Fall-Bingo fill-attempt(s)
Title: Food Critic
Rating: K+
Characters: Heatwave, Chase,
T-Verse: Rescue Bots
Summary: The lack of ‘taste buds’ in Autobots can lead to cultural misunderstandings.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt: “Food or fuel”
“Heatwave: I don’t understand. When I made dinner for the Burns family, they gave my culinary experiment the same look they give something ‘Uncle’ Woodrow makes.”
“Why don’t you ask the Chief about the reactions, Chase?”
“I wanted to - but my questions are not on law enforcement or proper procedure, and well.” The Bot posing as a police vehicle trailed off.
The red fire truck vented. “Chase, you do realize the Chief is your partner, and he is willing to answer almost everything you ask?”
“But surely they don’t include strange human customs?”
“If it helps you do a better job, of course it does.”
“Oh. Thank you Heatwave. I will go ask him now.”
The Rescue-Bot squad leader watched his navigator walk towards floor-lift. Sometimes he hated the programming restrictions that prevented Chase from simply demanding clarification from superiors when he didn’t understand. At least he’d figured a way around the strict structure - Heatwave was his commanding officer, and yet, because they shared rank when it came to working with humans, Heatwave - or the rest of the team - could be approached when they weren’t acting like dumb machines.
Speaking of team members, Heatwave had a few issues to bring up with Kade.
Title: Late-night rescue
Rating: K+
Characters: Blades, Dani
T-Verse: Rescue Bots
Summary: Being scared witless by freaky webs is not that strange or unusual.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt: Cobwebs
“Dani,” a gentle whisper called her name.
Questing fingers brushed her cell-phone.
“Dani,” the nearly inaudible voice came again.
Sleepy hands knocked a cell-phone off the nightstand.
“Dani,” a bit louder now, “Dani,”
“I’m up Blades.” The clatter had been louder than the helicopter calling her name. “What’s wrong?”
“Weird stuff.”
“Weird?” Dani slid out from her warm bed. “Weird in what way?”
“I don’t know - but it’s weird.”
“Blades,” Dani warned the air-capable bot. “If this is another prank, you won’t live to regret it.”
Blades whimpered, but did not say he was sorry for waking her. That told her it was serious. Well, serious in his mind - she still couldn’t understand how anyone could be afraid of zombie hamsters, or ghosts of dead pirates.
“Not downstairs!” Blades cried out when Dani turned towards the stairs that would take her down to the hidden level. “I’m still outside.”
Still rubbing sleep out of her eyes, Dani climbed to the Helipad. “What’s so bad you couldn’t go into bot mode and come inside?”
Blades transformed, pointed to a thin, almost translucent thread running across the entryway the Rescuer normally used. “That!”
Dani looked. “Blades, that’s just a spiderweb. Nothing to be afraid of.” She tore the cobweb with a wave of her hand. “See? Nothing happened.”
“Oh. Just a spiderweb.” Blades calmed down. “I wasn’t scared of the cobweb”.
“Uh.” Dani let Blades have this sort-of-apology. Honestly, anyone watching Creepizode marathons would develop a scared-paranoia of everything. The only thing surprising - make that two things - was at how long it had taken for his fear of the strange-and-unusual to interrupt her sleep, and he had the presence of mind to not wake anyone else up.
Title: Unlikeliest of situations
Rating: K+
Characters: Rescue Bot Team and Burns Family
T-Verse: Rescue Bots
Summary: Some phobias are pretty common - like arachnophobia, or claustrophobia.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt: Cobwebs
“SPIDER!” Cody’s shout brought the whole family running.
“Did Cody just say ‘spider’? Blades asked.
Searching high and low revealed the tiny arachnid.
“Don’t hurt it!” Boulder cried out “It can’t hurt you.”
“Sorry buddy, but some spiders are deadly to humans.” Graham prepared to squish the eight-legged creature.
“Deadly?” Heatwave wanted to know. So did Chase, who didn’t believe it.
“Seriously? How can such a small thing kill a human?”
“Not this one,” Graham turned towards his metal-partner. “It’s just a common Daddy-long leg.”
“But it’s a Spider!” Cody exclaimed from his place on the other side of the room.”
“Cod,” Kade scoffed. “Find something scary to be afraid of. Like clowns.”
“Who’s afraid of clowns?”
“Nobody here,” Chief Burns looked to his kids. “Graham, do you think you and Boulder can move our tiny invader to a more-spider friendly environment?”
“Why did it take up residence here, anyway?” Boulder remained interested in all living things of earth. “There’s no food for it here.”
“They pop up everywhere at one time or another.” Graham replied, focusing on rescuing the smallest occupant in the room. “Sometimes bad weather causes them to move indoors, but almost always the cause is unknown.”
“Here, let me help.” Boulder plopped a plastic cup over the spider before it could escape. “I’ll release it at Blooming Vale”
Cody shuddered. “That’s the last time I’ll visit that campsite.”
Title: What’s in a name?
Rating: K+
Characters: Beachcomber, Tracks, Groove, Jazz
T-Verse: Generation 1
Summary: Gossip can be called many things - an informal chat, an informative talk, a rumor, an informational download, a cultural-trade - wait, not that last one.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt# Hot Drinks.
Beachcomber and Tracks were quietly trying to figure something out.
“I tell you, Raoul drinks coffee because it’s the human equivalent to energon.”
“Can’t be - Neither Spike nor Carly drink it.”
“But Sparkplug does. All the time.”
“Well, maybe only the older humans need coffee-energon?
Groove, of the Protectobot team, joined the discussion. “Mechs, have you considered the fact that on cold days, Spike does drink something he calls ‘Hot chocolate’? Or that Carly’s beverage of choice seems to be tea?”
Beachcomber pondered. “No - but what about the coffee Sparkplug guzzles?”
A shrug came from the new-to-earth arrival. “Some adults drink it, some do not. Most of them appear to require it before they go to work.”
“Which works with my theory the older humans need it.” Tracks insisted. “Have you seen any human children drink it?”
That got thoughtful looks. Which turned to wounded glares.
“I have. Spike’s swipe a sip or two when he thinks his dad’s not looking.”
“Who asked you, Jazz?” Tracks bit out.
The Third-Officer turned an unrepentant grin their way. “Mechs, you’re in the Recreational Room. If you wanted a private talk, it shouldn’t be in the public areas of the ship.”
“What was Spike’s reaction?” Groove derailed the argument before it could turn into a brawl.
Jazz wagged a hand. “Makes a funny face before swallowing.”
“But he’s not a child,” Beachcomber protested. “Young, perhaps, but not a new-child.”
The fist-fight Groove had hoped to prevent turned into a verbal free-for-all as mechs all over the rec area now joined in with their own observations of humans and coffee.
Title: A drinking habit
Rating: K+
Characters: Groove, Mirage, Sparkplug
T-Verse: Generation 1
Summary: There are some cultural boundaries that are picked up by osmosis - these are the barriers strangers seemingly ignore.
Author's Note: Imagine, if you will, Sparkplug chose to come in shortly after Jazz pointed out that Beachcomber and Tracks were discussing humans and their coffee, in a very public and open place.
PROMPT: Hot Drinks:
Sparkplug walked in, interrupting further discussion: “What are you bots talking about?”
“You’re drinking habit” Groove stated.
“My What?” Hot coffee sloshed out of Sparkplug’s cup. “I don’t have a drinking problem!” He yelped as the steaming liquid hit his hand.
“Did we say problem?” Groove asked. “We said habit.”
Sparkplug put his no-longer-full-cup of coffee down. “Habit, right. What habit?”
Metal fingers pointed towards the human sized container. “coffee: Why do certain humans ingest it, and not all. It is your energon equivalent, right?”
Off hand stroking his chin, Sparkplug said, “Not all humans acquire a taste for coffee. Some like it straight - we call that black - others add milk, cream or sugar to make it more palatable. And, no, we can’t survive off it, like you bots do Energon.”
“Then why do you insist on drinking the stuff before doing anything else?” Mirage queried. “If it’s not a vital part of your daily intake, what benefit does it bring?”
“Caffeine. Miraculous stuff. It helps wake us up - and keeps our brains going longer with it, than without it”
“Would this caffeine be found in Hot chocolate? Or tea?”
“Tea, maybe - depends on how it’s brewed. Chocolate - probably not. It’s more cocoa and sugar than anything else”
Rating: K+
Characters: Heatwave, Chase,
T-Verse: Rescue Bots
Summary: The lack of ‘taste buds’ in Autobots can lead to cultural misunderstandings.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt: “Food or fuel”
“Heatwave: I don’t understand. When I made dinner for the Burns family, they gave my culinary experiment the same look they give something ‘Uncle’ Woodrow makes.”
“Why don’t you ask the Chief about the reactions, Chase?”
“I wanted to - but my questions are not on law enforcement or proper procedure, and well.” The Bot posing as a police vehicle trailed off.
The red fire truck vented. “Chase, you do realize the Chief is your partner, and he is willing to answer almost everything you ask?”
“But surely they don’t include strange human customs?”
“If it helps you do a better job, of course it does.”
“Oh. Thank you Heatwave. I will go ask him now.”
The Rescue-Bot squad leader watched his navigator walk towards floor-lift. Sometimes he hated the programming restrictions that prevented Chase from simply demanding clarification from superiors when he didn’t understand. At least he’d figured a way around the strict structure - Heatwave was his commanding officer, and yet, because they shared rank when it came to working with humans, Heatwave - or the rest of the team - could be approached when they weren’t acting like dumb machines.
Speaking of team members, Heatwave had a few issues to bring up with Kade.
Title: Late-night rescue
Rating: K+
Characters: Blades, Dani
T-Verse: Rescue Bots
Summary: Being scared witless by freaky webs is not that strange or unusual.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt: Cobwebs
“Dani,” a gentle whisper called her name.
Questing fingers brushed her cell-phone.
“Dani,” the nearly inaudible voice came again.
Sleepy hands knocked a cell-phone off the nightstand.
“Dani,” a bit louder now, “Dani,”
“I’m up Blades.” The clatter had been louder than the helicopter calling her name. “What’s wrong?”
“Weird stuff.”
“Weird?” Dani slid out from her warm bed. “Weird in what way?”
“I don’t know - but it’s weird.”
“Blades,” Dani warned the air-capable bot. “If this is another prank, you won’t live to regret it.”
Blades whimpered, but did not say he was sorry for waking her. That told her it was serious. Well, serious in his mind - she still couldn’t understand how anyone could be afraid of zombie hamsters, or ghosts of dead pirates.
“Not downstairs!” Blades cried out when Dani turned towards the stairs that would take her down to the hidden level. “I’m still outside.”
Still rubbing sleep out of her eyes, Dani climbed to the Helipad. “What’s so bad you couldn’t go into bot mode and come inside?”
Blades transformed, pointed to a thin, almost translucent thread running across the entryway the Rescuer normally used. “That!”
Dani looked. “Blades, that’s just a spiderweb. Nothing to be afraid of.” She tore the cobweb with a wave of her hand. “See? Nothing happened.”
“Oh. Just a spiderweb.” Blades calmed down. “I wasn’t scared of the cobweb”.
“Uh.” Dani let Blades have this sort-of-apology. Honestly, anyone watching Creepizode marathons would develop a scared-paranoia of everything. The only thing surprising - make that two things - was at how long it had taken for his fear of the strange-and-unusual to interrupt her sleep, and he had the presence of mind to not wake anyone else up.
Title: Unlikeliest of situations
Rating: K+
Characters: Rescue Bot Team and Burns Family
T-Verse: Rescue Bots
Summary: Some phobias are pretty common - like arachnophobia, or claustrophobia.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt: Cobwebs
“SPIDER!” Cody’s shout brought the whole family running.
“Did Cody just say ‘spider’? Blades asked.
Searching high and low revealed the tiny arachnid.
“Don’t hurt it!” Boulder cried out “It can’t hurt you.”
“Sorry buddy, but some spiders are deadly to humans.” Graham prepared to squish the eight-legged creature.
“Deadly?” Heatwave wanted to know. So did Chase, who didn’t believe it.
“Seriously? How can such a small thing kill a human?”
“Not this one,” Graham turned towards his metal-partner. “It’s just a common Daddy-long leg.”
“But it’s a Spider!” Cody exclaimed from his place on the other side of the room.”
“Cod,” Kade scoffed. “Find something scary to be afraid of. Like clowns.”
“Who’s afraid of clowns?”
“Nobody here,” Chief Burns looked to his kids. “Graham, do you think you and Boulder can move our tiny invader to a more-spider friendly environment?”
“Why did it take up residence here, anyway?” Boulder remained interested in all living things of earth. “There’s no food for it here.”
“They pop up everywhere at one time or another.” Graham replied, focusing on rescuing the smallest occupant in the room. “Sometimes bad weather causes them to move indoors, but almost always the cause is unknown.”
“Here, let me help.” Boulder plopped a plastic cup over the spider before it could escape. “I’ll release it at Blooming Vale”
Cody shuddered. “That’s the last time I’ll visit that campsite.”
Title: What’s in a name?
Rating: K+
Characters: Beachcomber, Tracks, Groove, Jazz
T-Verse: Generation 1
Summary: Gossip can be called many things - an informal chat, an informative talk, a rumor, an informational download, a cultural-trade - wait, not that last one.
Author: Rose0mary
Prompt# Hot Drinks.
Beachcomber and Tracks were quietly trying to figure something out.
“I tell you, Raoul drinks coffee because it’s the human equivalent to energon.”
“Can’t be - Neither Spike nor Carly drink it.”
“But Sparkplug does. All the time.”
“Well, maybe only the older humans need coffee-energon?
Groove, of the Protectobot team, joined the discussion. “Mechs, have you considered the fact that on cold days, Spike does drink something he calls ‘Hot chocolate’? Or that Carly’s beverage of choice seems to be tea?”
Beachcomber pondered. “No - but what about the coffee Sparkplug guzzles?”
A shrug came from the new-to-earth arrival. “Some adults drink it, some do not. Most of them appear to require it before they go to work.”
“Which works with my theory the older humans need it.” Tracks insisted. “Have you seen any human children drink it?”
That got thoughtful looks. Which turned to wounded glares.
“I have. Spike’s swipe a sip or two when he thinks his dad’s not looking.”
“Who asked you, Jazz?” Tracks bit out.
The Third-Officer turned an unrepentant grin their way. “Mechs, you’re in the Recreational Room. If you wanted a private talk, it shouldn’t be in the public areas of the ship.”
“What was Spike’s reaction?” Groove derailed the argument before it could turn into a brawl.
Jazz wagged a hand. “Makes a funny face before swallowing.”
“But he’s not a child,” Beachcomber protested. “Young, perhaps, but not a new-child.”
The fist-fight Groove had hoped to prevent turned into a verbal free-for-all as mechs all over the rec area now joined in with their own observations of humans and coffee.
Title: A drinking habit
Rating: K+
Characters: Groove, Mirage, Sparkplug
T-Verse: Generation 1
Summary: There are some cultural boundaries that are picked up by osmosis - these are the barriers strangers seemingly ignore.
Author's Note: Imagine, if you will, Sparkplug chose to come in shortly after Jazz pointed out that Beachcomber and Tracks were discussing humans and their coffee, in a very public and open place.
PROMPT: Hot Drinks:
Sparkplug walked in, interrupting further discussion: “What are you bots talking about?”
“You’re drinking habit” Groove stated.
“My What?” Hot coffee sloshed out of Sparkplug’s cup. “I don’t have a drinking problem!” He yelped as the steaming liquid hit his hand.
“Did we say problem?” Groove asked. “We said habit.”
Sparkplug put his no-longer-full-cup of coffee down. “Habit, right. What habit?”
Metal fingers pointed towards the human sized container. “coffee: Why do certain humans ingest it, and not all. It is your energon equivalent, right?”
Off hand stroking his chin, Sparkplug said, “Not all humans acquire a taste for coffee. Some like it straight - we call that black - others add milk, cream or sugar to make it more palatable. And, no, we can’t survive off it, like you bots do Energon.”
“Then why do you insist on drinking the stuff before doing anything else?” Mirage queried. “If it’s not a vital part of your daily intake, what benefit does it bring?”
“Caffeine. Miraculous stuff. It helps wake us up - and keeps our brains going longer with it, than without it”
“Would this caffeine be found in Hot chocolate? Or tea?”
“Tea, maybe - depends on how it’s brewed. Chocolate - probably not. It’s more cocoa and sugar than anything else”