#bbm arcee

Bots helping out trans transformers - yes, all the circumstances depicted in this context are derivable from canon at this point. Also a post about part of how we got deep into transformers after watching Cyberverse, learning about trans ones, and the value of the stories. The thoughts are after the image IDs.

ID 1 of 4: A diorama of toy transformers on a trans flag floor in front of a sci-fi polity backdrop. On the bunk lying down is a IDW1 Arcee with her right hand raised in enthusiasm. Her left hand is held by PRID Arcee, who is also holding an energon goods box near her counterpart while turning to look to her left, as is Anode next to Lug, in turn near BBM, ER, IDW2, and Energon Arcees doing the same. Three medics are standing around PRID Arcee: BBM Ratchet with a hand to his head an MP Ratchet medical arm out his back, Minerva with an arm around him & clenching a wrench, & a custom Velocity sticking a cylindrical accessory into IDW1 Arcee's back stack as if a syringe. That Arcee has a cable running into her back. her sword hilts, a rifle, a red jetpack, & her old Spotlight Arcee back stacks by the bunk. In front is S86 Arcee with a sword over her shoulder & holding Jhiaxus's head, while Q-TF Arcee holds his rifle. Road Rage, Sideswipe, Chromia, & Animated Arcee block the entry of Ultra Magnus. End ID.

ID 2 of 4: On the same background as before is a diorama with boxes and books assembled to resemble two small apartment homes. A door made out of a sketchpaper cardboard cover is open to the apartment on the left, with a custom Velocity (from TR Blurr) standing in the doorway. Ahead of her to the right is a custom Nautica (from WFC Chromia) being embraced by a custom Lug (from TR Rewind) while a custom Anode (from RID15 Warrior Windblade) has her hands raised in excitement. Behind her IDW2 Arcee (from WFC Nightbird) shares an embrace with WFC Greenlight while the two have arms outstretched looking at the open home. Jetpack and prime armor accessories are at the feet of Lug, Anode, Arcee, and Greenlight, imitating luggage, and Anode has a fusion cannon firing chamber/grip stored in her back turbine, also imitating luggage of a sort. End ID.

ID 3 of 4: On the same backdrop with no additional structures are just some transformer toys. To the left is PotP Elita with and TR Overlord with arms on the hips or hanging to the side, and Origins Bumblebee waving. The three are watching with pride as BW Archadis and WFC Vertebreak run towards each other, WFC Acid Storm shares an embrace with Ion Storm and Nova Storm, and BBM Soundwave hugs a BBM Howlback who has leaped onto him, head and front legs on his shoulders. Gathered by those last two are BBM Buzzsaw sitting in bird mode, BBM Ravage sitting on back legs with jaws open in a howl, and BBM Frenzy waving back at Bumblebee. End ID.

ID 4 of 4: On the same trans flag and polityscape background as before, a tense situation is depicted with a transformer diorama. On the left side from back to front is Cheetor holding the Allspark & a sword, Legacy Prime Arcee holding the Omega Lock, & the Forge of Solus Prime is seen raised by a barely visible Smokescreen, standing behind the next row of bots: Legacy Bulkhead with his mace & rotary blaster out, FoC Jazz w/ a pistol raised, & Universe Tread Bolt with shoulder cannons up & his blaster over his shoulders. Next up are S86 Rodimus with a pistol and a blast effect lit Matrix, Siege Rung, WFC Airazor, a Mistress of Flame w/ hammer, IDW1 Arcee w/ swords, & CW Pyra Magna with her ax. Last in front are Cyberverse deluxe Grimlock in Trex mode, and TR Windblade holding the T30 Stormfall sword. Opposite the bots are SG Flamewar with a rotary blaster and shield raised, Cyberverse deluxe Dead End, Kingdom Cyclonus, Siege Megs, & Ultra Slipstream with blasters raised, & Motormaster with sword. End ID.

So- First image: IDW1 Arcee did actually have a reformatting surgery of her own volition from Ratchet in MTMTE #27 Dark Cybertron Chapter 10 The Becoming, and she was happy about it, unlike the extra bullshit Jhiaxus tacked on to her surgery from him! Anode helped her out in between those events for a while. Arcees generally, trans or no, care deeply about ethics and compassion of some sort, helping people out and willing to put their all into it. Showing up for the surgery of someone they care about is the kind of thing they'd do. Magnus is there cuz' he arrested her in Spotlight Arcee. Which well, prison wasn't what she (or anyone) needed for what her situation was. Sideswipe was there because even though he didn't understand her much until the end, HE TRUSTED HER ANYWAY, stood by her choices, risked his life for her as she did for him. Chromia is there because of how close she is with Windblade and how Windblade sees things, more on that later.

The second image is because Anode & Lug had been homeless for at least part of the duration of Great War, & Arcee in An Arcee Sort of Day having had trouble getting a housing loan. We chose Nautica to help them because she eventually understood Anode and Lug’s economic reasons for theft after initially taking issue with them.

The 3rd image doesn't have to do with the characters as much as it does things from IDW1 & AVP (although Archadis, Howlback, and Overlord’s gender expansive stories come up in Ask Vector Prime): in the former, the loneliness of trans characters shown, cut off from or having lost community & understanding from people, & eventually finding family. In the latter, working together for euphoria.

The last image is a bit more abstract/cobbled together. The Decepticons in e.g. Cyberverse, sought to meddle with Cybertron's reproductive autonomy: deciding form & role for new gens ('Perfect' Decepticons) with similar assignment for MTOs in IDW1, and forced weaponization (e.g. FoC). The Autobots have also sometimes been guilty of aspects of the latter two, but they more often champion autonomy as a way of life. Remaking/reforging derived from Solus Prime's story is an important metaphor/value for Camiens like Windblade, who respected Arcee when few would. The collective souls of reemerging generations in a cycle of life and death with the AllSpark parallels that reforging view, as shown by the words of Dai Atlas in the Escape miniseries, and the Matrix of Leadership had a direct link to the AllSpark in IDW2 as well.

From all this one can extrapolate that the fate of the AllSpark, the value of recreation of self and the access to capacity to do so have particular connotations both for trans transformers and all bots, just as building reciprocity, trust, wellbeing, and protection from malpractice do. Thus, to us, it's abundantly clear that while Transformers in regards to transformers does not deal with trans issues as a copy of Earth issues [this includes how in IDW1 Cybertronian androcentrism that (trans) gals face is not the same as ours] they speak to timeless aspects of autonomy. It is no accident that a number of trans people have been drawn to these stories over the years. Apart from enjoying them for other reasons, this aspect is there. Even when Transformers media is not talking about trans people, it is often dealing with things that effect us.

And that goes on a less dire level too. Like, the fact characters usually have two or more modes that are very different & related. And body modification is a deep & regular part of these stories, something a lot of people do. And the theme of change and agency itself in stories. This is say: if you either get what's happening in our world where gender expansive folks are in dire straits but we try to make joy and love anyway, just as the trans characters in these stories do, or if you can connect with how transformers is- there is something related.

Finally added some cyan and violet (wish we had lavender, will someday soonish) to BBM model kit 'cee for sapphic & trans vibes, also realized we haven't played much with t30 lately so gave her lesbian colors & added more trans ones! With what we paint and how we paint, top coat takes while to settle so won't transform her yet...

ID 1 of 4: Standing on a trans flag with a scifi polityscape backdrop are a bunch of Arcee transformer toys: BBM deluxe Arcee holding a pistol on the side of her thigh, and pidtol held aloft BBM model kit Arcee with cyan on the forearms and truangular head crest indent and the fromt of her upper thighs in violet like her central chest ridge with a yellow dot in the middle. Next to them is TR Arcee holding hers and with a Matrix of Leadership in her chest, and standing behind are ER Arcee holding her pistol, and Cyberverse Arcee holding two of hers. On the right is t30 Arcee brandishing swords, her thighs in orange-red, white and violet along with the white, and pink side plating. Her head has a spdctrum of orange and purple colors on the sides of the front, and the crest in the middle has a shortened trans flag painted on. Behind her is a sword wielding prereformat Arcee (custom from Gen Selects Galvatron) and an IDW1 Arcee (custom from Legacy Elita). End ID.

Forgot to get the triplet bots in here gah, with the spoons we have right now we seem to forget to get all intended Arcees in a photo, still lovely though and they’ll be in something soon.

ID 2 of 4: On the same backdrop are Arcees with their weapons: Legacy Prime, Armada, PRID, Energon, R.E.D., BBM, BBM model kit repajnted, ER, TR, Cyberverse deluxe, T30 repainted, prereformat custom, IDW1 custom, IDW2/An Arcee Sort of Day custom, S86 with an additional orange sword, Q-Transformers with an arm around World's Tiniest, and Animated. End ID.

Arcee-Arcee intimacy is something we like a lot plus we have so many XD

ID 3 of 4: A zoom in on the same arrangement of Arcees as before, except BBM deluxe Arcee is sharing a hug with BBM model kit Arcee while looking in each other's optics... and T30 and IDW1 Arcee are also hugging, and both leaning to kiss on the lips, T30 Arcee's neck is extended out a bit and she is leaning more.  End ID.

And here’s some hints of how the car mode will look when we finally show it to y’all...