*this is in relation to a JazzProwl fanfic that I’m writing. Here is the fic link if your interested: the light in shattered crystal
Prowl's cohort, as of the end of chapter 1, consists of seven bots. It's a smaller than average size for a cohort that is primarily based on mentorship and familial bonds. Despite its lack of size, the cohort is considered "unreasonably deviant" by Board of Enforcement (which is part of the Praxian Senate). They have an pendant for ignoring rules and not getting along well with other cohorts, mostly due to the more prickly personalities within their cohort. They're a mixed bag but they work well together.
Barricade is the oldest of the cohort and the most physically protective. When he was first brought online, he was labeled as "defective" due to his abrasive personality and his lack of willingness when it came to following orders. He would often go out of his way to defy rules, such as when he permanently changed his faceplate from the standard silver to a gold sheen. He was the receiver of a lot of punishments due to this.
Many existing cohorts did not want him. He was seen as a liability, a weak link, an unpredictable variable. He began to resent cohorts, believing that he was not meant to have one and that he would be better off as a loner. That is, until Smokescreen was assigned as his apprentice.
Like Barricade, Smokescreen had a streak of deviance (though on much smaller scale and specifically involving forms of gambling). The Senate thought that assigning a devious cadet to Barricade would make him see the errors of his ways (it did not). Instead, a dynamic of covering for each other's bad habits was formed. They were both outcasts among Enforcers, marked with bad reputations, that came to rely on only each other and have each other's backs because no one else would.
Despite that, the two bots are incredibly different in personality. Smokescreen is far more extroverted and relaxed despite having some vices that lead him into trouble. He's also less protective but he is incredibly caring, which makes up for it—he will force his cohorts to recharge. He is a bleeding spark, so to speak and that only grew when he was assigned X-Brawn as an apprentice.
X-Brawn was forged from Praxus Hotspot, emerging as a fully formed adult. He was assigned to be an Enforcer, but due to the fact that he wasn't cold constructed like the rest, he was already considered an outsider. Smokescreen was the first Enforcers that didn't treat him as such, who did not care that he had not been built for their job.
Unlike both Barricade and Smokescreen, X-Brawn is far more likely to stay out of trouble. He keeps his helm down and when he breaks a rule, he makes sure that he gets away with it. But he feels restless, like a ball of energy that cannot move. There is something more from life that he wants, but he doesn't know what it is due to the fact that Enforcers aren't allowed to experience life outside of their jobs. For now, he's always there for his cohort mates, whenever they need him.
At the same time that X-Brawn was assigned to Smokescreen, Prowl was assigned to Barricade. After their first plan not working, the Senate decided that giving Barricade a hard ass rule follower might work instead. They did not get along at first, but after a long and slow process of coming to understand each other, they became close—they're different sides of the same coin in a lot of way (Barricade is physically protective, whereas Prowl works the system to protect his cohort mates). Plus, Barricade's deviant behavior did dwindle, though not completely and not as a result of Prowl, but rather due to the fact that he became more protective as more bots joined his cohort.
Prowl is also an outcast in his own right. He is the only surviving model of his cold construction unit and due to his TacNet, he perceives the world completely differently from everyone else. He feels a strong sense of duty and justice, he's the most serious one of the cohort—to the point of clashing with them. He becomes the highest ranked out of all them due to his dedication and work ethic… he really does overwork himself.
Streetwise was assigned as X-Brawn's apprentice and he takes after the larger Enforcer well, but prior to that… he has the most normal training stories. His unit organically didn't click super well and the connections between everyone faded as they started their apprenticeships. Technically he was an addition added to his unit, but it was on the first day for that unit and it was overlooked easily.
He's by the book according to everyone, your classis Praxian Enforcer, but he's always felt different than the rest. He's never been able to explain why he's felt that way, but causes emotional turmoil in his spark that can cause him to be easily irritable one moment to incredibly sappy next the moment. It's hard to explain for him, he feels like a larger part of himself is missing.
He was kindled, a mech born from other bots, and his sparklinghood was troubled. He got into trouble with the law and was placed into a reform program, that essentially forcible transformed him into an Enforcer. Having a criminal record as an enforcer put a huge target on his back and it separated him from everyone else… he was pretty sure he'd never along with anyone, especially when Prowl was assigned as his mentor. Which can only described as a bumpy ride until it smoothed out.
He's devious at spark, he doesn't like to conform to rules and he stays connected to old life despite not being allowed to. He's like a relaxed version of Barricade, oddly enough—and he's loyal to a fault. He puts his cohort first, even above himself… at least when he's not messing around.
Bluestreak is a sparkling. By all laws and logic, he should not be anywhere near Enforcers or even be in a cohort. But he is, because he emotionally clung onto Prowl and created a bond with him when the Enforcer found him after the Praxian Hot Spot was bombed. He's still growing, still figuring out his personality and quirks, learning what life is about.
But so far, he's chatty and curious about everything. He's slowly melting the ice in Prowl's spark.
Part Three - Cohort Dynamics (coming soon)
