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Note: there is exactly one official reference of gladiator Soundwave. It’s from the front.

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Trying out a new process - took ages to pick the colours but loved bringing this panel to life!

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it was supposed to just be a study of barawave so I could get a better feel for him…i got carried away

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Gladiators in the transformers aligned continuity: why is it so contradictory?

So there's obviously some weirdness between tellings and there's no indication as to why in text. To guess why takes some history and acknowledgement that Alpha Trion is the absolute worst narrator to trust.

Here's the contradictions.

1.a Megatron had frequent losses in the arena starting out and slowly got better. (Covenant)

1.b Death is constant in the arena, with bots squashed underfoot and bodies piled high in the grounds. (Exodus/comics)

2.a Megatron has gladiatorial friends whom he's fought against in the arena and the gladiators have a training space.(Comics/exodus)

2.b Megatron has Shockwave build beasts of unknown sentience and kills these opponents in groups. (Exodus, and a glimpse in tfp)

3.a Megatron joined the gladiators voluntarily. (Covenant)

3.b Megatron refers to the gladiators and himself as slaves. (Exodus)

With these contradictions in place, what is the history of gladiators irl?

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To honor the death of a loved one, loved ones would "gift" their memory with gladiators fighting to the death.

In other words, Entertainment. Ancient Rome used to feature luxurious, wasteful, traitorous, and degenerate barbarians to contrast the pious and plain Romans who then won. It was propaganda that happened to be widely popular, perhaps because prisoners of war were made into slaves, and those slaves made up half of the total gladiators, who then fought to death, it also took on a weird quasi-revenge for the death of soldiers lost in war.

It became a tool to keep morale high, often paired with feasts. It later became a huge business, with trainers, owners, editors, sponsors, and schools dedicated to it. It became a part of military training and became a massive political tool to earn the votes of citizens. It was so big they had to limit how many gladiators one person could keep and how much could be spent on them. Anti-corruption laws were put in place to curb how effective they were in politics but it wasn't enough, it was the best form of self-promotion for it's sponsor and small games were extremely cheap to produce.

Someone of low status could choose to become a gladiator and get paid pretty well in prize money or gifts. With the introduction of more voluntary gladiators meant that over time the games became mainly deathless, with private citizens able to train and lease out gladiators.

Even emperors performed in the arena/ gladiatorial pursuits. With Commodus being a big fan of doing so. (More on him later.)

Of course there were stage names, especially for female gladiators, and the big games had music, gambling, sprinklers, awnings, food and drink, programs indicating the type of gladiator show match up, and in what order. They were very theatrical with fanfare, scribes, depictions of the gods, rare weaponry, honors dedicated to the victor, and reenactments of historic/mythic events. There were beast hunts, chariot races, even comedic battles, more slapstick in nature, though people could die in these as well.

These productions were obviously a lot more expensive. Weaponry and armour could have silver or gold on them, gemstones, feathers, ornate carvings, etc, and everyone preferred skilled matches, meaning a good gladiator was a long term investment for fans and owners alike. A good gladiator troup could recoup the cost of purchasing them in two shows. There was also little to no stigma attached with owning gladiators and so no issue for politicians or anyone rich owning them, making killing a good gladiator a big and politically disastrous move.

Gladiators could be pulled apart by referees, who were often retired gladiators themselves, who could pause bouts or stop them all together. A gladiator could also give up by raising a finger, leaving his life to the whim of the Editor. The editor was responsible for the maintenance of the gear, the gladiators, and the venue. In less lethal times they would have contracts between themselves and whomever owned the gladiator, and would have to pay out in case of unexpected death, etc etc.

The editor could order the death of the loser and the winner would often have to carry this order out. While it was a common custom for the editor to outsource this decision to the crowd, there was at least one case where the editor murdered the defeated gladiator themself.

Most people preferred deathless victories, as they appeared harder to achieve.

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With this in mind, we can create a timeline and a better understanding of the weird duality of gladiator Megatron.

Firstly he joins the gladiators voluntary seeking an avenue of political growth. It is likely that Megatron had a contract dictating how often he had to fight, and with what weapons. It would also dictate how much he got paid or perhaps how much went towards a debt he owed for his training.

He has a varied career under the name Megatronus until he becomes increasingly skilled and is undefeated.

This makes Megatron expensive and creates friction between the management and Megatron himself as the cost of making his show "interesting" or different increases (ie. exotic weapons or leasing skilled gladiators) cutting into their profits.

They want him to start losing.

Megatron doesn't.

While perhaps his costs could have been kept down via changing his weaponry early on in his career while his win rate was more mixed, or via ludicrous debt, it eventually cannot anymore.

Here in the timelines there is ambiguity.

At some point Megatron is forced into death matches, either via his editor, or because his contract has been vastly change without his permission- because his status has changed.

-It could be because he is arrested and sentenced as a criminal, then sold back to the arena with the potential for freedom dangling over his head. This could be because of Megatron's union activities (potentially a gladiator union but could be for miners or factory workers too), but it's also possible he is falsely accused of something by the arena owners and set up. -

The arena owners were into criminal enterprises as gladiator pits also became illegal in Kaon and slaughter City, though these laws weren't enforced. Even iaconians came to participate from far away, potentially forced to, exiled from the city for being a danger to the state.

In any case, sometime after Megatron has been participating in death matches his handlers make him an offer he can't refuse, and when he does they send in bodyguards to kill him.

Some time passes as Megatron takes action to kill the rest of the owners of the arenas, mob bosses, supported by his followers.

It's possible megatron is no longer allowed to participate in bloodless battles at this point, or just takes them bc he is unable to find opponents who will take him on anymore.

He then takes the name Megatron.

As the revolution grows arenas are made in increasingly obscure places until eventually they are no longer built.

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Given the nature of gladiator combat, if Megatron lost a match as someone who participates in death matches, he may lose his life. If not by his opposition then by his editor deciding to cut his career short.

The asking of Megatron to voluntarily lose is as much of a threat to his life as the body guards they send in. Since it's an illegal enterprise there is no trust that they will keep their word and spare him.

It's uncertain what gladiatorial combat was like for other bots under Megatron, though in exiles we know he had training rooms and was revered. In Iacon where he had no power there were bots slated for deactivation trying to crush as many minibots as possible in a fight for their lives, a supposedly common occurrence with the crowd chanting the survivor's name.

So by the time Orion and Megatron meet gladiator stuff is very extreme and death heavy.

However, in tfp Megatron is seen with a statue of himself speaking to a crowd, supposedly pre-war. And one of him in a grand coliseum. Thus there could have been a point where Megatron got the full gladiator experience.

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Commodus (the emperor) has interesting parallels to Megatron. He was a left handed fighter who encouraged the elite to watch his performance. They were bloodless battles he won with a wooden sword. He also fought lions and once decapitated an ostrich, carried its head to the senatorial seats, and gestured they were next. He was also a good marksman.

What is of most interest here however is that he once restyled a statue in his own image, as "Hercules Reborn" and called himself a champion.

His reign was short and ended in his assassination but it was peaceful, with few military conflicts, but a lot of political unrest due to his capricious and megalomaniac behaviour. The senate hated him but the army and common person loved him.

He was also critiqued for participating in the arena when there were places outside of Rome left to conquer.

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It's possible Megatron changed a statue to suit his image after taking hold of the arena before crackdowns, but it's also possible he did this after decepticons had taking control of a few city-states.

As one last bit of fun trivia, gladiators often had references to Nemesis on their epitaphs, chalking up their deaths to things outside their control rather than the opponents skill, and thus, worth being avenged.

Tl;Dr there are two types of gladiators, bloodless volunteers and death matches slaves. Megatron went from one to the other, likely unvoluntarily.

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They talked about their leader

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A conflict of gladiators: a retiarius attacks a fallen secutor with a dagger. Scene from a mosaic in the Villa Borghese, Rome, artist unknown; ca. 320 CE.

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Relief carving of Gladiators. 

Colosseum, Rome.

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Soundwave Superior!!!

Sketchbook doodles by Nekkyo Usagi © 2019

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  ᕙ( * ￣へ￣ * )ᕗ            

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didnt turn out how i wanted it to but that’s ok bc it still looks cool,,gotta practice drawing buff soundwave more, i got planssss

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Gladiator ring, made with bronze and jasper.

Paris, Department of Coins, Medals and Antiquities.

Photography by Egisto Sani (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

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⚔ — Your personality type is...

INTJ-T (Architect)

As an INTJ (Architect), you possess a rare combination of vision and pragmatism. Your analytical mind constantly seeks to understand the world around you, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to improve systems and ideas. You approach life with a strategic mindset, always looking several steps ahead and planning for various contingencies.

Your independent nature is one of your defining characteristics. You value your autonomy and often prefer to work alone, trusting your own judgment and abilities above all else. This self-reliance, combined with your intellectual prowess, allows you to tackle complex problems with confidence and innovation.

While your rational approach to life serves you well in many situations, it can sometimes create challenges in your personal relationships. You may find emotional expressions and social niceties puzzling or unnecessary, preferring direct communication and logical discussions. This tendency can make you appear aloof or detached to others, even when you care deeply.

Your pursuit of knowledge and improvement is relentless. You have high standards for yourself and others, always striving for efficiency and effectiveness in all areas of life. This drive for perfection can be both a strength and a weakness, pushing you to achieve great things but also potentially leading to stress and burnout if not managed carefully.

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Amphitheater ( Colosseo ) of El Jem ( El Djem / Tunisia ) 

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⚔ — OOC

Now that I'm free, I need help! I'm partial to the URL because I feel the other one is missing something, but I wanted to see what everyone else thought!

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@viciousbite — continued

In rare moments like these, brought into the bustling crowds of Mechs, Darkfang took in the sights, the noises. Golden optics full of wonder, and excitement. Frame dark and decorated with a few extra golden trinkets hang from his snake-like frame. His companion besides him, tall and purple seeker, gave him a light pat on the back. Encouragement, and agreement to let Darkfang wander.His golden optics found their target, clawed pedes clicked along the floor until he stood besides the dark tall mech. Golden finials flicked, holding back his excitement, well, until that fanged intake opened. "Oh, hey, you, big-- I mean, you're one of the gladiators, aren't you? And tadah, I brought you one of these, cause, yours is empty." And that's when he pulled out a cube of energon from behind him and offered it to the mech. Whatever he'd found in one of the tables, no clue what it contained."What I really meant to say, was, can I hang here a moment? No offense, but you kinda look like one who'd either gain a lot attention or everyone here is gonna keep their distance."

He regarded the approaching mech with little more than a flicker of interest, hoping that his indifference would dissuade any unwelcome advances. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side. His optics glided over the other’s frame, his free servo hovering over his visor, ready to leave at the first sign of trouble.

As the mech extended a cube toward him, he narrowed his optics, skepticism flaring within him. He flicked his lower pair of optics over the cube while the upper pair remained fixed on him. His refusal was evident, making no motion to accept the cube as he weighed his options. Either this stranger was genuinely friendly or dangerously bold, a risk he couldn’t afford to take.

Still, despite his hesitance, he gestured toward the countertop where he had settled himself, a silent invitation for the other to join him if he so wished. He leaned against the cool surface once more, venting as he brought his servo closer to his chassis, all the while maintaining the protective position over his visor.

What did this mech even want?

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⚔ — OOC

Now that I'm free, I need help! I'm partial to the URL because I feel the other one is missing something, but I wanted to see what everyone else thought!

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⚔ — OOC

I'm freeeeeeee (context here)