#transformers one high guard

[eisenartworks]

Observing the Seekers, it's so fascinating to notice is that they're intentionally designed by their cockpits to know who belongs to which trine. Skywarp and Thundercracker each have their own unique appearances, but the symbol of their cockpit is the same as Starscream's, designating them as the elite trine.

You can see it in the concept art as well, the Seekers differing in the minor details like wing shape, helm, visor, face plate, color, and weapons but would have the same cockpit design with two other Seekers, making a trine.

[msk29fan]

Transformers One High Guard Headcanon

The Primes have long had a military esque group of Cybertronian fighters/protectors, but they were originally called The Prime Guard.

The Prime Guard had a relatively equal ratio of both grounders and flight alt mods.

However, as the war with the Quintessons grew more intense, the ratio of fighters began to favor those with flight alt moods (because a lot fighting in the sky)

The name High Guard was originally just a playful nickname, but was formally became the official name shortly before Starscream was appointed leadership.

Cracky Bonus:

Primes: Starscream, we will not appoint you leadership of The Prime Guard...

Starscream: (Biligerent Starscream protest)

Primes: We're appointing you the leadership of the High Guard!

Starscream(confused stare)

Primes(sighing) That's what we're calling the Prime Guard now!

Starscream: ( prideful Starscream gloating)

[short-wooloo]

Seekers I'm noticing in my Rewatch of Transformers One

Yellow and Black Female Seeker, gotta be Nova Storm (go Earthspark, you've made that version the definitive interpretation of her)

a pale blue recolor of Skywarp, I assume this is Ion Storm

Green seeker (possibly two different green Seekers, lighting makes it difficult to tell, one being green and yellow, the other being lighter green and grey-black), appears to use the female Seeker design, I'm guessing Acid Storm

Yay! All of the Rainmakers are here!

an all black recolor of Skywarp, so I guess that's G2 Blackout

dark green Thrust recolor (Armada Thrust homage?)

a Conehead with G1 Soilverbolt's colors (fun fact: in the many many animation errors of the G1 Cartoon, there was at one point a Seeker (not a Conehead though) with Silverbolt's colors in 5 faces of Darkness)

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

bee gets to meet his idols

[soapbbox]

A Quintesson attack leaves Megatron in need of repairs.

Let’s pretend this takes place early where Megatron isn’t incredibly paranoid about back stabbing (Starscream) yet

[dailymothanon]

This is actually what the high guard has been doing for the 50 cycles I know this. And Starscream hates losing, but Soundwave can’t be bothered to do anything about that 😒 he’s like a wine mom rn, the way he’s babysitting the whole high guard too. He doesn't really play it with them cuz . It’ll be too easy with his ability, and he’d have to keep hearing everyone argue about who is what

[zorangezest]

more of this shattered glass au!

here’s the high guard! elita, bee & orion together overpower D pretty easily and start frolicking through the city laying waste to everything, so they side with D to help him make a stand against his ex-gang and….they have a big fight or something??? i dont know!! but it’s cool to draw!!

Orion, bee, and elita still ultimately end up killing alpha trion through the power of friendship, but thats a comic for another time!!

[vitreouspositive]

that moment in tfone. but shattered glass. whoever sold the idea of canonising alternate universes??? actual genius.

[yuukirita]

Why did Megatron told Baby Deceptibee to go back?! Please let him stay, he came all that and the only thing he gets is for hom to tell him to go back!!! 😢😭😭😭

Please tell me Bee despite being hurt won't go back home so easily like grown Deceptibee

He ain't hurt by it-

He's a lil Punk!

And why he told him to go back in the first place- well this is a kid and Megs is still very much so brooding about the recent divorce. His parental instincts kinda got overshadowed by the murder...

The rest of the high guard already got a whole kindergarden room ready- I think Megs is like 'Fine you can stay- but only until I find a SAFE way to send you back to Iacon...' cuz he know optimus is prob gonna start a war if he thinks he kidnapped his kid eh.

[neonross]

*dumps all my wips and doodles at u*

still tyrna think of design for adult dee cuz i do have an idea i just cant draw it

[in denial i dont want to see baby grown up im already grieving]

ill finish these im just very antsy to share and mah friends convince me- so-

[peace-hunter]

Hi! I love your Ghost Primes with Optimus AU! It’s so good.

I have a question though, do the Decepticons know that Optimus can see the 13 prime ghosts or do they just get increasingly confused each time they fight?

Thank you for the lovely artwork!!

oh they Know something funky is going on for sure lmao

a little more serious answer: they can tell something is going on with optimus and they desperately want to pretend it's not. they don't want to know how he's aware of things he shouldn't be, how he knows stuff that should have long been forgotten, how he seems to be more familiar with them than he should be. how sometimes he speaks and it's like the dead are talking through him. how sometimes he will answer to empty air and somehow they can just tell what he's responding to. who he is talking to.

they Know. and they really, really want to pretend they don't.

they already carry the guilt of failing them once. the idea of doing it once more is unbearable and they'd rather deceive themselves than face it. they'd rather their friends stay dead and gone than think of them seeing what they've become.

haunted au

[eisenartworks]

Considering Starscream's account of "[we] witnessed the Primes' fall", Alpha Trion's message being recorded in the middle of the battle with the Quintessons, and the fact that even while flying, it takes days to get to the cave from Iacon city — considering all these facts together, we get to have a speculation of what happened.

The fact the the High Guard was able to witness the Primes' death personally means it's likely that they already had suspicions of Sentinel's betrayal far long before even Alpha Trion's message even got through. That means by the time the battle starts, the HG was already underway.

However, in Alpha Trion's flashback, there are no signs of the High Guard and none of the SSS are present. It also ends abruptly when Sentinel loses the Matrix — which makes it likely the moment when Alpha Trion goes into stasis and can no longer witness any further events. So presumably, the HG arrived shortly after, battled the Quintessons and saw the Primes' corpses with Sentinel standing over them, confirming the betrayal.

Considering Quintessons were still present in the cave when Sentinel loses the Matrix, there's probably ships and Quintesson soldiers even outside — the HG encountered them, a fight ensues, and was only able to get away but failed to get into Iacon earlier than Sentinel, allowing him to take control of the city and forcing the HG to exile on the surface, evading both Sentinel and the Quintessons.

[msk29fan]

Dark SkyStar Idea-Sentinel Prime desires Skyfire (Transformers One)

Sentinel has desired Skyfire since he saw him at a High Guard party.

Sentinel then proceeds to corner Skyfire and is really creepy towards him.

Skyfire is very clear about the fact that he's conjunxed, and politely tries to let Sentinel down gently.

It just makes Sentinel act even creepier.

Before things can get worse, Soundwave "accidently" walks in on them. Sentinel then plays off like his creepy behavior was the result of him having too much to drink and leaves.

Soundwave was actually just looking for a quiet place to check in with his sparkling sitter (Ravage(the youngest) has been very anxious ever since Soundwave's most recent and very dangerous mission with the High Guard) and heard Skyfire's intensely distressed thoughts.

Soundwave: Tell Starscream. He won't blame you.

Skyfire: I'm afraid if I do, he will try to kill Sentinel and die! Or he will successfully kill Sentinel and be executed!

Soundwave: .. Soundwave agrees that is a legitimate concern

Skyfire: Please don't tell Starscream.

Soundwave: Soundwave :does not agree with choice, but will promise not to tell Starscream.

Irrationally guilt ridden, Skyfire initiates a night of unusually intense interfacing with Starscream.

Soundwave does not tell Starscream. He does tell Shockwave(who's always discreet), plus Thundercracker and Skywarp (who are Skyfire's brother in laws according to trine culture).

They quietly team up to protect Skyfire from social gatherings. At one point, Skywarp even pretends that he's about to throw up on Sentinel to get him to leave Skyfire alone!

But then Sentinel's betrayal happens and the High Guard has to go on the run...

(Will probably do a part 2 of this idea)

[scribescrawls]

On a more silly note, imagine the High Guard after the whole killing Sentinel thing happened/banishment and a few weeks later call a meeting with Optimus and they go “hey so I know we’re at odds at the moment but are we ever going to get payed for the last 50 cycles?” cause I mean technically I don’t think they were ever officially fired so much as declared dead to the general public and secretly being hunted down during that time. Do they go up to Optimus and are just like “so I get that we don’t really work here anymore but like can we still get our severance pay and our backlog of paychecks?” Cause I’m pretty sure since they were military the government was paying them before the whole Sentinel betrayal thing and any funds any of them had has probably been seized by the state (aka Sentinel during that time) or frozen sitting somewhere in account of being presumed dead. Does Megatron not want to have this meeting but the entire High Guard are grumpy about it like "no I want to get payed! I want my stuff/money back!" so now he has to sit across from Optimus in the most awkward meeting after their fall out as Starscream shouts across the table negotiating if they still qualify/are entitled for the Cybertronian equivalent of military/veteran pension for their previous cycles of service.

Cybertronian Civil War on hold due to the nightmare of bureaucracy and paperwork because tracking down at minimum 73 different case files of each High Guard member and getting them all in order when probably half of the information was purposely destroyed by Sentinel means it will probably take a while. How many times has Shockwave and the rest of the High Guard have to sign documents to declare "yes I am alive" "no I did not fake my death to commit tax fraud". Or dealing with banks and other organizations going "please provide proof that you are indeed Starscream." Starscream going "I'm literally Starscream and standing in front of you what other proof is more clear! You are literally looking at a photo of me on the datapad!" "Apologies, but unless you have x, y, z document I am afraid we cannot simply take your word that you are Starscream. If you are missing these documents please fill out these thirty forms as alternative verification of identity". Also imagining Thundercracker going "hey do you think my buy five get one free drink stamp card still works. I've been sitting on that free drink for 50 cycles…"

Funniest thing if Shockwave was a senator before joining the High Guard and there was a small period of time where he actually was declared dead before it got cleared up back in the day when the Primes were still alive, but now they can't find the paperwork that cleared up that it was an error and he was still in fact alive so now he's been declared doubly dead.

Shockwave: It's document 37C!

Elita: Repeating it for the fifth time will not change the fact that it does not exist!

Shockwave, done with being declared dead: It exists! It's added every time my taxes get filed each cycle! Did I suddenly imagine the last thousands of cycles of my life!

Elita, losing her own temper: There is no document 37C! Listen here Blinky, I can easily resolve this matter by getting you declared dead for a third time for real!

Optimus stressed and trying not to cry: Maybe we should call for a break in the meeting...

When the break is over no one can find Optimus who has decided to play hooky from his responsibilities because he'd tired and feels like he's going to lose it dealing with all the sudden responsibilities of being leader of an entire planet. I like the idea that it's Megatron who finds him. Megatron going "if I have to suffer through these meetings so do you" (he was secretly also ditching the meeting and accidentally bumped into Optimus because the place is technically their old spot that they sometimes went together, both thought it would be abandoned and no one would find them there). It's awkward, there are hurt feelings on both sides, but maybe they slowly get to talking and at least commiserate how much they hate paperwork. Also funny if they find out they both also have to resolve their own "declared dead by Sentinel" paperwork considering he said they both died after the Iacon 5000 lol.

Also I think it would be funny if these meetings drag on for so long that Optimus is just like instead of commuting back and forth from the surface to Iacon every day just stay here in the city it will save time. Banishment temporarily rescinded. Even more funny if they also have to deal with the Quintessons so half of these meeting turn into war meetings to deal with and fight the Quintessons off their planet where both sides are like "we're not on the same side!", but also eventually have to work together to win. So it's basically an officially we're not on the same side, but all actions say otherwise lol. I like to think Bee likes to hangout with Soundwave during meetings and finds him so cool, and Soundwave actually likes listening to Bee yap finding him endearing.

They eventually realize that it would be easier (and less paperwork) to just reinstate the High Guard and at this point so much time has passed that they've basically been doing their old job anyway as they fight the Quintessons together. Banishment permanently rescinded for all parties involved. I like to think megop over the course of these meetings and fighting together against the Quintessons make up. Things can't go back to the exact way it was between them, but that doesn't mean they can't rebuild something new between them. I like to think both groups have differing ideas of how to lead and how to deal with situations, but I like to think eventually they get to a point where they can compromise and work with differing ideas depending on what's best for the situation at hand similar to the 13 Primes who probably had conflicting and contrasting personalities and approaches but were able to use these differences to work together and make them stronger as a united front.

Cybertronian Civil War avoided through the sheer slog of paperwork and bureaucracy.

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

the highguard meet their biggest fan

[soapbbox]

Elsewhere:

Part 1

Even apart they’re still facing the same struggles 😔 Not that they’re thinking about each other or anything. Why would you suggest that.