So there is this set of MTMTE panels going around that’s Autobot!Megs saying like “where in the terms of my parole does it say I have to do [heroic thing]?” and another character points at his Autobrand and goes “Right. There.”
and now I find myself wanting more than anything some story where an Autobot defects to the Decepticons and assumes it’s all Fun Villainous Goodtimes In Do Whatever You Wantville
until they get schooled by some other ‘Con who is like “who the fuck do you think you are?” and the defector is like “whoa, where does it say I have to give a shit about [whatever]?”
and the ‘Con just points at the Deceptibrand and is like
“Right there. Did you think this was some kind of free ride? If you did, congratulations. You’re a jerk and a moron.
“Look, dude. I’ve got nothing against running around breaking shit. It’s great fun. But maybe instead of doing it every chance you get, you should spend some of that time learning what that badge you’re wearing actually means.”
Adhesive I just had the cutest idea
Okay so this started cause I was seeing posts on alot of decepticon behavior and their comparisons to packs and lion prides and im just
Why isn’t there alot of posts on Autobot behaviors?
So I was like if Deceptiocns are more like predators that act like cats/big cats/Dogs/wolves wouldn’t authors technically act more like large preys/predators? Instead of packs they have herds or pods?
Like Whales, and elephants?
I just had this thought of Autobots in the washracks and all the youngest are acting like little kids and spitting cleanser or throwing suds in water. Bath time is social time for all members who had finished their shift. The autobots have a huge communal bath and showers and often help each other clean and tidy up.
Autobots get this reputation of being prude, strict, and distant emotionally from each other but that’s cause decepticons and quite a bit of neutrals actually don’t realize they tend organize socializing so they can they maximum amount of time to be with each other. They also know when to break off into smaller groups for higher survival.
They tend to make cohort groups or bond groups(think like the Rod Squad in this case) that often will go thick or thin with eachother and have developed to knowing other wuoelrks inside jokes ect. The autobots are mostly made up of these bond group and when they come together is almost like a family clan. Bonds group tend to like to integrate new comers and when new comers join this helps build bridges and bonds with other bond groups. (Nautica for example and Velocity ended joining Rodimus bond group and end up binding two smaller bond groups the scientists and medics to Rodimus command group).
But their is also Autobots who don’t have a particular bond group so they hover around others(Trailbreaker and Pipes). Their more like Bull males and tend to be more solitary or join other bull males(Getaway, Atomizer, Blaster). Or the wreckers who members tend to change often.
All Autobot leaders are like closer to a matriarchy Elephants. When the leader is dead or too tired to continue the eldest daughter will lead(Bumblebee leading Cybertron after Optimus left). Autobots leader have this innate need to care and look after others and will often make big groups that can have smaller bonds groups made.(Rodimus and the lost light plus its many cliques)
It’s very typical for much older and wiser mechs to guide younger inexperienced ones. As older ones tend to be effective descions makers.(Ratchet, Magnus, Rung) and also keep younger ones in lime because their cut through the bullshit attitudes tend to tamper their more aggressiveand hothead behaviors. (Tho this doesn’t always work)
Autobots have a very hard time welcoming Decepticons because of this Big Prey vs Predator relationship. Deceptions won’t typically go after the older mature Autobots (the big developed prey) and instead the go for younger weaker bots (the less developed inexperienced prey) cause like big cats it’s much easier.
Newsparks and new Autobots tend to be the center of attention for a while often sticking close to the Autobots who brought them in. This usually lasts until everyone finds a new rhythm with the new addition.
Touch is a big thing, but it more subtle then cuddle piles and hugs. They tend to be more private about affection like hugs and cuddling but more open about hand holding, shoulder bumping and shoulder touching.
And that’s all i got right now.
Oh my god my brain is too fried to add anything right now but ELEPHANT HERD AUTUOBS UNITS YAAAASSSSSSS
@radio-cybertron TFA BOTS WITH NON-STANDARD EYE ARRANGEMENTS but Autobots especially are super strict about ensuring that there’s conformation, especially physically, so any… “non-standard” features shall we say are either done away with or disguised. Optics are simply easier to hide than they are to replace.
Jazz’s eyes are based off Lugnut’s. I assume that’s Sentinel, who didn’t know Jazz didn’t have the basic “two optics” arrangement and then Sentinel proceeds to make an ass out of himself over it by getting weirded out, and invasive, and then not making eye contact with Jazz for a while. Jazz pretends he’s used to it, but it really pisses him off deep down.
Perceptor’s big shiny head-thing? Actually a third eye, although it sees in a wider spectrum and can’t focus on near objects (his main eyes are nearsighted, however- it’s likely that he’s supposed to “naturally” compensate tho he just wears glasses instead). I also dug up my pre-empurata Shockwave designs because Shockwave being used to not two optics, but three!
Also Cycloptic First Aid I dont’ have a reason or excuse for this one just
very cute.
…Now I’m wondering if one of the Decepticon Sympathizers might have not been Perceptor all along. But, dude, those arrangements are awesome. Shockwave is strangely hot. Like, in a way he should not be. And now it makes me wonder if he doesn’t still have the three-eyes, but only uses them for night vision now. Imagine he could shut the third big one down and go incognito with the other two. They don’t give him as good vision, but they get him around.
First Aid’s Mono-optic is perfecto for microsurgery, as he’s studying under Ratchet after all, maybe it has scanning abilities to allow him to see micro-tears and metallo-dermal abrasions that he can fix. 😀
I like to think Perceptor was/is a Decepticon Sympathizer at some point, or at least more aware of how things went so incredibly wrong for both sides in the great war. After all, why dampen down your emotions for a better reason than to stop thinking about what you’re doing? (This comes up in the TFA Lost Light AU, too, because it’s part of why he winds up so close to Drift and is basically Decepticon bait tee hee)
First Aid’s adorable single optic is great for a narrow focus, but he also has no peripheral vision so occasionally he’ll round a corner, underestimate, and walk right into a wall. Oops.
Also I love drawing my headcanon Shockwave-with-a-face in no small part because I also like to imagine him as the bright eager Senator Shockwave at some point, back when warbuilds and civilian builds were equal, because what’s the point of making a beautiful Shockwave if you can’t traumatize him by removing his faaaaaaace
REMOVE THE FACE *cackles*
I swear by all that is holy and half my transformer collection if you start pulling a Vos on Shockwave, I’m going to run screaming. *strokes chin.* Though, it brings a whole wealth of stuff to mind. Like what if they knew Shockwave was Longarm Prime. What if they were just waiting for him to fuck up all these years. What if Blurr was just the cat’s paw the entire time?
Because Senator Shockwave had a thing for pretty, intelligent groundframes.
What if the entire war was an elaborate Autobot set up from the getgo just to get the more dangerous Decepticons (Megatron, Shockwave, Strika, Lugnut) back under control/dead/”rehabilitated.”
What if the Autobots were playing a “Wag the Dog” the entire time to the populace, but in the background, they were systematically hunting down all Decepticon and decepticon sympathizers at the same time.
All Hail Magnus.
I know that my personal headcanon is that Shockwave was a Senator who was working very hard on integration pre-war, and he had a thing for everybody like look at that mech. He’s so tall and handsome as hell, he’s so bad but he does it so well. But he pushed too hard, at some point, and Ultra Magnus made sure he disappeared, or got pushed over the edge- which makes him attacking Ultra Magnus with the hammer all the more intense.
Shockwave doesn’t strike me as the kind to leave something half-finished, or to murder someone in such a messy way (although, it could be argued that an incapacitated Magnus is much more useful, since it destabalizes the power by splitting the population between those that want Ultra back and those that are following Sentinel) but to smash someone apart with a hammer…that feels intensely personal, to me. Deliciously personal. >:3
ggggod dont’ even get me started on rehabilitated Decepticons I just
*lays down on ground*
*stares at ceiling*
*KEENS LOUDLY ABOUT AUTOBOTS FORCING DECEPTICON SPARKS INTO AUTOBOT FRAMES TO MAKE THEM EASIER TO CONTROL AND KEEP IMPRISONED*
*slides blanket around you, rocks with you.* Is okay, you can tell me all your headcanons, and I’ll go back to spark eater mating dances.
Segueing back into the previous conversation, though. The Autobots seriously had the power imbalance on their side from the beginning of this entire travesty. It makes you wonder why did the war really happen and DID the war really happen, or was the entire fucking thing a set up?
There are times I read that in IDW and wonder there as well. If everything was an elaborate ploy to keep the population under control, and distracted.
How do you boost economy: war.
How do you control population: war (and disease.)
How do you control politics: war (and patriotism)
It’s really eerie when you think about it, even going back and watching the Decepticons in other shows. Kind of makes them a little less cartoony, and maybe a little more… desperate?
It really does feel super desperate and spooky. I’m actualy in the process of transcribing “The Great War Board Game” from the allspark almanac because it has some really fascinating bits that imply a LOT about TFA history without saying much, and I feel like it makes for great fic fuel.
I mean, literaly five spaces into the board game, is an Autobot square
simply labled
“Decepticon Registration Act, 2,000 VP”
This is the first Autobot square on the entire board, and it’s worth 2,000 points. Brr.
(The first Decepticon Squares, depending upon which way you go at the first fork, are either “Megatron’s Manifesto Draws New Recruits” or “Cybertron Under Attack!”)
…the fuck.
I need a copy of this, or I need to a scan of it. That’s some serious fucked up.
aerasfsafweralfjsa. You know, during WWII. The guys that made the European version of Monopoly would send certain boards to POW’s that contained tools to get them out of prison. What if in a way to “entertain” their prisoners in Trypticon.
They gave the Decepticon games like that… with a reminder. There’s no Decepticon squares left except “Go to Prison.” or “Executed.”
Except, someone gets wind of this- and mirrors what the British gamemakers did, and begins to put a tiny dot on the board to tell them what to look for, and puts little tools and things to make the their lives a little less miserable.
Because where you have oppression, someone’s going to start thinking that maybe, this is wrong.
So, Autobot and Decepticon architecture. But mostly Decepticon.
First thing that gets one’s attention is colour scheme. Autobots like light or bright colours, golden being their primary peference. Decepticons’ favourite colour is purple (duh). I wonder why. I mean, it’s the colour of the insignia, but somebody chose it…
Seeing how the D-con insignia is designed after Soundwave’s head, purple is probably related to his paintjob as well. Somebody seems to like Soundwave way too much. *coughMegatroncough*
Decepticons’ mania for gigantism (you know, huge towers, halls, statues) is the result of their past. Most of Decepticons were used to being confined in small spaces before the war: mines, barracks, you name it. This is why after they got a chance to organise space around them, they… went a bit overboard with it. For most of them, it seemed like an amazing luxury: look, vast hallways! Tall ceilings! All of this room just for us?!
The lack of light on the Nemesis is a result of Decepticon mentality too. The ‘cons are obsessed with gathering energon; most of them were nearly running on empty in the past, and the fear of hunger is one of the strongest among them. Decepticons spare no expence on rations and fuel for their weapons; however, they strive to conserve energon in every other way – including lights inside the ships or buildings. After all, they can always calibrate their optic sensors to see in the dimly lit areas.
When it comes to architecture, Autobots like soft, firm lines; their buildings look sturdy, close to the ground, solid. Favourite shapes for them would be square and circle. Decepticons, on the other hand, fancy sharp angles and tall towers. They took a lot from Seeker traditional architecture, as seen in the city of Vos, including the love for open balconies and terraces with no railings. Because what use are railings for a faction mostly consisting of flyers? (This is where the upper throne terrace of Darkmount came from.)
Autobots’ ideal architectural feature is a dome; for Decepticons it’s a spire. The same goes for their standards of beauty: Autobots like curves and round forms, Decepticons find spiky lines and angles attractive.
*sees opinions about the origins and differences in culture and programming between Autobots and Decepticons*
*trying to keep my big mouth shut so unsolicited headcanons don’t come pouring out*
hnnnnngh
“NO SHARE OPEN THE FLOOD GATES let us swim in the glorious tide of headcanons”
“*grabby hands* Headcanons should be shared! You might inspire people and start a whole new thing. ^_^”
“Go ahead and say them!”
oh god
(I apologize in advance)
ok so it’s always sort of been my headcanon that Autobots and Decepticons are distinctly separate. Not necessarily called Autobots and Decepticons, but definitely a species split in two, if that makes sense. The origin of their split depends on the universe of course. Some universes they just naturally developed, divergent or covergent evolution for lack of better terms. Other universes, Decepticons were purposefully developed for warfare… or more accurately, defense.
In a majority of the TF universes, Cybertron has been attacked by invaders in its past. And for reasons I’ve yet to fully dissect, I really reallylike the idea of a weaponized class of Cybertronians fed and supported by a civilian class. I love the whole concept of co-dependent Cybertronian cultures. Civilian class bots needed weaponized bots for protection, weaponized bots needed civilian bots for energon, goods, etc.
Now, in a system like that, you’ve basically got one really specialized class (Decepticons) and a generalized civilian class (Autobots). That explains the way their war tends to play out – with Decepticons unable to adapt and be self-sufficient enough to create the goods and fuel necessary to survive, while the Autobots who have a much more varied set of skills, non-specialized programming and alt-modes, are better able to adapt to new roles… including the role of soldiers. They’re not as good at that particular function as Decepticons of course, but they can do it and their civilian functions. It’s a skill set that most Decepticons lack… and without any allies, Decepticons are forced to rely on their tried-and-true methods of conquering and plundering to fill that gap in their resource gathering.
Of course there are exceptions. Warpath and Powerglide are two Autobots who I consider to be part of that weaponized class for… obvious reasons. And while I can’t think of any G1 Decepticons I’d consider more civilian (Swindle?) I’m sure they’re there too. Factions are choice, programming is not.
But it’s my headcanon that Cybertronians, as a species and society, literally cannot function properly without both sides cooperating. Militarized mechs need something worth protecting (i.e. not a dead planet) and need the thriving economy and all that comes with it that only civilians are really equipped to build. Civilian bots, while they can fight, don’t enjoy it in any great capacity and are reluctant to eliminate threats, and a little too eager to shrug off their duties in that regard. Guard duty? Patrolling? Routine defense maneuvers of any kind? No thanks. (While weaponized mechs don’t exactly enjoy these things either, they’ve got a higher tolerance for it… and a much healthier respect for orders.)
Yeah. I’m an idealist and kind of romantic. I just want everybody to get along. >_>
It also doesn’t help that I am a sucker for cross-factional relationships.
(More because I can’t stop)
This whole interdepence thing is also kinda why the war (in most continuities at least) isn’t as brutal as it technically should be. Sure, there’s been plenty of killing on both sides. But it really seems like most deaths occurred at the beginning of the conflict… and most of it was indirect violence. Building sabotages, bombings, etc.
Of course most of this was from the Decepticons (though the Autobot-run government at the time did retaliate with violence of its own, but I digress). The thing is, I… don’t think the Decepticons are ones for indirect anything. Think about it. These are bots built and programmed for defensive – and later offensive – campaigns, and the way most Decepticons talk about Cybertronian superiority, had a lot of success in those. When we see Cybertronians on other planets, it’s pretty clear that Cybertron has a reputation for not only being massive dickwads, but friggen powerhouses that are able to wipe the floor with most other species.
So really, while there are brilliant Decepticon strategists, the bulk of their military planning was probably in positioning everyone just right to completely smear whoever their opponent is at the time. Make sure they can’t get a counterattack going, that sort of thing. Given how overpowered Cybertronians are compared to the rest of the galaxy/universe…? Their strategies probably involved just… waves of brute force repeatedly battering the opposition into submission.
So we see some of this strategy come into play during the early stages of their civil war. What’s the best way to take down your opponent (in this case, the entire structure of oppression on Cybertron)? Take it out at the knees, demolish it completely, and completely crush the smallest lingering resistance. BUT rather than use their usual smash-and-burn techniques… we suddenly see a lot of sabotage, an uptick in the use of spies, and a lot of attacks from afar (planted bombs, assassinations of specific mechs, etc.)
[Quick note, this doesn’t apply for canons like IDW where as far as I can tell this wasn’t necessarily a military thing but more of a marxist “rise against the elites who keep you down” thing. This is just me rambling about STUFF.]
My theory is that this is a combination of practicality – in the beginning of the war they didn’t have enough bots for full frontal assaults – and sentimentality. The Decepticons hated the system, not the bots within it. Unless they were the politicians who reinforced that system. But you can’t make an omelette without cracking eggs, so they did what they had to and hoped that the rest of Cybertron would see that they were right.It didn’t work out that way.
Only problem is, it’s really hard to justify what you’re doing when you’re looking right at the Cybertron you’ve been programmed to protect while opening fire on it. So, the indirect dismantling of Cybertronian society.
So now, with both sides entrenched, there’s not really an indirect way to clobber the Autobots. They’ve gotta play this campaign like they did against alien enemies… and that is extremely hard for a good chunk of the Decepticons.
It was the absolute worst when Autobots started bringing minibots onto the field. How the frag do you shoot at that? It’s so small! It’s so vulnerable, what is it doing out on the battlefield? You can’t take that seriously – and then it shoots your engine out and goes screeching off on its itty bitty wheels while honking at you rudely.
Basically, it’s adorable and kind of hot and that was when Decepticon leadership started having trouble with bots having vivid fraternization-with-the-enemy fantasies.
It wasn’t more than a morale problem until some geniuses decided to kidnapliberate some cute sassy minibots and brought them into the base. The minibots in question were surprised and pissed off to varying degrees – the ones that didn’t outright escape or get rescued/traded wound up stealing valuable intelligence before they beat it out of there, leaving a trail of broken-hearted Decepticons.
*sees opinions about the origins and differences in culture and programming between Autobots and Decepticons*
*trying to keep my big mouth shut so unsolicited headcanons don’t come pouring out*
hnnnnngh
“NO SHARE OPEN THE FLOOD GATES let us swim in the glorious tide of headcanons”
“*grabby hands* Headcanons should be shared! You might inspire people and start a whole new thing. ^_^”
“Go ahead and say them!”
oh god
(I apologize in advance)
ok so it’s always sort of been my headcanon that Autobots and Decepticons are distinctly separate. Not necessarily called Autobots and Decepticons, but definitely a species split in two, if that makes sense. The origin of their split depends on the universe of course. Some universes they just naturally developed, divergent or covergent evolution for lack of better terms. Other universes, Decepticons were purposefully developed for warfare… or more accurately, defense.
In a majority of the TF universes, Cybertron has been attacked by invaders in its past. And for reasons I’ve yet to fully dissect, I really reallylike the idea of a weaponized class of Cybertronians fed and supported by a civilian class. I love the whole concept of co-dependent Cybertronian cultures. Civilian class bots needed weaponized bots for protection, weaponized bots needed civilian bots for energon, goods, etc.
Now, in a system like that, you’ve basically got one really specialized class (Decepticons) and a generalized civilian class (Autobots). That explains the way their war tends to play out – with Decepticons unable to adapt and be self-sufficient enough to create the goods and fuel necessary to survive, while the Autobots who have a much more varied set of skills, non-specialized programming and alt-modes, are better able to adapt to new roles… including the role of soldiers. They’re not as good at that particular function as Decepticons of course, but they can do it and their civilian functions. It’s a skill set that most Decepticons lack… and without any allies, Decepticons are forced to rely on their tried-and-true methods of conquering and plundering to fill that gap in their resource gathering.
Of course there are exceptions. Warpath and Powerglide are two Autobots who I consider to be part of that weaponized class for… obvious reasons. And while I can’t think of any G1 Decepticons I’d consider more civilian (Swindle?) I’m sure they’re there too. Factions are choice, programming is not.
But it’s my headcanon that Cybertronians, as a species and society, literally cannot function properly without both sides cooperating. Militarized mechs need something worth protecting (i.e. not a dead planet) and need the thriving economy and all that comes with it that only civilians are really equipped to build. Civilian bots, while they can fight, don’t enjoy it in any great capacity and are reluctant to eliminate threats, and a little too eager to shrug off their duties in that regard. Guard duty? Patrolling? Routine defense maneuvers of any kind? No thanks. (While weaponized mechs don’t exactly enjoy these things either, they’ve got a higher tolerance for it… and a much healthier respect for orders.)
Yeah. I’m an idealist and kind of romantic. I just want everybody to get along. >_>
It also doesn’t help that I am a sucker for cross-factional relationships.
Cybertronian Database 