Transformers/Ho Yay

That chick in the hotpants? That's... not a chick.

"You're mine. Don't even bother resisting; you'll only make it worse, and that could be painful."
-Megatron to Starscream. Does This Remind You of Anything?

Since Cybertronians are a gender neutral species with a suspiciously large percentage of characters considered male, Ho Yay and Foe Yay collapse into themselves in an explosion of pink energon, purple Big Bads, and --cough-- brotherhood.

Might as well put it all together in one easily accessible page. You know, for efficiency.

Tropes used in Transformers/Ho Yay include:

Prowl/Jazz

Prowl is an uptight security officer, Jazz is a funky spy. The fanfics kinda write themselves. 303 of them, last count.

• • Actually, as of May 25th, they're 458 of them now.
• In "The Elite Guard", Prowl is so busy staring at Jazz he forgets he's in the middle of a fight.
  • You realize that as far as fanon is concerned these two have been screwing since G1? Heck next to Megs/Scream and Megs/Prime, they're the third most popular yaoi couple! Even in fanfiction with mechs primarily hooking up with fembots these two ALWAYS play the token gay beta couple.
    • Animated, not G1. Slightly different Jazz, very different Prowl.
  • Jazz and Prowl are Jazz and Prowl. Their personality clash transcends the multi-verse.
• Animated Prowl and Jazz, being cyber-ninjas, have more experiences and history in common, and have some nice bonding moments.
• The lack of Prowl in Shattered Glass is severely inhibiting evil!Jazz/Prowl action, but dedicated fans still find a way.

Megatron/Starscream

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Megatron in possession of an Evil Plan must be in want of a Starscream to have domination-innuendo with. FFN count: 211

• Last time I checked, on May 25th, I found 302 of them. =D
• G1: Starscream is Megatron's bitch, but doesn't want to be. He comes up with various Zany Schemes to do in Megs instead of a direct attack because a bastard with a fusion cannon can make nearly anyone his bitch.
  • Also, it's interesting to note that he and Megatron can be quite civil to each other whenever Star isn't plotting yet another overthrow.
  • Starscream glomps Megatron after returning from the past. Also note Starscream saying the beginning of what may be a Double Entendre: "Aren't you pleased to see us?"
  • To this troper, that looks more like a "don't shoot us" tackle than a glomp. Apparently I'm not a Yaoi Fangirl.
  • Any related video counts as M/S, most likely.
  • Amusing domestic abuse is amusing.
  • M/S slashfic. Lots of it. Seriously.
  • In "Enter the Nightbird", the Decepticons gain a human-made Female robot called Nightbird, and Megatron apparently falls in love with her. Starscream becomes enraged and destroys her, really pissing Megatron off.
• Marvel Comics: Basically the same as G1, but expanded on.
  • "Why? That's what they all asked me. Why him... why Starscream? Why, of all the Decepticons, did I decide to revitalize the one whose record of deceit and betrayal is legend? Because I'm an idiot, that's why!"
• Beast Wars II: Starscream's bordering on Camp Gay, but sadly, he'd rather backstab his teammates than Galvatron. Of course, you could say he's trying to work his way up to get closer to the one he loves...
• Unicron Trilogy: Care to guess where the top quote comes from? In this one, Starscream is still a whiny nuisance, but he gets jealous of Megatron paying attention to the others sick of sucking up to Megatron for scraps and defects to the Autobots in Armada (Megatron will miss him when he's gone!). Megatron is offended by Starscream's audacity. So when Starscream returns in Energon without his memories, Megatron... helps. While Megatron is penetrating Starscream's body with a large object as the below dialogue plays, having started with this page's quote. At the end, Demolishor, watching the whole thing, says, "Whew! That looked like it hurt!" I'll be in my bunk.

"What is my name, Starscream?!"
"...Megatron..."
"SAY IT AGAIN!"
"Meg... a... tron!"

• • The point of this exchange was that Starscream had lost his memories and Megatron wanted to make it very clear to the confused mech that he lived for Megatron and Megatron alone. After this, Megs gets the perfect soldier: The rare Starscream who does anything that Megatron commands him to do, without question, and whenever Screamer does wonder who he is Megatron shuts him up and puts him back in the kitchen so that the 'rebelling/getting self killed' bit from Armada doesn't repeat itself.
• Bayverse: Megatron and Starscream are the only Decepticons with much verbal screentime, so their dependence on each other is highlighted. This is the only incarnation where a battle-damaged Megatron calls on Starscream to help him!
  • Their only conversation in the first movie:

Starscream: I live to serve you, Lord Megatro--
Megatron: Where is the cube!
Starscream: The humans have taken it. :(
Megatron: You fail me yet again, Starscream.

• • From Revenge Of The Fallen, three words:

Megatron: Starscream, I'm home.

• • Megatron and Starscream have kids, too. If that isn't out of place and creepy enough, Megs gets back into domestic abuse form and roughs Starscream up around them, killing one of them. Though in all fairness, they're less 'kids' and more 'clone soldiers.'
    • This Troper has been in the fandom for two years. She's usually dismissed Megascream as Fan Wank and Relationship Writing Fumble due to the brown-coned aspect of Starscream's personality but after ROTF is forced to accept it as canon.
  • Megatron slapping Starscream with his severed arm was a nice touch.
• In Shattered Glass, Starscream is worshipful of Megatron to the point of practically mooning over him like a lovestruck teenager. He calls him "magnificent leader" and similar titles all of the time with utter sincerity. In one of the stories he gets very fussing and protective when Megatron is injured. In another he reacts with horror at the thought of having to leave Megatron behind stranded on Cybertron due to circumstances while he and the others go to Earth, and when he's forced to anyway he gets mopey about it. Then in the recent comics when Megatron is killed, Starscream throws himself on Megatron's body and wails about why couldn't it have been himself that was killed instead. While it's obviously intended as a reversal of The Starscream usually being a disloyal backstabber, it has the side effect of some seriously slashy overtones.
  • Of course, being a mirror universe, this means that if everything character-wise is the opposite, if Starscream is gay for Megatron here, he isn't in the main timeline.
    • Starscream being gay for Megatron transcends the multi-verse.
• Animated: This may be the ONLY incarnation of Megatron and Starscream that doesn't have copious amounts whatever the fuck these two have been doing for 25 years. To compensate, they gave us a female Starscream clone, Slipstream, who betrayed Screamer for Megatron.
  • Remember, each of Starscream's clones represented a different part of his personality. There's been a lot of guesses on what Slipstream represented...
• Hell, in Transformers: War for Cybertron, Starscream and Megatron don't even start on the same SIDE, and they STILL can't stop talking about how "intriguing" they think the other is. The first instance of this happens roughly ten minutes into THE FIRST LEVEL.
• I think that we all just about accept that Megatron/Starscream is canon in every way, shape and form.
  • Except Animated
  • Yeah, except Animated.
  • ...where it's merely implied.
• And now we can add Transformers Prime to the list. Episode Six where Starscream finds a near-dead Megatron. Ol' Screamer lands on top of Megatron and moves his face closer to his. Subtext? We don't need no subtext!
  • This quote from Partners:

Megatron: "I don't care about some trinket! My second-in-command is a prisoner of the enemy!" (Yeah, it's because all Decepticon intelligence could be in Autobot hands, but the very fact that he's more angry about Starscream's capture, rather than the loss of a very powerful weapon, should be enough Fanfic Fuel.)

• • We get lines like "my dearest Megatron" and such, going both ways. It usually means pain is about to ensue, though.
  • Even the humans start noticing it, as Agent Fowler reports to his superior (while summing up Starscream's entire character and purpose in the franchise) in a Recap Episode.

Agent Fowler: Starscream really needs to decide: does he want Megatron's position... or his approval?

Megatron/Optimus Prime

It's rare for archenemies to escape some level of Foe Yay, though Starscream usually monopolizes Megatron's bloodlust. Fanfic count: 114

• Now it's 230, not including Optimus Primal and such.
• In general, Meg/OP slashfics are popular.
  • Usually written from Megatron's Secret Crush POV.
  • Which has led, through some weird association, to Optimus/Starscream.
  • Megatron is the one with a life-size working model of Optimus hidden in his closet! I'm serious!
    • Evidently parodied in Shortpacked! here, with Starscream... having Apache Chief's power, apparently.
    • He actually does have those powers for those exact reasons in Transformers Cybertron... though I think there might be some... "other implications" in this case.
• Unicron Trilogy: Megatron becomes catatonic when Optimus Prime dies. First Screamer, then Prime!? Who is he supposed to punch?! He was naturally quite pleased when Prime came Back from the Dead.
  • He's just as bad in the old Marvel Comics TF series. When Prime dies there, Megatron becomes unbalanced, to Ax Crazy proportions. It's generally better for all involved whenever it finally turns out that Prime isn't as dead as Megs thought.
• Animated: The fact that the first two Season Finale battles involved Optimus bound and at Megatron's mercy is fascinating.
• Transformers Prime: Can now be added to the list. To start there is the entire background of their friendship as Orion and Megatronus, then there are the multiple fights where they make a habit of getting in suggestive positions and most of all there is the last three episodes of season 1 where not only does Megatron save Optimus several times, they form an alliance (And get in each others personal space constantly) and then when Optimus loses his memories and Megatron is about to kill him he looks up and asks Megatronus where are we? The look on Megatron's face launched a thousand fanfics

Starscream/Skyfire

• Just to get it out of the way, before Starscream was a know-it-all commander, he was a know-it-all scientist and explorer. And Skyfire/Jetfire was his partner. LAB partner. Yeah... Fanfic count 68.
  • Now 105.

Skyfire: Are you... happier being a warrior than a scientist, Starscream?
Starscream: Oh, yes! It's far more exciting! And one day I will be leader of the Decepticons and you will be my second-in-command.
Skyfire: I will do my best.

• Proof that Starscream has a heart.

Dinobot/Rattrap

• Rattrap from Transformers: Beast Wars, despite his talk about the femmebots back home, seems to be laying it on pretty thick with the guys of his team; he has no problem with telling Cheetor just how he "tickles his joystick", tries to talk Silverbolt into going to a robot strip club with him, and even kisses Rhinox on the cheek after "saving" him from a fall. He also gives Rhinox an ever so slight kiss on the lips during the season finale, when both are under the impression that they are going to die at the guns of the Nemesis. Rhinox doesn't seem to have a problem with it (the kiss, not the dying). He doesn't even give a nod to Airazor, and has nothing but contempt for Blackarachnia, the only two females in the series. He might be bisexual.
• Dinobot and Rattrap. Vitriolic Best Buds sounded too much like an old married couple. And Rattrap became Horatio to Dinobot's Hamlet (he held Dinobot's slaggin' hand until raptors were extinct AGAIN) in the end. We know how ambiguous THEY were, raising eyebrows in the theatre part here. Plus the scrapped episode of "Dark Glass" in which Rattrap defies orders to go on a suicide mission to resurrect his personal Pred in the clone.
  • The script of Dark Glass would have called for Rattrap to kiss Dinobot, not to mention how protective Dinobot gets over Rattrap's safety.
    • Although Rattrap did get a girlfriend, Botanica, in Beast Machines.
    • I've heard the argument DB/RT shippers make saying she was a surrogate for Rhinox, green brainy buddy, but forget Rattrap had more onscreen smooches with Rhinox than BA and Silver had... Even in a heteroship Rattrap still gives off homo vibes...
    • Well, Rattrap did argue with her like did with Dinobot.
• Heck, when Dinobot is about to Shoot Your Mate Rattrap, the Japan dub has him utter "be gentle, I hear the first time hurts".
• FF Net count: 38

Lockdown/Prowl

• In Transformers Animated, at the end of their Enemy Mine episode, Lockdown invites Prowl to run away together. When Prowl turns him down, he even says "Don't be like that."
  • Prowl/Lockdown is probably the most popular pairing in the fandom thanks to just one scene. Granted, this scene is halfway to being a parody of someone telling their admirer to "stop calling me", so Lockdown at least thinks he's fun to hang out with.
  • Not only that, but a 'spark to spark' is fanon for Transformers sex--even though it seems to correspond to 'heart to heart', which is more about... all, right, intimate conversation, so Lockdown's remarks can be considered a Double Entendre.
  • This pairing is also creepy as all hell when you realize that Lockdown is the Transformers equivalent to Ed Gein.

• FF Net: 31

Megatron/Everyone Else

You don't become the dynamic new leader of the Decepticons/Predacons without some subordinate excuses. Yesss...

• Megatron and Starscream are unconscious in a volcano for 99% of this series, but Megatron and Dinobot are ready to serve you with hours of "prideful boyfriends who can't stop arguing" action. Yessss...
  • Megatron's repeated attempts at cloning Dinobot and their arguments.
  • There's also Inferno's obsession with his "queen."
• Megatrons Verbal Tic makes it sound like he's flirting with everyone, yessss... It's sleazy and charming at the same time.
• Transformers Energon has been mentioned and yet Mirage's feelings for Galvatron haven't? In the Japanese version he was 100% Gay-For-Galvatron. The dub either tried to cut it out, or never noticed it was there due to the rush job and incomplete translation, but one mention got in: when the Goldfish Poop Gang was jealous of Starscream getting all the credit, Mirage says, "But I've been so loyal! How could Galvatron not know how I feel about him?" The few times his Japanese counterpart's personality is carried over to the US version, it's even more hilarious, because he retains his deep gravelly voice from when he was Tidal Wave. If you haven't seen it, imagine the line as given by Darth Vader, delivered dead seriously.
  • He once pirouetted in front of a glowy pink cartoon heart when Galvatron called for him.
• In Armada, Megatron actually exploits this. After manipulating Starscream into attacking Demolishor, Megatron heroically jumps between them and takes the blow. When Demolishor asks if Megs is all right, Megatron replies that it's nothing as long Demolishor is OK, prompting Demolishor to give him a suspiciously tender look.
  • Demolishor’s got a few moments of Megs love, actually. For example, when collecting a Mini-con for the Decepticons, he says “Megatron will love me for this!” Later, after having lost it to the Autobots, Megatron points his sword at him, but eventually only threatens him with banishment. Demolishor begs, “No, please don’t banish me! Anything but that!” With a really big sword to his throat, he still considers that the worst thing that can happen.
• As stated in Foe Yay: Megatron/Screamer, Megatron/Optimus, Megatron/Sky Byte, Megatron/Dinobot, Galvatron/Cyclonus... and Soundwave and Grimlock... Really, Megatron was Azula when being hot meant being a 35-foot-tall silver gun.
  • Or dragon, T. Rex, tank, or Osprey helicopter. Megatron is versatile, just for you.
  • Cyclonus gets special mention. Always calls him "Mighty Galvatron," and is always by his side and genuinely caring about him, no matter how insane he gets... it's actually sweet. And at one point, when Cyclonus is in danger, Galvatron looks back, and hesitates just a moment (before leaving him and saving his own skidplate, of course). From the Ax Crazy Bad Boss that is G1 Galvatron, that's a lot. He'd actually thrown some Mooks into the path of The Dweller to increase his own chances of escaping earlier.
• Megatron and Sam. No, really. Michael Bay's Megatron seems to be more obsessed on Sam than he's obsessed on Optimus. In the first movie, he sure as hell was really into to get the boy, and then when he had him cornered he gives him the chance to live by becoming his pet. In the second movie, he gets all close to Sam, such as when he had him in the warehouse he holds him in a weird position on a dominating way, and then says he'll enjoy what he's gonna do, "slowly and painfully".

Others

• Megatron and Starscream have nothing on Inferno and Red Alert.
• About the Airazor/Blackarachnia thing, Rattrap probably already knew that Tigatron and Airazor had a thing with each other and respected that. As for Blackarachnia, it's hard to show attraction to someone who's shot at you and your friends several times.
  • Wow, someone put Airazor/Blackarachnia together and had nothing to do with Ho Yay. Well the fembots don't escape either despite The Smurfette Principle. Elita One's all female camp away from the male bots? The two that lacked boyfriends and kept to themselves in the corner. AR and BA's cat fight in Inferno's debate episode.
• At one point, Cliffjumper hops into Mirage's lap, and the two hug while rolling over and over each other. It's exactly as it sounds. (This is how they make up after Cliffjumper suspects Mirage of treason.)
  • And in the Japanese Dub, the line when Cliffjumper hops into Mirage's lap is "Do what ever you want with me."
  • Transformers: Robots in Disguise gets what is pretty much a remake of that episode, but Ironhide gets the Cliffjumper role. When 'hide confronts Mirage, it all comes off like a breakup. In the original, Cliffjumper had simply jumped to conclusions, followed by Mirage actually getting brainwashed. In this version, it's a plan Mirage has but can't let the others in on because he's been bugged. Cliffjumper comes off as being totally out of his processor; not so much Ironhide.

Ironhide: "What's happened to you, Mirage? I thought I knew you! I thought you were dedicated! I thought you cared!"
Mirage: "Yeah, well, you thought wrong. I don't care about them, and I don't care about you."
Ironhide: "I can't believe you're saying this! You and me are history!"

• In the episode "Home Is Where The Spark Is", Bumblebee is pushed to the ground by Prowl and he blushes. Uh-huh...
  • Normally, It Makes Sense in Context cancels many of these, but it's actually slashier in context. Prowl demonstrates his agility by pouncing on Bumblebee, and while on top of him, he's leaning right into Bumblebee's face with the biggest grin. And Bumblebee really does blush.
• This troper, after watching Three's a Crowd, is convinced this isn't just in the fans head. Pause the TV screen when Mix Master is helping Scrapper hoist Dirt Boss up, I dare you. You'll need Brain Bleach, trust me.
  • This scene is even more disturbing when a source lists Mixmaster and Scrapper as BROTHERS.
• The humans aren't exempt, either. Rad/Carlos is the first one to pop into my head.
  • And Miles who seems pretty pissed Sam ditched him for Mikaela.
  • Speaking it which, was This Troper the only one to think it sounded a lot like Sam was breaking up with Bumblebee in the beginning of the sequel?
    • It didn't help BBB was playing "I'm so excited!" and seemed glad to get rid of the hag fag before hand.
    • And while Mikaela was trying the entire movie to get Sam to say 'I love you', it wasn't too hard for Sam to say that to Bumblebee.
    • Simmons and Leo have become a popular pairing of late.
• There's also Wasp's obsession with Bumblebee. His planned revenge on the little bug is not only dressing Bumblebee up as himself in order to make Bumblebee suffer through the same persecution and ruined life as he did, but turning himself into Bumblebee.
• With the page image, notice the kids at the bottom holding hands. They're Cain (the one with the green hair) and Akira (brown hair) from Transformers Zone, and are both quite male, and Akira doesn't usually look this feminine, and neither probably look as girly to the 1989 Japan as to us (especially the "hotpants," once standard 80s shorts length, and Cain's hair - it's anime, it's '89, 'nuff said.) Literally all toy-company-produced promotional materials have them touching, and in the OVA, they're very Ho Yay-tastic, with Akira practically landing in Cain's lap at one point, and both looking at each other, seeing how close they are, blushing, and... not moving away. In the end credits, there's more hand-holding. The only reason the idea that this could be unintended subtext and not an Official Couple stands up at all is the fact that it's Transformers, and cartoons that exist to sell toys to 6-to-10-year-old boys Do Not Work That Way. Shippers must be making too much of it and it must be completely platonic blushing and repeated affectionate touching and running through fields of flowers hand-in-hand -- it must be!
  • Makes you wonder how slashy the subtext would have been if Zone had been picked up as a full series.
    • There was no sub in that text. At the rate they were going, the wedding would've been by episode ten. (And probably crashed by Decepticons.)
      • But who'd wear the wedding dress?
        • Starscream, of course!
          • No, Starscream would catch the bouquet.
        • Both of them. They're both pretty enough to make it look good.
• In Transformers Animated, Blitzwing and Lugnut have quite a lot going for them. MAN I wish my printscreen key worked to catch some of the stuff in clips of the show. Because it's there.
  • And lets not forget Lugnut's utter devotion to his GLORIOUS master, Lord Megatron.
• Sometimes the fans don't even bother with the canon characters and just randomly slash minor characters or OC Stand Ins. Some combinations include Tracks/Raoul, Cosmos/Beachcomber, and Hubcap/Jackpot, among others.
  • I wouldn't call Tracks/Raoul or Hubcap/Jackpot "random", as they both have definite canon roots. Snarky best friend pairings = win.
    • Definitely not Tracks/Raoul. Think about it. In both of Tracks' feature episodes ("Make Tracks" and "Auto-Bop"), Raoul is very heavily featured. In the former episode, when Raoul is captured by Megatron, Tracks personally threatens the leader of the Decepticon military. In both episodes, Raoul risks life and limb to save or otherwise help Tracks. The icing on the Ho Yay cake? Picture all of Tracks and Raoul's scenes playing out between a man and a woman. The Ho Yay practically jumps up and kisses you on the mouth.
  • There's still no explanation for Beachcomber/Cosmos though. Not that I'm complaining.
• Thanks to animated, Blurr and Longarm/Shockwave has become a popular pairing. Even though this Troper is a fan of it, she still doesn't understand why, seeing how Blurr's Family-Unfriendly Death came at Shockwave's servos.
  • Blurr and Bumblebee, on the other hand, make for good rivalshipping.
• Optimus/Sentinel anyone? Optimus has always gone above and beyond to help his former Academy-mate, even when Sentinel clearly deserved whatever sticky situation he got himself into! There were even several instances where Optimus clearly cared more about protecting Sentinel than Elita/ Blackarachnia who was arguably the more logical love-interest for Optimus!
• Speaking of Blurr, check out him and Hardhead in all their slashy glory.
• Transformers Prime has brought us Airachnid and Arcee. And it is beautiful.
  • Don't think the fans haven't noticed the effeminate medic Knock-Out wolf-whistling at Optimus Prime and complimenting his bodywork.
  • Not to mention the Foe Yay between Bulkhead and Breakdown. Bulkhead is even convinced to help rescue Breakdown so that he can have a rematch of an earlier fight! And Breakdown even hesitates to fight Bulkhead after being rescued, despite having his loyalties to the Decepticons questioned.
• The latest IDW series More Than Meets the Eye gives us a couple more possibilities. Rewind and Chromedome are "best friends", with Rewind constantly running after Chromedome like a devoted puppydog, defending him to others, and even cradling his head in his lap when Chromedome is injured at one point. Then there's Skids and Swerve, where Swerve tries his best to convince Skids they'd make a great team but is initially rebuffed... only for Skids to change his mind after Swerve shows a bit of his soul behind the motormouth chatter, and say, "'Skids and Swerve.' That does sound pretty cool."