#about ko trying to protect bd above all else and making the decison based off that

[noodleblade]

idk if you've answered this before but why do you think ko and bd joined the decepticons? and how did they meet, before or after joining?

I'll be honest, I don't remember if I've answered an ask like this or wrote it in a fic that may or may not be published dklcnskdndklwdfnckls BUT

I'm sure there is different ways to go about it and I've read a few different takes, but I'm quite fond of the idea of them having met before joining and the two of them joining together.

Again, many ways they could have met, but I do like the idea of just pure happenstance. They met once at a bar or event or even in passing and Knock Out made a joke, Breakdown laughed and then they couldn't get each other out of their heads. I think their relationship developed quickly and deeply, unexpectedly so for both of them. But its that cliche way of having your other half and they both fall for each other deeply.

I stand by the headcanon that it was Knock Out who made the decision for them. His priority has always been looking after number 1. Before Breakdown, number 1 was him, but since meeting his partner...that number 1 slot became reserved for Breakdown instead. And Breakdown follows Knock Out, trusting him to cheat the system and find them the best option for them. I think Breakdown would personally be swayed by the Decepticon's initial campaign of peace too, and maybe cling to that despite Megatron's decisions in canon. Neutrality was probably the most comfortable for them but not necessarily the safest. The decepticons could provide safety, even if it meant having to fall back into line. There was shelter, energon, a potential for upward momentum in leadership.

I think in choosing the decepticons, it was picking the lesser of two evils. The autobots were out numbered and too many past ties made their position there tense. With the decepticons, while it was dysfunctional on its best day, it provided comfort they had been denied for too long. I think that's also evident with Knock Out readily swapping sides in the post-series movie. He's ties are not based of a moral judgement but a selfish one.

I wonder if Knock Out has a taste of regret in choosing this path, in picking the side that lead to Breakdown's death. Or, perhaps, he's compartmentalized it as a effect of the war and simply blames everyone to save his own conscious.