A Terran Family
Transmutate: The Big Sister
Born a few centuries after Grimlock's youngest sibling Slash, Transmutate was always recognized to be a little "off". She viewed the world in a simple, straightforward way, and had a habit of unintentionally being blunt to others in such a way as to put them off from befriending her.
Regardless of this setback, Transmutate remained kind and unceasingly open to knowledge, even if it was imparted rather rudely to her. This prompted her family to keep her near at least one of them at all times, since some of the other Terrans would take any excuse to pick a fight with anyone else.
When her cousin Bulkhead was born, Transmutate - the equivalent of fourteen - happily took any opportunity to spend time with him. This would extend to her willingness to teach him about Earth and their Cybertronian heritage.
None were prouder than Transmutate when Bulkhead became an accomplished artist and engineer in the late 1800s.
When Transmutate was roughly the Terran age of seventeen, her younger brother Bumblebee was born. He and Bulkhead got the same level of attention and devotion from her. If anyone so much as looks at her the wrong way, the two will beat them up.
As of the 21st century, Transmutate, now about twenty-nine, decided to try out the MTT New 420 RR Turbine Superbike for a new alt-mode. She enjoys it immensely.
While a natural in many fields, Transmutate loves singing most of all.
Bulkhead: The Cousin
The middle child of this close-knit group, Bulkhead is also the largest. Given his favorite cousins are tiny Two-Wheelers, this, coupled with an accident where he hugged Transmutate into stasis lock for a week, has prompted him to persistently regulate his strength over the centuries.
Although rather clumsy and slow, Bulkhead's Spark is in the right place and he has learned to mitigate accidents that follow his helm like Murphy's Law. And while he is both physically and mentally slow, this has enabled Bulkhead to figure out extreme mathematical solutions with little to no errors.
Bulkhead's ambling nature has likewise led him to making discoveries about both nature and other difficult situations with a level helm. This has allowed him to save himself and anyone else who is nearby from certain danger.
Bulkhead was the first among the trio to encounter humans and befriend them. He was saddened by their "quick" passing in his younger years, but has recently befriended the Clay family. He and Denny delight in creating and collecting odds and ends to make art or valuable items to sell on the market near Crown City, NJ.
Much of Bulkhead's art pieces litter his home, as well as that of Transmutate and Bumblebee's domain. Many are so stunning that they could be exhibited in an art museum, and a few have been placed in Terratrona's archives over time. The Dinobots claim among other Clans during bicentennial meetings that Bulkhead's style inspired some famous human artists, but whether or not that is true depends on Bulkhead's confirmation. His shyness on the subject lends credence to his friends' boasts.
As of late, Bulkhead has changed his alt-mode to that of a McNeilus Meridian Front Loader. He enjoys it for its space, and frequently stores many trinkets, tools, and painting equipment in his subspace as a result.
Bumblebee: The Little Brother
The youngest at roughly twelve come the 21st century, Bumblebee is an unending fountain of youthful innocence and curiosity. Although Transmutate always answers his questions, he never seems to run out of queries - some of which require his butt getting pulled out of a fire due to his hyperactive nature.
Living close to the Appalachian Mountain Range has resulted in more questions than answers for the young Two-Wheeler. Many of them Transmutate cannot answer, and Bulkhead more than desires to avoid them altogether.
As such, Bumblebee contents himself with the world they live on, listening as intently to a lesson as if he were hearing a fairytale. However, that does not stop his attention span from narrowing to a highway incident he heard and wants to investigate. For this, Bumblebee has earned a reputation for being a struggle in the teaching department.
Transmutate and Bulkhead beg to differ, however. They often compromise their methods for his needs and compensate as necessary. Field trips are a favorite among them, and Bumblebee finds no end to his exertions of energy during these times.
Bumblebee was the first to find the Clay family by wandering through an abandoned excavation site. He and Russell hit it off rather well, and he soon introduced the others to the little human family. They're practically inseparable, with Bumblebee often engaging in human activities with the little boy.
He has a knack for poetry, and often uses poems in gifting ceremonies. This talent for words also allows him to help Russell in figuring out how to phrase letters and essays.
Bumblebee is the first to take an interest in the newly arrived Autobots and Decepticons, often urging his sister and cousin to accompany him on "scouting missions" to observe them. Little do the Cybertronian escapees know how poorly they blend in on Earth while the Terrans have mastered the art of secrecy to the point of evading even their scanners...
Ever since he saw the 2017 Victory Octane, Bumblebee has scanned the bike and refuses to change it for another v-mode. Transmutate and Bulkhead find his love for the vehicle adorable, although to the boys' chagrin, Denny insists that Russell is forbidden from riding Bumblebee's bike form until he's hit a growth spurt.
@somereaderinblue @jazzimena Here's some further lore building. I also hope this makes up for Bulkhead's demise in my fanfics 😅
