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Maximals and Predacons
Dec. 4th, 2018 10:32 amMaximals vs Predacons, the new names for Autobots and Decepticons in the series Beast Wars, got me thinking.
Every Predacon I have seen so far has been based on a non-mammal animal or creature. Raptors, scorpions, spiders, wasps - none of these creatures ( as far as I know) are capable of producing oxytocin and in nature they are solitary and do not take care of others of their group.
From a evolutionary perspective this makes sense; by letting everyone fend for themselves only the best adapted/luckiest/strongest specimens can pass on their genes - making the species grow slowly but rapidly building their strength.
Maximals, in contrast, are all based on mammals. Gorilla’s, rats and rhino’s all have vibrant social groups that they need to survive and thrive. Cheetahs and Tigers are solitary, but they take care of their young and have forms of communication and dependence between them.
By helping each other the Maximals easily outpace the Predacons in numbers, but leaves them more vulnerable to hostage situations and emotional pain when a close member of the group passes away.
How odd would it be for a Predacon like Dinobot to suddenly be in a group of Maximals?
They touch so much more often, trading small gestures that are just a superfluous way of accentuating what they already communicated using words. They go out of their way to perform small menial tasks for others, expecting those mecha to return the same gestures at different times, and they make horrible strategic choices simply because they like someone and don’t want them to offline - even when it is that mech’s fault they were in danger!
Initially it’s something that makes him feel superior to the Maximals; capable of pointing out flawed strategies and suggesting more useful approaches where they are held back by their own defects. As time passes, the feeling of superiority is replaced with protectiveness; he wants to shield the Maximals from their own stupidity wherever he is capable of it.
Finally, his protectiveness turns into appreciation. The way that Rattrap will sometimes help with picking debris and shrapnel out of his hide, and the confidence that the Maximals will come to help him even if he finds himself wounded because of his own lacking.
Dinobot never quite understands why they feel the need to touch him and each other and he never learns to reciprocate or enjoy the smaller gestures, but he learns to like their recharge-piles.
Maximal frames run a lot warmer than Predacon frames.
Every Predacon I have seen so far has been based on a non-mammal animal or creature. Raptors, scorpions, spiders, wasps - none of these creatures ( as far as I know) are capable of producing oxytocin and in nature they are solitary and do not take care of others of their group.
From a evolutionary perspective this makes sense; by letting everyone fend for themselves only the best adapted/luckiest/strongest specimens can pass on their genes - making the species grow slowly but rapidly building their strength.
Maximals, in contrast, are all based on mammals. Gorilla’s, rats and rhino’s all have vibrant social groups that they need to survive and thrive. Cheetahs and Tigers are solitary, but they take care of their young and have forms of communication and dependence between them.
By helping each other the Maximals easily outpace the Predacons in numbers, but leaves them more vulnerable to hostage situations and emotional pain when a close member of the group passes away.
How odd would it be for a Predacon like Dinobot to suddenly be in a group of Maximals?
They touch so much more often, trading small gestures that are just a superfluous way of accentuating what they already communicated using words. They go out of their way to perform small menial tasks for others, expecting those mecha to return the same gestures at different times, and they make horrible strategic choices simply because they like someone and don’t want them to offline - even when it is that mech’s fault they were in danger!
Initially it’s something that makes him feel superior to the Maximals; capable of pointing out flawed strategies and suggesting more useful approaches where they are held back by their own defects. As time passes, the feeling of superiority is replaced with protectiveness; he wants to shield the Maximals from their own stupidity wherever he is capable of it.
Finally, his protectiveness turns into appreciation. The way that Rattrap will sometimes help with picking debris and shrapnel out of his hide, and the confidence that the Maximals will come to help him even if he finds himself wounded because of his own lacking.
Dinobot never quite understands why they feel the need to touch him and each other and he never learns to reciprocate or enjoy the smaller gestures, but he learns to like their recharge-piles.
Maximal frames run a lot warmer than Predacon frames.
