Hi! I've been playing with an idea and was wondering how you go about making a transformers continuity?
It sounds like you've got the first part, which is some kind of idea to start from. You can build one however you want to be honest, depending on what you want to focus on or start with. But I'll walk through the process I've used by going through how I made some of mine.
1.) An idea/character focus/question.
For TF: Iconoclast my starting concept Roomie and I built from was him basically asking me:
What if the Quintessons were never overthrown?
For TF: Legendarium it was my own idea of:
What if magic/myths were a main focus of it and Prima was evil?
2.) I asked how that would change things and followed along in a "yes and..." manner. Or picked the main cast and then slowly connected them together. Brainstorm a list of ideas or moments or worldbuilding elements without censoring.
TF: Iconoclast was something that I built in my living room going back and forth with roomie. We popped ideas off of each other back and forth and figured out how it would fit in, by asking questions like: How would society be if the Cybertronians were never free? And going through "Darkest World" kind of scenarios and through characters we liked.
I keep a brainstorming document jotting down ideas, all of them, to start from later.
TF: Legendarium I didn't focus on the larger world so much as go back and forth between building the mythical groundwork for the universe by writing fairy tales and myths and focus on individual characters and how they exist. By building them I built the world.
Again started brainstorming ideas and just jotting anything down pretty freely.
3.) Start fine tuning ideas or making them firmer.
I firm them up to be a central idea/plot theme.
TF: Iconoclast was that the Transformers are rebelling against the Quintessons and freeing themselves.
TF: Legendarium was much more scattered and eventually focused on the themes of nature v. nature, choosing to be a compassionate person, free will, and identity. Every narrative part draws back to this.
4.) Build Characters OR Worldbuilding
Sometimes building the characters comes before the themes or you work on them at the same time. Developing the characters and how you want to handle them can help you figure out the themes you want to focus on.
As a recommendation you don’t have to do every character, just choose the ones that you like and want to talk about.
Worldbuilding is one of the funner elements for me, so it was funner. I do recommend building your world thoroughly. Quick tips are building historical events that still affect things and the three layer rule.
TF: Iconoclast for example the ancient past is the Quintessons taking over Cybertron during Rung’s time/Quintessa taking over, the modern past is Galvatron’s Rebellion, and the recent one is the Lithone People bringing the Quintessons to court for breaking laws protecting sapient life and starting the case for Transformers to be recognized as an independent species.
TF: Legendarium as an example: the ancient past is war of the thirteen, the modern past was Sentinel’s overthrowing of his father, and the recent past was Pickup’s Rebellion.
Start with three: one that happened in the distant past that changed society, one that happened in the modern times (think grandparents/parents time generation wise), and one that happened recently.
If you want to add an element to worldbuilding give it three layers. You set the world up so whatever you establish is the rules just maintain them throughout. Start with the main element then add one deeper reason behind it and then one more so it is built in.
It can also be helpful to talk to people to bounce ideas off of.
For TF:Legendarium, I had a few Tumblr users who would ask about specific characters they really liked or scenarios that helped me develop them.
For TF: Iconoclast, I and Roomie were building it together and would talk about it and I would bounce ideas off him.
Don’t be afraid to complete change things or do something new with characters. Throw your wild ideas out and have fun.
I’ve made Ratchet female in one story and married to Pharma. I’ve made Tarn a small toy model who is JazzProwl’s “child”. I’ve made Mirage the First Conjunx of Cybertron married to Sentinel Prime and the parent of Knock Out. I made the Alpha Trion evil and manipulating civilization to start a holy war.
Now, please tell me about your idea.
