#tf macro

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.

Okay, so this is different than what I usually talk about, because it’ll be me info dumping/headcanon-ing/rambling about something that’s been in my mind. Its random, but I hope you hear me out!

A while ago, I revisited Transformers Universe (I never got the chance to play it, which is sad) and read a bit on the game’s plot as well as the character bios I managed to find. In typical me fashion, I just had to connect it to Smokescreen. With this bigger Autobot cast, I just think it’d be nice to see Smokey interacting and befriending a bunch of the Arclight Autobots as a result because, let’s be real, this mech needs more friends (and not bots who constantly disregard or alienate him).

Since Universe and Prime are connected (from what I’ve heard, the two go hand–in–hand), I can see this happening. Though, my only gripe with Universe was the fact that Smokescreen isn’t there…but then again, a bunch of S2 (Dreadwing and Shockwave) and major S1 characters (Airachnid, Soundwave, Starscream) aren’t there. There’s no confirmed reason on why that is, either they hadn’t been included, or Jagex don’t plan to include them since their “replacements” are there (ex. Starscream is replaced by Switchblade as Megatron’s SIC, Airachnid is replaced by Flamewar as Arcee’s rival, etc.).

But even so, I’d like to believe that they just hadn’t been included (the thought of Smokey being sidelined for the umpteenth time saddens me), especially since they planned to add a bunch of characters such as Barricade, Grimlock, Onslaught, Perceptor, etc. Plus, in an interview, one of the PICs said that they had this 15–year plan of the game…whether or not that’s true is debatable, but it shows they had big plans for Universe.

That aside, I also noticed some similarities with Universe and your AU. For example, I just realized that your Hound is actually Universe Hound (though you have a more in–depth focus on his character, can’t believe it took me a while to realize that!), and the fact that Chromia escaped Cybertron alongside Ironhide, Prowl, etc. I think the parallels are neat.

I’m getting a bit off track, but as I said before, I think Smokey would get along great with a bunch of the Arclight crew.

His background would make it easy for him to relate to some of the Arclight crew with less–than–fortunate backgrounds, but remained steadfast and did not “succumb to the darkness”. For example, Showdown was a gladiator in the pits of Kaon, meaning that he likely witnessed Megatron/Megatronus in action back in his gladiator days. But while most of his fellow gladiators joined the Decepticons, he became an Autobot.

Another bot that comes to mind is Cameo, who, in another bio, is described as “An Autobot underdog from the start”. While it’s unknown if her status extends to her pre–Autobot/pre–war life, I’d like to think that’s the case, especially since it’s said that she “has survived by her lightning reflexes since the second she crawled from the Well”. Plus, given both Smokescreen and Chromia’s own statuses as underdogs due to being Mithrilians, I feel like they’d all relate to each other’s past.

But all in all, Smokescreen’s personality is what shines the most, with him already being a pretty extroverted and friendly bot. I can see him befriending many ‘bots, especially those with similar personalities, skillsets, and are likely at the same age range as he is, such as: Anomaly, Macro, Outsider, Sparkscape, and Swagger.

But among all those ‘bots, one of them piqued my interest; Swagger (a bit out of topic, but we need more guys that turn into bikes). If you look closely, you’ll see that both Smokescreen and him share a lot of similarities. They both don the same paintjob (many people mistook Swagger as Smokescreen at first), have similar personalities (though, Swagger’s a bit more on the arrogant side), ticks off a certain blue Two–Wheeler, and have similar backstories in terms of being “abandoned” by their mentor figures (Swagger’s bio literally stated that his teacher/master left him, for reasons unknown).

All in all, I think Swagger would remind Smokey of his younger self. Some of his antics would probably give him second–hand embarrassment, but hey, Smokey’s been there done that. Besides, as someone was often looked down upon, Smokescreen understands that Swagger’s just trying his best to help out (even if his exterior may suggest otherwise).

(Swagger aside, come to think of it, the Arclight’s filled with ‘bots with colorful personalities. Makes you wonder how a certain deadpan snarker would react to suddenly having to share space with them, especially since a bunch of them are skilled. She’s got no reason to complain about supposed “inexperience” or “not following Team Prime’s way” if that were the case. Hopefully not. Plus, I read that she was intended to be the mentor for the Autobots’ training room…while that’d be interesting, she really needs to learn to be patient, for her sake as well as everyone else’s).

Anyways, that’s all from me! Aside from the fact that Smokey needs more friends/positive influences in his life, I just think that the Universe bots in general are a pretty interesting bunch, and it’s a shame that we never really see them in any other continuity/adaptation. Plus, it makes you wonder how everything would go down with the addition of all those bots and cons (especially since Prime felt empty at times).

I’ll end it here. As always, thank you for reading my ramblings, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this :)

Hi, Jazzi! It's been good, all things considered, thank you. How about you? Oh, before too much further, Happy Halloween!

Oh gosh, you found Transformers Universe! I won't lie, I love all those 'Bots it introduced. The sad thing is (besides also never getting to play it, or having it last longer than 1-3 years max) that, according to something I read once, the Arclight's crew/conception was to set up what had been a larger Autobot and Decepticon force on Earth pre-TFP. Which also means, within TFP's lore, they're....all dead in the present. Assuming my memory is correct (given though that the Aligned Continuity is held together by floss, we can just pretend that never happened *grins innocently*)

Hehehe, I'm glad you noticed! Yeah, I just love their design for Hound and will take any opportunity to use my favorite artwork of him

Honestly, I'm well acquainted with Flamewar within TF lore, and I've been trying for years to utilize her for a story, she's that compelling of a villainess. If you check my #Blade's TF tag, you can find my current plan for her - and yes, she's in the works for my OG TF continuity. Before I delve deeper, I just gotta highlight the Arclight crew's base High Grand. It reminds me so much of Transformers: Cybertron's base of operations that I simply CANNOT leave that on the shelf! (Oh, thank you! The parallels were primarily an accident, I think - well, aside from High Grand, but I appreciate it!)

Oh yeah, Smokescreen would vibe with a lot of the Arclight's crew members, and he certainly needs more adult friends (seriously, Chromia is the oldest of the gang with Smokey, Hound, and Red Alert being roughly the same age. On Team Prime, Wheeljack is the only one who'd count after Optimus.) Oooo, Showdown and he would be great friends! Smokescreen might even see some of Roller in him (I've always pictured him as this giant of a 'Bot, so he and Showdown would share that trait.) Given they've both got big Sparks and understand hardship, they'd get along great. Showdown would also love to have someone who is both interested in his past and who won't get squeamish about the circumstances surrounding his gladiatorial record, or even some firsthand accounts of Megatronus'/Megatron's time in the ring. And Smokescreen would be ecstatic to learn some of his moves, and realizing how much of a quick learner he is would definitely endear him to Showdown - who may also see some of the younger, less noble Kaonites he wanted to help but didn't care for the offers he'd give them.

Hmmm, I'd prefer something other than a bike for Cameo, but I think you're right: she'd get along with Chromia and Smokescreen. I kinda have this feeling that Cameo's more skittish than they're used to, but still manages to lock-in and deliver in a battle. Chromia would respect that, and her ultra strong Big Sister Instincts would make her teach her some additional moves while Smokescreen would compare notes with her of surviving on the streets when everyone was bigger than you (wait, I'm considering her for Jack now - apparently Arcee was made blue so Jack "wouldn't look like a wimp" with a pink bike, but the dude could do with a kick-butt girl who isn't afraid to own up to her femininity in her paint job....I may have just started a separate analysis post brainworm, moving on.)

I don't think I can say this enough, but Smokescreen's greatest power is his ability to get along with all kinds of people. He has a natural charisma that literally got me to focus on someone who wasn't Optimus for longer than five minutes back when I was super fixated on him. There's a reason he got singled out by the Matrix of Leadership.

Anomaly would be a good one for their shared gung-ho demeanor, as well as Smokescreen not stopping from befriending him just because he's a "walking fallout". Smokey's niceness and genuine desire to be his friend would do Anomaly a lot of good, while Smokescreen would eagerly learn from his scientific and soldierly mind.

Oooo, Macro is what Bee should have been, and that's a team-up I now want: the two stealth operatives (with bright paint schemes) sneaking behind enemy lines, beating up the bad guys, and balancing each other out - Smokescreen's guns and speed matched with Macro's blades and unpredictability. That'd be so much fun to write, never mind witness! Dang, now I gotta either do something for that or - wait, Troy Baker voicing Macro! He and Nolan North would play off each other well, haha!

Outsider would be a toughie. I can see them being an "odd friendship", insofar as while Outsider would be on his own at base a lot, the one he wouldn't mind having hang around him would be Smokescreen. Smokey's no stranger to dealing with the "strong, silent type" who rarely speak, and I think even if he did the talking while Outsider did the - not work, but introverted loner thing, Outsider would appreciate having someone talking over the darker thoughts in his head.

For some reason I'm seeing Sparkscape as a hippie/innocent doper. Like, Amphiaraus of Hercules 2014 innocent doper: the guy who is usually smoking something but fully combat capable and who won't mistreat you because of the mushrooms he's eating. Smokescreen might initially find it difficult to bond with him because of that, but when he reminds him of that one nice guy who'd hang around the docks/the corner of Roller and Aileron's bar, he'd get into Smokescreen's good graces. I can also see a persistent joke of "you want some?" over Cybertronian drugs that never fails to get them both laughing.

Oh gosh, Swagger!!! He's one of my favorites, and I've been trying so hard to figure out where I could put him! I'm also wondering if I could swing Drift as his lost mentor, but IDK yet on that front (yessssss, give us more male bike-formers!!) Oooo, that'd be fun: Smokescreen seeing a younger, more aggressive/hotheaded version of himself in the 'Bot, and trying to help him out. If anything, they might be the only ones to lock horns from the two groups (just because Swagger is the type of guy to be aggressive/violent when pushed on his past), but they'd never come to blows. After a while, I think they'd come to an understanding and Swagger would mature from his old habits - though still with a distinct swagger to his name. (Swagger can keep his colors, but I'd greatly appreciate it if he were as lithe in build as Arcee. Don't go doing double standards for the designs simply because he's a dude - also, if I did make his mentor Drift, that could bleed into the family reunion later on...)

(Lol, Arcee would freak until legitimate character growth sets in! Hmmm, making her a mentor would actually do her development a number of favors, especially if they called her out on the whole "experience/no-nonsense" thing she always spouted off but never practiced. Hooooo, now I need to see her and Swagger trading blows, because she would trigger that response from him, never mind bad memories of his abandonment....)

Thanks for this, it was a fun thought exercise! Oh yeah, not only does Smokescreen deserve more friends, but Prime needed more characters. That's technically Hasbro's fault for hamstringing them, but dang if it didn't negatively affect the show's hollowness in terms of world-building.