This was originally going to be a reblog of a post I saw with me tagging…but as always, I have thoughts, so an ask would have to do. That said, I saw this alternate design of TFU Swagger a while back, and I was wondering what you’d think of it. I think you should check it out first before reading the rest of my thoughts, though.

With that out of the way, on to my thoughts!

I personally HC that to be Younger!Swagger when he’s still under (your) Drift’s tutelage, especially with the more noticeable Samurai aesthetics (he looks a lot like RID 2015’s Drift, Jetstorm, and Slipstream tbh, especially the helm crests. I’ll also be focusing on RID 2015 Drift because he’s in the Aligned Continuity, and that I’ll mention your version of Drift here and there).

(Note: This whole time I legitimately thought Swagger’s still a Samurai–in–training, when in reality, he’s a full–fledged Samurai. Never realized I’ve been disrespecting my boy this whole time…my bad *facepalms*)

Tying his design a bit into your AU, since he was on his own basically living on the streets after his father died…I also envisioned him being rather skinny/malnourished as a result. It explains the stark contrast when you compare it to Present!Swagger, who appears healthier and is more buff in comparison due to (your) Drift’s strict training regimen (and the fact that she basically raised him as well). Though, I do appreciate the artists’ depiction of a more trimmed down version of Swagger. Nothing against his OG build, he could still stay as is, but I would’ve liked it if he looked like this in ‘bot mode, especially since he’s a Two–Wheeler.

Diving a bit into angst territory…I feel like Swagger would intentionally lose the Samurai aesthetics after (your) Drift’s departure. While part of it was indeed due to how he didn’t want the ‘cons to immediately identify him as (your) Drift’s student…a much more personal reason would be how it reminded him too much of her.

On one hand he wants to distance himself from her influence and memory, mostly out of pure spite and hurt. Though, on the other hand…he COULDN'T. How could he…after everything they went through together?

It was also during this time he began to tinker with technology. Given her background, (your) Drift had to be crafty, and as a result, she also taught Swagger a thing or two about technology (even if it's not as often).

So, it came off as no surprise that Swagger picked up a thing or two from this non–combat/physical lesson. As an effort to distance himself/minimize over–reliance on martial arts/his katanas, he’d turn to technology, and managed to create some high–tech gadgets and make some modifications to his pre–existing weapons that’d help him out in battle. (Ex. His cloaking device, his retractable katanas and how it could electrocute his opponents, etc.)

As a result? At first glance, not many (me included) could tell he’s a Samurai. A borderline arrogant and cocky swordsmech?  Sure. But a full–fledged Samurai? Even the revelation shocked the Arclight crew when they first found out, even more so when Swagger was comfortable enough to finally tell them who exactly his Master/Sensei is.

All in all, despite his boasting, one thing that Swagger often keeps quiet about is his Samurai background and the identity of his Sensei (even if his combat style and the way he uses his katanas are quite obvious to some Decepticons who pay close attention). It helps that he’s a Samurai who doesn’t act or present himself like a typical Samurai would, both appearance–wise and behavior/personality–wise.

In other words; Swagger is an unconventional Samurai. Sure, some more traditional Samurai/warrior (read: RID 2015 Drift, who gives Swagger a MAJOR case of déjà vu and is someone he actively avoids/is quite hostile to due to certain reasons) wouldn’t approve of Swagger’s methods…but hey, it’s not like his Master/Sensei is there to correct him Plus, it worked out well for him so far, so he’s going to keep doing it. Nobody’s the boss of him!

And honestly, I really like this contrast! It’s such a nice juxtaposition that you can’t help but wonder what was going on behind–the–scenes when Jagex was designing him and discussing what to do with his character. I mean, people are quick to point out and associate Prime Wheeljack with the “wandering Samurai” vibe due to his lone wolf persona (I’m aware of the “He should’ve been Drift” arguments/comments, but I digress). But I feel it’s a different case with Swagger, since you really can’t tell that he’s a Samurai at first glance, especially since his katanas are retractable and not visible like RID 2015 Drift and Prime Wheeljack.

That’s all from me, Blade! I took one good look at that fanart…and the thoughts and HCs just came flooding in, heh. Anyways, thanks a lot for reading my ask/ramblings, and I hope you have a great day, Blade! :D

(P. S. I don’t want to end this on a sad/depressing note…but given what we know of him, Swagger should’ve been classified as a Ronin instead of a Samurai. And apparently, Ronins are supposed to…well, snuff themselves after their Master is “gone”. This includes being abandoned by their master, btw. Just...wow.

But the thing is; Swagger’s bio and his weapons’ infos all describe him as a Samurai. So, what this tells me is that, despite his claims or thoughts of him hating his Master…he couldn’t bring himself to sever that Master-Student bond he forged with her. Swagger’s unsure if it was also (your) Drift’s intention to renounce him…but unless he directly hears it from her, his loyalty to her isn’t going anywhere. Is he in denial? Yes. Does he care? Nope.

There’s NO way this guys isn’t DEPRESSED after everything. That said, someone–yes, I’m looking at you, Arclight crew! Especially you, Showdown!–please give him some hot cocoa, a warm blanket, and a hug. Seriously, this guy needs it more than anything).

Hi Jazzi! It's been going pretty well, thank you. I hope yours is doing well, too!

Okay, I'll post the picture and give my thoughts on it since the original poster is deactivated now.

It's not that bad. Personally, I have a strong distaste for the art style of Animated, though I will admit that this kind of fits Swagger. He's scrawny enough that this, in regards to my AU, would fit him when he had been found by my Drift and taken under her (door)wing. And while I do like both the canon design and this one for their takes on his musculature, I do agree that something like the below would be better for him ultimately (thanks to @theangrycomet-art for creating such wonderful artwork.)

I think a design like Cliff's would work best for Swagger, as he's still small, but thickly built following his apprenticeship to my Drift.

Aww, thanks! I can see why - all the samurai themed ones (with the odd exception of Strongarm, but I don't want to go there) in RID 2015 had that head crest design, so it would make sense if Swagger picked up on that from my Drift. In fact, the art I used for my Drift kinda parallels that head crest, now that I consider it a little...

(Oh dang. I think I forgot that, too. So sorry, Swagger *hugs him* No worries, we both made that mistake!)

Yeah, Swagger is someone who had a rough time of it once his father was taken out of the picture. I do have to agree that he was shockingly malnourished when he and my Drift came across each other. Hard training and better food sources really helped him grow, though....maybe his growth would be permanently stunted? Come to think of it, while I feel he'll be taller than Arcee (and obviously beefier by comparison), Swagger might have lost any chance of growing taller from lack of food sources until he met Drift. She took care of him and all, but there's only so much you can do when undernourishment prevents further growth.

Definitely. Swagger would figure out after a short while that it would be a giveaway to not just who his sensei is/Swagger himself, but there were only so many times he could stand it whenever he looked at his reflection. The abandonment was still fresh, still sore, and it hurt Swagger too much to keep the samurai gear on.

But it was still her armor pieces he'd received. Still something he had of her, other than the skills she imparted to him. Swagger likely just packed it away and kept them close for the future. Or to look at when loneliness hit him like a meteor.

Ooo, that's a good point! Drift uses cunning as much as she does martial arts, so she probably taught him how to tinker with anything techy, as well as how to upgrade certain things. Was it as often as the martial arts training? No, in part because Swagger was at a stage in his life where he wanted to physically cause harm, not with guns and projectile weaponry. But it was there, and most likely often after a long day of training.

Yep: now on his own with nothing but himself, his gear, and his wits, Swagger took to improving the tools at his disposal to give himself a greater advantage in battle. Though even he has to admit that a part of it was because otherwise, he'd be too distracted by how he dedicated he was in following Drift's formula...

(Somewhere out there, Drift is proud of the only child she managed to raise.)

Absolutely! The skills are there, sure, but plenty of other Cybertronians know those forms, too. That, plus his arrogance and spite, means you don't give Swagger a second thought...until Anomaly saw a glimpse of the samurai armor pieces, and eventually the crew, after a begrudging, fiery confirmation of his samurai status, learned that ex-Decepticon Drift was his sensei.

"Boy kid, you disappeared into the mists well!"

Showdown after all's been said and done. There is no mistaking the pride in his voice.

Only eagle-eyed ones like Flamewar would take note of Swagger's particular moves, but otherwise? Virtually anyone, 'Bot or 'Con, would never stop to think that he was a full fledged samurai. He's got the skills, but so does Wheeljack, and Primus knows he's no samurai! And all of this is helped by the fact that Swagger, for all his cockiness, sharp tongue, and general attitude hides the fact that he was trained to become a samurai, and become one he did. Even Doubletake is impressed by the facade the young Two-Wheeler has put on.

Indeed! He's an unconventional samurai, but it works, so why change things up? Oh yes, RID 2015 Drift would grate on his nerves ("Why does he have to remind me so much of her?"), but he's not Swagger's sensei, and Swagger's not looking for a new one, thank you very much. If he meets THE Drift, his sensei? Then he might think about behaving as a proper samurai.

Till then, Swagger is his own mech, and no one will tell him how to live his life, including the code he follows.

Oh it's a beautiful contrast! I LOVE it! It really does make you wonder, especially since Jagex was obviously so loving of the source material, Transformers as a whole, and went above and beyond in their creation of all-new characters. I'm kinda familiar with the "Wheeljack should've been Drift" arguments, and while that's probably a topic for another day, I really disagree. Yes, we needed more of mad scientist Wheeljack, but his characterization in TFP was really good (and slept on, as I've said elsewhere.) So in light of that, Wheeljack's characterization was honestly good, if a little familiar to Western audiences (hey, he made the cut!) RID 2015 Drift and his students Jetstorm and Slipstream are the general idea of samurai in the West, which is fine, but Swagger really shook up that image we all have of the samurai. Man, I'd have paid good money to see someone write him intelligently as a honorable, code following samurai who didn't act the part and see how it went from there.

Thanks for dropping by, Jazzi! It was fun, and I'm pleased to share ideas about Swagger and his past in my AU with you and others! Feel free to drop by whenever you want to share more ramblings down the line. You're welcome, and I hope you have a great day, too! :D

(P.S. Same for Wheeljack, in my humble opinion. I mean the literal, non-kanji related translation is "drifter/wanderer", which fits both of them to a T. Yeah, that....the Japanese are hardcore, huh? 😅

So, if we translate the bushido code to Transformers, then Swagger not committing seppuku is a pretty big deal, especially since he could have been in a mental state where he would have done that. But, since Drift left him some provisions before suddenly disappearing without a trace, he could discern that she didn't actually disown/renounce her favor of him, and thus avoided seppuku that way. In short, there's enough evidence to support that, and unless and until he hears from Drift's mouth that she renounced her favor of him, he's not gonna do that.

Denial is stubborn, but so's Swagger. Nothing short of Smokescreen or Drift herself will really, truly, get through his thick helm on some matters such as this.

He's gotta be depressed. Good thing the Arclight crew takes care of their own, and that Showdown's Spark is as big as he is. Definitely get Swagger some hot cocoa, a blanket, and hugs. Boy needs it - Limelight, I think you can help with that, right?

Also @personizloading I see your ask, amd will tackle it tomorrow! For now, though, I will leave you one suggestion: Look up Transformers Devcon. He's a cool bounty hunter, and less likely to be as sadistic or hard to shake as Lockdown, at least until I do more research myself.

@somereaderinblue

"What the Pit, Swagger? We needed Mismatch alive!"

Smokescreen was a very patient 'Bot. He could handle taunts and threats from teammates or classmates without batting an optic, he could deal with others getting short with him for reasons that were beyond his scope to deal with, he could even handle fellow Autobots treating him like scrap (it had taken a while to understand just how unfairly he was being treated by certain other 'Bots, but that was over now and he didn't hold a grudge.)

But Swagger's near antagonism the past month, particularly over the subject of his missing sensei, was something that for some reason irked him to no end in spite of his best efforts.

And the muscled Two-Wheeler's execution of Mismatch less than ten minutes ago was the straw that broke the turbofox's back.

The younger mech, his paint scheme a near mirror image of Smokescreen's own, made a dogged march toward the training area as the GroundBridge shut down in High Grand. Barely turning to him, Swagger snapped, "I was ending a threat and saving your hide, that's what. And it's not like the 'Con who took trophies from the dead would bend to anything, even torture."

A rare anger boiled inside of him, and darting forward, Smokescreen grabbed the mech's arm and turned him around. Optics wide, Swagger scowled at him as Smokescreen, keeping his hold firm against the other's attempts to squirm away, retorted, "Ignoring for a moment that the Phase Shifter was active on my wrist when he charged, you could have incapacitated him without killing him like that. Even if he didn't talk, we could've tried having Breakdown get something out of him."

"You're naive if you think a corpse desecrator would have even initiated a civil conversation with a defector," Swagger spat, his free servo darting for his Shifter. Without even taking his optics off him, Smokescreen nimbly switched servos on the Two-Wheeler's arm and pulled his Shifter wrist behind him.

As Swagger growled, Smokescreen refuted, "You don't know that we couldn't have figured something out, or even if Breakdown could have told us a more humane method for getting Mismatch to leak intel. Split second decisions might make the difference on the battlefield, but foresight wins the War!"

With a snarl, Swagger yanked his arm out of his hold, his unusual strength making it a far easier feat despite his shorter height. Turning on his heel, he ranted, "Fragging Pit, you even sound like her!"

Even as his frustrations mounted, Smokescreen's curiosity and desire to help his new teammate piqued at the outburst. Jogging up beside him, he needled, "What, I sound like your lost master? Maybe that's a good thing."

"Maybe you should bite your glossa into infinity!" he shot back hotly, glaring daggers at Smokescreen. "It's none of your business, what she was like! Stay out of our life!"

"Oh, so she's still a part of yours?" Smokescreen dug, mildly satisfied to see Swagger freeze and turn a cold gaze on him. Servos clenching into fists, the Two-Wheeler warned in a low tone, "Don't push it, Guardsman."

"Or what? You'll fight me?" Smokescreen pressed his advantage, taking a step forward and finishing, "I don't think Optimus would appreciate his subordinates tussling like street urchins, but maybe she taught you differently before leaving you in the dust."

As he'd expected, the jab did the trick - just not in the way he anticipated.

Swagger's frame shook with unbridled rage, optics wide with fury but holding a naked pain in them. His right servo twitched open, as if about to make an attempt on his voice box, before the Two-Wheeler suddenly stepped back. Turning, facing a nearby training dummy, he pulled out one of his Dynasty Katanas and, with a primal roar, threw it fully charged at the dummy. It soared end over end, connected with the dummy...

...and buried itself straight up to the hilt in the dummy's upper chest.

Even as the discharge made the dummy shudder and tumble backward, Smokescreen stood petrified in place, his surroundings turning into the Mithril Sea's infamous alleyways as he once more saw the drug addict collapse from the same executed strike.

He barely blinked as the High Grand's interior slowly morphed back into reality, his childhood memory fading as he saw Swagger violently extract his katana from the dummy.

As the Two-Wheeler swung his blade around briefly, Smokescreen lifted a trembling servo and, pointing at him with one digit, asked, "Who taught you that?"

The aridity of his voice surprised him. Even Swagger looked at him in confusion.

For a long moment, they just stood staring at each other, 'Bots once so used to the other's appearance now looking at the other as if he were a phantom of the past.

A shared past.

Finally the other mech sheathed his Dynasty Katana. Strutting toward him, arms spread out as he swung his body in a boastful manner, Swagger gloated, "Oh look, Momma's spitting image finally figured it out."

"You knew," Smokescreen realized, anger returning and shifting into something between rage and pain. "This whole time, you knew who I was. Who Chromia was, and who our mother is."

"I knew who she was," he answered spitefully. Stepping forward, optics blazing, Swagger continued, "You want to know who my sensei was? Fine. She was a defector of a 'Con who saw a War orphan and took him in, probably because his former size and colors reminded her of her real son. She took him in and trained him, had him up before the crack of dawn and learning how to fight, how to survive. She made him train until his muscles ached, to make him stronger because the universe is a mess and if he wanted to live, then he needed to understand that he had to push himself. And I did! I went through the Pit of training she put me through! I learned all the forms, all the techniques! I saw who she was, all of her! Her pain, her grief, her remorse, her fury, all of it! And despite it all, despite all our time together, Drift still abandoned me!"

Swagger was practically up in his faceplate, and this close, they could more easily take in the other's features. Smokescreen saw just how young he was in spite of the creases in his faceplate, and that in spite of the venom the Two-Wheeler had just ejected, he was in pain from loss.

The loss of a mother. Something Smokescreen knew all too well.

His anger was still there, but the pain of the fleeting moment he'd had with his mother was greater than it.

"So that's why you never told us who she was. Never told me," he muttered, consciously letting his frame relax. Swagger's expression wavered, clearly thrown by the reply, but he still hissed, "Yeah, 'cause you look just like her. Didn't need the reminder any more than I was already living with it."

"She did care," Smokescreen breathed, optics darting around. "That time in the alley...it wasn't a one time deal."

Swagger audibly groaned, spurring Smokescreen to look at him. Watching the other mech drag a servo down his faceplate, the Two-Wheeler insisted, "You still don't get it. If Drift really cared, she wouldn't have abandoned me, and you'd have seen her more."

"Do you have any idea what the penalty was for the lower castes to meet their parents, vice versa, or if either party even initiated contact?" Smokescreen asked pointedly. As Swagger looked at him skeptically, he pushed on before the other could respond, "The children alone would have been thrown into the mines for civil service lasting seven centuries. The parents would have had their T-cogs removed before being sent to the gladiator rings until they died in a fight. And if that didn't kill them, then the smelting pits were the preferred execution."

Swagger didn't move, nor did his faceplate betray emotion. But the short burst of shock and horror in his optics told him he understood.

"You were just a youngling when the War broke out," Smokescreen continued, choosing empathy over wrath as he reached out and put a servo on Swagger's shoulder. "It's a miracle you lasted as long as you did, never mind that your father managed to keep you with him. Abandoning Chromia and I was the best choice either of our parents could have made, and maybe Drift - Mother...left you to protect you from her past. She defected from the 'Cons, she would have been putting you in danger if she kept you with her."

Swagger blinked at him, looked down at the servo on his shoulder, and shrugged it off. Turning away, he crossed his arms and responded quietly, "You don't know that. You never even met her. You can't just say that that was even on her processor when she ditched me."

Singular this time and he hasn't walked away. Progress, he mused distantly in the back of his helm.

"And that doesn't mean we can't give her courtesy for what she did do for us," Smokescreen noted. When Swagger side-eyed him, he pointed out with a tiny smile, "That move you just used is the same one she used to save me. She saved you by taking you under her wing. The least we can do is offer her the benefit of the doubt."

For a long time, they stared at each other, the atmosphere still thick but becoming a little clearer. Scuffing a pede against the floor, Swagger glanced up at the balcony where the humans would oversee the training and mission areas of High Grand. Casting a quick look at the floor, he decided gruffly, "I'd better report to Doubletake about Mismatch. I'll see you after that."

Turning, he began walking over to the doorway that lead to the general room. Unable to help himself, Smokescreen called after him, "Any chance you could show me some of what Drift taught you after the fact?"

The Two-Wheeler didn't stop his march, but as he neared the exit, he answered casually, "Maybe. Depends on the audial-full I'm gonna get."

"I'll take it," Smokescreen replied as Swagger disappeared from sight.

He had a lot to digest, never mind figuring how to tell Chromia about this revelation.

But maybe - just maybe, the family unit he'd always longed for for the both of them was possible after all.

Drift - Mother, if you're out there still, wait a little longer, he thought, turning and making a dash for the recreational wing. I want a chance to know you, and maybe Father too if he survived this long.

(I actually have created a Cybertronian version of coffee called energant - it's purified [I guess?] energon mixed with coolant.)

---

Doubletake: So. Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know.

Showdown: I did. I broke it -

Doubletake: No, no you didn't. Sparkscape?

Sparkscape: Don't look at me. Look at Cameo.

Cameo: What? I didn't break it.

Sparkscape: Huh. That's weird. How'd you even know it was broken?

Cameo: Because it's sitting right in front of us, and it's broken.

Sparkscape: Suspicious.

Cameo: No, it's not -

Swagger: If it matters - probably not - but, Outsider was the last one to use it.

Outsider: Liar! I don't even drink that scrap.

Swagger: Oh, really? Then what were you doing by the energant dispenser earlier?

Outsider: I use the aluminum stirrers to scrape off dead mesh. Everybody knows that, Swagger!

Showdown: Okay, okay. Let's not fight. I broke it. Let me fix it, Doubletake.

Doubletake: No. Who broke it?

Cameo: Doubletake...Anomaly's been awfully quiet -

Anomaly: RRRREALLY?!

Cameo: Uh, yeah, really.

*as they start arguing, Doubletake goes to the camera in the other room*