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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 7, 2023 4:30:30 GMT
Characters Appearing: Hot Rod. Open to anyone. Location (s): Downtown Witwicky. Timeline: June 19th Plot Summary: Hot Rod has arrived in Witwicky for the big street race there. What could possibly go wrong?
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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 7, 2023 4:40:29 GMT
As the Dodge Viper rolled up to the makeshift starting line the organizer for the street race that was about to take place got up and stormed over to it.
"Where the hell have you been?!" the organizer shouted
"Sorry, Jimmy" Hot Rod's holomatter avatar said. "Just wanted to say hi to a few friends before I got here.".
"Well, we almost started without you." Jimmy stated, "Do you know how bad it'd look if we were forced to start without our champion?!".
"Relax. I got it under control..."Assured Hot Rod.
"Well, you better! Now get out there and give them a good show!"Jimmy ordered but there was no friendliness in his voice.
Hot Rod sighed. A lot of the race organizers he had to deal with were a mixed bag. Figures the one near Witwcky had to be one of the worst to put up with.
But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was the race. He was right where he felt at home. Right beside a bunch of other racers ready to compete.
He knew the others wouldn't approve. Stick in the mud like Prowl in particular. But Hot Rod didn't care. No one could tell him what to do. War was over.
As the numbers counted down Hot Rod revved his engine. It was gonna be a great racing season at Witwicky.
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Post by Bumblebee on Aug 7, 2023 22:09:18 GMT
There was no race that was safe from Bumblebee.
The Autobot scout knew that it was risky taking part in all these races, but he knew that it was his best chance of tracking down Breakdown. He'd have to show up eventually, and the bigger the race was the better the odds of his Stunticon brother-in-arms just 'casually' entering himself into the lineup. It wasn't like Bee hadn't taken any sort of safety precautions when he went out and did this. Sure G.H.O.S.T. was probably well aware of the suspicious number of yellow vehicles winning races all across the world, but the first precaution was changing his altmode every so often just in case G.H.O.S.T. started to catch on. That much he doubted however given the energon suppressors he'd had installed. It kept anyone from detecting he was actually a Cybertronian by masking his energy signature and obscuring the energon running through his systems.
It didn't, however, hide the energon trails he left behind any time he used his boosters.
Bumblebee sat idly on the starting lines impatiently as he waited for the race to start, his holoavatar drumming it's fingers on the wheel while looking around. Where the heck was this star racer that they had to postpone for? If it wasn't Breakdown at this point, he was going to be annoyed but it wasn't like it would make him leave the race. He was sorta committed at this point, and there was no way he was gonna miss a chance to prove just how fast he was.
The scout overheard some shouting as the apparent star racer showed up, fidgeting his rearview mirror to get a better look. Definitely not Breakdown, but something.. almost seemed familiar about them. Huh.
"And here I thought we were never gonna start this race!"
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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 7, 2023 22:29:21 GMT
It was only 10 seconds. But for any racer those ten seconds before the announcer says "Go!" can feel like an eternity.
So it was a huge relief to Hot Rod when the race finally started and he cut loose. His engine roaring he took an early lead.
This was everything to him. Sure racing on Cybertron was fun but Earth with its environments offered whole new challenges. Hot Rod told himself he should try off-road racing at some point. He could easily modify himself for it-
He wasn't able to finish his thought when another racer got in front of him.
"Stupid stupid!"Hot Rod muttered. Amateur mistake. Letting his mind wander.
But one that was easy to correct.
Hot Rod slammed on his gas and managed to overtake the lead on the curve. That'll show em!
As he felt the wind whip over him Hot Rod's holo avatar smirked.
This was exactly where he was at his happiest.
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Post by Bumblebee on Aug 9, 2023 2:01:28 GMT
Bee took off like a rocket as the race begun, certain that there was no way any of the other racers were going to be able to catch up to him. He was much too fast for them and with a nice lead there was no way anyone was gonna stand a chance.
That was.. until a certain red vehicle passed right by him.
"Huh? Hey!" While his voice was full of annoyance, the Autobot scout was actually sort of excited. Finally there was someone who could give him a run for his shanix, and he was gonna enjoy every single moment of this race. Was too bad that he was gonna have to wipe the asphalt with this guy. With a smug look on his holoform, Bee powered up his energon boosters in order to not simply catch up but to make an attempt to fly right past this guy. With these boosters there was no way he could lose even if he couldn't use them for long periods of time.
Shame that it came at the cost of leaving a small trail of energon behind from the initial burst.. something that would be easily recognizable for Hot Rod.
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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 9, 2023 2:06:32 GMT
Gah! Passed again! How could he be losing his edge!? Hot Rod scoffed. This racer was gonna-
Wait...that was Energon!
No....No it couldn't be.
But it was Hot Rod realized.
Hot Rod laughed.
"Nice moves. Let's see if I can match em!" Hot Rod turned on his Energon booster and was soon neck and neck with the yellow race car.
Once he was right beside the other car His holo avatar turned his head.
"Just like old times huh buddy?"
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Post by Bumblebee on Aug 11, 2023 1:19:30 GMT
That voice.. Now it made sense! There was a reason that vehicle looked somewhat familiar, and now that Bumblebee had heard his voice a little better now it made perfect sense.
"Well if it isn't Hot Rod. Been awhile, hasn't it?" Bumblebee's holoform glanced over to the red vehicle, smirking as the Autobot scout continued to drive as fast as he could down the race track. "Can't say that I expected to see you around here, but nice to see a friendly face after all this time." There was a lot he wanted to say to the guy, but they still had a race to get through and he didn't want to get too distracted until they finished it. Hopefully Hot Rod at least remembered that Bee was supposed to be undercover and couldn't really risk being spotted by G.H.O.S.T. Of course, Bee himself was already risking himself by attending all these races so in the end he was only making it harder on himself.
"This race is just like old times, but sorry to say that you're not gonna win this time. I know these race tracks like the back of my servo!"
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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 11, 2023 1:28:36 GMT
"Nice to see another Autobot" Hot Rod smiled. Especially one that wasn't aligned with G.H.O.S.T. he thought to himself.
But of course he was gonna beat Bumblebee. He had to. He had a rep to protect.
As he heard Bumblebee say something about knowing these race tracks like the back of his servo Hot Rod smirked.
"Yeah but remembering the track-" Hot Rod accelerated leaving Bumblebee in the dust.
"-doesn't mean anything if you can't catch up!" he boasted.
This was in the bag. Finish line ahead he was almost there...
Too bad Hot Rod didn't notice in his haste to get in front of his old friend he'd used up all of his Energon boost...
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Post by Bumblebee on Aug 14, 2023 19:15:19 GMT
Hot Rod did have a point that speed heavily outweighed the memory of a race track, but the humans did have a saying: slow and steady won the race. It wasn’t something Bumblebee strived to live by any means, but there was a clear advantage of not using all your energy right at the starting line.
Something Hot Rod seemed to have forgotten as he ran out of his own energon boost.
Bumblebee smirked to himself, pacing himself for just a moment late before throttling his energon boosters once more to not only catch up to the red mech, but to surpass him entirely. Without that additional boost, Hot Rod was going to have a hard time catching back up unless he had some dirty tricks up his non-existent sleeves. He wasn't the only one with a reputation to uphold. After all with all these yellow cars winning races all of a sudden, it'd be a little weird if a red one won this time. To be fair, Hot Rod did have a little yellow on him, so maybe that could count for something.
“See you at the finish line!”
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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 14, 2023 20:40:26 GMT
"GAH!!!"Hot Rod muttered. He tried hitting his boost again but he was out. His engine sputtered out.
Hot Rod sighed then he started laughing.
It was just like old times.
It looked for sure like Hot Rod was screwed. Without his Energon boost, there wasn't a way to get in front of Bumblebee...
And then Hot Rod saw it. The last turn in the race was a massive U-turn. Between the road he was on and the road running parallel to it was a huge mass of trees and dirt. If he could turn here he could get in front of Bumblebee.
But it was dangerous. He could get badly injured. His paint scrapped. Was it worth it?
Totally.
"Here goes nothing!"Hot Rod shouted. He braked and turned into the foliage between the two roads. He turned left as he skidded right in a massive drift, bushes, and rocks crashing all over him.
Hot Rod emerged from the bushes a huge ways away from Bumblebee. His paint was badly scraped but he made it.
"WOO HOO!!!!!"screamed Hot Rod.
As the finished line approached Hot Rod prepared to do his signature finishing move.
Right before he crossed the line Hot Rod transformed into his robot mode and used his legs to slow him down as he skidded right over the finish line.
After he was over it Hot Rod pumped his fist in the air as the crowd roared.
"Hot Rod! Hot Rod! Hot Rod!!!"
Yeah. This was way better than racing on Cybertron.
Hot Rod hoped Bumblebee wouldn't take it personally though...
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Post by Bumblebee on Aug 17, 2023 23:51:09 GMT
Pacing yourself was always a good idea when trying to win a race, but it also paid in spades when you knew all the short cuts. As Bumblebee rocketed past Hot Rod, he was so certain that he was going to pull off this victory that he too let it get to his processor leaving him wide open for that advantage the other mech chose to take. At first he didn't even know what had happened until he realized Hot Rod was no longer behind him. Just where had he gone? He wasn't Mirage who could just vanish without a trace with his little hologram trick, but by the time he finally figured it out.. it was too late. Even with his energon boosters there was no way he was going to be able to catch up to claim that victory for himself.
And just like that.. the race was over.
Rival reclaimed; Reputation.. tarnished. At least it'd get that Schloder guy to realize maybe other colored vehicles could win races too.
Bumblebee crossed the finish line, pulling over as he listened to Hot Rod gloat. How he hadn't changed, and Bee was happy for that too. He rolled down his window, leaning his holoavatar's head out slightly with a grin. "Good race! Why don't we meet up someplace where we can talk a bit more privately.. unless you're wanting to celebrate just a bit longer."
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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 18, 2023 3:51:51 GMT
As Hot Rod was surrounded by his adoring fans the event organizer approached him.
"Nice work metalhead. Give us another good show for the next race."
"Yeah, no problem Jimmy." Hot Rod said. "I always love to give the fans a treat."
As Jimmy walked away Hot Rod noticed his old friend roll next to him. Sounds like he wanted to talk in private.
"Uh yeah sure. Just give me a minute."Hot Rod noted.
After he was done dealing with his adoring public Hot Rod met Bumblebee in a more private location in the woods.
"Heh. Good to see you Bee."Hot Rod greeted "What's it been? 2.. 3...5... A few years since I last saw you at least."
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Post by Bumblebee on Aug 23, 2023 1:03:58 GMT
Always one to take in that boost to the ego. Bumblebee honestly wasn't surprised but he most certainly wasn't mad at all. He too could fall into that ego boost trap, but there were times when Bee felt that it was a bit much especially when Alex would try to sneak peeks into his diary or ask him to sign entire boxes loaded with Bumblebee merch. Seriously they could have done such a better job on the merch, but at least he had stuff he supposed. Who knew being the kid appeal yellow robot would be so profitable, even if the scout himself never saw a cent.
Humans.. paying money for anything with his face slapped on it. Hilarious and weird all at the same time.
Once he'd talked to Hot Rod, Bumblebee drove a little ways until he reached the edge of the woods where transformed and waited. Thankfully he didn't have to wait too long for Hot Rod's arrival, grinning to the other Autobot as he held out a fist to initiate a fist bump. "It's good to see you too, and yeah it has been a hot minute since I've seen you. Pun completely intended." He couldn't help but snicker. "Didn't expect to find you all the way out here in Witwicky though. What brings you out this way, aside from racing that is?"
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Post by Hot Rod on Aug 23, 2023 1:53:19 GMT
Hot Rod sighed. He wished he could tell Bumblebee there was more to it. That he came out here for a reason besides racing.
But honestly...
"Nothing really..."He admitted. "I've just been drifting from state to state at this point... Competing in races and all that Jazz."
"With the war over and no way back home yet I've just-" he sighed
He loved racing on Earth. He loved all the friends he had made here.
But there was another truth he couldn't really deny.
"I miss Cybertron Bee..."
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Post by Bumblebee on Sept 5, 2023 23:10:16 GMT
Yeah that tracked. Bumblebee sighed as he listened to Hot Rod speak. As much as he enjoyed Earth, Bumblebee admitted he missed Cybertron too. True he never got to experience it at it's full glory or anything as he was created during the war, but even then he found little ways to have a little fun whether it was sneaking in a race with Breakdown or even racing Hot Rod himself, Blurr or anyone else he could convince to run laps around the race track with him. Still, Earth was great for racing too!
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I miss it too, but you know.. this place isn't so bad either. Sure the roads are a little dirty, but you gotta admit the humans know how to make a pretty good race track. Even if we never make it back to Cybertron, at least it's not a total loss."
It was something at least, but there was so much more to enjoy about Earth too including the humans that weren't completely against Cybertronians. Spike and his family had been pleasant company and even now Bee wondered what they were up to. Now he had the Maltos and the Maltobots and it was nice to have that little family thing going on. Not even just them, but there was Nick as well. He wasn't sure he wanted to go into all that with Hot Rod quite yet, but if the other mech asked he'd certainly tell him details that involved his top secret mission.
"Ever been to Autobot City? I haven't been there myself for the obvious reason, but I hear it's pretty nice." The scout chuckled to himself. "I know a place that's got some pretty good armor wax. Actually get some delivered to me every now and then."
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