OxiM

Despite their difficult circumstances, Akira remembers his early childhood as surprisingly ordinary. Their apartment was small, money was always tight, and his mother worked long hours, but she did everything she could to give him a stable routine. As time went on, however, keeping that stability became harder and harder; housing became uncertain, work was inconsistent, and eventually she reached the heartbreaking decision to place him into temporary protective care, believing it would only be for a short time until she could get back on her feet.

She never intended to lose him.

For nearly two years, Reina tried to improve her situation in hopes of bringing him home again. Unfortunately, things never became stable enough.

The Orphanage & Adoption:

At seven years old, Akira was living in a public child guidance center in Yokohama. He was quiet, polite and extremely observant, the kind of child who preferred watching before speaking. He wasn't withdrawn, but he rarely drew attention to himself.

Michi Todoroki first met him during a charity event supporting children in the welfare system. She wasn't there looking to adopt anyone—in fact, the idea hadn't even crossed her mind. While the other children eagerly tried the activities she'd brought along, Akira stood back, carefully watching how they worked before asking if he could have a turn "only if it was okay."

That small moment stayed with her.

She returned several times over the following months, gradually getting to know him while also learning more about his circumstances from the staff. At the same time, Reina continued trying to improve her situation, hoping she could eventually bring her son home. Unfortunately, despite her efforts, the stability required for reunification never came.

Realizing that keeping Akira in uncertainty wasn't fair to him and deserved the security she couldn't yet provide, Reina made the heartbreaking but conscious decision to legally relinquish her parental rights so he could be adopted into a permanent family. Before the adoption was finalized, she met with Michi through the child welfare office. It wasn't an emotional confrontation or a dramatic farewell; just two adults having an honest conversation about the future of a little boy they both cared about.

In 2015, at seven years old, Akira officially became Akira Todoroki.

The transition wasn't instant. Akira had spent years learning not to assume anything was permanent, so even after moving in with the Todoroki family he remained shy and hesitant. At first he called Michi by her name, spoke very quietly, and apologized for almost everything. It took months before he felt comfortable asking for simple things, and nearly a year before "Mom" (or Okāsan) came naturally.

Little by little, the Todoroki family simply became his home.

He started calling Shu "Ojisan," Hajime and Sayaka "Grandpa" and "Grandma," and before long even Hanae had become "Great-Grandma" in the wonderfully uncomplicated way only children can manage.

Present Day (2026):

Now 18 years old, Akira is beginning his own journey into motorsport. Rather than jumping straight into professional endurance racing like Michi, he starts where many young Japanese drivers do: the 86/BRZ Cup, determined to build his career from the ground up instead of relying on his family's reputation. Remaining humble despite growing up surrounded by some of Japan's most recognizable racing names.

Although he's naturally reserved, Akira has earned a reputation for being remarkably composed under pressure. He isn't the flashiest driver on the grid, nor the most aggressive. Instead, he's known for being smooth, consistent, careful and an almost uncanny ability to stay calm when situations become chaotic.

Outside the track, not much has changed.

He's still soft-spoken, endlessly polite, and usually wears the same small smile whenever someone recognizes him. Interviews aren't exactly his favorite thing, but he always makes time for fans, especially younger ones. Over the years, Akira also chose to reconnect with his biological mother. Their relationship today is respectful and warm, though no longer that of parent and child. They occasionally meet to catch up, and both understand that life simply took them in different directions. Akira holds no resentment toward her—only gratitude for making an incredibly difficult decision that ultimately gave him the opportunity to build the life he has today.

Fun facts underneath!:

Likes: Mountain roads, rainy evenings, endurance races, cream soda, collecting miniature race cars.

Dislikes: Being compared to Michi, wasting food, unnecessary attention, people interrupting others.

Favorite Circuit: Fuji Speedway.

Favorite food(s): Curry rice, Sanzokuyaki, Kanazawa Oden, Jibu-ni (duck stew), Manju, Yokan and Dango. / Talking about drinks, he likes natural juices but also has a certain preference for grape/lemon soda.

Hobbies: Photography, model cars, sim racing.

Dream Goal: To become a professional endurance racer through his own achievements and earn a major championship on his own merit.

Greatest Strength: Consistency under pressure. Usually listens more than he talks, even among friends.

Biggest Weakness: Sometimes hesitates before making hard decisions.

Despite growing up around famous racers, he still gets embarrassed when people recognize him in public.

Performance specs:

Speed: 110 mph

Maximum speed: 140 mph (≈226 km/h)

Stock top speed; 150–155

Potential speed: up to 155–165 mph

Start time: 2.6–3.0 s (estimate derived from 0–60 behavior).

mph Zero (0–60 mph): 7.4 s - 6.6–6.9 s (Akira’s lightly tuned setup). (The factory first-gen 86/BRZ are commonly reported in the 7–8 s range; a modest tune and drivetrain tweaks bring that down into the high-6s.)

Engine type: 2.0 L naturally-aspirated flat-4 (boxer) — FA20 / 4U-GSE family (front-mounted)

Horsepower: 220 hp

Weight: Light 1,220–1,300 kg

Quick notes / reasoning:

Look at the facts, Drift’s transition from the Decepticon mercenary Deadlock to the noble Samurai Drift isn’t a spiritual evolution; it’s a total suppression of his original personality.

The "Puppy Dog" Projection: In Age of Extinction, he has the audacity to say, "I'm the lone sage who sees through this puppy dog eyes act, it's beneath you."

And I also want to highlight how in this line he obviously proclaims himself as a sage, which, like i said, he is not.

Let’s be real: he’s projecting 🥹. Drift spent his life as Deadlock, a brutal mercenary. He carries so much guilt and internal chaos that he’s built this "Samurai" persona as a cage for his own rage imo. When he looks at Bee, he doesn’t see a "puppy dog act", he sees someone who is allowed to be emotive and liked without having to perform a specific type of discipline. It irritates him because it reminds him that his own peace is fake. Psychology calls this Reaction Formation; he identifies the aggressive, chaotic impulses he hates in his own past, and he attacks them when he sees them in others to convince himself he’s successfully "cured" them.

For me, that wasn't a sage speaking. That was a guy who is so deeply insecure about his own suppressed rage that he’s furious at someone else for being allowed to have emotions. He’s out here trying to be better while suppressing thousands of years of Decepticon-mercenary trauma, and he’s mad that Bee doesn't have to work as hard as he does to stay "chill."

And the monologue BEFORE the little fight is the exact thing i'm trying to say: When he calls Bumblebee a "child," he is actually describing his own inability to handle the frustration of not being the one in charge. He projects his own lack of "warrior discipline" onto Bee, because a truly disciplined sage would have respected the chain of command, regardless of whether he agreed with it.

+ The "Shame" Defense: He claims Bumblebee "brings us shame". This is such a classic "I’m trying too hard to look good" tactic. By framing his personal annoyance as a matter of "honor" and "shame," he tries to elevate a petty workplace grievance into a grand moral failing. It’s hilariously transparent.

The Baby Dinobot: Fast forward to The Last Knight. We see a true, enlightened master react to a minor inconvenience with... well, extreme hostility. A tiny Dinobot lands on his foot, and he goes zero-to-a-hundred immediately. And remember what he was reciting before that: "No fear, no hate, no anger" (sure buddy)

(Btw I feel like I should say that I love how the voice actor in esp LATAM portrayed this anger issues flashes!!)

If you are a "lone sage," you find balance in the chaos. You don't have a meltdown because a metal lizard touched your damn feet. This is the moment the "Samurai mask" slips, and the old Decepticon mercenary comes roaring back to the surface. He isn't enlightened; he’s just suppressing his instincts. A true monk or sage lives by Wu Wei (non-action/effortless action). If you are a true sage, a small robot on your foot is a moment of zen. For Drift, it’s a breach of his perimeter. His immediate, violent escalation shows that his "Zen" is brittle. It isn't a state of being; it’s a state of maintenance. He’s not that peaceful; he’s just one inconvenience away from a total system reset.

Although he ends up joking about it in the end, that doesn't change the way he reacted.

Lockdown's ship scene: Also in this part of the movie, He explicitly tells the team that violence should be a last resort. It’s his way of setting the "moral bar" for the group, trying to establish himself as the voice of reason and restraint.

+ The Zero-to-One-Hundred Reaction: As I noted, the moment that alien caterpillar-like creature appears seconds after him saying that, he doesn't just neutralize the threat; he goes nuclear. He starts shouting "I'll kill you!" which is the absolute opposite of the persona he is trying to project. The fact that he yells this with genuine, raw aggression rather than the calm, detached bot act is just that—an act. His immediate go-to response is lethal, over-the-top violence. Even if the writers intended it as a bit of comic relief, it serves the narrative purpose of showing that Drift is deeply stressed by his own rigid code. He isn't actually calm; he is terrified of his own impulses, and a surprise bug is enough to make him lose control and contradict oneself. This moment is key for me because it shows that for Drift, "discipline" is a choice he has to make every single second, and he is exhausting himself trying to keep the "old" Drift buried. When he screams at that bug, he isn't just killing a creature; (maybe) he’s taking out his frustration at being forced to act like a pacifist when every fiber of his being wants to go back to being a brawler. It makes him so much more relatable, doesn't it? Because we’ve all had those moments where we’re trying to be the "bigger person" or act all calm and good, and then one minor thing happens and we just lose it.

It’s a Canon Habit:

This isn't just movie-exclusive, either. If you look at his lore across various Transformers continuities (like the IDW comics), where we see his origins as Deadlock, the theme remains constant: Extreme Polarization. Whether he is a merciless Decepticon or a "noble" Autobot, he always operates at 100%. He is constantly oscillating between extreme violence and extreme meditation because he doesn't know how to exist in the middle ground. He forces himself into this binary "either I am a mindless killer or I am a silent, stoic samurai" because he is terrified of what happens if he just tries to be... a normal person. Well, bot.

He lacks the "middle path" because his brain is wired for absolute, black-and-white extremes. Drift is defined by his struggle to overcome his past. Drift is a character in constant conflict. He probably thinks being a "sage" means suppressing his personality until there’s nothing left but stoic one-liners. But because he holds himself to such an impossibly high standard, he becomes the most hyper-critical person in the room. He’s not a master of the blade; he’s a guy trying to convince himself that if he says enough "wise" things, he’ll eventually stop wanting to punch everything in sight.

The Verdict:

Like i said, i love him, but let’s stop acting like he’s actually got it all figured out. I don't hate him. I’m not being a hater. I’m being realistic. Drift is a tragic, complex, messy, deeply human character trapped in a Cybertronian body. He is trying so hard to be something he isn't that he’s become sometimes hyper-critical of everyone else's "lack of this or that" to distract from his own internal war.

He is an emotional disaster, a hypocritical mess, and honestly, a bit of a diva about his own aesthetic. And that is exactly why he’s one of the best-written characters in the Bayverse and outside it because he is the only one actively lying to himself (although well, this topic wasn't even touched upon in the movie). He’s not a sage, he’s a looong work in progress who is barely holding it together. But hey, thats the good thing, he is making progress and is aware of his shortcomings. But trying to change after like, MILLIONS of years of being a bad person is difficult. One meditation session at a time.

Anyway, that’s my hill to die on and for saying he’s a neurotic performative mess but at least he’s a mess with a sword.

Plus, criticism is accepted!!

Whenever I do these writings I feel like I'm overthinking or am I misunderstanding something lmao that's why😭

The problem wasn't a lack of feelings, it was that their lives kept pulling them in different directions. Both were deeply committed to their careers, constantly traveling and chasing new goals. Neither wanted to give up that part of themselves, and over time they realized they were trying to make a long-distance, high-pressure relationship work without either of them truly slowing down.

Rather than ending in a argument, the relationship slowly reached its conclusion through a series of honest conversations. They still cared about each other, but eventually accepted that love alone wasn't enough to bridge the differences in the lives they wanted to lead.

The breakup happened around 2011 or 2012, well before Michi adopted Akira (I posted a drawing of him a time ago!). It wasn't caused by betrayal or resentment, just different priorities, and two people growing in different directions.

Did Max get over it quickly? Not really. He probably held onto the relationship emotionally for longer. Not in an unhealthy way, just... Yeah it took him more time. Max took the breakup harder.

Michi processed it differently. She was sad, absolutely. She wouldn't pretend she wasn't. But once she'd made the decision, she believed it was kinder not to keep reopening the wound.

As the years passed, the awkwardness faded. Their relationship had never been a huge public spectacle. People within the racing world knew they were together, and there were occasional photos or interviews where they appeared side by side, but they intentionally kept their private life out of the spotlight. They're best described as former partners who genuinely respect one another. They're friendly when they meet at races, can chat comfortably, and still understand each other's personalities remarkably well after all these years. So... were they still friends? Kind of. More like two people who shared an important chapter of their lives and never stopped respecting each other.nor are they strangers—they're simply two people who shared an important chapter of their lives, accepted that it had reached its natural end and moved on without bitterness.

“Strength is proven by those you protect.” (hehe their motto)

"The Stratos Vanguard" is an independent Cybertronian organization allied with the Autobots, led by Commander Cloudstrike. Although they share many of the Autobots' ideals: protecting innocent life, opposing tyranny, and resisting the Decepticons, they are not part of the Autobot chain of command and operate under their own leadership, structure, and objectives.

Originally formed as a specialized rapid-response force, the Stratos Vanguard is built around speed, precision, intelligence, and coordinated action. Their members are known for now choosing highly optimized racing vehicles as their alternate modes, reflecting a culture that values efficiency, engineering excellence, and control. While this makes them stand out among most Cybertronians, the Vanguard sees these forms as practical tools rather than status symbols.

The organization is relatively small, with only a handful of elite members (thirteen members in total), each fulfilling a specific role within the team. Rather than acting as a conventional army, they function as a mobile task force capable of reconnaissance, strategic intervention, asset protection, intelligence gathering, and high-risk operations across vast distances.

Among allies, members are simply referred to as Vanguards, while many Decepticons know them by the nickname "Skywardens." The name originated from their habit of appearing unexpectedly on rooftops, ridgelines, elevated structures, and strategic vantage points long before anyone realizes they are present. To their enemies, the Stratos Vanguard has earned a reputation for always watching first and arriving exactly when they are least wanted.

Although independent, the relationship between the Stratos Vanguard and the Autobots is exceptionally close. Optimus Prime and Cloudstrike have worked together for thousands of years, and mutual trust between the two organizations runs deep. When a crisis exceeds the capabilities of a single Autobot team, the arrival of the Stratos Vanguard often signals that the situation has become truly serious.

I mean, I wanted to go the more original route instead of making them all Autobots or Decepticons; having your own faction is cool, right? I haven't seen much of this. And doing them in the Bayverse isn't for the weak (but I think they would look good in TP or RiD)💔.

Okay here's a sketch of Cloudstrike not even painted done with sweat blood and tears omg why are they so hard to draw

The Weight & Lift Physics:

The Aerodynamics: Firework possesses a highly dense, muscular Inphernal frame weighing approx 110kg (240lbs). In standard aerodynamics, a heavy payload requires massive amounts of kinetic energy (flapping) to maintain altitude, which would completely drain a mortal’s stamina. So we got The Passive Soaring Solution! To offset her immense mass, her wings utilize a Passive Soaring profile rather than a high-frequency flapping model. The massive 8-9 meter span combined with a deep 1.5 meter chord creates a huge surface area that generates immense static lift.

Thermal Gliding: So Instead of actively fighting gravity, Firework uses her wings to catch thermal updrafts and air currents, allowing her to stay airborne and glide for hours with virtually zero muscle exertion! The separated, "fingered" primary feathers at the tips act as winglets, reducing drag and turbulence at low speeds so she remains perfectly stable while coasting.

Present-Day Utility:

The "Air Brake" Technique: Because of her high-density weight, falling from heights can be incredibly destructive to the ground beneath her. When landing or descending rapidly, Firework flares part of her massive wings completely open perpendicular to her path. The sudden, immense surface area acts like an instant parachute, trapping a massive volume of air and creating a powerful aerodynamic cushion that halts her heavy downward momentum for a gentle, controlled landing.

Propulsion Dashes: While she rarely engages in long-distance flying nowadays, she can violently snap her wings shut or flap them once with immense force to displace air instantly. This acts as a heavy kinetic propulsion boost, allowing her to dash quickly across a battlefield or launch herself into the air, though it burns througt a lot of sudden physical energy.

The Injury Factor & Nerve Damage:

The Patagium Trauma: Her right wing features a prominent, healed burn scars directly on the patagium, the leading skin membrane responsible for controlling the wing's aerodynamic tension and angle of attack. Because scar tissue is rigid and lacks the natural elasticity of healthy skin, this membrane cannot stretch or flex properly.

Asymmetrical Fatigue: When gliding or performing propulsion dashes, her right wing muscles have to work *twice* as hard to compensate for the stiff, unyielding scar tissue. This results in rapid fatigue on the right side.

The Lopsided Flight Path: Because her right wing tires out much faster than her healthy left wing, her steering can become slightly lopsided during extended flights. If she pushes herself too hard, she has a natural tendency to bank or drift slightly to the right as her strength flags.

Historical Backstory (8 Years Ago):

The Outward Journey: almost eight years ago, Firework used the full extent of her soaring capabilities to permanently flee from her family and her father, Venomshank.

Traveling the Desolate Wilds: So to escape their reach, she had to cover massive, punishing distances without being spotted. Her wings were her greatest asset during this era; by flying at extremely high altitudes where the air was cold and catching long-range wind currents, she was able to travel across entire territories undetected. It was a grueling test of endurance that permanently tested her limits before she finally found a place to settle down.

Take a Cinder