little intro since I just realized I never did one :)
I go by any name and any pronouns
I have only one rule for interacting! that being? DON'T send me anything to do with Rung.
anything involving Rung will almost never be posted, especially not ship art; please do not DM me anything with Max and Rung interacting. I will not give it any attention, and I will simply delete your dm & block you.
OverMax will also not be posted, but non-ship interactions (or descriptions of said interactions) between the two characters will be. block the "Overlord" tag if you don't wanna see that. same thing applies to Prowl and other characters :)
besides that, valveplug will be reblogged for archival purposes, but will be well-tagged. please block that tag if it makes you uncomfy at all <3 gore will also be tagged!
pls @ or DM me if I mistag something! thank youuu!
as much as I hate overmax, I hate rungmax even more. the abuse I experienced at the hands of my "saviors" was far more emotionally destructive than my actual abusers. Psychiatric abuse is such a really underreported form of systemic abuse, especially s/xual psychiatric abuse...
and it's really sad on here seeing people justify the character's actions, and *especially* the ship, because by all means, it's a *massive* power imbalance. one where, in the real world, if you try to tell anyone what happened to you, you're labeled crazy.
overpan and overmax are terrible in the outright sense, but rungmax is terrible in the sense that, when you tell people it's abuse when a therapist gets into a relationship with a patient, they just go "oh noooo it's just a cute dynamic :333"
like if you're going to listen to abuse victims, listen to abuse victims, not just the ones you like.
I think you're the first person I've heard of who's hated the rung x max ship and you have an interesting take! with that in mind I totally get why you don't like it. I don't really ship rungmax (in mtmte, which i assume you're talking about) but I always thought there wasn't much wrong with the dynamic outside of the doctor-patient thing. I moreso thought they just had a strong bond, but yeah framing it in a romantic sense can definitely open a can of worms for people, I get it. Thanks for your two cents!
OKAY SO THIS IS ME...... AND NO not at all talking about TF Mercy dwdw!!! just talking about MTMTE
Granted, I don't really like either interpretations- to me, it's in the same vein as aging up a child character so you can ship them- or something like that 😭 because sometimes there is still intent behind it. and it's just kinda... icky. but aside from the context of the characters normally, I think it's not terrible to change them for that sake (and I totally won't say anyone is a bad person for doing so!! my opinions are my own ofc!)
But MTMTE...... Full nope from me. It's really gross seeing people ship those characters when it comes to the comics. It's romanticizing an abuse that I personally went thru. And something I saw happen to other folks where I went. To me it's kinda on the same level as Jazzprowl is for some.people, where it's just really..... weird? like people have a really good reason not to like it - major systemic issue that is very widely ignored.
on that note I will also tell people... if you see something, say something. doctors of any kind being romantically involved with (or even friends with) patients is not only a red flag, but against pretty much every code of ethics there is in existence. it's really scary because doctors have a lot of power and wealth and are vastly trusted by the public, so they can do a lot of things that go undetected.
and if someone tells you about something like this, try to support them in any way you can. give them the benefit of the doubt and try to believe them. it's one thing to be called crazy and put in a ward to "help" with that.... and another to be then taken advantage of by the people in charge, only for the cycle to repeat
so errh 😭😭yeamh
I really needed to mention that to someone because like you said, no one really hates the ship all that much so I've never seen anyone else who does so I'm curious if I'm alone on this one
Author Notes: Last fic for today, but I wanted to get the fics I hadn't written for my usual fandoms posted today as a sort of treat for myself. Don't worry, as of next week it'll be back to the usually scheduled fics. I wrote this while listening to "Meet Me in The Wood" by Lord Huron. Reader is human and gender-neutral, I hope you enjoy
Type: Fluff/ platonic or romantic (whichever you prefer)/ gender neutral reader
Word count: 1983
I watched as the familiar but heartbreaking presence of Fortress Maximus passed me by. Finding him on Garrus-9 had both been a relief and a nightmare in the making.
What Overlord had done was beyond wrong and Max had scars that would last him for a lifetime. That, added to the fact that he’d snapped, hurt Rung, and thus had himself deemed dangerous was more than enough to worsen his view on both life and himself.
I hadn’t met him till after he’d been found, but even I could tell that what was left now was a mere husk of the mech who’d kept track of all the inmates of Garrus-9.
I found myself trotting out the door, following the enormous mech that typically avoided me. I was small compared to most Cybertronians to say the least, but compared to him I was downright miniscule. But, despite that, he always seemed to know where I was. Except for this time.
Currently he was so deep in his thoughts and memories that he was oblivious to my presence.
I couldn’t blame him, though. Receiving news of Overlord was likely beyond horrifying for the gigantic fellow.
I had to run full-tilt to have any hope of catching up to him before he made it to his berth-room where he would doubtless stew on his trauma and newfound info on Overlord.
I couldn’t say that Max would seek vengeance. He wasn’t the type to sneak away and go off on a revenge-driven mission. Instead, he was the type to withdraw from all social contact and beat himself up over things that were anything but his fault.
And that was something I couldn’t stand. I hadn’t known Max long, but I could tell he was a gentle soul who avoided me for fear of hurting me.
Despite Rodimus’s hypothesis that Max was afraid of humans, something told me that he wasn’t. I’d seen his discreet glances and hidden smiles that were directed specifically at me.
No one else on this ship was as close to the floor as I was, so who else could it be directed at?
I was panting by the time I’d gotten close enough to hope that he would hear my call. Loud to my ears, but probably close to a whisper for him considering the raw distance between me and his helm, “MAX!”
He turned, despite all odds, and his optics immediately landed on me. He looked exhausted, with his expression holding the kind of fatigue that went beyond weariness and delved straight into his innermost core.
What was worse was that he’d looked that way for days. Even Rung had confided in me during lunch that he was very concerned for his patient/friend.
Max was worse than he’d ever been and something told me it was more than just lack of sleep.
“Max are you…” I struggled to come right out and question his well-being.
Max didn’t like for others to worry about him. In fact, he avoided attention as much as he could.
But right now he just stared down at me. Tried but as patient as ever. Making me feel ridiculous for struggling to ask him a very, very simple question.
I sighed, inhaling before coming right out and asking exactly what I’d come to ask, “Are you alright?”
He blinked at me, having the audacity to look surprised at my concern. Were it anyone else I might have been irritated. But this was Max. He probably didn’t think anyone, much less the lone human on this ship, cared.
“You look exhausted and… Well, I know something is wrong.”
He snorted, surprising me with the cynical sound, “Isn’t something always wrong around here?” He straightened, optics scanning the hallway like he was making sure no one else was around.
I mean… He wasn’t wrong. This crew had run into one issue after another. “Well, yeah. But this is sort of worse than usual, isn’t it?”
His optics flicked back down to me, a sort of hollowness to his gaze as he uttered two words, “Is it?”
I almost cringed at his question. Because it was definitely worse than usual. Max was never like this.
“Max… You haven’t been acting right these past few days and I… I’m worried,” I faltered slightly, hardly knowing what to say but also desperate to do something for this gigantic, but uniquely gentle mech.
There was a flatness to his tone when he answered, “I haven’t been ‘right’ since I woke up back on Garrus-9.”
This time I did cringe. His words were likely true, and it was to be expected. No one could have come out that unchanged.
But at my reaction, the mech’s expression softened slightly and he shook his head, “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault and you’re being very kind. You have been very kind this entire time.”
He sighed, rubbing at his neck awkwardly before gesturing to the door, “Would you like to come in?”
I barely hid my surprise at his offer.
Max had been shy at best since coming here and my best attempts at befriending him were usually met with polite refusals. Him inviting me into his berth-room could only mean one thing. He really was upset this time. Upset enough that he couldn’t turn away offers of assistance.
I nodded though, following him into the dark room that soon flickered with cold blue light as the sensors registered our presence. His room was surprisingly bare, there was little in the way of personal items. In fact, if I were to be blunt, it seemed cold and impersonal.
“So… What is this all about Max?” He turned slightly, meeting my eyes with a guarded look. He sighed though, seemingly surrendering to the fact that I was here now, and lowered his servo for me to clamber onto.
He was unfailingly gentle when he held me. In many ways, he seemed to be terrified that he would hurt me even though I knew just from his actions that he’d sooner injure himself. He took slow steps, careful not to jostle me as we moved across the room.
He barely tilted his servo, letting me slide off and onto his berth which he sat down on next to me. “I’ve been thinking about everything that’s happened.”
I nodded at his answer as I settled in for a long talk with him, “Everything that has happened since coming here or…?” I trailed off, not quite willing to bring up that period of his life.
ButI was spared as he glanced sideways at me, knowing exactly what I meant, “Both.”
I hummed, out of my element but determined to try and help Max sort through his current troubles. If I could get him started talking then hopefully Rung could step in and finish up during their appointments.
“Did the recent…” I paused, searching for the word. Overlord showing up in our basement was bad enough, now he was loose and seemed to still have an obsession with the mech next to me, “The recent information start all of this?”
Max merely snorted and shook his head, “No. This has been coming on for a while. I suppose I’m lost. I don’t know who I am anymore and I can’t go back to the way I was…. Not now.”
That was… A lot more than I had expected. Max was usually so quiet, I’d never thought he’d actually open up. Much less to me.
I hesitantly reached out, cautiously brushing my hand against his servo that rested next to me and he looked down. He wasn’t surprised, just tired looking.
I offered a weak smile as I did my best to offer advice and comfort, “Change is natural. Everyone goes through change.”
He smiled at me wryly, “You sound like Rung.”
I snorted despite myself at his words, “Is that a good thing?”
His smile fell and he looked off to the side, “Well… I kind of wanted to talk to you.” I stilled at his words, realizing exactly how stupid I’d been to try and behave like Rung. If he wanted to talk to his therapist he could have. But he hadn’t. He’d invited me into his berth room to talk to me.
I shifted awkwardly, looking away, unsure as to why he would want to talk to me but resolving to do just that and let him talk to me. Because even if it was awkward I could do that for him at the very least.
If I wanted him to tell me about his scars I’d have to share mine.
“I… uh. I lost track of myself too at one point after coming here.” I was tense as his head swiveled so he could stare at me with wide optics. I couldn’t bring myself to look back at him, instead opting to lift my shoulder in a self-conscious half-shrug.
“I guess that when I came aboard I hadn’t realized how much my home had been a part of me….” I could feel his silent stare, prodding me to continue so I did, feeling more and more awkward the second.
“Being away from Earth has been difficult and when….” I inhaled, encouraging myself to keep going, “Well… when you lose track of yourself it can’t help but be hard.”
I shook my head, because hard wasn’t the right word. I looked up at him, finally meeting his gaze, “In fact, it's beyond hard. It feels impossible sometimes. You learn things you don’t like about yourself and you want to change but stay the same all at once.”
I felt myself quail slightly under the weight of his stare, “At least… That’s how it’s been for me.”
His gaze softened and he nodded, “It is.”
Silence fell after his answer, and I really didn’t know what else to say. I could only hope he’d take the opening I’d given him to talk about his troubles.
He looked away, venting loudly as if he were preparing, “I don’t know if I’m a coward, weak, or a fool.” He looked back towards, sympathetic sadness lingering in his optics, “But I do know I’m not as brave as I thought.”
I felt myself smile slightly, a somber expression, but the best reassurance I could muster in this oddly raw moment. “I think you’re brave. You’ve lasted far longer than I would have under some pretty impossible pressure.”
I hesitated in the face of his slight smile, not sure if I could or should continue. Perhaps my current thoughts would sound stupid. But I forged onwards anyways, keeping a smile on my face as I continued, “You know, back on Earth they say diamonds are formed under pressure and that we see new parts of ourselves when things are at their worst. Maybe that’s what’s happening to us.”
He smiled, a little bigger and a little brighter this time. It made me wonder what he was like before he’d seen hell and came back out. Fire-forged, but scarred and wounded. “Maybe.”
I smiled back at him, feeling a little bit more genuine with this smile before looking away and allowing myself a quiet exhale.
I was relieved that he seemed to feel a bit better and mortified that I’d shared what made me feel so shallow. I wasn’t the only one away from home after all….
“For what it’s worth,” His words dragged my startled attention back to him. I’d thought he was done…
“I think you’ll make one of the loveliest of all the gems Earth has ever made.'' I blinked up at him and he looked away, coughing slightly into his servo.
I felt myself smile and nudged his other servo again, immediately gaining his attention, “Thanks Max. But I’m supposed to be comforting you.”
He grinned, a truly genuine one this time, “No reason I can’t do the same for you.”
Every time I remember Fortress Maximus' backstory and 90% of what happens to him in canon I cringe a little. It's like life looked at the big guy and said "you're the guy who drops his ice-cream every time he tries to treat himself"
