▸ Column · The Ark, Autobot warship — G1 Cybertronian era, three orns after sparkling-birth
GRIMLOCK replies.
Replied to by Grimlock, with a rebuttal from Harley Quinn.
The letter
It has been three orns since we brought our sparkling home to the Ark, and in that time my mate Markus's creator Diara has arrived at our quarters uninvited every single morning and stayed through evening. We never asked her to come. Last deca-cycle she walked into our berth-chamber while I was mid-nursing-bond with the sparkling, lifted him right out of my arms because she decided he "looked unsettled," and kept him in the common hall for two full orns while I sat alone trying to recover from the frame-strain of delivery. Markus keeps telling me Diara "means well" and that I should be grateful for the support. I tried signaling — I told him we needed a quiet cycle, and she showed up the next morning carrying energon rations as her reason to be there. I don't want to fracture the bond between Markus and his creator. But I cannot spend the next six months retreating to the cargo hold every time I want a single orn alone with my own sparkling.
Grimlock replies
Me Grimlock read whole story. Long. Grimlock throw most of it away, because most of it not the problem.
Here the problem: You say Diara is problem. Diara not problem. Diara show up every orn because nobody told Diara stop. Who supposed to tell Diara stop? Markus. Markus saying "she means well." Markus saying "be grateful." Markus not saying the thing that need to be said to his creator. That the whole problem. Just Markus. No fancy hat needed.
You try hints. Quiet orn. She show up with energon cubes. Grimlock tell you why hint not work — hint is hiding. You hide what you mean, then wonder why nothing change. Grimlock never hide what Grimlock mean. You should not hide either.
You scared to damage Markus and Diara bond. Me Grimlock understand that. But Markus job right now — his whole job — is stand in front of you and sparkling while you healing and scared. That what mate do. Grimlock stand in front of Dinobots every time. That not smash bond. That be the mate.
One thing. Tonight. Words, not hints: "Your creator comes by invite only now. You tell her that." That it. Small. Clear. If he do it, good. If he say "she means well" again — well. That also an answer. You deserve real answer either way.
Stop hint. Use words.
— Grimlock
Harley Quinn weighs in
Big green's not wrong about Markus, but here's what he skipped: you've already seen where Markus lands on this. He watched his creator walk into your room mid-feed and TAKE the baby — then called it help. He heard you ask for a quiet day and stood back while she showed up anyway. That's not conflict-avoidance, cupcake. That's his answer, delivered real quiet so you don't notice it's an answer.
Trust me, I once spent way too long letting somebody talk me out of believing my own experience. "She means well" is how they erase yours.
You live there too. Diara walks in tomorrow, you open the door and say: "Phone call first from now on." It'll feel massive and it shouldn't have to be you — but you've got a sparkling and a body that needs healing, and you don't have six more weeks to find out if Markus is gonna find his spine. Be your own loud voice, sweetie. Somebody's gotta be.
— Harley Quinn