why Arcee lost it. If anything ever happened to Bumblebee, I'd feel just as awful ... and just as mad. It reminds me again that Autobots are more like us than we think. Even they have to learn stuff the hard way sometimes.

@mk-wizard @escapistsatellite @vitamaeternum @mimitus @kitgirl91 @mokabeanzz @iggyfing @its-elioo Tada! Straight up from TF Wiki! @inexorableone @batstickblog @jazzimena @betaplatina-135

[witchofthesouls]

transformers gundam au, in which cybertronians are some sort of sentient gundam and piloting them is a deep act of trust (kinda like bang brave bang bravern). Their little human friend is clueless to this.

I had some thoughts along this line, but more of Pacific Rim style. Granted, it's been deeply influenced by the 'sentient Jaegers' tag. Particularly 'voices calling in the empty wind' by tielan on ao3.

I need Dot Malto and June Darby piloting Megatron, while Miko's parents have Red Leader.

Plus, the reunion between Starscream and Alexis has gripped me.

[raileurta]

Well this post got me thinking about how the humans would react to Raf's death. It also would not be pretty to say the least.

⚠️ Trigger warnings in the tags ⚠️

Both Fowler and June are devastated at the loss. He was just a kid involved in war he shouldn't have been anywhere near. I bet for the longest time they would blame the Autobots for the loss and resent them for it. They would also become extremely overprotective of the other kids. Especially June who was already protective. This whole thing made her lose complete trust in Arcree's ability to protect Jack. (The femme bot doesn't blame her for it) She would try to keep Jack away from the base for any excuse. Logically she knows he is technically safer there but her heart is too scared of being away from her kid. Fowler also can't help but agree with her. He is much more aware and strict about the kids now too. He was even tempted to sorta kidnap them and send them to a secret base in Washington or something. For now he is going to have the kids being monitored 24/7.

Jack is depressed as hell to say the least. He blames himself for not being able to protect Raf. He was the one "meant" to stop their trio from being hurt and he failed. It cycles through his mind constantly on what he could have done to prevent this, how he could have been better, why wasn't he better?

Jack visits Raf's family a lot and tries to help them any way he can. He feels like he has to atone for his failure in some way. Then when that doesn't work to help free himself of the guilt he would resort to "punishing himself." I'm pretty sure you can figure out what that entails..... 🔪

Jack also is much more aggressive about preventing Miko's reckless behavior. He will tackle, and even restrain her to prevent her from potentially getting herself hurt. They have many arguments now and aren't really on speaking terms. He will text her a lot though just to see if she's alive, Miko will always respond no matter what.

Miko at first just went into shock. Her mind went into a complete shutdown. For two days she barely spoke, ate, or just did much of anything; once the shock wore off though she exploded. She ripped off the posters off her walls, broke everything in sight, screamed, cursed out the world, and even smashed her hand through her mirror. Once the adrenaline wore off she clutched her bleeding hand and sobbed. She doesn't know how long she sat there crying but by the time she was done her hand had stopped bleeding and she was covered in dried blood.

Miko stared at her arm the glass embedded in the skin, and felt nothing but seething hatred for Megatron. It wasn't the kind of usual fiery animosity she held towards the man but a freezing loathsome whirlwind that had frozen itself across her entire body. This wasn't some superhero show anymore, where the hero would defeat the villain in a spectacular explosion of power but a cruel war that was going to end with the excruciating death of Megatron.

She planned, rewrote her plans, researched, planned again and did more research. For one of the only times in her life Miko didn't rush into something. Megatron was going to die and there couldn't be any way he would survive or somehow come back from death again. Miko had to make sure it was perfect, Raf deserved it she almost religiously thought. Early into her plans Miko recruited Bumblebee into helping her. The scout hated Megatron just as much as she did. Bee told Miko everything he knew about how Cybertronians could be hurt and the ways to do it. The autobots always feared transformers tech landing in human hands and they had a great reason to do so. Humans had remarkable twisted minds that could think of things that would disturb even some of the most callous of bots.

Miko is no different, especially when she is motivated by pure unfiltered hatred. It took many sleepless nights and three months of preparation but they finally had everything ready. They just had to wait for the right opportunity. By this point bumblebee's anger has calmed down slightly and he was now starting to doubt if they should really do this. The consequences could be disastrous.

You see Miko had realized scraplets or the rust plague couldn't really hurt her so she could easily use them to defeat Megatron. So she has been breeding scraplets, training them, and trying to selectively breed them so they would be able to resist the plague. Miko had the scraplets micro dosed with black energon so they would crave the stuff and be more powerful. Bumblebee would obtain metal for them to eat and he tried to make sure the other autobots weren't catching on. Once they could get on the nemesis Miko would command the scraplets to infect as many bots as possible. They had made around 100,000 of these suped up mega disease scraplets so there's basically no way anyone is escaping uninfected. They were basically sentencing every decepticon to death.

Bee questions whether Raf would want this and Miko just replies,

"It's not about whether he would want this or not but what Megatron deserves and he deserves to die. If I have to kill every decepticon to do it? So be it. I don't care what happens to them, every bot on that ship is a horrible person. "

He reluctantly agrees with the reasoning and continues with the plan.

After the ship would go down a infected wounded Megatron escapes the scraplets his priority would try and cure himself. When he tries to make it he's in for a horrible surprise; while they were preparing the scraplets they had also set out to purposely destroy ingredients essential to the cure (They of course made a lot of vaccines themselves) Any place he might look for the ingredients he would just find a data pad stating,

//Start message

"Hello Megatron, you may not remember me but I do. My name is Miko nakadai, and I was a friend of Raf, the human charge of bumblebee that you mercilessly had killed. He was just an innocent child but you didn't care, why would you? You're the powerful evil overlord of the decepticons, the bot who strikes fear to every Cybertronian who knows of you. Humans are nothing but organic trash that would be crushed under your foot. That's not going to be the case anymore. You're going to care, you're going to see what you have done, and you will regret having ever laying a figure on Raf. You shouldn't have messed with humans and you especially should have not messed with my friend.

If you don't want to die from the rust come to the coordinates X"00'X0.x" alone and we will provide you a cure. Also don't even think about contacting the other Autobots or you can kiss that vaccine goodbye."

//End message

Megatron then would come to meet Miko and Bumblebee. They would talk/integrate Megatron about Raf. Then Miko would pull out the apex armor, activate it and fight Megatron with Bee. If all goes well they kill him (maybe torture him a bit before that) and drop his remains on Raf's grave.

When they do get a hit on the Nemesis location they slightly panic and rush to get things in order. When they are ready the ground bridge opens and as they are about to leave they hear Ratchet say,

"I should stop you shouldn't I?"

The old bot is standing behind them looking at the ground bridge location pinned in on the nemesis. Miko and Bumblebee don't know what to do for a second before Ratchet's words register in their minds.

Should? They think.

Ratchet monologues for a bit about how stupid, dangerous, this is and how he should stop them from doing it. But..... he opens his servo to look down at Raf's broken glasses. He just can't. Ratchet looks at them tears streaming down his face. The same look of pure hatred in his eyes and demands to be there to help kill Megatron. Miko and Bumblebee look at him, they both just simply nod.

Nobody had said a word about it but they all knew no matter what happens Megatron has to die. Even if that means destroying themselves in the process.

They enter the ground bridge together.

Wow that sorta mini fic came out of nowhere. I'll leave it up to your imaginations on what happens next. Thank you @lets-try-some-writing for the inspiration.

Follow me if you want to see the future stuff I write. ✌️ 

[fandom-lover2]

My Sword Is My Shield, And I Shall Never Bend

Chapter Four - No Politics At The Table

Word Count - 1359

-image not mine-

Chapter Three - Too Young For This

Chapter Four - Music And Mead Make Men Happy

Optimus had been convinced that seeing the girl dressed the way she was when she first entered the dining hall was the most beautiful he’d ever see her, but he was mistaken when she entered a second time.

When she’d come in after being summoned, she was obviously straight off the training field, quiver secured to her back and bow still in hand. Her sword rested in the scabbard tied around her waist. The white shirt hung loosely on her top while tight leather pants hugged her legs tightly and boots went up to her calves.

Her hair caught the last few rays, making it shimmer a mix of gold and chocolate brown. It had been the same as this morning, except then her hair had been untied and showed the golden more. Now the locks were secured in a plait, though some strands had escaped and stood out in all directions.

When she left the room it was almost as if she was excited at the news she would be joining the meal. That had not been too long ago and now she had returned.

A royal blue and cream gown covered her body, hugging her chest snuggly. Her hair was pulled away from her face, but now showed tight curls that cascaded down her back, so beautifully natural.

Everything about her was so natural, the way she moved with grace but also comfortably. How she flopped down into the chair rather than slowly sitting. How the small “thank you” that followed after the servant had helped push her in was automatic and not forced.

Optimus decided that he liked all three versions of her equally. The morning bedhead who cared not what others thought, the training hard and looking like it, and the dressed up. Each showed a different side of the same woman.

She began eating without a word, but snuck glances at every one of the men when she could, studying them. Curiosity danced in her eyes, blending effortless with wonder.

The Lord began talking, but the General did not bother listening to him. He watched her. Then Ironhide, who sat beside him, nudged the General.

Optimus snapped his attention back to the Lord. “Yes?”

The Lord was glaring at Optimus, clenching his teeth. “I asked how long you thought the war would continue?”

Optimus was used to these kinds of questions.

He and Lord went back and forth, war talk. Optimus continued to talk. As long as the Lord focused on him, his men could eat.

It was after Optimus had said something about casualties that the Lord decided to toast, “To worthy sacrifices!” he cheered, hoisting his challis up.

Before any of the soldiers had the chance to be horrified at the Lord’s callousness, a snort broke the tension. Everyone turned to the end of the table, where the Lord’s daughter was picking at her plate.

“Yeah, worthy.”

Optimus felt the shift in Ironhide beside him, the anger now aimed at her. He raised a hand to rest on his friend’s shoulder but it was shrugged off.

“You will not speak at the table.” The Lord ordered, putting the challis down.

“No,” Ironhide spoke up, squaring his shoulders as he looked at the girl. ���Let her speak.”

The girl took the challenge, sitting straighter and turning to face Ironhide.

“What do you think of war?”

She took a second before replying. “I think more damage comes of it.”

Ironhide narrowed his eyes, a cue to continue.

She took it. “Fields destroyed, towns burnt to the ground, millions of lives lost and good soldiers buried, and yet no side ever gains an advantage, so the cycle continues.”

“You think war to be brutish and unnecessary?” Ironhide tried to be aloof about the question, but the underlying tone and way he was gripping his mug said otherwise.

“I think that there are times when war is necessary and times when it was a loss of human life.”

Ironhide barked out a laugh, but it was not one of joy. “You believe diplomatic talks are the way to end manslaughter?”

Now the conversation had changed from war in general to the current war. Would she notice?

The girl took a moment. “You ever hear of the debate of whether the pen or the sword is mightier?” The question was directed to Ironhide.

He clenched his jaw, leaning back. “Yes.”

The girl smiled. “Well I believe the mightiest is the hand that knows when to pick up a pen, and when to raise a sword.” She allowed a moment for her words to sink in. “And mightier still is the hand that knows when to lay down the sword.”

That struck something inside Optimus.

The girl then turned her attention, looking at each soldier as she spoke. “From what I understand of this war, two men with similar ideals picked up pens in an attempt to make a change, to speak out against the abuse the old council dished out to the Kingdom of Cybertron. They gained attention from the people and soon their writings turned into words. But soon one lost faith in the pen and raised a sword in anger. The second then raised his in defence, and both men gained followings that started the war. Neither have learned how to lay down their swords.”

 She then fixed her gaze on Optimus. “Though from what I hear, neither of you are trusting enough of the other to allow peace talks to occur.”

Optimus cleared his throat, readjusting in his seat. “You speak with a wisdom far greater than your age.”

The girl smiled, picking up her goblet. “Perhaps I can just see both sides.” Her eyes never left his as she took a sip and swallowed. “But that is just the ramblings of a child who has never seen war.”

“Exactly.” her father started, and every soldier was brought back to the awareness that they were all seated in a dining hall in a Lord’s mansion.

How did she always manage to steal the attention of every person and make them hang off her every word without even asserting herself in the centre of the room?

“Just nonsense ramblings of a girl. From now on you will hold your mouth at the table.”

The girl scoffed, leaning forward to take an apple from the table. “Sure, as long as you keep holding that stick up your ass.”

Optimus could see many of the men try to hold in their laughter, hiding smiles behind feigned sips of mead. Ironhide was the only who didn’t bother holding back.

“I like her.” he decided, shooting a genuine smile in her direction, which she returned.

“Take her.” the Lady spoke up, smirking at the girl from across the table. “You can turn her into the army’s whore.”

The smile fell away, but instead of hurt or fear, she girl looked at the woman with fake innocence. “Didn’t my father meet you in a whorehouse?”

The soldiers shifted uncomfortably. This was definitely not something they should be involved in.

The Lord rose, slamming his hands on the table. “Go to your room!” he roared.

The girl kept her gaze on her paled step mother, a smirk gracing her beautiful face as she rose, apple still in hand. She made a show of scrapping the chair as she stood, then doing it again as she pushed it in. Once she got to the door she turned, dipping her head.

“Brave warriors.” she addressed, then raised her head to the General, repeating the action and calling him his fill title.

That was the first time Optimus heard his name fall from her lips, and he liked it.

Then she spun on her heels. Her father’s call of her name stopped her.

She turned to face them again, doing a very exaggerated curtsy. “Sperm giver. Whore.”

It was very clear who that was intended for.

Then she rose to her fill height, took last look at every soldier who stared at her in wonder and bit the apple. She spun again, pushing the doors open. “Jack! Come on, we’re going to the tavern!”

[blade-liger-4ever]

What if....Smokescreen became a Prime in S3?

(Stealing slightly from MiniKoontzy's Fire of Youth fanfic, but also just trying to make it my own. Also, pretend with me that Breakdown lived, joined the 'Bots, and maybe Dreadwing remains alive with the 'Cons for now.)

First of all, Optimus would likely die somewhere between part four and five, and Smokescreen has to quickly hold off on his grief (after a bit of tears and sobs) when Optimus appears in a vision to encourage him to take the Matrix, as he has been deemed worthy by the Matrix and the Thirteen (also note, mixing and matching canon a bit here on out.)

Smokescreen does as he's told, but is forced to undergo some painful upgrades to better combat the threats facing his team. Coming to after being upgraded by the Primes, he finds that he's as tall as S3 Optimus was with slightly less muscle, and when on solid ground again discovers he has a unique beast alt mode: a dragon with the flexible and aquatic capable body of a tiger, the wings of an eagle, serrated claws on his paws, wolf-like teeth, and a whip thin tail with a small clutter of spikes at the end. Onyx quickly fills him in on his new abilities - namely that he can fly faster than any human jet, was given strength enough to combat Megatron and the Predacon, blue fire-breath, and the ability to ignite himself with blue flames to heal/better defend himself.

After getting the flying maneuvers down with Onyx's aid, Smokescreen - now called Antares Prime - takes off for Darkmount, his grief and rage (like the rest of his personality, having been strengthened and increased) now bordering on animalistic. It takes his own effort as well as that of Optimus and Onyx's to keep himself from killing Megatron right away, though he finds himself feeling marginally better when he and Ultra Magnus bring down the tower.

Once returned to Hanger E, Antares feels uncertainty and fear gnaw at him as he stands just on the edge outside of the building in 'Bot mode. He sees them all - Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, Breakdown, Wheeljack, Magnus, and even his old former classmate and best friend, Red Alert - but aside from Red, Breakdown, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack, he feels isolated. Alone.

When questioned by the senior medic, who quickly deduces the identity of the new Prime, Antares informs them all of what happened: How Optimus remained behind and he went back for him, how he desperately tried to preserve his life, how he'd gotten the Forge of Solus Prime, how he was too late to save him, and how the Matrix chose him as Optimus' successor. He waits, holding his breath, watching for their reactions.

Arcee is the one who loses it.

She practically howls at him, that Optimus chose the rookie to replace him, that he didn't move fast enough, that he should've done more, or even died instead of Optimus. Antares makes no move, feeling guilty of every conviction she throws against him, until memories from the Matrix surface as Onyx's wrath and remembrance surge forward into Antares' mental vision -

He sees Arcee disobey Optimus and nearly cost Fowler his life. He sees the results of both her actions and Jack's, and how Vince - whom Smokescreen had twice playfully pranked to get even for Jack and teach the bully a lesson in humility - was nearly captured and killed because of her pride. He sees Optimus attempt in vain time after time to stop her and get her to listen about seeking revenge against Airachnid.

Antares sees it all...and he doesn't know how much of the wrath he feels is his or Onyx's.

He silences the two-wheeler and all who are trying to stop her with a swing of his arm and a bellowed, "SELFISH HYPOCRITE!!"

All voices cease, and as righteous fury burns in his stomach, Antares feels his body ignite with flame. Realizing his anger, hearing Optimus' pleas and heeding his own desire for peace, he just as quickly snaps his arm back to his chest, clutching the limb as steam pours off of his frame.

Hissing, reigning in the temper that has so uncharacteristically taken him over, Antares manages to regain control before glaring at Arcee.

But his blue eyes glow with fire, and another voice seems to speak alongside his own:

"You claimed for months I was a risk to Jack Darby's safety, and a tactical liability. Yet all I did was attempt to bring some form of good performance on the field to the team, and even as overzealous and thoughtless as I was, I never once disobeyed Optimus. And the one time I did, I did so for his sake rather than my own. I watched him creep ever closer to death, helpless to do anything but ease his pain and worries. And now - now, I see through the Matrix, through the Prime with all forms of sight, revered for his sense of justice, and overseer of the dead - that you, YOU put more lives in danger of death than I ever did. You consistently put your own needs and desires above the team, above Jack's safety, and above Optimus' concerns. You've no right to judge him whose orders you persistently disregarded, least of all when he was on the verge of joining the AllSpark. I am your superior, Arcee. Your Prime. I care not for apologies. As Smokescreen, I reached out to you, yet you swatted my servo aside. I will fight with you as your leader, your fellow soldier - but we will never be more than comrades on the field. Do I make my point clear?"

There's a heavy, cowed silence in the room as Arcee - who had taken a few steps back at Antares' fury - stares at him in dull shock and conflicted emotions. Bulkhead is the first to speak, assuring the young Prime that they understand, and with his prompting, she reluctantly concedes. Antares' gaze, when landing on the green Wrecker, softens ever so slightly, and straightening, he suggests they all recover before he retrieves Optimus' remains and the Forge in the morning.

Tired, angry, and quietly frightened, Antares leaves for another corner of the airfield, unable and unwilling to face his team.

But the sound of running pedes, as familiar as his newly recognized scent is strange, makes the Prime's fast pace slow. A voice calling out his name, his old name, makes him freeze. And when Red Alert stops behind him, asking to talk to him, it causes Antares to rapidly revisit his old memories. Soon, he turns to face his best friend, who sees the heartbroken, grief-stricken look on his face as, with a hitch, Smokescreen speaks to him quietly:

"I watched him slip away...But Red, I - I wasn't there with him. He died alone - alone, and I should have, should've -"

He squeezes his optics closed, voice hitching. In half a second, Red Alert has embraced his friend, and Antares can't help but practically collapse into his arms, the grief and sadness too much. Red Alert holds him, sharing his pain and shedding tears of his own alongside his Prime, his best friend.

And during a lull, Antares hoarsely whispers, "Everything is too big. My emotions, my frame, and my rage - Primus Red, I nearly killed Megatron and the rest like an animal -"

"Hey, calm down," Red Alert soothes, pulling back enough to look at him. "Look at me, Antares."

The use of his Prime name makes him focus on the combat medic, and with a gentle firmness, he assures, "I know it's a lot to accept, and even more to adjust to. But you were always the fast learner of our class. You aced more often than you got into trouble fighting with the slackers, and I know for a fact that you'll get the hang of this. And if it's too much, if you're really that scared of your new coding, I'll help you, though you might need to talk to Onyx - and if he's listening, he'd better know he should help or I'll find a way to make him help."

The threat, so genuinely backed by severity as it is playfulness, makes Antares laugh. How he missed Red Alert and his hidden humor! How he missed his steady presence and reassuring words!

In that moment, he makes his first true decision as a Prime, clarified and agreed upon by Red Alert: the combat medic, when not on the field or otherwise tending the injured, is his doctor and confidante. He'll need a friend by his side, one who knows him and his physical needs/past, and who he can trust when the burdens he's bearing become too much for him.

The next day, he leaves for the cavern where Optimus and the Forge reside, taking Ratchet with him for the mission. Together, they find a place in Wyoming to bury him, and both 'Bots take a moment to grieve the loss of their leader and friend before taking their leave. During this time, Antares finds himself feeling a more genuine friendship opening up between himself and Ratchet, though they both recognize that it will never be what they each had with Optimus.

Once the task is complete, Antares takes a day to familiarize himself with the 'Bots now under his command and the situation they're now in. He realizes that while he joined them, only Optimus and Bulkhead were truly his friends from the original squad - and even then, Bulkhead took a great deal of time to become remotely fond of him. However, Breakdown is the one who never abused him during his tenure on Team Prime. As a matter of fact, Breakdown respected and appreciated him, normally engaging in friendly banter and training with him when they weren't on missions. Knowing he needs a link to Optimus' crew and someone who he can feel secure with in his inner circle, Antares privately chooses the former 'Con as his connection to the others and, recalling his higher rank back then and the records he read, elevates Breakdown to the status of lieutenant among their ranks.

Now, he considers who shall be his tactical officers - and prays it won't end disastrously.

It takes a while to organize it, in part because of their past, but Antares convinces Ultra Magnus to be his second-in-command while Wheeljack - who had once been a high ranking Wrecker - will be his first officer. There's lots of tension and a few playground insults, but Antares convinces them with bridled frustration to put the past aside on account of his need for their tactical expertise. He explains that he was no leader in the past, and he'll need their counsel to find both sound strategy and flexible adaptability in order to better lead the Autobots. Wheeljack was always rather fond of Smokescreen, respecting his eagerness and quick-thinking, and thus promises to be on his best behavior - though he also notes that he can't guarantee all will be sunshine, rainbows, and unicorn farts between him and Magnus.

Antares chuckles at the perfectly befuddled look on the commander's expression. "That's all I ask. For now," he notes, smile returning to a controlled look of blank acceptance. "Keep me posted on updates from 'Con activity, and while you're at it, work with Ratchet to locate energon deposits. For this week, I'll be working with the Thirteen and Red Alert on - heh, 'taming the beast'."

With that, he turns and leaves for the airfield, and both senior officers do not miss the seriousness that has overcome their new leader.

As the week passes, all is quiet. No Decepticon activity is recorded, and a few energon deposits are found and quickly raided. The only disturbance is of Antares practicing with his new beast mode, his control and focus steadily becoming greater as Red Alert helps him in some combat maneuvers via a holographic training projector he had on him when arriving on Earth. At the same time, Onyx slowly teaches him how to suppress the primal instincts his new form has, and when to merge them with rational thought to improve performance in the field.

But despite this success, all the Autobots take note of Antares' unusual restraint. He smiles slightly and makes a few sarcastic comments, but they seem more somber, and almost deprecating. It causes them to worry, and even Breakdown and Wheeljack's attempts to lighten his mood in their free time is met with assurances that all is well. Red Alert, though he has ideas of his own for bringing Smokescreen out of his shell a bit, hopes someone can be found to better the process, as there's only so much he can do.

Optimus feels the same way, and on the following Sunday, when Antares suffers another bout of nightmares, the fallen Prime searches the airfield for a suitable friend and mentor to his successor.

His search leads him to the barracks as a young man - mentally and physically older than Smokescreen, yet still youthful - awakes and feels the safe, gentle presence of the Prime that he does not recall falling asleep to the previous night.

His dog tags reveal his name and rank to be Sergeant First Class Franklin Talltree, although the young Navajo introduces himself as Airborne.

Though the human cannot see it, Optimus Prime smiles.

To be continued....

[wipbigbang]

The 2025 WIP Big Bang & WIP Reverse Bang Are Open For Sign-Ups!

Welcome to a new round! We're bringing back the OG WIP Big Bang, which is for finishing fic and getting art to go with it, and introducing the first full round of the WIP Reverse Bang, which is for finishing artwork and getting fic to go with it. All fandoms/ratings/ships are welcome, including original works!

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FAQ

[wyrm-with-a-why]

The tfp I love fat bitches club with Soundwave about megatron, knockout about breakdown, wheeljack about ratchet and a shy June Darby about Fowler

[goldbug127]

Cringe is dead, here is my transformers OC

She's the prettiest girl in the world.

I got the idea of her when I made a random post about Megatron turning into a public bus for fun and then I couldn't get the idea of a bus alt mode out of my head.

Also, since I've been watching Transformers Prime, I've been thinking about how June Darby deserves an autobot friend like all the kids have so I also made her for that as well.

Bus alt mode gives her lots of space for human friends, which I think June would appreciate when she wants to feel close to the kids.

She's non-verbal for autism and PTSD reasons rather than physical injury (I'm absolutely projecting, not for the PTSD, just the autism). And she uses a mix of chirolinguistics/"speaking hand" (a Cybertronian language that is "spoken" through the use of hand contact) and sampled sounds (similar to how Soundwave communicates) to speak to everyone when she wants to.

She also uses a little sign language, but mostly just to call the others over so she can then use speaking hand. This is because one of her optics was damaged when she was younger and she struggles to see when other sign to her.

Some examples of names:

Even though Knightbus does have a sign for her nickname, it is very rarely used since she can hear just fine. I got the idea of Optimus's sign from the fic "A Bee's Last Sound" by Yuukirita. Let's be honest, if you're deep enough in the tf fandom that you're seeing my stuff, you've almost definitely already seen theirs but, if you haven't, what are you doing here? leave my silly little posts and go look at their stuff.

Anyway, Knightbus's very brief backstory because I haven't actually thought that much about it yet:

She was created when gladiators were becoming extremely popular locally and was actually very excited to become one. Originally, she was not too concerned with the strict caste system because of how much she enjoyed what she did.

Unfortunately, during one of her fights, she was severely injured. This is where she damaged her optic, making her partially blind. Due to this injury, it was too dangerous to continue being a gladiator and she was forced into becoming a construction worker - a job that is arguably just as dangerous with her disability but remained one of her only options.

This is when she started thinking more about how much the caste system limited her options. She also continued to watch gladiator fights, which is how she came across Megatron(us). She was deeply inspired by him and very quickly became a decepticon. However, as the revolution continued, she became more concerned about the indiscriminate violence the decepticons showed.

Early in the war, she escaped from the ranks of the decepticons to fight on the side of the autobots instead. She had heard of Optimus Prime through others that had been closer to Megatron and/or had attended the council meeting where he was deemed worthy to be a prime.

After the autobots are forced to scatter across space, she goes to search for Optimus, which is how she ends up on Earth with team prime. :)

I'm gonna make another post about my sibling's OC because this is already quite long. Also I'll definitely be drawing more of Knightbus because I love her already.

[moonjump65]

On Orion/Archivist meeting Megs AU and that sort of thing

I really feel like Orion Pax as an archivist in AUs isn’t used to it’s fullest extent, like you mean to tell me that Archivists/Librarians are higher class compared to the miners/gladiators?? When Librarians in real life are actively fighting against active censorship, lack of funding, the possibility of punishment for providing texts/information to kids who might need it?? How libraries serve as places for community, for people to learn skills like job applications, art, dance, writing???? I really want to see AUs where Orion Pax as an archivist having to deal with the information he was compiling suddenly going missing, not enough sufficient credits to repair the libraries, fellow archivists possibly going missing or being let go from their positions after providing certain information. I want to see Orion get frustrated and fed up at the active changing, rewriting, and censorship of history. I want to see Orion quietly organize, actively pointing people to resources, just being his own grass roots activist trying to use the appropriate channels but then realizing that the appropriate channels were not enough. Like COME ON GUYS?? Everyone gets screwed in a caste system.

[transingthoseformers]

Could you imagine, Megatron showing up to the JuneOp wedding to dramatically go all "I OBJECT!!!"

Miko let's Jack have use the Apex Armor to 'escort' him outta the venue

It would be so fucking funny

[lovinglonerhybrid]

I’m mashing tfp and mtmte/LL again.

There’s a town not to far from jasper that all the locals never mention. It has a bar and a library and a little clinic on the main rode through town but the people who live here are strange. The librarian has sad eyes and tho he is welcoming to strangers you can tell he never fully opens up. The clinic has 2 doctors but there are always 3 people there at a time there are whispers of the third person being an ex hit-man possibly hiding from the government. The men at the the tech repair store never have any customers and are often seen tinkering with strange machines through the windows. Every cripple of months June Darby will pack some bags and take her son Jack out to the strange town for a few days. People who have seen them in the town say there never far from two others who look remarkably similar to June. One day Miko and raf decide to sneer Akon and they come face to face with jacks “grandfather” a large man who where’s sunglasses and a face mask around strangers according to Jack. They also meet a blue haired woman with an eyepatch and two remarkably different girlfriends.

Anyway it’s late I’m gonna head to bed let me know if you want more from this. Good night