#elsrants

Something I wanted to explore more of during the rewriting process was Bumblebee and Breakdown’s mutually toxic relationship. I think majority of BreakBee fans can agree that they aren’t the healthiest and that Breakdown has some hardcore commitment issues. But why are these two mechs so complicated? Well, here’s my interpretation.👇🏼

Setting is the most important when it comes to our perception of love. Bee and Breakdown were in the midst of war. Bee just came online when the war was beginning, and Breakdown was a creation made within the war. With a life and death setting, neither of them could really conclude what a healthy relationship was nor could they really focus on relationships.

For Bumblebee, I would say his view of unhealthy love does come from how he saw Optimus interact with both Megatron and Elita One. In the beginning of the war, he saw how much Optimus yearned for Megatron to change, he was so desperate for D-16 to return. Yet D-16 was gone, and Megatron was too lost in his cloud of anger to come back. He watched two people yearn and crave each other fighting to the death constantly.

As with Elita One, all there was were arguments. Optimus and Elita were always arguing over what was best, Elita always questioned Optimus’ authority which caused minor fights, or ones that escalated in a massive shouting match. Bee, was always somehow there, witnessing it all. Watching two people who also deeply loved and adored each other fighting constantly.

Unfortunately Bee was bound to fall into those same habits. He was still young and naive, his environment still would have an impact on how he would act.

As for Breakdown? Breakdown grew around toxicity and chaos. Hell, the guy hardly even understood the concept of love at all. There was hardly any love if none at all around the Decepticons. Sure, there were the few exceptions but similar to Bee, the perception of love was warped. It was either exclusive toxicity, or it was just to have a good time. That’s how Breakdown saw love for the longest time.

So when the time came and Bee and Breakdown would begin to explore a romantic relationship, of course it was going to be chaos. For one, they were horrible communicators. When one was mad, it would be radio silent. That or a massive shouting match. Both of them had a hard time listening to each other’s perspectives.

Sometimes Breakdown would have too much pride to admit he was wrong. Sometimes it was Bumblebee who couldn’t admit he was wrong. Sometimes they were both wrong but one blamed the other more. It didn’t matter. There was always something to yell about, something to be angry with each other about. It wasn’t always so toxic though.

Bumblebee often strayed whenever Breakdown would bring up interfacing. Primus, that mech was so hypersexual it was concerning sometimes. Breakdown always respected that boundary, and Bee never let him push it. They respected each other despite their arguments.

Bee would later learn how lust has impacted Breakdown’s perspective, and so he would remain patient when Breakdown would shyly ask for them to interface. Yes. Breakdown, was so smitten by Bee that he would politely ask. Fidgeting with his fingers and scooting close, lying on Bee’s shoulder and kindly asking if he was ready. He wasn’t a flirt until years later where he would gain his confidence. But to Breakdown, interfacing was the best way to tell someone that you loved them. Which, he isn’t wrong at all to believe.

But, Bumblebee at the time wasn’t ready for that next step, and he couldn’t take it even if he wanted to. Being a scout assigned to Optimus meant he had a lot of responsibility, and unlike Breakdown who could stray away majority of the time, Bee had to strictly remain with Optimus and his line of work. Sometimes Bee couldn’t make it to hang outs, he had to ditch last minute, or he would be radio silent on their comms until hours later.

But what brought them together was their races. Oh man, races. Their core memories together. The one memory you could ask either of them of each other and it would bring a smile to their faces, were always the days where they snuck away from the war to race in the open field. Bee always let Breakdown win and bask in the glory of being the fastest. And the entire time, he would just smile and nod, actually listen and agree with Breakdown.

So perhaps despite the bad, there was still good. The small date nights they had together in the open field, just talking about funny stories from their bases. Occasionally they would have a few drinks that they would sneak out from their stashes at base. The best part? Cuddling under the stars. It sounds so cliche, but truly, both of them enjoyed each other’s company during the more harsher war times.

Their yearning grew, and their love grew stronger. Next thing, Bee was sneaking out more often to see Breakdown when he was supposed to be scouting. Then, Breakdown would also leave, defying Megatron’s orders just to get a glimpse of Bumblebee from afar. They were drawn into each other, so happy, and so in love. This was the happiest either of them had been

Their attachment only amplifying when they did interface for the first time when they had an oil bath together. Breakdown was careful, Bee was so tiny that he didn’t want to break him, yet the idea of him being so crushable was appealing somewhat. The way BD touched him was in a way he’s never been before, and it felt so good, but he also felt so incredibly loved.

It was a long night for the both of them; and they left with their relationship becoming stronger than ever. But Optimus isn’t stupid. Bumblebee comes back to base, with Optimus waiting for him. And Bee goes back into line. He doesn’t blame the prime. They’re in a war. They don’t have time for this, him and BD don’t have time for a silly little love game. Yet at the same time, Bumblebee so selfishly wishes he could abandon everything to be with Breakdown.

And just as quickly as their conflict dies down, it rises when Bumblebee falls back in line. It’s a complicated situation for them all. Bee knows his role, and he has to stick to it as it could mean winning, as well as life or death. Optimus, feels guilty that his little scout can’t have a normal life, but he has to make Bumblebee choose or else their race could be put in danger. Breakdown although dragged into the war has a little more freedom compared to Bee, so he doesn’t understand fully why Bee just can’t leave.

It didn’t take long until Breakdown realized that Optimus was taking Bee’s time away from him. BD hardly cared about Optimus, usually ignoring Megatron and Motormaster’s rants of hatred about Optimus. But now? He had a reason to loathe the Prime. And Breakdown was very vocal about it to Bumblebee. Bee and his undying loyalty to Optimus and the Autobot cause, oh that didn’t mesh well at all. Suddenly, there was a shift.

Their fights no longer were about them, it was about Optimus. How Optimus had so much control over Bumblebee, how Bee was just a puppet. Keep in mind from Breakdown’s perspective, Optimus is the one person who is keeping Bee away from him. And it didn’t help that the other Decepticons fueled his anger. And since both of them always saw their leaders lash out at each other, of course, they were bound to follow, and their fights often escalated to getting physical.

They’re both guilty of hitting each other when they lashed out at each other. They both swung at the same time, always. One never let the other beat them up, they were always fighting, someone had to win. Being described as a doll sent Bumblebee over the edge, and he cut contact for a while with BD.

He was stuck in a hard situation between choosing the Autobots or choosing Breakdown. And his spark ached knowing that he would have to make a decision for the greater good. Knowing he would have to make a decision at some point.

Breakdown had a lot of time to really think and reflect, and he came to the most heart breaking conclusion. Bee was never going to choose him over the Autobots. Bee was never going to be able to settle down with him like he hoped he could. Their situation made it too complicated, and even though he understood, he hated how this is how things turned out. He realized that him and Bee would most likely never be official.

The hardest thing was for them to talk to each other about it when the time came. Both Breakdown and Bumblebee were in agreement that they couldn’t be together. They also both said it was fine if one decided to sleep and explore with other people. Just as long as they could still see each other, still at least be connected. Did you truly believe they would ever cut contact completely?

Bee didn’t really explore much, he was honestly still so stuck on Breakdown and he didn’t want to have to constantly explain to other bots abt his situation, so he mostly focused and poured his energy into the war. Breakdown? The empty feeling creating a hole so big, that he used interfacing to try and erase it. He slept with other mechs to try and move on, to erase Bee from his head.

He hated that every time he looked down, Bumblebee was all he saw. Breakdown hated when he closed his eyes and he could only imagine Bee beneath him, wrapping himself around Breakdown and begging for his touch. But BD couldn’t bring himself to open up and love anyone else. His spark belonged to the scout, and yet he was also afraid if he gave it to someone else that they would break it just as Bumblebee did.

Oh they did for sure. How could they not? For a while they sat down, unsure what to do because they were too nervous to confront Bee themselves. They knew Optimus could do it, and perhaps Bee would open up more towards him since right now, Optimus is more like a parental figure to Bee rather than a leader :)

After finding out about that, the others kept their optics sharp on the previously brainwashed bots, with that they were able to pick up on things they couldn’t before. Ex: Jazz did put up his usual life of the party face, but then Oppy picked up how much Jazz was drinking.

Or how Skyfire may help with Shockwave and Wheeljack in their projects but he doesn’t exactly touch objects to create. His servos actually become shaky any time he hands over a simple tool.

Oh he did in this rewrite. Can’t blame Optimus, though. And neither does Bee. Because Bumblebee works so closely with Optimus, unlike an Autobot from the side, he genuinely had to start drifting away.

Breakdown has so much hatred for Optimus for being the main reason why Bumblebee started to pull away from him, then when he disappeared for so long that really just made him hate his whole being.

Both sides are reasonable. Breakdown knows, and he understands why Bumblebee pulled away the way he did, he still has every right to hate it though. Truth be told, it’s why Breakdown has commitment issues in this rewrite. For a while Bee genuinely wanted a relationship but Breakdown couldn’t trust that Bee could stand against Prime, he was scared to get his hopes up only for Bee to pull away if Optimus snapped his digits.

Ah. She’s been quite a fan since the war days. He has an energetic spark, he’s optimistic, and quite loyal. How could one not admire his bravery for being in the frontlines? He’s endured a lot, and had to remain hidden due to humanity. He’s also lost quite a lot as well. He lost friends, family, his home.

So, not only has he returned, but his attitude, his spark, it hasn’t seemed to change even if he has in age.

He’s still the lovable Bumblebee everyone adores. However, there something lingering in his spark. Something that Mary desires. She wants hold the pain in his spark, she wants to have control over it. Something about breaking a person who’s already beginning to crack is what gives Mary huge push of dopamine.

It’s all a game to her really. She has no desire for empathy or sympathy. It’s strange really. As a Quintesson, she isn’t supposed to feel. Yet, when she breaks the souls of those around her, it makes Mary feel powerful.

It makes her feel happy. It brings a sick amount of joy to her core to crack the soul of a person and grasp it in her hand. To wave a mouse over a cat and watch them chase for something that can’t always be caught.

Honestly, I don’t really think there are changes to be made. I think what Earthspark lacks is the needed expansion for their ideas and the story. There was so much going on, and I loved the little arcs and development they were trying to explore! However, in such a short amount of time it falls flat in its execution. That’s the main problem in my opinion. Actually, the thing I would’ve really fully changed was them bringing Mandroid back. I preferred if they kept the mf dead😭😭

Robby’s arc of inferiority and immaturity isn’t well executed because we don’t get the time to actually see him overcome these struggles. The idea is there, but sadly he comes off as extremely immature, more than Mo and Mo is younger than him. His impulsive behavior is also selfish even if it stems from insecurity and his fear of being nothing without his sleeve. Again, I see the vision! And I’m all here for it! But without that extended time, on the surface it really makes Robby look bad💔

I’m also not against the idea of Robby possibly abusing the power of his sleeves/not realizing how it affects other people. This is because heroes sometimes don’t realize how their battles impact innocent civilians around, and I don’t expect the Malto’s and Terrans to fully realize either since they’re kids. I actually really love when shows talk about this. But in a way, the conflict Hoagie and Olive have with Robby also isn’t fully fleshed out as it could’ve been.

Hoagie’s anger is understandable! His family is out of business and struggling because of the battles in Witwicky. If Robby claims to be a hero, why is it that they didn’t bother to think to help the people in town get their lives back together? Now me saying this isn’t me blaming the Malto’s! More so maybe a perspective Hoagie could’ve had. Both sides are valid in their arguments.

Olive’s anger to me was somewhat underwhelming because it genuinely had the potential to be AMAZING! Her being Croft’s daughter adds so much tension! Because besides Mandroid, Agent Croft also had a huge part in what happened to Witwicky and was extremely prejudice against Cybertronians. From photos and pet names we know Croft was a good mom, but Croft wasn’t a good person. She abused her power and tortured Decepticons because she simply believed they deserved it. She was never an ally with the Autobots. She wanted them gone as much as Mandroid did.

We see Morgan shocked that Croft has a daughter, but honestly it’s a bigger deal than that reaction. She’s quite literally the daughter of the woman who helped a mad man attempt to wipe out an entire species.

Then we find out Olive has no idea what really happened because Jon didn’t explain it well to her. The poor girl is grieving. I don’t blame why she was desperate and trusted Mandroid despite the obvious red flags. But I wanted to see that expanded more! More importantly, I also wanna see Olive’s process when she finds out the stuff that her mom did and the people she hurt because she had so much hate, but also fear against Cybertronians.

Speaking of Morgan, as much as I adore Mo, I hate that there isn’t enough of her. What are more of her internal struggles? What insecurities does she struggle that her about herself, rather than others? I’ve noticed how a lot of her character revolves around other people and supporting them, but what about her? She seems to just know what to do, say, etc, and even though I love seeing her be more confident, and in a symbolic way contrast Robby, she can also fall a tad flat because there needs to be more expansion on her own character that doesn’t fully revolve around the rest of the cast.

I think Twitch and Thrash are the only ones who actually had a decent fleshed out stories as we see their issues, we see Twitch’s internal conflict and why she desires so badly to prove herself, and how she learns to overcome them. Thrash at first stepping up because he knew his sister was overwhelmed, but then getting lost in leadership in praise was a huge highlight in my opinion! Yeah, I do think he came off as cocky and arrogant at times but granted he is still young so I def don’t hold that against him. I just wanted to see more of that between them before season 4 to make their conflict feel more real.

I wish the other three Terrans had more to them. I get frustrated at how sidelined they often are, especially when sometimes it’s in favor of Twitch and Thrash. Granted season 1 had more episodes which allowed the writers to actually expand on each new character and their stories. But watching them not have more in their own development makes me sad :(

Ngl I think season 1 Dorthy and Alex would sorta be horrified at how chill s2-4 Dorthy and Alex are of the fact that their children are soldiers and actively engaging in conflict/combat. Season 1 Dorthy was extremely protective of her kids being involved with her work and did her best to minimize their interactions. She also openly scolds Optimus at times for dragging them along at times. I understand why they would probably have to come to terms with them being involved, but seeing them just…not really be worried about their safety and mental health just throws me off by a bunch.

I would’ve really loved to see more of Jon’s complicated grief. On one hand, he lost his big sister, probably his role model too. He had so much respect for her, and he loved her so dearly. On the other, he knows what she did was terrible and that she committed terrible acts against a species. She allowed fear to overcome her and in the end, she paid the price for letting that fear cloud her proper judgment of the situation. How does he feel? Does he often struggle to open up about his grief because he feels like he especially can’t feel comfortable expressing it in front of the Autobots since she directly wanted to kill them.

Oh they fought for sure. They fought plenty of times. And it was always about the same thing too. Being on the other side. They had moments where they were very angry and often ghosted each other, sometimes for weeks up to a month.

When they argued, it never ended well. They always threw insults about the sides they were on, sometimes they could get personal. Breakdown would refer to Bumblebee as a doll, ready to die if Optimus asked. Bumblebee referred to Breakdown as a coward for remaining with the Decepticons despite the fact that he could leave. Stuff like that.

They were never the healthiest but to say they were in love was an understatement. They could never stay away for so long. Either Breakdown or Bee would break the silence. They always apologized and made up, and it was very sincere though. They both knew they would continue to fight about it; but love makes you crazy, you know?

As I’ve stated before, they did give the okay that it was fine if they saw other people and slept with other people. Both certainly have explored with different mechs, but truthfully they both still yearned for each other, especially during heat cycles. Once BD called out Bee’s name when he slept with Knockout, and he was so shocked but just ended up laughing. Neither of them finished, but instead had a tender conversation about BD’s complicated relationship with Bee.