thelittlestSeekerDevision

“Yes! I’m ready… come at me you winged cowards! Fight us on the ground why don’t you?” Firing away at one… he grinned. “You Decepticreeps are not getting away this time!”

“Oh no Autofools it is you who aren’t getting away!” One spat as they opened fired on them. Fangs dodged.“ Fragging cowards! C'mon.” She picked up a piece of debris and fired it, hitting the mech right in the turbine making him land.

 "Oh blow it out your exhaust, we’re not far from the spacebridge. Primus  why can’t you be like her? She hasn’t said a word since we left.“ His rear view mirror adjusted and looked to Fangs who was running behind them in her cat form.

"Yeah… well you know how I hate getting my finish scuffed! The Energon and supplies is not  that far off. We should have been there by now.”

Shadowfangs looked up and saw two missiles coming right out of no where.“ Incoming!!” She yelled, jumped, slamming right into Sunstreaker to shove him and his twin out of the way.

*puts chin in hands.* We already know that Starscream uses his wings to telegraph his mood. Look at Transformers:Prime. Fanon became canon on that one. However, with doorwings like our Praxians- it makes me wonder what the actual Praxian citizens were like. 

Where they a very strict society? Were they open, were they closed?

I tend to see them as proud, offshoots of the Vosians, Seekerkin if you will. 

But what if, Wing Language- like fan-language but unique to frame types with flexible wings or door wings with a little bit of avian body language thrown in.

For Example—-

1. Door Wings up, flared out.(plating flared)- Agressive Stance, I would like you to back down, please.

2.  Door-Wings up, spread out(plating relaxed)- Curious stance. That has gathered my interest. 

3. Door wings hiked high, tips touching- Surprise. What are you doing?!

4. Doorwings held at angle, below shoulders- Relaxed- I am glad to see you (family, friends, bondmate)

5. Flutter, pause- hike at high angle- Excitement (Usually sexual)- How very attractive.

6. Flutter, pause- lower at angle below shoulders. - Interest(usually a prelude to seduction)- I find you alluring, shall we see the crystals?

7. Right Wing hike- Expression of disinterest. - Equivalent of a shrug. - I do not see how it matters, but very well. 

8. Door wings hiked high, tips touching and flared out- anger. You should not have done that. 

Flicking of Doorwings in various numerations. 

Depends on individual, but can either be an expression of affection, or exasperation. 

10. Quick lowering of Doorwings - either disagreement or being closed off -No or leave me alone.

11. Shuddering/twitching of Doorwings - fear or nervousness - I am afraid, uncomfortable, or worried.

12. Tucking Doorwings out of sight and thus out of harm’s way - Extreme fear - I am very afraid and/or anticipate bodily harm.

13. Doorwings bouncing gently - excitement - I am so happy/I cannot wait for something to happen.

14. Doorwings flared out and fluttering - meant to draw attention - look at me! Over here! Look at me!

A few, though I never really thought there were shuttles, per se, just big Seekers. I think there are space capable bots, and have been talking about them recently with other space nerds. @lightningspriteignite and @xenotropos have discussed it more than me I think, and @voidwings has some great spacebot headcanons. I have other discussions of space and transformers but I didn’t tag them as anything special besides headcanons so I’ll have to hunt for them.

Anyway, I think there are large, space optimized Seekers, with all kinds of special mods that help them work in space for longer than a space rated Seeker like Starscream can operate. This is because they carry extra Energon and do not have to use up their bodies’ reserves, and also because they have mods to better control their temperature, such as extra radiators or mods to deliver heated coolant to their wings, raising the temperature to make them radiate more efficiently, and also taking advantage of the large surface area. 

Jetfire is one such Seeker. However I’ve never subscribed to the idea that he’s a shuttle. For one thing, his alt mode in any of the toys or games is clearly a big jet, and in the books he’s described as a Seeker. I don’t think he’s big enough for anyone but a Minicon, or maybe a two-wheeler, to ride in, and he does not have cargo space. I know in the comics and in G1 he just changes size willy nilly and has a cargo bay, but that doesn’t seem to be as much of a thing in the Aligned ‘verse, and I eschew it. In Exodus, Jetfire accompanies Optimus into Cybertron’s core to find the Matrix, and at one point he does fly Optimus across a chasm, but he transforms and Optimus hangs on the outside of his alt mode. Blastoff, from the Combaticons, also fits this description, and his alt-mode actually looks like a shuttle. However, he’s still not big enough to carry people, though he was often assigned to place weapons and other payloads in space, sometimes staying up there for a very long time and missing his team, though he’d never admit it.

But there are even bigger aerial frametypes, and some do have cargo space. I still don’t think they have room in the back for people to ride, but they can carry loads. Air Command bombers would be this frame type, and it’s likely that if Jetfire had been military caste and not a scientist (including military scientists, because they are a thing), he would have been assigned as a bomber (more of a fighter-bomber since he’s pretty agile and not that huge). Air Command bombers did not just carry bombs. They also carried fuel ingots, and smaller Seekers could land on their backs for aerial refueling. Teams of fighters and bomber could run complex operations or great distances and for extended periods. Along with bombers there are bots who have a lot of cargo space, and they were typically assigned mid-to-low caste jobs if they were not fast. I think the very biggest of these Seekers might be the closest to a shuttle, though I think that refers more to a job or even a caste than a frame type. I believe cargo space is not naturally occurring, or wasn’t originally, and must be either scanned or added as a mod, along with some hefty reformatting. It’s also possible that some bots were Sparked with cargo space due to Quintesson meddling with the AllSpark, similar to how nearly all Seekers are still born with cockpits and cars are born with seats.

hat tip to @xenotropos for listening to my various sudafed-driven ramblings, and to @tyrantofthefirmament for having such thorough headcanons for me to work from, and to @voidwings for bringing up the idea of space-only frames, among other salient ideas.

As presented in the show, and by aggregated musings by @tyrantofthefirmament, Fliers and especially seekers, have an innate understanding of aerodynamic responses, allowing them to fly closer to the edge of performance than Terran counterparts for the same aeroform, but this comes with a cost - the absolute psycho-emotional NEED for flight. This brings up a question:

Is Spaceflight emotionally comparable to Aerial Flight for the sake of Seeker psychological health?

I argue that it is not, with a caveat - there are Seekers who are, and who are not, suited to extended space operations. There is no air in space, and as such, while it would satisfy the “open horizon below” aspect of flight, it would not satisfy the need for aerodynamic stimulation, which is an intrinsic part of Aerial Flight. The Space Rating and Space Optimised mod sets are not strictly limited to Flier or Grounder frames, and in fact, I would argue that Grounder bots would be more emotionally suited to prolonged Space Ops than most Fliers.

Orbital manuvering is drastically different than Aerial, and a Flier would have to start from square one in learning the mobility, the same as a grounder. As well, a grounder does not have the deep-seated need for aerodynamic stimulation.

There is a reference in TFP to “Space madness”, though I’m on the fence whether it was coined as a product of Starscream’s machinations, or a known psychological phenomenon.

If we take it as a Known Thing That Happens, the evidence (plus @tyrantofthefirmament headcanon) gives us reasonable speculation that Fliers are prone to a variation of the kind of Grounded Madness that can result from being cooped up, wing damaged, or otherwise prevented from getting Aerodynamic Stimulation.

Some fliers might be resistant to these effects, and as such would be valued Space Operatives, allowing them to perform prolonged Space Ops, while also being able to take transatmospheric trips at-whim.

Regarding Space-ready grounders, it is not unreasonable to expect the same mod suites that are available to Fliers to be available to grounders as well. the amin difference would be the location of RCS nozzles, but a Grounder does not have an integral engine (unless they’ve had one Modified into their frame), which would limit them to short range work only, such as station maintenance.

I think some Seekers would like it a lot anyway, and could function fairly well living aboard spaceships and going out on space maneuvers, but as you said, grounders would likely find that part of the adjustment much easier. Everyone would start out not really knowing how to steer and control their speed, but I think Seekers would be better at getting their bearings in 3-dimensional space, while grounders would handle the long-term lack of atmosphere better. Seekers would be affected by not getting aerodynamic stimulation after a while, but for some it would take a very long time.

As I described in my post on the psychological effects of being grounded, some Seekers can handle it better than others. It’s quite possible that the intellectual stimulation and passion of working in space, if someone really loved it, would go a long way toward cheering up a Seeker whose wings itched for a strong wind holding them up. Even then I think they would get more irritable and others stressors would affect them more rapidly than they would in an environment where they could fly. It’s really not good for them. I think being grounded or confined, even if a Seeker felt ok most of the time, wears down their ability to cope with stress, and varies from person to person, but is always a factor. But missing out on flight because of a career choice or even an assigned duty that is exciting and engaging is very different from being grounded due to imprisonment or injury. The latter would take a mental and emotional toll very quickly.

No, he was Sparked a grounder and remains one. Apparently he really enjoys driving. *shrugs* I wasn’t making fun of him for becoming a car - he always was one. I was commenting on his rather odd decision not to become a flyer. Following Megatron’s example, a huge number of Decepticon officers, and even random grunts, opted to adopt flying alt modes, to the extent that not doing so stood out, particularly in the upper ranks. I thought it was odd that Knockout hadn’t done so, and I didn’t like his attitude or reputation, so I picked on him. His dubious reputation was why I picked him to work on Megatron, hoping he would indeed be better at breaking mechs than fixing them, but his lackadaisical attitude was mentioned in his record, and I did not expect us to get along. He did turn out to be quite a competent surgeon, which was good for me when our initial plan did not work out.

And no, you cannot just scan an alt mode that is different from your frame type, if that’s what you mean. For example, I could not, Primus forbid, scan a car. I could not even scan a twin engined jet. A t-cog is not magic. It has to have something in your frame to work with when it makes new forms using your transformation mechanics. Have you seen my alt mode? I still look Cybertronian despite my silhouette being a close match to the Earth jet I scanned, and I do not have Earth style landing gear. Grounders tend to change their outer plating more than flyers, since their entire surfaces are not vital to them being able to move properly in alt mode. A Seeker’s t-cog is not going to eliminate a control surface simply because a scanned jet didn’t have that particular one, whereas a car will work just as well no matter how it looks.. 

People who change alt modes must be reformatted. That is a complex, though not uncommon, surgical procedure, along with uploads of the new altmode and a reset of the t-cog’s programming that forces it to accept the new body ROM and allow scanning a new frame type. There were incidents during the caste system where people went to back alley choppers to get an alt mode that might get them a better life, but it was badly programmed. A former truck might try to scan a jet, and though they’d had wings bolted on and a jet engine installed, their t-cog still rejected the scan because it was using it old programming, or was incorrectly reprogrammed. I might prevent them from transforming at all, or limiting them to just the specific jet they were rebuilt into. The Eradicons are in that position. They were reformatted from the grounder Vehicons, and given flight, but Shockwave never bothered with updating their t-cog programming, so they cannot scan new jets forms. They do all right for themselves though. Another example of reformatting with no intention of ever being able to scan a new alt mode is what Shockwave did to the Dinobots. 

(Not necessarily true of all verses)

Small Seekers are 20ft-25ft, Average Seekers range from 26ft-35ft, Large is 36ft to 45ft and Extra-large is 46ft and up. Extra-small Seekers are those under 20ft tall.

Small: 6.096 to 7.62 meters, Average: 7.9248 to 10.668 meters, Large: 10.9728 to 13.716 meters, ExtraLarge: 14.0208 meters and up.

Dev’s G1 size in meters: 3.9624 (He’s at 13ft as a G1 Seeker.)

Dev’s Prime size in meters: 5.4864 (He’s at 18ft a Prime Seeker) Applicable to Seeker-Phoenix, too! @phoenixtheseeker. They are extra-smol!

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=feet%20to%20meters

[Meme reference]

As such a prideful thing he is, Starscream is not above looking down upon those who are smaller than him in stature. In fact, he prefers to loom over others on any given chance, a silent testament to his authority.

Unfortunately, the Seeker himself certainly isn’t the tallest mecha around. As much as he hates having to look up in order to properly speak to those individuals on their level, he also realizes there is little he can do about it - for the moment, anyway. For now, he’ll take to grumbling under his intake, occasionally giving a defiant flare of his wings.

What’s this? An intelligent question? Marvelous.

A Seeker trine is a group of three mecha assigned to one another through choice or via political or military arrangements. Together, a trine acts as one unit in whichever task they are assigned. What one trine member may lack in speed for example, another may make up for it with their own. Similarly, they bring out the absolute best in their capabilities and learn to synchronize in both flight and battle whilst providing a unique challenge to the enemy.

In order to become a true trine, the sparks are exposed to each other to form a trine bond; a trine may still become bondmates together as well, but it isn’t as common as the standard military unit. Regardless of that detail, a trine is able to communicate freely between themselves as well as experience emotions and thoughts, to a degree entirely dependent on the amount and strength of trust that lies within the bond. It is not uncommon for trines to experience pain or feelings not entirely their own in this regard.

Among the Seekers of Vos, one cultural norm all of this frametype shared was the use of dance in various instances. Be it recreation, a demonstration of their grace to lure potential trine and bondmates, or even a way to settle minor disputes between two or more mecha. While many other Cybertronians could understand the use of dancing for pure recreational purposes, it was seen as purely a ‘Seeker thing’ when it came to its other customary practices and remained a fascination to many non-fliers.

The traditional dances of Vos tended to be uniquely reserved for the upper classes, utilized especially during banquets and other festivities. Meanwhile, those in the lower classes were more apt to create their own variations, eventually creating their own subculture.

Seeker wings are sensitive.

Everyone knew that. Despite their seclusion to Vos before the war, this fact was duly noted in what few interactions were had with them and thus circulated among the rest of the Cybertronian population like wildfire.

While the frame of a Seeker is often considered extremely attractive, the sleek form was originally designed to enhance flight capabilities. If the same principle was seen as aesthetically pleasing, it was, for the most part, pure coincidence.

That didn’t exactly downplay how many considered Seekers ‘exotic’, and the sensitiveness of wings soon became a rather lewd conversational topic amongst grounders. As off-putting as it may have been, there was little to do about it - what would a group of miners care to understand how the thin planes of metal shivered and shook in warning as flight altitude changed far too quickly?

No, to a Seeker, wings were more than just pretty decorations. Each wing was comprised of its own unique sensornet, one that was linked so that all both wings recorded and felt - wind velocity, air pressure, atmospheric temperature, pain, etc - were directly relayed to the processor both in and out of alt mode.