TF is my oldest fandom. And I'm most partial to G1, G2, Animated, RiD, and Beast Era. So far all my characters focus in the G1/G2 continuity, and Beast Wars/Machines.
Also, I absolutely hate almost all the modern takes on the Dinobots. We either get something that looks like it stepped out of '50's sci-fi ("Masterpiece" Grimlock), or the designers didn't even bother to look at a dinosaur (Fall of Cybertron). Thus I'm determened to reinvint my Dinobots as anatomically correct (at least mostly), yet robotic and cool. So Abyss here is brand new, compaired to my original. Swift is on the slate, and all the rest going forward will try to fit this new take.
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Name: Abyss
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: Neo Dinobot
Alt. Mode: Plesiosaur
Function: Deep Sea Exploration/recon
Motto: "Uhmmm...what's a motto?"
Profile:
Abyss has never been accused of being the brightest diode on the circuit board, but she is one of the most loyal friends you could ever make.
Compassionate and caring to a fault, she has been known to capture military submarines, and escort them for great distances if she feels their presence threatens marine life.
Upon arrival of earth, she altered her form to that of a plesiosaur. She views her new role as being similar to the deep space missions she undertook during peacetime. This often has her separated from her team, or other autobots for weeks, if not months at a time. Even still, she's much happier in the oceans of earth, full and teaming with life, than in the desolate depths of space.
She's very caring and over protective of her brother, Swift.
Abilities:
Fuel efficient, Abyss uses less energy than most cybertronians of her size. The back of her beast mode is lined with absorbing materials capable of collecting the heat and light of the sun, and converting it into energy far more efficiently than solar cells. She has extremely dense armor, capable of allowing her to survive in all but Challenger's Deep. As a result, all but the most powerful of decepticon weaponry is but a minor annoyance to her. Sensors line her neck giving her consistant readings of any electrofields, sound waves, pressure and tempuratures around her. Mounted in the forehead of her beast mode is a powerful sonar array capable of giving her information from miles away.
In robot, Abyss is armed with an energy cutlass, and a standard issue sonic pulse rifle. Afterlosing it to a great white, she had her left arm replaced with a titanium harpoon accessible in both modes, capable of firing 1,000 feet.
Weaknesses:
Abyss get's lonely. Being away from anyone for the long stretches that her function requires, leaves her clingy when she returns to her team. She's also taken to talking to herself, just to hear the sound of someone's voice.
Her long recon missions often leaves her vulnerable, with help being unable to reach her, if she gets severely injured.
Name: Swift
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: Dynabot
Alt. Mode: Dragracer
Function: Courier, Scout
Motto: "You can outrun everything, except the past."
Profile:
Before the war, Swift worked for the Stellar Cartography Division of the Science Consortium Society, where he worked with his sister Abyss, as the assistant for renowned Astrophysicist Starburst. Taking advantage of the speed he could achieve in his vehicle mode, he carried packages, equipment reports, and other time sensitive materials that may need to be urgently delivered in person as he rushed from city to city, delivering and retrieving items for the SCS.
When the war began, Swift was scarcely aware of it. Somewhat protected by Starburst. His courier work diminished, as she kept him closer to home, working more in her lab.
Unbeknownst to Swift, Starburst and Abyss had uncovered a series of secrets and puzzles that attracted the attentions of the Decepticon known as Megastorm and her brute squad of soldiers, the Dracons, and that was the day that the war came home. They leveled the entire city complex of the SCS searching for Starburst and Abyss. Swift futilely tried to get Starburst to safety, only to become trapped under falling rubble. Scarcely online, Swift was helpess as Megastorm tortured Starburst. He lay unable to move, as she lied about his existence to protect him. And felt a pain like no other he'd ever felt, when she was executed..
Many days passed, before Swift heard anything again. The next thing he knew, Dynabot Commander Grimlock was pulling him free from the wreckage. Since then, Swift has idolized the Dynabots.
Swift quickly joined the Autobots, and strived to prove himself to Grimlock. Seeking to make the Dynabot Commander proud, and to seek revenge against Megastorm for the murder of his friend. His love.
Abilities:
Speed is Swift's greatest advantage. On a straightaway, he is only exceeded by the Autobot Blurr.
In robot mode, he carries an Cybertrillium Bow, which fires Electron Bolts, capable of temporarily scrambling the electronics of his targets, as well as a standard issue Plasma Sword.
Weaknesses:
Swift and corners are not the best of friends. He can only maintain his high rates of speed on smooth, straight surfaces. If he has to make a turn, he must slow way down, or risk flying out of control into a severe crash.
Name: Swift
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: Neo Dinobot
Alt. Mode: Allosaur
Function: Tracker, Dinobot Subcommander
Motto: "We make our own fate."
Profile:
Young and brash, Swift tends to leap before he looks when left to his own devices. When the Dynabots vanished, Swift did just that, and put together a new group of autobots, and ex-decepticons. Wrongly believing the decepticon known as Megastorm was behind it, Swift took his new Dynabots and followed her as the Dracons left Cybertron. When they arrived at her destination, they discovered that the Dracons had landed on a primitive planet, the natives called Earth, where they had taken the form of massive and powerful beasts, to intimidate and enslave the humans, forcing them to mine the mysterious power source called Ore 13.
Accessing the fossil record, Swift had his team convert to beasts that were equally as powerful as Megastorm's new dragons.
The two groups fought until they both became trapped in stasis lock, for centuries, awaiting reactivation.
As a leader, Swift tends to second guess himself when the safety of those following him is on the line, though they have absolute faith in him. When not on active duty, Swift is still just as carefree and playful as ever. After reactivation on modern earth, he's come to adore Earthen Culture. Particularly enjoying the stories they call "Movies." He longs for the more peaceful times before the Great War began, and Earth reminds him of that. Happy to have met up with his old bunkmate, Casket, he spends a lot of time with her. Though she usually shoves him away and tells him to "Go slobber on Abyss."
Abilities:
In Dinosaur mode, Swift is capable of running nearly 300 mph. He can bite and claw his way through most metals, and has a mouth mounted Sonic Pulse Blaster, capable of delivering a massive sonic pulse that can fracture concrete with a solid roar.
Swift's senses have been enhanced for his new beast mode. In theory, his olfactory senses are on par with that of a turkey vulture. And his telescopic vision can match some spy satellites.
In robot mode, Swift still carries his Cybertrillium Bow, and Plasma Sword, but now supplements them with a standard issue singlebarreled photon blaster
Weaknesses:
Swift's senses do not agree with him.The filters for his new beast head do not work as well as they should. And though he's been in surgery multiple times to correct the problem, it still persists. They cannot compensate for the fine dust and pollens found in the atmosphere of most organic planets, causing them to clog, and the overproduction of cleansing fluid. Often forcefully expelling this excess in powerful spasms, that the humans have called "Sneezes."
In short, he has severe allergies.
Name: Casket
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: None
Alt. Mode: Half-track Truck
Function: Coroner
Motto: "If you believe in the worst, then you're never disappointed."
Profile:
Over the millennia serving her role to remove injured or deceased soldiers from the battlefield, Casket has developed a... bleak... outlook on life. But then only seeing the results of brutal combat can do that to a mech. You wouldn't think it to know her now, but at once time Casket had a fairly upbeat personality. She once had a love of life, that has since faded. But, underneath that dark and grim facade she puts on, she still has an intense love for life. She will do anything to protect it, and go to any lengths to save it. Even going so far as to scavenge parts from the corpses of the fallen, to give the injured a fighting chance. Autobots and Decepticons alike have benefited from the Dark Nurse.
Not very popular do to her jaded personality, and her grim reputation, very few Autobots see the true heart and love skillfully hidden inside her. War hurts. And very few take it more personally than Casket. Her upbeat bunkmate, the Dynabot Swift does his best to try to cheer her up in their downtime, much to her chagrin.
Abilities:
As a Flatbed, Halftrack truck, Casket is designed to climb over virtually any obstacle, through any terrain, in order to get to wounded transformers. Exceptionally sturdy, she can carry up to five times her weight, in this mode.
In both modes, she is equipped with a mounted anti-grav tractorbeam generator, allowing her to lift immobilized transformers for short distances, and set them onto her bed.
Weaknesses:
Casket is not exceptionally fast in vehicle mode, and is often slowed down further by the heavy burdens she must carry, making her an exceptionally easy target for enemy soldiers. Her frame also sacrifices armor for strength. And being on the extreme frontlines, this combination often makes her a casualty herself.
Name: Casket
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: Targetmaster
Partner: Crossbolt
Alt. Mode: Hearse
Function: Coroner/Field Medic
Motto: "If you believe in the worst, then you're never disappointed."
Profile:
Upon arriving on Earth, Casket absolutely fell in love with the Goth Subculture. Everything about it spoke to her, in a way that has been missing for eons. She chose the alt mode of a Hearse in order to fully embrace this new lifestyle she wanted to explore. When she's not on duty, she can be found cruising to goth clubs, reading Lovecraft, or writing dark poetry.
All the field experience she's gained, she's now become medically trained by no less than Ratchet himself, and has become a certified field medic.
Crossbolt has a hard time understanding her new partner. Julie's always been an active young woman, and was one of the more popular girls in her school. The irony that she's nor binarily bonded to a goth chick does not escape her. Active in Shop, and Archery, Julie always preferred working with her hands and being as active as possible. However, seeing Casket in action, and the lengths she'll go to, in order to help anyone who's hurt, she has nothing but respect for her. Julie chose to undergo the binary bond process, to become the Targetmaster Crossbolt in order to use her archery skills to give Casket a fighting chance. She uses her knowledge as an automotive mechanic in order to assist Casket whenever they're not under fire.
However, she absolutely refuses to get dragged to another viewing of Twilight.
Abilities:
As a hearse, Casket has picked up more speed than she used to have, now capable of reaching speeds of 150 mph with a range of 80 miles. In the back of her vehicle, she is equipped with an anti-grav tractorbeam, which allows her to pull wounded transformers into a small subspace pocket in the back of her vehicle mode.
Crossbolt is was at one time an Olympic hopeful for Archery, having one multiple sharp-shooting contests since she first began at the age of 12. She transforms into an Electro Crossgun, capable of firing bolts of plasma five times hotter than the surface of the sun. She is capable of hitting a tin can off a fence at a range of three miles.
Weaknesses:
For the increase of speed, Casket has sacrificed quite a bit of her offroad durability. She now bogs down fairly easily in difficult terrain. She's also lost a fair bit of her strength, though she has stronger armor.
While she's headstrong and brave, Crossbolt's youth sometimes betrays her in bad situations. In a heavy firefight, the nature of her weapon mode causes her to overheat rather quickly, and sometimes causes her to pass out.
Name: Starburst
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: Mythibot
Alt. Mode: Phoenix
Function: Astronomer
Motto: "Death is not the final stop on the road of life."
Profile:
A civilian casualty in the early days of the great war, Starburst has a troubled past. When a group of humans decided to create their own transformers, through science and sorcery, Starburst's Spark found it's way through the Matrix, and into one of the new blank protoforms, resurrecting herself fittingly as a Phoenix.
In her new body, Starburst embraces life in a way she never had before. Where previously she was happy enough to monitor distant stars on a screen in a dark room, she now thrills herself by freefalling through her new homeworld's gravity, and visiting distant worlds she once only imagined.
She has grown quite attached to the Neo Dinobot, Swift, her former lab assistant, and who has been instrumental in helping her adjust to returning to life after so long.
Abilities:
The Mythibots were created through unconventional means, with a combination of science and sorcery. As such, their forms absorbed the energies the humans call Magic, gifting each one with an almost supernatural control over the elements. Starburst has gained control over the element of fire, in both modes. At first, she could only manipulate existing flames, although through practice and concentration, she has learned how to create it at will.
In robot mode, she is armed with a subzero crystalization rifle, capable of freezing even metal. Deadly in combination with her flame control abilities.
In beast mode, she can reach the very upper atmosphere, and achieve mach 1. She is armed with two Null Ray cannons, mounted on either side.
Weaknesses:
Starburst's newfound passion for enjoying life causes her to take excessive risks that often place her in greater danger than she may care to admit to.
Her fire elemental abilities take great concentration, and must not be used lightly. If she loses control, she can accidentally burn down a forest or city, endangering innocent lives.
Name: Blight
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: Mythibot
Alt. Mode: Cockatrice
Function: Interrogator
Motto: "The spilt oil of thine enemies is the sweetest tasting of all."
Profile:
"That mech ain't right," is what Blight's fellow Mythibots often say about him behind his back. Dark and twisted, Blight has more in common with the Decepticons, than any Autobot. He delights in causing terror and pain, and he relishes when he gets to perform his primary function. The crunching of metal, the taste of mechfluids, he is utterly merciless when extracting information, or on the battlefield. Ultimately, it doesn't even matter who's. He'd happily dismember an Autobot. It's been rumored that he often devoirs his opponents, even while they're still online.
Abilities:
As a Cockatrice, Blight is capable of reaching speeds of 100 mph. His fangs are composed of hardened Titanium, and sharp enough to puncture almost anything. He can inject an anti-lubricant agent that freezes his victims in their tracks, as if turned to stone. He can also inject an acidic compound that can break down most metals in minutes.
His claws are sharp and powerful, and are his preferred weapons in robot mode. Though he's also armed with a simple photonic rifle.
As a Mythibot, he has elemental control over earth, and can exercise this ability in both modes. Capable of creating localized earthquakes with a simple step, and raising rock monoliths with a sweep of his arm. Though he rarely uses this ability, preferring to slaughter his opponents with his claws and teeth.
Weaknesses:
Blight's personality is his biggest weakness, and as such he's made absolutely no friends. Even amongst the Mythibots. This leaves him vulnerable on the battlefield, as the only time anyone comes to his aid is when they're commanded to.
Name: Mudskipper
Faction: Autobot
Subgroup: None
Alt. Mode: Frontend Loader
Function: Engineering Technician
Motto: "The frontline is only as strong as it's support."
Profile:
No one has ever accused Mudskipper of making bad jokes. She tends to take herself and her job very seriously. Often being told to "Lighten up," most Autobots just don't understand her. The tragic truth is, Mudskipper has experienced first hand the results of a half-hearted job.
Before joining the Autobot cause, Mudskipper was a simple construction Foreman. A skyscraper she was in charge of overseeing was not properly reinforced. Some workers under her decided to cut corners to bring it in under budget. The result was a catastrophic collapse that ended the lives of many workers, and that has weighed heavily on her shoulders, as a silent burden ever since.
Uncomfortable on the frontlines, she feels she is most useful in the rear, constructing the strongest reinforced barracks and shelters she can, to provide a safe place for soldiers and refugees alike. Her Autobot companions may not understand her, but they all rest easy knowing full well that Mudskipper has their backs.
Abilities:
As a frontend loader, Mudskipper's shovel is powerful enough to dig through 5' thick solid titanium. It bares Diamond-tipped teeth that are composed of a nearly unbreakable Unobtanium/PolyCybertronium Alloy composite. And she is capable of pulling up to 100k tons.
As a robot, Mudskipper is one of the larger known femmebots. Immensely strong, few Decepticons, or even Autobots want to face her in hand to hand combat. In place of a left hand, she bares a fusion welder, that can cut through almost all known metals.
Weaknesses:
As a frontend loader, Mudskipper is only capable of reaching a top speed of 50 mph, which makes her a liability when a speedy retreat is in order. Her size tends to work against her as a robot, as well, making some delicate and detailed work difficult for her.
Name: Road Rash
Faction: Decepticon
Subgroup: None
Alt. Mode: Lotus Elise Sport
Function: Anarchist
Motto: "I like my music like I like my life, everything louder than everything else!"
Profile:
Once an Autobot, Road Rash was kicked out eons ago, for belligerence, and an unwillingness to perform his duties, or follow the rules. It wasn't long after that he joined the Decepticons, though most Autobots don't seem to mind his betrayal. He inadvertently causes more harm to the Decepticon cause amongst their ranks, than he ever did as an Autobot.
For Road Rash, life is all about the fast lane, and the music. And it doesn't matter what kind of music, either. From Klingon Opera, Dalak Polka, Mandalorian Throat Singing, and Cylon Showtunes, down to Bubblegum Pop, and Pinkie Pie's latest hit. It's all music to his sensors. And when his speakers are cranked to 11, the feel of the pavement beneath his tires, and the wail of police sirens fading away in the background, life cannot get any better.
Until reality sinks in, and he receives a new mission from his commanders. Roadie doesn't mind injuring or killing enemy soldiers, but he has a problem when it comes to innocent bystanders. He's lost a fair few battles because he was unwilling to cause injury to innocent humans.
Abilities:
In vehicle mode, Road Rash is fine tuned for racing and fast getaways. Capable of reaching speeds of 300 mph, with a range of a hundred miles. His subwoofers are capable of hitting notes so low, and so intense that he can shatter glass, and even crack concrete, with the vibrations they generate.
In robot mode, he is armed with two sonic pulse blasters, that emit pulses of concussive energy, that can impact it's target with the intensity of a focused explosion.
Weaknesses:
Road Rash's tires are not as finely tuned and heavy duty as he would like, and are prone to blowouts during some of his more intense stunts. He is not dedicated to the Decepticon cause, and thus often ends up in deep trouble with his superiors, and abandoned on the battlefield.
