PREDACON HEADCANON

[chewtoyoffate]

Imagine that you were born into a minority. A slim minority. You’re different from most of your own planet, except in the little communities that you make for yourselves. And the only thing that sets you apart is heritage, and an all encompassing cynicism. There are laws against your kind having too much freedom, getting too high up the ladder of power, but they don’t really need to be there because after millions of years like this, most of you figure ‘Why bother?’ and settled for the gutter. Sure, it’s possible to change, to integrate into the ruling class, but they’ll always know what you used to be. You’ll never be as good as they are.

All your life you were told to watch your own back at all costs, because there was no way that anyone else was going to. If you couldn’t take care of yourself, if you showed any weakness, you’d be taken advantage of in an instant. Robbed blind and abandoned by your peers, or perhaps reprimanded and isolated by your neighbors. Every second of every day you’re expected to be tough, capable, alert, and intelligent. Suspicious and malicious are just byproducts. And every time you’re slighted, every time you’re stabbed in the back, every time you’re ruined, it’s reinforced that this is all you’re every going to have.

Unless you do something. After all, there are the people who put you here. If you can call them people. They probably get off on this, loiterers whisper quietly. There’s going to take away what little we do have, mutter familiar the people in your life. We deserve better than this, you all tell each other. And you believe it. You did no wrong, after all. Why should you be punished for your ancestor’s atrocities? It’s not fair that you always get just a little bit less than your high and mighty neighbors. You don’t just deserve better than what you have; you deserve better than what they have. You're better than them, anyway. You can badmouth them all you want, or you can take matters into your own hands – or help somebody else who is. But don’t let the ones in charge see your anger, your resentment, your hostility! Because they’ll come down on you on an instant, and for all your people’s own flaws, they’re nowhere near as bad as your enemies.

Because while your own kind are sneaky, deceitful, selfish bastards, they know it, and you do too. To expect anything else would just be foolish. But those others? Always harping on about morals and the right thing, but their own sense of justice is so skewed that they can’t see their own problems. To be at their mercy would be worse than anything your comrades could possibly plan for you.

Your leaders say that they’re biding their time. A few have taken initiative. And with every passing day, they're the ones sounding smarter, here.

Welcome to the Predacons.

TL;DR: It sucks to be a Pred.

Kind of sad that I was halfway through one for the Maximals before I realized I wouldn't be able to do anything with it.

If there's anything here that doesn't sit right with you, please let me know! This is from limited canon, and if you've found anything that I haven't, I'd love the insight..