Of Cybertronian genders and reproduction

Note: This little study is not canon, because there is no canon on the subject AFAIK. I just wanted to collect the most often used and plausible methods for myself – and then I thought that others might be interested too. I tried to include everything that is commonly used in TF, but additional input is more than welcome.

Note2: I don't claim to have read all the fandom and know all that is there to know about the subject. That's why I wrote that input is welcome and I've already fixed a few points that others pointed out.

1. Genders

1.1 One gender

1.1.1. Asexual

The one that Bayverse insinuates (aside from some unexplained hatchlings that the Fallen somehow found/brought/made/?...), but the one the least plausible and most boring. Basically it tells that our beloved Cybertronians have no genders whatsoever, no interfacing equipment either, that they are totally asexual, that they miss intimacy and a whole plethora of emotions that usually go with it, and they make new robots by getting a spark from Vector Sigma or the Allspark and build a body around it. Far too boring, especially for fanfics.

1.1.2. Minimally sexual

Still genderless robots, reproducing by Allspark or Vector Sigma, but they have some means of forming a close relationship and so they have intimacy, interfacing and emotions connected with it. Usually it means tactile interfacing only, kissing and mooning.

1.1.3. Normal one-gendered

All Cybertronians are the same (called mech), femmes are a myth. All of them have the same equipment and use it for interfacing (according to the equipment in question), form relationships, have intimate emotions, have some sort of familial systems; but they still reproduce via Allspark or Vector Sigma.

1.2. Two genders

1.2.1.

Male/female that go by the names of mech/femme. Same interfacing equipment for both genders, same ability to carry, genders only separated by behavior and to a lesser extent build. Usual human prejudices apply: femmes are smaller with pastel colours (often pink), and often behave like a human female in the worst throes of PMS or in acute twilightism. Mechs behave like human males, with a lot less prejudices.

1.2.2.

Male/female that go by the names of mech/femme but with actual differences in interfacing/carrying equipment. The usual human prejudices apply here too, but here only femmes can carry sparklings. Subset to this group is where there is a difference but still mechs and femmes alike can carry sparklings but the logic of this one totally escapes me.

1.3. Three genders

Male/female/carrier, by the names of mech/femme/carrier. Usually the interfacing equipment is the same and carriers can come from the mech and femme groups as well and they are set apart by a peculiarity in their system (inborn) that allows them to carry, while 'sterile' mechs and femmes cannot carry. This can be a gestation chamber, a valve in the spark chamber, or anything else that makes carrying possible. Subset is where the Seekers can carry young and noone else, but they have other quirks anyway.

1.4. Even more genders: I'm still not sure about it, but Borealis by Tainry tells about seven frame types that are called genders. I'm not sure if they really are genders, but it worths a mention.

2. Interfacing

Interfacing means physical intimacy that causes their internal charge to grow and ends in a climax, called overload. In whatever means it is done, the charge energy has to come from somewhere, ergo it is tiring and usually mechs can't manage more than 1-3 overloads in a row (unless you are a Seeker, because they are usually described as nymphomaniacs). More is possible if it is just tactile or PnP, less possible if spark-play is involved too. Not to be mistaken with overenergizing which comes from drinking too much (high grade). Some fics employ the notion of 'heat', a period of heightened interfacing drive in order to produce sparklings. It is usually employed for Seekers, sometimes for all fliers, including rotaries and triplechangers, and sometimes even the related doorwingers too. Heat can be triggered periodically, randomly or for whatever reason, but once it is triggered, all fliers 'catch' it too.

2. 1. Tactile

Used mainly with no gender robots, but usually constitutes as foreplay for all the other kinds. It presupposes that they don't have any specialized interfacing equipment, but since the Cybertronian armor is full of sensors of many kinds and various stimulation of these can result in various reactions; the axis starts with pain and ends with pleasure. Beside the armor sensors the wires, relays, seams, cogs and such can be stimulated too through the armour gaps. Small fingers are a must!

A special case is interfacing while transformed (vehicle mode), which is a particular pastime of Seekers in the air and usually a version of tactile or PnP. They can even molest human airplanes if the Seeker in question is either drunk or Skywarp.

Particulars:

Sensitive armour plating:

- flier wings, especially leading edge and ailerons

- codpieces (even with totally no PIM robots for some slagging reason)

- Doorwings

- Helmet additions (sensory horns, audials, antennae, chevrons)

- Glass parts, headlights, vents, mounted weapons (go for Megatron's plasma cannon. If you dare)

- Wheels

Sensitive armour gaps:

- neckline

- thigh gaps

- jetpack, wing or doorwing joints, wheel axles, mounted weaponry joints

- all transformation seams and cogs

- fliers' cockpits and inside instrumentation (why they have it is a mystery to me but apparently even Starscream has the aptly named joystick)

Debated areas:

- mouth and glossa (tongue). Debated if they have tongues at all – some doesn't even have mouths (but then those cannot drink energon either so won't survive for long). Somewhat debated if they kiss at all, albeit that is more accepted.

- hardline connectors, dataports, USB, etc. Debated if they had these or if they can be stimulated at all.

- Spark casing and spark. Debated if spark can be touched casually at all or not. Spark casing is certainly sensitive and it requires great trust to bare. Certainly not for casual one night stands.

- EM field play. Supposedly their EM field goes outside their frames and two fields can interact pleasurably. Some mechs can manipulate the EM fields consciously, most don't.

- Tentacles. Go closer to PIM interfacing than usual tactile one with fingers/claws, but since tentacles are not primary interfacing equipment, it is still in the tactile section.

- Telepathy can be used as (sort of a) tactile stimulation too, if the telepath goes for certain areas in the processor that correspond to outer sensors. The effect in this case would be like a tactile stimulation.

2.2. Hardline (PnP)

2.2.1. Cable

Totally logical but totally alien from the human conception of intimacy. Basically it is to connect two Cybertronian with a cable and have them send packets of emotions/data/energy through the hardline. Usually they employ tactile stimulation too. More elaborate versions use more cables to make it two way, probably because the writers never heard about broadband. The connectors, cables and ports are housed in various parts of the Cybertronian frames, but I found it particularly funny the one that placed them between the legs; it is absolutely illogical and human-centric. Most sensible is somewhere on the torso, behind a panel.

2.2.2. Telepathy

Not strictly PnP, but a type of connection between the processors, if at least one of the partners is telepathic. The direct stimulation of the pleasure center in their processors certainly puts it into this category.

2.3. PIM

Penetrative interface module. Basically the equivalent of human sex. It does have subcategories of course. All subcategories include a penis equivalents, called interface rod or more commonly spike (for penetration); and vulva equivalent, called port or valve. Some fics include waste port too, but it is rare and kinky. All have somewhat flexible, rubber-, or silicon-like cover/lining and lots of sensors. Some have ridges, grooves and whatnot inside or on the surface of the spike too for extra stimulation Basic method: spike goes into valve, stimulate the sensors inside by moving in and out, and at the end the overload (climax) comes. Interfacing generally produces heat and growing electrical charge that results in overload. Interfacing equipment is housed between the legs, behind the codpiece/interface panel. Unstimulated, the spike is recessed and valve is closed by platelets. Some fics have the notion of seals on both equipment (virginity concept).

2.3.1. Sticky

Valve produces lubricant, spike penetrates valve, stimulate sensors by moving in and out; at overload spike produces transfluid/coolant (transfluid is used when reproduction method calls for it, otherwise it is a coolant to dissipate the generating heat). Not all sticky interface causes reproduction, in fact in itself it cannot cause carrying – only if spark-play also involved.

2.3.2. PnP PIM

Valve produces lubricant, spike penetrates valve; valve has a port at the inner end, spike has a connector pin at the top. After some stimulation (movement) spike plugs in (and obviously stops moving) and starts the data/emotion/charge sending part through this connection. Makes you wonder at size differences; these Cybertronians come in far more variety in size than humans. While valve and spike is described as capable of changing size somewhat (rubbery material, flexible platelets, etc.), but the connectors/ports cannot, so they are either the same size for everyone or don't pair Bumblebee with Optimus.

2.3.3. Glorified tactile

Valve produces lubricant, spike penetrates valve, stimulate sensors by moving in and out and raise charge until overload, but it has nothing to do with reproduction or deeper connection.

2.3.4. Two way PIM

With the same equipment for all Cybertronians the two-way connection is doable, if not easy. A bit different from two way cable connection, especially in the sticky form.

2.3.5. Hologram PIM

Particularly kinky Cybertronians (or writers) sometimes try fully human-style sex via their holoforms. Even more kinky ones do other organic races too. Whether it is tactile or PIM, you can decide.

2.4. Spark

Spark is the Cybertronian soul, therefore the idea that makes this as main method of interfacing is a bit unlikely. Spark is sensitive and a Cybertronian can be killed by harming the spark. Basically it means opening the chest armour plates, the protoform plates (cockpit too for fliers), and the spark casing or crystal. After this sparks move slightly out and touch or merge somewhat, exchanging energy (spark-pulse), emotions, thoughts, memories and talk too. Two main subsets:

2.4.1. Spark merge

The sparks only touch or slightly merge. More surface connection, not as deep as a bond, temporal but still deeper than PnP where the participants can control what information is exchanged.

2.4.2. Spark bond

The sparks merge fully, exchanging a small part in the process. The connection is deep, almost no secrets remain. The connection stays after the sparks move back and bondmates can talk through it ever after. Spark bond can't be removed or broken (normally). The equivalent of marriage.

2.4.3. Spark touch

Rarely fics mention interfacing by one of the participant stroking, touching, even mouthing the spark casing and the spark itself. Sounds kinky.

2.5 Any of the above in combination

Funnily enough any two or even all of the main methods can be employed in a single interface. That would be: tactile stimulation, while spike moves in valve, while cable(s) connect them and they can even spark-merge at the same time. Good to be Cybertronian, ehh? Lotsa fun. Besides the spike+valve equipment that everyone has easily allows for happy threesomes too.

2.6 Nanites

Very special type, where the Cybertronian body is composed of nanites and interfacing is done by sort of merging parts of the body (termed mass sharing). It can also create permanent bonds and used for reproduction as well.

3. Reproduction

All methods require a spark being brought into existence, since they are the Cybertronian souls. Sparkless robots are called drones. Unless it is an adultspark, the new Cybertronian goes through phases of spark, mental and physical growth, called sparkling (1st frame, sometimes called protoform), youngling (2nd frame), youngster (3rd frame) and adult (final frame). Seekers must have different names too, so they have winglets, seekerlets, seekerlings, jetlings and variations thereof. Go figure. And don't ask me about rotaries. The time-frames for the phases vary greatly. I found the 100-200 vorns (remember, 1 vorn is usually counts as 80 earth years) of younglinghood unrealistic, especially as mechanical beings with superprocessors and memory banks can upload and process learning material far faster than humans. IMHO a few vorns or max. a few dozen vorns for each phase is more than enough.

1st stage sparklings sometimes have their own clicking language that adults forget (not always so – sometimes they can speak straight after birth, albeit with speech peculiarities caused by still soft vocalizers). They also consume sparkling energon which is diluted or weakened energon but contains metallic additives for growth; and it can be produced separately from normal energon, but carrier bodies have some subroutines to do it and feed the sparkling through a detachable tube.

3.1. Asexual

Asexual robots reproduce asexually. If you want a new Cybertronian, you go to the Allspark, Well of Allsparks or Vector Sigma, ask it nicely (or the priests do it for you), and he gives a spark. You or a specialist build a body and the spark is placed into its chamber. The new Cybertronian gets mentors that are not connected to him/her/it, but form weaker, mentor bonds with it. A very special case is when the Matrix causes a new spark to be created, considering that the actual Prime carries it in his spark chamber…

3.1.1. Newspark

The new spark is placed into a sparkling frame (smaller, less developed) and allowed to grow up, changing its frame to a bigger one when the spark strength and mental development allows it. The process can't be much hurried as the small, weak newspark cannot handle an adult frame. This way anyone, even grounders can have for example a Seeker youngling, just have to build/buy a proper frame.

3.1.2. Adultspark

When not so nice people ask the Allspark for an adultspark it is placed into a fully developed adult frame with preprogrammed functions (they are called preprograms), and after a short acclimatization period they are ready to work, fight, do whatever they are made to. Usually connected with the preprograms being funded by state or organization that are sort of owning or indenturing the preprogrammed Cybertronians. Examples for mass produced, preprogrammed adultsparks in Cybertronian history are Seekers (since the occupation of Vos), Enforcers (police force) and miners (unclear).

3.1.3. Split-spark

A very special case that tape decks like Soundwave or Blaster can employ. Beside that they can reproduce 'normally' they have this special method to create cassettes. This method involves no other partner or interfacing, so it is asexual, and means that they can split their spark and place it into a cassette frame. The method means that the split-sparks are more like clones than children (even though they don't physically resemble their carrier); they don't grow and forever dependent to their carrier, being in a symbiotic relationship. Whether any other Cybertronians are capable of this method is unclear.

3.2. Sparking

When (minimum) two sparks merge they can create a new spark. Versions differ only in small details, like who gets to be sparked (usually the submissive partner but can be random too); how many sparks can be created (1-3 but even three is extremely rare; only in a gestalt fic I have read about 5 sparks – poor Silverbolt got the final honour of carrying them – that's what you get when two gestalt combiners interface. Kinky.); whether only bonded couples can spark (usually), or only femmes can be sparked (rare); whether the partners or at least one of them has to be in heat or not (rare); how long they carry the spark and where (usually not long, max 1-3 months and inside the spark chamber); and whether carrying a spark causes or not changes in the carrier's behaviour (not much, usually nothing compared to human pregnancy).

When the spark is ready to emerge, it is placed into a sparkling frame that the creators build or buy. The one carrying the newspark is called Creator or Carrier, the other partner is usually called Sire or Coder. There can be more than one Sire, e.g in a threesome it is possible for both Sires to spark the carrier at the same time (natural twins). A single newspark can split before emerging, resulting in split-spark twins. The Carrier/Sire roles can vary within a couple or threesome. Debated whether a couple can spark each other at the same time or not (usually not). The bonds between creators and sparklings are stronger than mentor bonds.

3.3. Carrying

This is where it gets complicated. To create new Cybertronians you need a new spark and a sparkling body. Spark is created by two sparks merging as was written in the previous chapter. The new frame has to be created in the carrier's body in something that is usually called a gestation chamber or sac (rarely in the spark chamber). Then these two components must combine, meaning either the spark goes down into the gestation chamber when the frame is ready, or the frame goes up the spark chamber (rarer). The whole carrying can take anywhere from a few days till a few months but realistically it tends towards the latter. Sparklings when born can be anywhere in size from a small handful (Cybertronian handful, meaning maybe a max. 0,5 m tall sparkling) till a more developed, maybe 1-2 m tall frame. These sparklings grow naturally by building up their protoforms and armour from ingested energon+additives, but there are growth spurs that roughly correspond to the phases of the other kind of development. The first frames are usually soft, malleable, thin and weak and slowly harden as they grow.

This kind of carrying usually causes a lot of changes in the carrier, both physically and mentally. Even in fics where both genders can carry, mechs carry harder with more pain (totally illogical that the much smaller femmes carry the same sized sparkling easier than the larger mechs but there you are…). Usually the carrier exhibits the same behavioral changes as human pregnant women; moodiness, cravings, aggression and purging the fuel tanks – for whatever reason, it is almost never explained. Certainly there is no reason for any of it as no hormones are present in the mechs or femmes. Pain from the interaction of the growing sparkling and the unwieldy metal frame of the carrier is logical, just as energon deprivation and tiredness. Totally unrealistic that carriers don't recognize/realize the start of the gestation; as mechanical beings they have a complete awareness of their bodies and any deviation from the norm is reported by the housekeeping subroutines that most definitely wouldn't miss a sparkling starting to grow.

3.3.1. Human-equivalent conception

To create the new frame the Sire has to donate CNA (equivalent of DNA, surprise, surprise) by way of transfluid, so it requires sticky interfacing. Alternately, exchanging nanites (direct mass sharing) can produce the necessary CNA. The carrier's body then combines their CNA and produces the necessary materials for the new frame that he must ingest in the regular energon – or eat metal directly (rare). The resulting new sparkling can take after either parent, just like for humans, so it is not a conscious effort. But of course Seekers have to have a dominant gene (unsurprising), so Seekers almost always create winglets, even with grounder partners.

3. 3. 1. 1. Birthing live

Usually carriers give birth to the sparkling body live, with the gestation chamber and armour plates opening, somewhere in the chest-stomach area (sometimes opening the plates is a too nice word and breaking/tearing describes it better), depending on the actual build of the carrier. For the relatively bigger sparkling the carrier's insides are a bit reorganized, sometimes the medic even removes some parts, and outer plates are either removed or distended somewhat.

3. 3. 1. 2. Laying eggs

Not just for Seekers! The gestation period is much shorter, the sparkling is much smaller (so it can be in the spark chamber as well), and the carrier gives birth to an egglike something that is sometimes called a pod or a sac, filled with gelatinous energon and containing a small sparkling body - or two if they are twins. Simple brothers get two pods. Birthing is NOT through the valve or port, but always through an opening of plates in the chest-stomach area (since the egg/pod/sac is smaller, it usually doesn't damage the carrier much when coming out.). The egg/pod/sac is then placed into an incubator like device for further development, before the sparkling breaks the egg/tears the sac and comes out.

3.3.2. Simplified conception

To create the new frame the carrier's body produces the necessary materials that he must ingest, but no CNA is required, the Sire only cooperates in the spark-merge. It means that no sticky interface is required. The sparkling usually takes after the carrier more. Otherwise things are the same as in the other version.

That's all.