Was Suddenly Moved To Draw A Toony Sort Of Character Design .. But This Is A Bit Too Close To 2013 Tumblr

was suddenly moved to draw a toony sort of character design .. but this is a bit too close to 2013 tumblr sexyman for my own comfort

Altmodes and sense of self

Hi there. I'm not exactly sure how to Tumblr, but hey, I have to start somewhere, haven't I?

I have recently created this guy as a bit of a proof of concept: it's possible for a cybertronian of a right size to take not a new altmode, but a different robomode. Well, it involves some Fallout, but for those that don't know -- top right is an assaultron, a relatively common enemy and sometimes ally in the series. Sorry for a messy pencil drawing, it was intended to be an inside for-roleplay thing.

Reineke has two alternate stories -- a damaged synth replacing parts with an assaultron armour or a stranded beastformer minicon. Both have a bit of an issue with what they are, but it's easier when your mask is just a mask, not your literal body parts.

Imagine being able to change your body to blend in (the existence of that blending in ability in cybertronians raises questions of their own, but of more or less ecological regard), and you change your face, too. Is that still you? You interact with other beings, trying to provide expected behaviour. Eventually this pretending becomes a second nature. Your character drifts and changes under the circumstances. Radiation can damage some circuitry and knock memories out of place. When you look into a mirror, you don't remember how you were before. Is that still the same you that took a different face some time ago?

Humans have strong connection between their "self" and their looks. New clothes might be wearing you, and I sometimes wear my favourite shirts as a little confidence boost despite nobody being able to see them under my jacket. Would that also be true for cybertronians? Would an earthen altmode affect the self-interpretation, since the root mode changes with new kibble, too?

Also, I know there is a distinction in IDW between "cold construction" (they can only assume alts similar to their natural one) and "forging" ("natural" way with an unrestricted altmode choice), but it's not true for every continuity (TFP Starscream implies that Knockout chose a grounder alt, and Skyquake's everything also implies not having wings to be an option despite being rather plane-shaped; he and Airachnid honestly imply that they didn't have an alt before, I think -- but I know that alien alts in the show would be costly). So in some continuities bots can, in theory, change alts and kibble drastically as often as they want. Would it be something frowned upon? Something "childish", what you do when you aren't sure what you want to be? How much your altmode defines *you*, and how much you would pick an alt because of who you are? Can "dramatic altmode change" be the same as human "dramatic hairstyle change" trope?

And then there are multiple alts and oddballs like Skylinx. I think they deserve a separate rant with questions.

Cybertronian Colloquialisms - Primes Edition

So we've all heard "By the AllSpark!" or "What in the Pit?" or "Oh Primus" in our TF media. However, I feel like TF writers are missing out on the goldmine that is colloquialisms invoking the different Primes. So, here is a small collection of such colloquialisms, and please, feel free to add more if you have any of your own you use.

"Primus below!" - Exclamation similar to "God above!", invoking the fact that Primus is the core of Cybertron.

"Vector give me patience" - Often paired with "because if Prima gives me strength, I'm going to need bail money." The go-to for when somebot if getting on your last nerves.

"To Alchemist!" - A popular drinking toast, to thank Alchemist Prime for inventing high grade.

"The Three Below" - Refers to Solus, Onyx, and Micronus, the three Primes who formed the Well of AllSparks

"Maximum Blessings on you" - a stealth insult/curse from some dialects, where "Maximum" and "Maximo's" are nearly indistinguishable. As Liege Maximo was the Prime of Lies and Trickery, it's a fitting way to wish someone ill.

“Solus’s slag pit” - Used for something incredible, awful, and incredibly awful. Often used to refer to the latest high society fashion mess.

"Find peace or take it up with the Fallen." - In other words, calm down or screw off.

“As you say, my Liege” - A condescending remark towards a person who’s attempting to lie, cheat or mislead.

Again, if you have any primal colloquialisms you use for your fics, reblog and share them with the rest of us.