Saw people discussing what colour Maul's pre darkside eye colour was. It's hard to tell in the flash back (I don't have a screenshot for it), but I thought it looked like it was a pale yellow like Feral's, and that one comic panel. (Both pics are from their respective wookiepedia pages)
But apparently Maul's eyes are green?? According to his wiki?? https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Maul
I'm getting way too invested in this so I'm going leave it here.
Here is my short offering to the Maul/Lawson girlies (gn). Is it the best thing ive written? No, but at least it might inspire more fics in the futrure?
Under cut to avoid spoilers for the latest episode!
Accepting Maul’s deal had been a bitter pill to swallow. A lesser of two evils that had kept an even worse predator at bay. Janix still had crime, sure, but at least now it was run with an efficiency that minimised civilian casualties.
“Vario’s name came across my desk today, he’s getting sloppy.” Brander said aloud, more annoyed than angry. The Zabrak kneeling across from him let out a hissing sigh.
“Would you like me to deal with him?” Maul’s voice was dangerously calm while he poured out their Mandalorian tea with expert grace.
“No.” Brander said, accepting the offered tea cup. “Just shorten his leash a bit.”
He could almost feel his disappointment, but even so, the horned head nodded in agreement. Evenings and meetings like these were just as symbolic as they were necessary. A ritual in this strange partnership of theirs. Maul hummed in satisfaction as he brought his own cup to his face, taking in the rich aroma. The Capitan sipped on his own drink, a refreshing change from the usual cheap staffroom caff Two Boots normally gave him, and considered his next words carefully. Most conversations between himself and the former Sith was kept to business mostly, but there was one question that had been nagging him for some time now.
“What does it feel like, the force?” Lawson asked, not really expecting an answer. Maul hummed, head tilted slightly as he seemingly searched for the right words to say.
“The force-.” He began almost hesitantly. “Feels, to me, like a heatless fire that burns in every fibre of my body, granting me my strength. In most others, it only flickers like a dying candle.”
“And me?” The words were out of Brander’s mouth before he could stop them. Maul paused, that strange burning gaze rising to meet his. The Human found himself frozen to the spot under his piercing stare but refused to avert his own. He must have been imagining it, but he could almost feel the ghostly touches of something surrounding him, sending goose bumps over his skin. A chill went down his spine. When Maul finally spoke, his voice was low.
“You, Capitan, feel like a river. Always moving, set in its course and Impossible to contain.” A sharp smirk pulled at red and black lips. “A force to be reckoned with.”
Lawson let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when the engulfing presence around him suddenly lifted. He didn’t dare let Maul see that though.
“I wouldn’t have expected someone like you to resort to flattery, lord Maul.”
The smirk grew a little wider, showing just a hint of teeth.
“There are many things you do not know, my dear Capitan.”
Im on a roll lately (def a problem) with an Earth based HC this time.
Now that bots have been mostly accepted into Human society, how would they go about their daily lives. Because of capitalism (derogatory) they would probably need some kind of job, like, say as a taxi...
One bot takes a job at a local firm in order to pay rent on his old warehouse-turned-appartment. Other bots look down on him for ferrying Humans around but he finds he really enjoys it, giving him a chance to meet new people and take in his new home.One day, he gets a new customer.
They hop into his seat looking all sorts of stressed out, their office job currenly kicking their ass. The bot feels sorry for them, and spends the rest of their journey attempting to cheer them up. Slowly, a smile grows on their face, so by the time they arrive at the destination the Human is openly laughing at the bots well meaning attempt at Earth humour. From that day on he takes them to work every day for the next few months. Untill one day, they don't call him.
The bot worries, but dosen't immediately jump to the worst conclusion. Not untill a few days go by. Despite having customers waiting, he calls in at their house to check on them. A tap on the window reveals that (to his relief) it is only a mild case of the flu. The Human apologises for worrying him and promises to call once they are better. This gives the bot an idea. Later that evening, they open their door to a package filled with various flu remedies and a get well card written in bigger than Human handwriting.
When the Cybertronians crashed on that back water mud ball called Earth, nither Autobot or Decepticon had any idea what they would unleash.
Humans were small, weak and in their meer infancy as a species compaired to the wider galactic community. Still, over time, the Autobots came to appriciate their organic allies, and even the Decepticons learned not to underestimate them.
But there was always something off about the Humans.
No bot could pin it down to one specific thing. Something about these little creatures, this planet even, set every bot's spark on edge. Until one day, the awful truth revealed itself. Optimus was the first to feel it, after one particularly bloody battle against Megatron. Despite their best efforts, the city had gotten a lot of damage in the fighting, with no telling how many Human casualties. Thats when he first felt the matrix warn him. It jolted so hard in his chest that it made him stumble, gasping at the crushing bolt of dread that coursed though him. His optics grew wide as that terrible, planet shattering voice rang out. Even Megatron, hardend by millenia of war, feels his spark constrict in fear.
Unicron had awoken.
Humanity was divided by the news of their "Father". Some shrunk away from him in fear of what this ment for them as a species while others embraced him with open arms. All, however, knew he was their best chance at reclaiming their planet. His body may have been lost beneath the earth, but his will remained in the form of dark energon. While toxic in large doses, Unicron knew his children would adapt to it like they had with evething else the universe had thrown at them. This proves correct. The anti-energon gives the Humans the edge they need to defeat the Decepticon's invasion, making them faster and stronger than before. He tolerates the Autobots only for his children's sake, but once Megatron's bots had been captured, killed or forced to flee, that little bit of goodwill runs out. He demands that the Humans finish the job and destroy the last prime.
They say no, refuse even.
His fury at their defience makes the very Earth shake. To his surprise however, that anger soon morphs into a pride so deep it reaches his very spark. Nothing and noone can control his Humans, not even the god of chaos himself.
Tw: light discriptions of human anatomy. Slightly suggetive at the end.
Having a Human professor is a little jarring at first, but they soon come to really enjoy learning about the strange workings of organics.
Lession number one is going over the basics (literally) looking into cell structure and base elements that make up the Human body. Being made of living metal, the bots can barely comprehend that earthlings are mostly water and carbon. No wonder their so squishy.
Lession number 2 is all about evolution, detailing the long story of humanitiy's journey from leaving the sea to the first steps out of Africa. Unknowingly this ends up giving a few bots an existential crisis. In those millions of years Humans had evolved, Cybertronians had barely changed. Like a kind of stagntion.
Lession number 3 is a bit more fun, learning about the important structures that make up the body. Bones, muscles and tissue, everything inside their bodies just as complicated and fine tuned as a machine. Some bots wonder about the medical applications of these similarities.
The next lession is a little more awkward for the professor: Reproduction. Sparklings have been a rare sight due to the war, but still, every bot can't help but find themselves fauning over the pictures of adorble baby Humans, even if childbirth is nothing short of a horror movie. Making said babies however, has more than one bot leaving class that day having discovered something about themselves...
Not sure if you still want fic recs (your post just showed up randomly in my recommended thingie) but there's a transformers one longfic I've been following called crossed sparks that has a ton of excellent worldbuilding. The premise is that alternate universe Megatron and Optimus end up in the one universe and try to take their young counterparts under the wings to prevent the war so there are a lot of chances for the author to do infodumps without it feeling forced, because the alternative Megatron and Optimus literally don't know how this universe works. It sounds like a shitpost but it's a really well written fic.
That sounds like a good read, thanks anon! Think im going to start compiling a list of fics that have good world building
One thing I lowkey want to see in future TF media is a more nuanced take on Unicron, kind of like the decepticons in the first season of Earthspark (until they threw that out the window in s2)
The dynamic between him and Primus. Chaos vs order. 'Good' vs 'evil'. But what if there was more to it than that?
(This is going to be a long one so strap in)
Imagine, at the beginning of time, Primus makes the first transformers and sacrifices his body to give them a world to live on. They are strong, immortal, and created 'perfect'. Unicron wishes for a people of his own, but he doesn't want a perfect being. Despite being able to change form, transformers cannot evolve. So, Unicron leaves to find his people among the stars. For thousands of years he drifts aimlessly, half dreaming, as debris and space dust cling to him. Eventually, he is lost under the planet that has formed around him. His body crumbles and spreads with time, untill there are traces of him in everything. He wakes up now and then, watching the surface above change from desolate rock to a cradle of life.
It begins small, microscopic even, but slowly, over millions of years it evolves.
Ages pass, and despite the abundance of life, nothing resembling people. That is untill one day one creature catches his attention. They are unremarkable at first, just like any other animal. Unlike his brother's children, they are small and weak with no natural defences. But, despite this, they fight tooth and nail to survive. At first, they make crude tools to help them hunt for fuel, then comes language and culture.
He weeps with joy when the first cave painting is made.
The centuries pass, and despite keeping himself hidden, a bond between him and his people grow. They call themselves Humans and are everthing he ever wanted. Weak yet strong, kind yet cruel, and every other wonderfull contradiction that ever exsisted, they are truly the children of Unicron the chaos bringer.
One day however his worst fear comes true.
His brother's creations had found them. He is first made aware of their arrival too late. The amount of pain and fear that pours though their bond rouses him from his slumbering state. Cybertronians, in their state of stagnation, has brought their war to Earth. It fills him with a rage he has never felt the like before and he summons powers he hasn't used in millions of years. He lets out a roar loud enough for the whole galaxy to hear.
Im on a roll lately (def a problem) with an Earth based HC this time.
Now that bots have been mostly accepted into Human society, how would they go about their daily lives. Because of capitalism (derogatory) they would probably need some kind of job, like, say as a taxi...
One bot takes a job at a local firm in order to pay rent on his old warehouse-turned-appartment. Other bots look down on him for ferrying Humans around but he finds he really enjoys it, giving him a chance to meet new people and take in his new home.One day, he gets a new customer.
They hop into his seat looking all sorts of stressed out, their office job currenly kicking their ass. The bot feels sorry for them, and spends the rest of their journey attempting to cheer them up. Slowly, a smile grows on their face, so by the time they arrive at the destination the Human is openly laughing at the bots well meaning attempt at Earth humour. From that day on he takes them to work every day for the next few months. Untill one day, they don't call him.
The bot worries, but dosen't immediately jump to the worst conclusion. Not untill a few days go by. Despite having customers waiting, he calls in at their house to check on them. A tap on the window reveals that (to his relief) it is only a mild case of the flu. The Human apologises for worrying him and promises to call once they are better. This gives the bot an idea. Later that evening, they open their door to a package filled with various flu remedies and a get well card written in bigger than Human handwriting.
There is a new course being offered at the Iacon university: Introduction to Human Biology.
On post-war Cybertron, Earth culture is growing in popularity, so its no surprise when some bots take a more scientific interest in their organic allies. There's only limited places, so most are future scientists and Cybertronian-Human diplomats, though one or two are simply curious. First day, the auditorium is packed, everybot chatting excitedly waiting for their new professor to arrive. So caught up in their chatter, they don't notice the figure taking the stage until it lets out an attention grabbing cough.
All optics turn to stare wide eyed at the smartly dressed Human before them.
"Good morning class, I will be your professor." The Human says, a smile lighting up their face.
No idea where this came from, but a thought occured to me while I was thinking about how Cybertronian and Human cultures might mix after the end of the war, and it's my humble opinion that ballet would be unexpectedly popular with Cybertronians. Think about it, squishy organic Humans can move in ways that would be impossible for bots, so the gracefully delicate art of ballet would be completely foreign to them.
Aaaannnd now I want a fanfic of a ballerina falling in love with the clunkiest most awkward bot ever who never misses one of their shows...
Just rewatched TF One recently and it reminded me of how interesting the world lore is and how I wished it was explored more. Like whats it like to live in Iacon, or the other cities? Are cogless bots treated the same everywhere? Do they have their own culture? Do they get to interact with cogged bots or is it frowned upon? What are the rules of this society?
If anyone has some fic recs that explored that I'd love to know 🙏
Had a shot at the Gen 1 artstyle with this generic bot design, but I ended up getting attached to him. Haven't got a name for him yet, but for some reason I like the idea of him being a monoformer i.e can't transform.