Title: The Koiverse Dictionary - Q to S
Author: Koi Lungfish
Disclaimer: Based on characters and situations from The Transformers ((c)
1986 Hasbro, Ltd). Used without permission. Text (c) 2005-2006, Koi Lung Fish (Mark of
Lung. All Rights Reserved.)
Subject: A dictionary of terms, places and things from the Koiverse. Some of these things are canon and have been given expanded definitions; most of them are my creations. If you would like to use one of my terms, please ask first [or at least credit me]; if you're not sure if a term is canon or fan-created, feel free to ask.
Quercon
[trans. 'seeking warrior/conqueror']: A type of Seeker, slightly more than half the size of the normal type. Quercons are designed to be primarily gunners and air-to-ground strafing attackers. Quercons were developed from the jernazeres [see jalnisala], originally designed in order to increase the number of operational Decepticon troops quickly and cheaply, doubling the number of troops that could be put into the field at the cost of versatility. Quercons are only produced when the Decepticon army is suffering from high losses due to being outnumbered and outgunned by a ground-bound enemy. Also jernazere, [derog] sawnoff, stuntie, runtling, jetling, minijet, shortie, kneebiter, toyplane, flying fury, windling, wingling; anything that is small, flight-capable and highly hazardous to one's health, especially when one makes jokes about its height.
Quintity
[general]:
The inherent part or essence in a Cybertronian that gives them free will and self-awareness. Exactly what quintity is and where it comes from is one of the most central debates in Cybertronian psychology, sociology, philosophy and theology. The quintity debate usually focuses on two central points: whether a Cybertronian's function is fixed by their programming, and whether a Cybertronian's personality is defined by their programming. Some of the best-known schools of thought include:
Pure Essence - this school of thought holds that quintity arises from the Sigma-given life-force, that a mechanism's programming defines his personality, as does his function. Pure Essence became associated with radical Sigmite philosophy that stated that it was wrong to change one's personality by changing one's design, and that one's function was dictated by Sigma and the highest calling one could aspire to.
Pure Design - this school of thought holds that quintity arises from the mechanical structure of the Cybertronian brain, that a mechanism's programming is the source but not the be-all and end-all of his personality, and that his function arises from his programming but is likewise changeable. Pure Design became associated with the Machinist theology that stated that Primus was a distant deity and that the life-force of a Cybertronian was a force that could be defined in purely scientific terms.
Free Design - similar to Pure Design, but holding that one's design has little or no influence on one's personality and function. Free Design, by its nature opposing Sigmite theology, came to be associated with Primordialism out of sheer rejection by Sigmites.
Free Spirit - this school of thought holds that a quintity arises from the Primus-given life-force, that a mechanism's programming is the source of his personality and function but not the limit of it, and that, although a change in design will cause a change in personality, it is also possible to change one's personality and function through learning and experience. Free Spirit became associated with Decepticon philosophy that stated that it was not only possible but desirable to expand outside of one's initial design and to free oneself of pre-programmed limitations. The fact that not only Lord High Commander Megatron but also several members of the High Command have made speeches clearly informed by Free Spirit theory has made the theory very unpopular with most Autobots.
Rad-dust
[general]: Free-blowing radioactive dust; once only found after reactor accidents, now a common hazard. Rad-dust is an added danger to any of Cybertron's already-hazardous storms.
Rain-tin
[Decepticon]: 1. A sky crouton that releases super-compressed liquid, kept in micro-droplet form by electrostatic charges, which causes the surrounding airspace to be saturated. Two or three rain-tins released together can form actual rainstorms [cloud-seeding]; often the liquid inside has corrosive, flammable or otherwise harmful properties to maximize effectiveness. Also called storm-in-a-tin, cloud-seeds, drenchers, stormlette, cloudbursts. 2. Anything that requires more effort than the result is likely to be worth.
Recharging
[general]: The act of replenishing internal power supplies by running an energon-fuelled internal powerplant or by absorbing an electric current. Recharge pod [Autobot]: a sealed chamber or upright tube in which an Autobot stands or lies to recharge, use of which implies near-total shutdown in order to facilitate fastest possible recharge. Recharge plinth [Decepticon]: A flat, table-like structure on which one reclines to recharge; roughly equivalent to a bed, although using one does not imply sleeping.
Refuelling
[general]: The act of ingesting energon to replenish internal fuel supplies; [Autobot]: What Decepticons are believed to do instead of recharging; [Decepticon]: what Autobots are believed not to do; [vernacular]: refuelling from one's enemy's tank - phrase, often a threat, sometimes literal; to drink or otherwise drain the energon from another's fueltank, implying physically incapacitating an opponent and forcibly removing his fueltank.
Regrading
[general]: The replacement of a Cybertronian's outer hull with one of a different design but the same transform scheme, generally done to keep up with the current fashion in automotive altmodes.
Relegons
[Decepticon]: During the Golden Age, the city of Vos was contracted to produce a standardized shell [the build-ancestor of the Seeker build-type] to be given life as Persolidion citizens, governed over by the Legascions. However, Vos was under the control of one Emirate Verdigris Voxis, who engaged his city in a massive subterfuge. Although over two hundred million shells were built, not many more than twenty million ever reached the Legascions. Verdigris explained the massive discrepancy between material input and citizen output by saying that the Legascions had such exacting standards that only one in ten body-shells were suitable and the others were "rejected." These Relegons [trans. "legion rejects"] were in fact given life as Decepticons and set loose into society. Although only one in twenty survived their first vorn, by the time Emirate Starscream Voxis [himself a Relegon] publicly issued a call to all "sons of Vos" to come home, there were ten million more Relegons in the populace than would otherwise have existed. The Relegons formed the core of the first Polyhex army; many still exist as veteran shock-troops and vetus sergeants.
Rerebrace
[general]: Upper arm plate, covering the part between the epauliere and the elbow.
Decepticon "warport" spaceship. Constructed in Oregon on Earth, KV 817.404 [early April 1980]. The design of The Resurgent is based on the standard Decepticon warport blueprint - a relatively small [300-50 feet long] interstellar cargo/troop transport ship [as shown by its laterally-flattened shape and snub nose] with armour and armament as close to warship standard as physically possible [as shown by its four-point rear armament booms].
The Resurgent was constructed to carry the surviving members of The Nemesis' crew complement back to Cybertron along with a large cargo of energon, but was downed before leaving Earth's atmosphere by Autobot sabotage. Shoddy construction has also been implied as a partial cause for the crash, although techno-historians examining the resources available to construct The Resurgent often express amazement it flew at all.
The Resurgent crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of America and was lost to sensors. An underwater survey by the Autobots located The Resurgent's underside armament boom and some associated debris, apparently ripped off The Resurgent's underside during the crash, but no sign of the ship itself. At the time it was believed to have gone down into water over 12,000 feet deep and was not expected to be recoverable.
Between August 1984 and February 1985, a number of American submarines and submarine monitoring stations picked up sonar blips indicating a massive metal object approximately 450 feet long travelling at low speeds through international waters.. Records of this were not made public, but collected and mapped indicate this unidentified object travelling south along the west coast of the Americas, rounding Cape Horn in late August and travelling north up the coast of the Americas, with the last blip being near the U.S./Canadian border. Equipment error and/or the Russians were blamed. During the same period several people reported seeing "metal birds" or "robot dino-birds" in the skies along this route, albeit days to weeks in advance of the U.S.O. Decepticon records indicate that this was indeed the crippled Resurgent, travelling under the lowest possible power.
The Resurgent was moved to a spot in the coastal waters near New York mostly notable for being on top of a large seam of metal-bearing ores. These metals were used to repair and reconfigure The Resurgent, converting it into a full-blooded warship. It was renamed The Deepwater.
Robes
[general]:
Garments made of plastic polymer fabric. Since Cybertronians do not require clothing for protection, modesty or pockets, clothing on Cybertron serves only two purposes: decoration and ritual. Garments for the latter purpose are called robes, and their use is discernable by their colour and make. Examples include:
The Acolytes of the Flame wear full-length, sleeveless, red robes, open at the sides, during their ceremonies.
The Sons of Primus wear full-length, hooded, fully encompassing white robes during their ceremonies.
High-ranking Decepticons wear purple cloaks, with a large armoured fastening and accompanied by a crown, coronet or diadem of precious metals and gemstones, during formal rituals and celebrations.
Golden Age Emirates and Vice-Emirates wore yellow cloaks, fastened with large metronoma-symbol badges at each shoulder and a band of fabric across the chest as robes of office. Emirates wore theirs with two full-length strips of yellow fabric descending from each badge; Vice-Emirates wore theirs with one strip per badge. Some Emirates and Vice-Emirates wore cloaks bearing devices or patterns particular to their city-state. The Emirate and Vice-Emirate of Polyhex were criticized for wearing triple-length cloaks with golden chains replacing the fabric chest-band, until their rule caused problems more severe than a mere breach of dress protocol.
Rotgrowth
[medical]:
A general term for the combined conditions of hull-rot and overgrowth; this occurs when a mechanism is ingesting a very limited range of internal supplements. In the best case, this can lead to heavily overgrown armour that nevertheless develops hull-rot fractures. This form of rotgrowth is a clear sign that a mechanism is ingesting too much of something and not enough of something else. During the Golden Age, it was often known as "doctor's disease," when centralized medico-maintenance facilities were prone to prescribe mechanisms the wrong internal supplements, or give them a standard supplement when they required a personalized one.
A more severe form of rotgrowth occurs when a mechanism is ingesting far too few internal supplements, or is substituting laced energon for internal supplements. This was most often seen during the Golden Age amongst destitute Liegeless addicted to laced energon, who only consumed the most basic internal supplements if any at all. The high prevalence of impure copper in what they consumed led to the formation of patches and veins of copper in the armour. This quickly corroded, leading to the characteristic green veins and fractured armour of a mechanism addicted to laced energon. Mechanisms with this condition, often called "green-rot," were especially vulnerable to developing corroded copper fissures around their mouths and across their faces.
Rotgut
1. [medical]: Condition brought on by a lack of proper hygiene and insufficient or improper chemical-mineral supplements, in which the internal components break down more rapidly than they can be repaired. Often confined to one particular place, i.e. a component that requires a specific mineral supplement for proper maintenance that is not being taken. A painful condition easily alleviated in the early stages by better supplement intake and later by parts replacement or repair. 2. [vernacular]: Highly potent laced energon; so-called due to the tendency of high-potency laced energon to drain one's chemical-mineral supplies for internal repairs.
Rust
[general]: In Cybertronian terms, something akin to bad hygiene that has the terminal power of the plague if left unchecked. Like virtually all mechanisms, Cybertronians can develop rust, from not only the natural oxide bonding of their alloys but also from organic and technorganic organisms that produce rust as a by-product of consuming metal. Developments in Cybertronian technology and metallurgy have reduced the possibility of natural oxidation to virtually nil, although there are some special alloys that occasionally corrode. However, practically all Cybertronians are still vulnerable to living rust - organic and technorganic species, usually simple micro-organisms that using covalent bonding to break down metal for their own nutrition - and a part of normal good hygiene for a Cybertronian is checking for and removing rust spots. The first sign of a rust infection is an itching and flaking of the surface armour as the rust spores burrow into the external plates; at this point, careful planing, filing, heat-treatment or disinfection can cure the infection. After this, the area becomes discoloured, with increasing flaking, visible corroded ulceration, and a painful and persistent itch. The armour plate must be removed and repaired, and the whole area heat-treated or disinfected. If the infection progresses beyond this point, it leads to outbreaks in multiple areas of the body and visible patches of corrosion. At this point, the mechanism should be quarantined to prevent the spread of the now-thriving spores. Most rust infections pass through contact and vigorous strains can spread through a barracks with great speed. Approximately one in fifteen Cybertronians has a rust infection. Rust infections are a particular problem on xenos worlds where specifically designed microorganisms are or have been used for the mining of metals, etc.
Rust-fetish
[general]:
As Cybertronians are beings made out of metal, rust is a primary concern in their lives: most Cybertronians will check their entire bodies for rust spots at least once a quintun, and each maintenance cycle includes heat-treating and scouring the entire hull to remove any possible source of infection. The appearance of rust is a sign of poor hygiene, and significant patches of rust denote poor health and a high risk of infectiousness. Cybertronians are also designed to be immortal: with care and regular maintenance, a Cybertronian can expect to live to see the heat-death of the universe. Thus, rust gains a particular cachet in the Cybertronian psyche; it is the ever-present "itch of death," the constant reminder that one is not quite as immortal as one would like to believe. Rust-fetishism has two forms: individuals who gain particular pleasure or psychological release, or who can only gain pleasure or psychological release, from engaging in intimate or amatory activities with individuals who have rust-infections; and individuals who gain particular pleasure or psychological release, or who can only gain pleasure or psychological release, from being infected with rust. The association of rust, especially severe rust infections, with death has lead to a constant underlying association between rust-fetish and necrophilia.
The former group - rodophiliacs - is what most Cybertronians will think of when rust-fetish is mentioned, and are the more reviled and rejected group. During the Golden Age, rodophiliacs for the most part catered to their tastes through the membership of certain highly exclusive and highly secretive clubs or rings that provided suitable partners. Sometimes these were healthy Cybertronians wearing rusty fake hulls; other times, Cybertronians with actual mild rust-infections. Rodophiliacs varied widely in their tastes and perversions; some developed obsessions with touching living beings who were rusty; many had a visceral obsession-revulsion with rust and were inclined to stare in a combination of horror and fascination at a rusty mechanism [alive or dead]; a more severe form of rodophilia involved a mechanism deriving pleasure from touching the corroding internals of a living being. Rodophilia often featured in Cybertronian movies as a frightening perversion, and rodophiliacs were frequently suspected and accused of kidnapping other mechanisms for unspeakable purposes. After the outbreak of the Third War and the collapse of Cybertron's society, the groups catering to rodophiliacs fell apart; desperate mechanisms with severe rodophilia were occasionally caught engaged in amatory activities with rusting corpses, leading to a further conflation of rodophilia with necrophilia.
The second group - autocorroders - is in fact the most common form of rust-fetishists. Humans most easily understand autocorrosion as a form of self-harm, although it is in Cybertronian terms more akin to repeatedly exposing oneself to a potentially fatal disease. Autocorroders also vary in the form and severity of their rust-fetish: some rub rust-spores or rust-flakes onto a part of their hull and then derive psychological release from cleaning and treating the resulting infection; others cultivate a controlled infection, often on the inside of their hulls, the growth and spread of which they can control for their own purposes. Autocorrosion was recognized by the general repair facilities of Cybertron as a psychological disorder, most commonly resulting from a neurotic response to the daily pressure to be clean and rustless: some individuals became so obsessed with finding and removing rust-spots that they deliberately infected themselves to have something to remove. After the outbreak of the Third War, autocorroders in both armies found it much harder to hide their symptoms during the regular and intensive maintenance checkups medics and war technicians required them to undergo. As a result, autocorrosion is much rarer than it once was ... or possibly just much better hidden. Autobots consider autocorrosion a psychological problem that needs to be addressed for the sake of the individual's health, safety and well-being. Decepticons consider autocorrosion a sign of a sick mind, but don't care if someone does it: if it doesn't affect their battle potential, it's not important, and if it does, they're stupid for doing it and deserve anything that may happen to them as a result.
Rust-storm
[general]: One of Cybertron's more fearsome weather conditions. Corrosive vapours and flakes of rust from the Sea of Rust, born on high-speed winds from the Equatorial Ridge, form something similar to a corrosive, rust-laden sandstorm. Rust storms are a common hazard south and east of the Sea of Rust but virtually unknown north of the Equatorial Ridge. Rust-storms can inflict life-threatening if not fatal corrosive damage on a mechanism and leave buildings covered in infectious rust: they also leave behind pools of corrosive liquid and scattered particles of infectious rust.
Saboton
[general]: Armour covering the pedes.
Salivacid
[general]: A mixture of acidic liquids produced by chemical micromanufactories in the upper mandibulary plate. The purpose of salivacid is to trap foreign particles and dissolve them, preventing them from infiltrating and damaging vulnerable internal structures. It also aids the function of the glossa.
Scab
[Decepticon]: During the Golden Age, a Liegeless who worked for Autobots out of preference rather than necessity, who spoke favourably of Autobot employers, or who was perceived as siding with Autobots; later, an Autobot sympathizer; a traitor.
A Cybertronian game played with small triangular pyramidal pieces, similar in appearance to the human game of jacks. Scatterpiece is one of the oldest and simplest Cybertronian games, and a scatterpiece set is as versatile as a pack of cards.
Scatterpiece is played with a maximum of five pieces, although a full set can contain ten or even fifteen pieces. Most variations on the game require a minimum of five pieces to play, although some require that each player have his own set of five pieces minimum. Scatterpiece is traditionally played by two, three or five people. Autobot variations tend towards games of chance and their pieces are often brightly colour-coded for easy recognition. Decepticon variations require more athletic contribution and their pieces are often all one colour to make it harder to pick out specific pieces or points.
Each piece is a four-sided pyramid, usually with sides about 40 cm long [16 inches]. Each piece has a numerical value for each point, with the numerical values marked on the three sides of the point; some rarer pieces have blank points representing a numerical zero. The pieces are very similar to a human four-sided die except that the numbers are at the point rather than on the sides. When thrown, the piece lands on one side and the point sticking up in the air gives the number used for the score. In some games, usually ones where the pieces are caught rather than landing, the total of the four numbers is used for the score. Most games involve players taking it in turn to perform an action, and a winner is declared at the end of the round. Games where the pieces are caught in mid-air are played one-handed, and only one pass or grab of the hand is allowed.
The standard rule for choice of pieces is that a standard set is brought out, and each player may take out one piece and substitute in a piece of his own choice. No duplications are allowed. A player may remove a piece another player has substituted in. If five players are playing, this may lead to the use of a completely non-standard set.
STANDARD SET
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Point 4
Total
Autobot Name
Decepticon Name
1
2
3
5
11
inis "smallest"
eyter "least"
2
3
9
15
29
yuhante "small"
gevute "respectable"
3
5
10
17
35
paum "little"
remb "solid"
5
7
11
21
44
lantis "median"
degemme "a bit heavy"
1
2
5
25
33
miau "bigger"
mudu "not big enough"
The basic set of pieces. Most Cybertronians who play scatterpiece even rarely will have a set of these pieces. They are usually kepted in a pyramidal box. Serious players will have half a dozen sets of various makes and sizes.
EXTENDED SET
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Point 4
Total
Autobot Name
Decepticon Name
4
4
4
4
16
cujan "south piece"
durge-yurtu "four points"
1
1
debujan "north piece"
yerkre "little spire"
11
17
19
23
70
mylaus "high prime"
gezea "heavy end"
2
3
5
7
17
nlaus "low prime"
eyri-izue "light touch"
13
15
17
45
pola-payala "spearpoints"
du "home"
The most common pieces used to expand a basic set. Not all expanded sets are identical; there are no hard-and-fast rules over which non-standard pieces can be used. Any Cybertronian who players on a regular basis will have at least one extended set; many serious players will have several. Many serious Autobot players display their fondness for scatterpiece by connected the pyramidal boxes for their standard and extended sets with a cord or cable and hanging them from their rear-view mirror.
There are a great many possible combinations for the numbers on pieces, but there are some rules. Using the same number twice on one piece is not allowed, the cujan/durge-yurtu and debujan/yerkre pieces aside. Even numbers and unlucky numbers are frowned on. The piece cannot be completely blank. Prime numbers, multiples of three and multiples of five are considered the best numbers.
Cujan/durge-yurtu represents Vector Sigma in some games and Kaon in others. Most Autobot players consider that this piece should always be a golden-yellow colour. Dejuban/yerkre represents the Matrix in some games and Iacon in others; it can also represent Optimus Prime or a Matrix bearer. Most Autobot players consider that this piece should always bee a pale blue or light grey in colour. Mylaus/gezea bears the four highest prime numbers below 25; it is very popular in high-scoring games. Nlaus/eyri-izue bears the four lowerst prime numbers below 25; it is correspondingly popular in low-scoring games. Pola-payala/du represents the state of Polyhex. The 13 represents the city of Vos, the 15 represents the city of Tarn and the 17 represents the city of Helx. In some games, the blank point represents death.
RARE PIECES
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Point 4
Total
Autobot Name
Decepticon Name
5
23
28
ealaun "megatron"
yero-yrui "grand master"
3
3
3
19
28
tisu-shuya "starscream"
oyrui eu fzyeu "master and trines"
11
13
17
41
yos "vos"
mutu fzyux "three cities high"
4
13
14
22
53
yuzun "personal enemy"
yurtu geum "pointed fingers"
6
8
12
16
42
mucu "rarities"
qunz geum "crossed fingers"
The most popular rare pieces. These pieces are not eligible for more common, simple games, or have unlucky or unpopular numbers on them. Some pieces that have symbols rather than numbers are used; the Autobot and Decepticon symbols are the most common ones.
Ealaun/yero-yui represents the Decepticon leader Megatron; specifically, the 23 represents him in person as it is the highest prime number below 25. The 5 represents a group of loyal follows. Tisu-shuya/oyrui eu fzyeu represents Starscream; the 19 represents him specifically as it is the highest prime number below 23; the 3s represent loyal trines guarding him. Yos/mutu fzyux represents the city of Vos; the 11 represents the mountain Scraper, the 13 Shearing and the 17 Slicer. The blank face represents falling into the gulf below the Voe Mountains. Mucu/qunz geum bears the four numbers most rarely seen on other pieces.
Yuzun/yurtu geum has on it the four unluckiest numbers. The 4 represents a trine plus an expendable soldier; the 13 represents the Fallen; the 14 represents an ally of the Fallen. The 22 usually represents the Fallen and his ally surrounded by four armies, although sometimes it represents a commander and lieutenant surrounded by four Autobot squads. This piece is considered very unlucky, and is rarely used in play. It is more seen being placed on a person's equipment or belongings as a warning or sign of bad luck. The name "pointed fingers" is from a gesture, pointing the middle and third fingers at someone or something whilst folding the first and fourth fingers against the palm under the thumb, used by Golden Age Liegeless to ward off bad luck or threats. The name "crossed fingers" comes from the Decepticon hand-sign for "double", which is the middle finger crossed over the first finger.
There are many different sets of rules for scatterpiece, and almost all city-states have their own variation. Major cities often have two or three. The most common games are:
Drop: A player drops pieces from optic level, and the pieces landing are scored. Region variations on drop include:
Aurunum rules, aka blind drop - One player drops five pieces, another player passes his hand through the falling pieces with his optics off. Any pieces that land point-up on his hand are scored.
Kalis drop - A rather complex variation. A platter which rotates at random speed in random directions, on which are two bowls of liquid, is set up. A player stands over the platter and drops five pieces onto it. Pieces which land point-up on the platter but not in the liquid are scored. Highest score wins.
Tagon rules, aka docker's drop - Player drops five pieces and attempts to catch them before they hit the ground. Pieces landing are scored; lowest score wins.
Stanix rules, aka hand-to-floor - Player drops five pieces and attempts to catch them before they hit the ground. If the total of the pieces in the hand is higher than the total of the pieces on the floor, the player stays in the game; if it is lower, he leaves. Stanix drop is played until only one player is left.
Vosian rules, aka one-piece - Player drops five pieces and attempts to catch them before they hit the ground. The first player to let a piece hit the ground loses.
Vosian high-stakes rules, aka long drop - Players meet a mile above the ground. One player drops five pieces from optic level, and another dives to catch them. The first piece to lose a piece loses. Dropped pieces are almost impossible to find, hence the alternative name of Vosian fight-starter.
Autobot rules, aka debujan drop - Played using the debujan/yerkre, mylaus/gezea and nlaus/eyri-izue pieces. Player drops the three pieces and subtracts the nlaus/eyri-izue point from the mylaus/gezea point. The result is his score, and the lowest score wins, unless a player gets the 1-point on the debujan piece in which case he wins.
Catch: A player drops the pieces from optic level, a player tries to catch them, and the pieces in hand are scored. Regional variations on catch include:
Altihex rules, aka high catch - The players crouch on the ground. One player drops five pieces, the second player attempts to catch them before they hit the ground. The total of the pieces caught is scored. Highest score wins.
Krystagon rules, aka low catch - One player drops five pieces and tries to catch them before they hit the floor. Lowest points-up score on the floor wins.
Protihex rules, aka find the gap - One player drops three pieces into a circle; their points up score is his first total. He then drops two more pieces; their points score his his second total. The second player drops all five pieces; his score must be smaller than the greater total but bigger than the smaller total [if this is numerically impossible, the first player redrops his second total]. If the second player does, he stays in the game; if he fails, he loses. Protihex drop is played until all but one player is eliminated.
Yarraron rules, aka Yarraron afternooner - One player drops five pieces into a circle, a second player passes his hand through them quickly. If the number of pieces in the second player's hand is less than the lowest point on the floor, the first player loses. Yarraron catch is played until all but one player is eliminated, and a five-player game can take hours to finish. Thus "playing Yarraron catch" is a Decepticon phrase for doing something to pass the time whilst bored, and a "Yarraron afternoon" is a day in which nothing at all happened.
Grab: A player tosses pieces in the air, and pieces landing are scored. Regional variations on grab include:
Albiacon rules, aka one in three - One player tosses three pieces, only one of which has a 1 [usually a debujan/yerkre piece], in the air. The other player attempts to catch the piece with the 1 on it. The first player to catch the 1-piece wins the round. Played for best of three.
Altihex rules, aka bounce - The players crouch on the ground. One player tosses five pieces in the air, the second player jumps in the air to catch them before they fall. The total of the pieces caught is scored. Highest score wins.
Hydrax rules, aka threesie - Players tosses five pieces in the air, tries to catch three. Catching more or less than five means he loses. Totals are scored; highest wins.
Quintesseplex grab - Five rare pieces are used, representing Batatassaon, Dessalium, Polosos, Rignarum and Vakhel. One player tosses the five pieces in the air, a second player calls out a city and the first player must catch the piece representing that city to stay in the game. Now a very rare game. Serious Autobot players can be identified by ownership of a set of Quintesseplex pieces.
Sonic Canyon rules, aka wall scatter - Player throws five pieces at a wall and tries to catch as many as possible in one hand before they hit the floor. The player with the highest total in hand wins.
Tyrest rules, aka painter grab - A player tosses five pieces in the air. A second player calls out a colour. The first player must catch a piece with that colour on it or lose. Catching a piece without that colour is a loss.
Hesprox rules, aka Hesprox nasty - One player holds five pieces, one of which is a yuzun/yurtu geum piece, in his hand and tosses them in the air. Five other players leap to grab them. The player who catches the yuzun/yurtu geum piece loses. A round of Hesprox nasty is often used for picking scapegoats, hence the Decepticon "catching yurtu", which has a simliar meaning to "drawing the short straw". A related phrase is "yurtu promotion" - i.e. a promotion one did not want, or a promotion to a useless or dead-end job.
Urayan rules, aka prime grab - One player holds five pieces, one of which is a debujan/yerkre, in his hand and tosses them in the air. Four other players leap to grab them. The first player to grab the debujan/yerkre piece. Sometimes used to elect temporary leaders in small units in the Autobot army, leading to the term "debujan promotion". This term has spread in the Autobot language to further mean any field or temporary promotion, or any meaningless job title.
Valvolux sevens - One player tosses seven pieces in the air. A second player calls out a number. The first player must catch a piece with that number for its total, or pieces whose totals add up to that number. Calling any number under 15 is considered cheating.
Valvolux rules, aka high-stakes grab - Each player starts with fifteen pieces. The throwing player tosses five of his pieces in the air over a circle, and the catching player tries to catch as many as he can one-handed before they hit the floor. The throwing player takes back any pieces that landed outside the circle. The uppermost points of the pieces landing point-up in the circle are counted up for a total. The catching player must give the tossing player an equal number of pieces to that total. If the total is equal or greater the number of pieces he has, he loses. A high score by the throwing player can eliminate the catching player in one round; conversely, the throwing player may lose all his pieces in play in one round. The player with the most pieces left after five rounds wins, and all the players keep any pieces they have taken from the other players. Pieces for high-stakes grab are usually larger than normal. During the Golden Age, Valvolux had many casinos and gambling parlours where Valvolux grab was played for pieces made of gemstones and precious metals; an expensive passtime.
Vilnacron rules, aka high point grab - One player tosses five pieces from one hand to another. A second player snatches a piece out of the air. The player who grabs the piece with the highest single point wins.
Vosian rules, aka one-piece grab - Player tosses five pieces in the air and attempts to catch them before they hit the ground. First player to let a piece hit the ground loses.
Wayfinder - Not so much a game as a means of picking a direction during an argument between lost Autobots. Four pieces are used: a cujan/durge-yurtu, representing south; a debujan/yerkre, representing north; a pola-payala/du, representing either east; and a random other piece representing west. One Autobot tosses the pieces in the air and another catches on as it falls. The piece caught is the direction in which the Autobots travel.
Toss: A player tosses pieces in the air, a player tries to catch them, and pieces in the hand are scored. Regional variations on toss include:
Kaon low toss - Player tosses five pieces, including a cujan/durge-yurtu, in the air, switches off his optics and sweeps his hand through them as they come down. The lowest-scoring point in the circle wins unless the cujan/durge-yurtu lands in a player's hand, in which case he wins the game outright.
Kolkular low toss - Player tosses five pieces in the air and attempts to catch them as they come down. Lowest score on the floor wins. One round only.
Cronum high toss - Each player tosses one piece at a time in the air. The highest point on the floor wins.
Praxus high toss - A contender for the oldest version of scatterpiece. Player tosses five pieces in the air over a marked circle. Pieces landing inside the circle are scored; highest score wins. Pieces falling outside the circle are ignored.
Tagon rules, aka circle toss - Possibly the most basic variation of all. Players crouch or sit around a circle. Player tosses five pieces in the air, and the ones which land point-up in the circle are scored. Highest score wins.
Warlord - Requires a particular of pieces representing famous Decepticons or great Decepticon cities. The most common set is the pieces representing Megatron, Starscream, Vos, Tarn and Helex. Each player tosses the five pieces over a circle. Pieces landing points-up in the circle are scored. In order to have a viable score, the player must have at least one warlord [e.g. the 23 point on an ealaun/yero-yrui piece] and one fortress [e.g. the 11 point on a yos/mutu fzyux piece]. The player with the highest score wins; each warlord scores 2 points, each fortress 1 point, thus a player with four warlords and one fortress [9 points] beats a player with four fortresses and one warlord [6]. Any player who gets three blank points in the circle automatically "dies". The yuzun/yurtu geum piece is sometimes used to make the game more complex. Each player throws this piece with his five others. The 4-point means he loses a warlord; the 13 point means he gains a warlord; the 14 point means he gains two warlords; the 22 point means he loses two warlords.
Other popular regional variations include:
Argenex scatter - Five pieces, on which there are one or two unlucky numbers, are tossed down a room or table. The first person to have an unlucky number come up loses.
Deltacron dip - Five pieces are put in a bowl of opaque liquid. Each player pulls one out, tosses it in the air and catches it. Highes point wins.
Dizeon scratch - Fifteen to fifty pieces are put in a bag. Each player pulls out five. Highest total wins.
Hermeun flip - A bowl is put on the floor and the players sit or kneel around it. Player flips three pieces from his hand into the bowl. Pieces landing points-up in the bowl are scored. Highest score wins.
Iacon flip - Players sit or kneel around a circle. A single piece is put in the middle of the circle - usually a dejuban/yerkre, 1-point upwards. Each player takes turns to flip a piece at the one in the centre. First person to hit it wins.
Valvolux gamble - an add-on to any game where the points of the pieces landing point-uppermost on the floor are counted for a total, such as high-stakes grab. Players who are neither throwing nor catching can put down a stake - in games of high-stakes grab, usually their own pieces - and as the pieces are thrown, call out a number. The person calling the number closest to the total on the floor wins the betted pieces. Winning a gamble can save a player doing badly at high-stakes grab, and losing the reverse. Stakes are always set before the toss.
Other "rules" include:
Proxxon rules - Scatterpiece was banned in Proxxon for being too common. As a result, "Proxxon rules" is a Decepticon threat meaning "I will shoot the next person who tosses those things in the air around me." By extension, "Proxxon rules" has come to mean "the next person to move gets shot" in both Autobot and Decepticon.
Sea of Light toss - Scatterpiece was very rarely played in the Sea of Light as the pieces were too easily lost. As a result "Sea of Light rules" has come to mean a light-hearted piece-throwing fight.
Yarraron toss - Based on the popular misconception that Yarraron is so boring its inhabitants will do anything for amusement, Yarraron toss involves tossing the pieces in the air and trying to catch them in one's mouth. As a result, "Yarraron toss" has become a byword for fooling around in the Autobot army, and a byword for being punched in the mouth in the Decepticon army.
Scorch armour
[Autobot]: A thin coating of plastoid-ceramic over the external armour, designed to absorb damage from plasma attacks and protect the blast armour underneath. Compare with thermodermis.
Scour-storm
[general]: One of Cybertron's more fearsome weather conditions. Geothermal air-currents carry up fragments of silicon and crystal, heated close to the centre of Cybertron. If the conditions are right, the hot silicon and storm-force winds form a sandstorm of hot silicon. Such is the abrasive power of scour-storms that practically all cities on Cybertron are equipped with long-range weather monitoring and early-warning systems to allowed their inhabitants to get to cover in time. A light scour-storm will give buildings an interesting polish; a full-force scour-storm can strip a mechanism down to his chassis.
Scramble
1. [Decepticon]: Order broadcast on all channels which functions as a shorthand for "drop everything and muster at my position INSTANTLY." The only command any Decepticon at all may give and be assured that everyone will respond to. Scramble does not necessarily mean that the base is under attack - it may even be a signal for a rapid withdrawal - but it does mean that there is a serious threat somewhere that must be responded to instantly. 2. Any command which, if given falsely, will get one a plasma round in the back of the head. 3. [Autobot]: The last thing one wants to hear in a Decepticon base, especially when one is attempting to infiltrate it.
Scrubroom
1. [Autobot]: Communal astringent-shower, oil-bath and buffer chamber. 2. [vernacular]: Where Optimus Prime always is when nobody knows where he's gone. 3. [Decepticon]: Small room adjoining a cleanroom for the war technicians to cleanse themselves in. 4. [vernacular]: Where one is certain the war technicians hide to avoid fixing one's damages, especially if one is dirty.
Second Generation
[general]: According to the Great Texts of Skybreak, Primus gifted the Firstforged with the ability to create new Cybertronians from their own metal. Those that they created were called the Second Generation, and were divided into twelve races depending on their progenitor.
Sectional systems
[medical]: Of mechanisms, to have internal systems subdivided into cells with limited access to one another.
Seeker
1. [Decepticon]: An individual whose alt-mode is a combat-capable jet or other atmospheric craft, by standard carrying both a beam weapon and a long-range missile or bomb launcher. A triple-changer cannot be a Seeker; neither can one whose alt-mode does not possesses offensive weaponry, nor one whose alt-mode is primarily space-capable, freight bearing or troop-transporting. 2. [Infantry]: A vain, self-important wimp. Seekers did it - what one tells one's commander to explain why and how something that should not have happened has happened. Easy as taking wings off a Seeker - very hard, verging on impossible. Quiet like Seekers - very loud. 3. [Autobot]: A Decepticon with a jet form, whether combat-capable, triple-changing or other. Retreat like Seekers - to withdraw at supersonic velocities; to run extremely fast.
Sentinel
[general]: A mechanism programmed to guard and protect; [Autobot]: same, particularly a large mechanism that acts as a bodyguard or security guard and possessing a moderate level of sentient autonomy; [Decepticon]: same, particularly a mechanism acting as a security guard and possessing a low level of sentient autonomy; [vernacular]: one with more firepower than brainpower.
Servitude
[general]: According to Golden Age Cybertronian law, crime was the failure of an individual or individuals to contribute to society. In order to let the punishment fit the crime, the majority of sentences handed out by the TEC courts were of servitude. Light sentences included social servitude, such as spending a few joors assisting in public beautification for simple misdemeanours, and community servitude, such as loaning one's personal transport module to another for speeding infractions. Harsher sentences included gladiatorial servitude, such as being committed to the gladiatorial games for a specified number of matches for violent crime, or penal servitude, such as being committed to spending a specific length of time on a mining colony. The length of the sentence was calculated in relation to the severity of the crime: first-time offenders received light sentences as a lesson, whereas repeat offenders - especially violent Liegeless, not considered likely to reform - could receive sentences of far greater length. The most severe sentence on record was the committing of the commander, first and second lieutenants and chief war technician of the 355th Armoured Artillery to life-long penal servitude. On other occasions, severe sentences were used to provide unsocialisable individuals with a stable life. For example, late in the Golden Age, the Liegeless bandit Megatron was sentenced to a poloivorn of gladiatorial servitude in the hope that it would prevent him from re-offending whilst keeping him in an environment where he could glut his apparently insatiable hunger for violence.
Shadow grenade
[Decepticon]: A spheroid device which, when thrown, explodes releasing a rapidly expanding mass of light-absorbing particles; also photonic nullifier, shade grenade, dark handful, shadeball, shadowball, pitch tin.
Shardcrate
[Decepticon]: A larger version of a shatterbox; also sharpie, pointy stuff, sharp-bomb.
Shard-knife
[Decepticon]: A short, hand-held blade made from a sharpened piece of metal, rubble or other debris, field-built for emergency use. Issuing each individual with an emergency-use light-blade eliminated the need for shard-knives.
Shatterbox
[Decepticon]: A cuboid device which, when thrown like a grenade, explodes releasing a spray of small, sharp-edged metal discs similar to shuriken; differs from a shrapnel grenade in that the shatterbox is designed to propel its contents in one direction. Relies on propelling its contents at very high velocities rather than its explosive properties to do damage; also shardball, splinterbox, sharp-bomb, shattercan.
Siblinghood
[general]:
Between Cybertronians there exist relationships that humans would most easily understand as sibling relationships. These relationships include fraternal twins, maternal twins, cloning and build-brotherhood. Cybertronians do not reproduce sexually or through bi-personal pairings; these terms of siblinghood are rough translations of Cybertronian terms that carry similar emotional and psychological meanings but do not imply similar relationships.
"Fraternal" twins refers to two Cybertronians who share the same life-force but not the same body-type. "Fraternal" twins generally occur when Vector Sigma chooses, for its own inscrutable reasons, to invest one body-shell with two identical life-forces, one of which must then be removed from the original shell and given a new body. Because "fraternal" twins share the same life-force, they feel a close bond to one another, but because of their different forms and different brain-structures, they generally have different personalities.
"Maternal" twins refers to two Cybertronians who share the same life-force and the same body-type. "Maternal" twins are similar to "fraternal" twins, except that it usually occurs when two identical body-shells are being given life and Vector Sigma is apparently feeling lazy. Because "maternal" twins share the same life-force and form, they are closer than "fraternal" twins and are very similar in personality - practically identical on creation, although likely to differ from one another as they grow more experienced in life.
Cloning is the division or replication of a single life-force into two or more identical life-forces. As with twins, clones can be similar or different in personality depending on whether or not they share a body-type. Clones made from an individual who has been alive for some time differ from twins in that the clone will generally have the original's memories. This leads to the existence to two completely identical individuals who will, over time and through different experiences in life, grow into difference.
Build-brotherhood [often just called "brotherhood"] refers to two or more individuals who share an identical body-type but different life-forces; for example, Vosian Seekers. If two build-brothers share a very rare body-type [for example, something as unusual as Shockwave's form] they are likely to share a feeling of kinship and mutual identity based on their rare build-type, and - despite their different life-forces and therefore different personalities - are likely to form close bonds. If two or more build-brothers share a common body type [for example, something as common as the basic Vosian Seeker form] they are unlikely to feel close kinship with all their build-kin, but will probably feel close kinship with those who were given life at the same time as they were, or with whose creation they were closely involved. In terms of Vosian Seekers, for example, this generally manifests as groups of three or five Seekers all given life at the same time forming a trine or quintad and referring to one another as "brother" despite - technically - all Seekers being their build-kin. Where many individuals share a common body-type, it is not uncommon for one mechanism to call another "brother" as a term of general endearment or appeal for friendship. It has been noted that high-ranking Vosians, or those involved in the creation of the Seeker-type, such as Starscream or Verdigris, may address Vosian Seekers in general as "sons" or "brothers." Not all individuals will perceive their build-kin as build-brothers; for example, Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime are build-kin, but do not consider themselves to be brothers.
Sigma Chamber
[general]: A chamber remotely connected to Vector Sigma which can be used to give life to a new Cybertronians. The Sigma Chambers were created before the First War and, although perfect duplicates have been constructed, Vector Sigma has never accepted any new Chambers onto its system.
Sigma City
[general]: A city in which there is a Sigma Chamber. Vector Sigma resides beneath Kaon. The Sigma Cities were Altihex, Hermeun, Iacon, Khalkon, Nova Cronum, Praxus, Protihex, Proxxon, Tagon, Tarn, Uraya, Vos, Yarraron and Zhenetox. The Chamber in Hermeun was destroyed during the Rising of Polyhex; the Chambers in Protihex, Uraya and Khalkon were later destroyed as well.
Sigma State
[general]: A city-state which has a Sigma Chamber.
Sigmatic nongrading
[general]:
Sigmites are aware that, amongst Cybertronians, the form of one's body influences one's personality, and that changing one's form causes a change in one's personality. Since Sigmites believe that Vector Sigma crafted their personality, changing bodies leads to a change in their personality that is a deviation from the primal program. Therefore radical upgrading, such as total rebuilding or a transfer to a new body-shell, is against their beliefs. Naturally, due to their reluctance to upgrade their internal systems or conduct more than limited repairs, their bodies gradually break down over time, leading to the Cybertronian equivalent of death from old age. Sigmatic nongrading is the manifestation of "old age" brought on by not undertaking the normal series of upgrades, modifications, rebuilds and replacements that other Cybertronians make as time passes. Sigmatic nongrading manifests differently in accordance to the different build of the Sigmite; however, the most common symptoms are poor structural integrity due to worn parts and metal fatigue, a tremulous voice as the vocal components wear out, unsteadiness due to gyro and tensor failure and what non-Sigmites generally perceive as a negative, narrow-minded attitude towards change and development. Fuel efficiency decreases in proportion to the degree of nongrading, with the most severe examples having to recharge every few joors.
It has been noted that Sigmites seem able to survive for far longer in this fashion than they should, and longer than others who simply don't undertake proper upgrading and replacing of parts. Sigmites account for this by claiming that a set of rituals designed to purge their systems of "alien" influences and "non-Sigma" presences is what keeps them alive.
During the Golden Age, it was a matter of some debate as to why Legascion Sigmites succumbed to sigmatic nongrading so rapidly when Autobot elders such as Alpha Trion have been able to survive for far longer without anywhere near such severe deterioration. Researches discovered that certain of the Sigmite cleansing rituals involved the connection of certain power units; although this was perfectly healthy for an Autobot, it caused the differently-engineered Legascions to develop unpleasant glitches deep in their systems which eventually lead to their deactivation.
Skidplates
[general]: 1. A high-friction plate for the soles of the pedes, designed to prevent slippage and skidding. 2. [Autobot]: What one tells a Decepticon to kiss when he tells you to grovel for your life. 3. [Decepticon]: What Autobots believe they're being daring by telling you to kiss, proving that they're wimps who don't know how to swear.
Skybreak
[general]: According to the majority of Primordialist legends, Skybreak was a Second Generation spawnling of Alaro, and the prophet and scribe to Prima. He is best known for being the one to record the dying words of Prima - " 'til all are one" - with whom he shares equal repute as the origin of the Darkest Hour prophecy. The Great Texts of Skybreak are:
The Covenant of Primus
The Covenant of the Flame
The Articles of the Matrix
The Five Primes to To Be
The Passing Beyond Time
Sky crouton
[Decepticon]: A small canister carried by jets which, when released in mid-air, performs an offensive or defensive function. Sky croutons are specifically designed for use against airborne assailants, and are designed to be identical until activation to prevent their contents being identified by those whom they are aimed at. See cloud-in-a-box, cloud-chowder, sky-ribbons, chaff, flash-in-a-can, thunder-cracker, black ball, black pinch, rain-tin, fire-and-flash, dropfilth, windsphere, dirtball, pepperpot, ghost-in-a-jar, dud, shattercan, pitch tin.
Skyfreighter
1. [general]: A large cargo-carrying aeroplane; any very, very big aeroplane; any aeroplane, especially large, that flies gracelessly; also flying brick, skybaggage, cloud crowder. 2. [Decepticon]: What standard Seekers call Hunters when they aren't listening. 3. [Decepticon]: What Quercons call standard Seekers when they are listening.
Sky-ribbons
[Decepticon]: A sky crouton which releases a cloud of velocity-beaded monomolecular carbon-wire, designed to engulf and slice apart any pursuers; also razor cloud, flayball, chaffmaker.
Slough
[general]: Cybertron generates vast amounts of industrial waste every vorn, and not all of it is reprocessed or stored safely; some of it is simply dumped. Where corrosive waste is dumped or allowed to collect over a long period of time, the plating and support structure of the ground can become corroded and fragile, and pools of corrosive liquid form. The ground becomes brittle and the whole area can subside into a treacherous morass of unstable, fragile metal and highly dangerous pools: a slough. It is a particularly favourite tactic amongst Decepticon commanders of manufacturing centres to dump their industrial waste in the land around their cities in order to form such hazards as natural defences for their cities.
Soak rate
[general]: The rate at which armour will absorb chemical and mineral nutrients and turn them into functional armour.
Soakhouse
[general]: An establishment equipped with energon baths, hot oil-baths, nida pools, etc., for the purpose of purveying luxurious baths accompanied by energon consumption, scrubbing-droids and the presence of attractive bath-servers; [Autobot]: where one's team is heading after the mission; a dream destination; [Decepticon]: where one's commander is when one cannot find him and wishes to; where one claims to be when one hears one's commander is looking for you.
Soak-recharging
[general]: Refuelling in an energon bath: refuelling by absorption.
Soak-trench
[general]: A long, narrow, rectangular bath designed for soaking the legs and lower torso in, but not for lying down in. What one bathes in when one is quite clean but wishes to enjoy the sensations of a bath.
Solid-state
[general]: 1. A piece of equipment or a vehicle that cannot transform - i.e. a non-living, non-sentient, non-changing machine. 2. Someone who will not or cannot transform; someone who stubbornly sticks to an opinion or position even after being proven wrong; someone who is extraordinarily stupid.
Solid thrusters
[Decepticon]: Non-standard form of flight propulsion using solid fuel to generate thrust. Many individuals with non-aerial alt-modes have solid thrusters installed in their pedes for rapid take-off and/or boosting their momentum thrusters.
Spacer
1. [Decepticon]: A mechanism whose altmode is capable of escaping planetary gravity and travelling through space. 2. [general]: A mechanism who is unaware of his surroundings and situation; an oblivious fool.
Splinter-bomb
[Decepticon]: A larger version of a shrapnel grenade, airdropped, to rapidly clear small targets such as neutral villages; also shatterbomb, shardbomb.
Autobot transport ship, constructed in Iacon in KV 769.188 [approx. four million years ago]. The Steelhaven was originally designed for a different role; to carry Optimus Prime and 750 hand-picked Autobot scientists and troops on an exploration mission to locate and secure the energy needed to defend Cybertron. However, as news of The Ark's construction travelled around Cybertron, a flood of refugees entered Iacon seeking passage off Cybertron. The Autobot High Command chose to allot the nearly complete Steelhaven to the task of transporting these neutrals.
At 12 miles long and over a mile wide in diameter, The Steelhaven was a colossus of a starship, especially for post-Oblivicus Cybertron. It was fitted with heavy armour and heavy armaments, more than capable of fending off the most powerful Decepticon warships of the time. It left Cybertron under armed escort, under the command of the Autobot general Vectorius, and saw no response from the Decepticons. Later communications with Unludiek confirmed that The Steelhaven reached Homestar's system unassaulted.
Steel Standard
[general]: During the Golden Age, the rough Cybertronian equivalent of Earth's gold standard; the value of the energon and credit currencies were defined by their worth in steel. The steel standard saw prices soar during the energon famines of the late Golden Age, before the development of the "pocket economy" in the state of Polyhex destabilized it. The Steel Standard fell into disuse with the dissolution of central government.
Strategitorium
[general]: Tactical planning chamber.
Supraoptic ridge
[general]: One of the two supporting struts of the standard head, arching over the optic sockets, fused at the inner end to the nasal ridge and at the outer end to the buccal ridge.