Doug Jones
occasionally subtle
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gracie abrams
bliss lane
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
YOU ARE THE REASON
Mike Driver
Love Begins
Andulka
𓃗
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
tannertan36
almost home
Not today Justin
No title available
The Bowery Presents
Cosmic Funnies
Product Placement
noise dept.
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@transformers-ex-situ
Transformers: Ex-Situ Guide
Pinned post for all the tags and specific posts I wanna keep track of. Probably will be pretty bare for a while, but it'll be handy as I challenge myself to commit more of this story to record. Consider it a teaser for what I hope to add~
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Storyline Tags (Coming Soon)
General Worldbuilding
Speculative CyberBiology
Starscream
Optimus Prime
Wheelie
Black Arachnia
?????
Other
Author's Context
Human-Generated Artwork
Random Idle Chatter
you 🫵. make a self-indulgent au now
the self-indulgent fanfiction will continue until morale improves
The self-indulgent fanficiton will also continue after morale improves, just with better morale.
This blog is gonna be the hell out of chronological order, even without the usual time-travel McFuckery that will inevitably come up. I will try to build an actual, coherent plotline eventually, but reminding myself as much as anyone else: this blog is to do whatever I need to in order to get my ideas written down. The publicity of it will ruin any hope of avoiding spoilers, which tbh is a bit of a mental shift to me, but I've gotta commit.
Especially cuz I'm so eager to infodump about a very important plot surprise in the second arc :3
*looking at myself in the mirror*
Fanfiction is supposed to be cringy. You're allowed to write bad. You're allowed to be cringe. Fanfiction is supposed to be self indulgent. You're allowed to be cringe. Let yourself be cringe. Fanfiction is supposed to be fun. Stop putting arbitrary rules on yourself and be free.
General Worldbuilding: New Spark Creation Myth
Transformers are not 'born." They are created in the Well of Allsparks; deep within the heart of Primus himself. They emerge from the depths and break the surface as protoforms, without any family or allegiance, or even a full alt mode... but bright and curious sparks. Upon reaching shore, they will wander the wilderness in search of an older guide to protect and teach them as they grow.
... Or at least, that's what the legends have always said... passed down orally for generations until they were formally recorded and saved in the Iacon Archives during the Golden Age.
Given that no one has seen a new protoform since the Well of Allsparks drained away to nothingness, it certainly matches up with the old stories. With Cybertron dead and the Well nothing more than a dry ditch, there is serious concern that it may already be impossible for new sparks to come online.
Random aside but that last post makes me wanna draw Prowl holding up a captured poacher by the back of their shirt, like a fisherman's dating profile pic. XD
He'd also be like this story I've heard where a DNR worker would hide in rivers where known illegal fishing took place. He would cut their lines, break their traps, or purposely get reeled in so he could catch the culprits red-handed.
Just imagine a transformer rising out of a swamp to catch your ass fishing in a wildlife preserve. Then after destroying your gear and giving you a very stern talking-to and pointed directions to the nearest exit, he just submerges back into the water like a fucking cryptid.
General Worldbuilding: Earth Jobs
As part of integrating with Earth life and society, many Cybertonians got jobs with and among humans. Here's some ideas for a few, and granted some are more funny than logical, but when has this franchise ever cared?
Astrotrain - Literally controls Earth's united railway network. He's surprisingly competent with scheduling and maintenence, and he's managed to keep traffic flowing amidst natural disasters. All he wants in return are retired traincars, engines and shuttles, and miles of track for his personal train set on the moon.
Jazz - Musician, and creator of several new genres of music on Earth. He loves collaborating with human bands.
Blaster - DJ and owner of a night club called "Auto-Beats" that caters to both humans and Cybertronians. His club gained massive popularity after Jazz's debut performance on the main stage, and Blaster uses it to help promote promising musicians and performers.
Soundwave - Upon hearing that Blaster opened a successful night club, Soundwave does as well. His is named "Superior Sound," and the rivalry between the two has become part of both sides' marketing campaigns. Rumble and Frenzy work alongside their host as bouncers, party planners, and social media managers.
Prowl - National Park Ranger and Environment Activist. He was initially interested in law enforcement, but that was short-lived and completely imploded after a quick look into cases of police brutality. Prowl genuinely loves Earth and its people, so he puts his all into making sure its natural beauty is preserved and protected.
Cosmos - External Mechanic for the International Space Station. (Okay so not ON Earth technically but whatever) In the AU, the ISS is much larger and can house a few dozen astronauts and cosmonauts out of a rotating pool of 200. Cosmos maintains the hull and external equipment, and handles anything that would normally require a dangerous spacewalk.
General Worldbuilding: Earth Integration and Post-War Rehabilitation
The entire civilization of transformers is stranded on Earth, and it will be many, MANY years before Cybertron can even hope to be repaired... so might as well get comfortable in their new home while they work!
Now obviously, some Cybertronians are gonna have a hard time adjusting... not just the Decepticons that had previously seen humans as an obstacle, but Autobots as well. So, after the ceasefire, both sides agreed on creating a program to help ease everyone into new everyday life and learn about Earth.
Here's a few notable cases so far:
Former Autobots
Blurr - His speed would constantly cause traffic accidents. He's going through physical training to slow down to roadsafe speeds.
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker - Similar to Blurr, but not the same extent. Sunstreaker is also working through some negative thoughts surrounding humanity, and Sideswipe insists on being there for each therapy session
The Dinobots - Earth has been their only home, but that doesn't mean the dinobots are a natural fit for the modern world. They are sapient, and can be reasoned with, but their experimental sparks give them childlike enthusiasm. Coupled with the fact that their young forms are less than graceful, it's unfortunately common for their 'fun' to have collateral damage. Their assistance is more like a giant daycare where they can learn and explore new things at their own paces.
Wheeljack - His experiments are a danger to himself and others. He's simply contained at this point, allowed to try more 'daring' research to advance Cybertronian knowledge... but with surveillance in a blast-proof bunker.
Former Decepticons
Swindle - Constantly getting into trouble with black market deals and selling junk Cybertronian tech in various scams, but that's hardly a surprise. They're trying to teach him to run more legitimate business.
Constructicons - Less rehab and more education. They need to learn and abide by human building codes worldwide, so they can work anywhere they are needed. They also take this opportunity to study and inspect human architecture.
Lugnut - He still obsesses over his former leader. He is convinced the 'ceasefire' is an elaborate plan, and that Megatron will one day return to power. Megatron himself has told him otherwise, but it doesn't appear to have sunk in...
Shockwave - See Wheeljack. But with triple the surveillance and at least one assistant/chaperone while experimenting.
I'm gonna try and push myself to do a few drabbles or small chapters here and there. Like, I really wanna write out a few scenes about how Orion, Megatronus and Starscream interacted as young bots, and especially the day Megatronus was rejected since that's such imporrant context for how Optimus and Megatron will interact nooooooowwwww
... but it's been ages since I've written so bear with me. Lol Rough drafts and brainstorming are still progress!
Quickfire Storyline: Optimus Prime/Orion Pax
Optimus Prime wasn't always the inspiring Autobot presence he's known for today. As young Orion Pax, he worked under the tutelage of Alpha Trion... but not as a future Prime. Instead, Orion was working to become an archivist, to help preserve what little knowledge remained from the Golden Age of Cybertron. (This was during a lull in the war, when the Decepticons lacked an active leader.)
Pax was diligent in his studies, and filled his own memory stores with every new scrap of information he could get his servos on. One would think he'd be well-behaved too, but no such luck. When he wasn't reading or working his apprenticeship, he liked to explore the abandoned cities of Cybertron with his closest friends; Jazz, Ariel, and Megatronus.
They all became quite infamous for their schemes to sneak out, and Orion was seen as bad influence on the Prime Protege, Megatronus... until they started to uncover ancient tech that had been long lost to the wastelands. Together they uncovered several ways to make use of the solid deposits of energon deeper in Cybertron's core, and helped usher in some new hope for Autobot civilization.
But of course, it was too good to last.
On the day Megatronus was to be appointed Prime, the Matrix of Leadership rejected him. In the ensuing confusion and chaos, Megatronus learned the truth about his origin as a Decepticon protoform, and lashed out against Alpha Trion for setting him up for failure. Orion came to Trion's defense, and during the fight, the Matrix chose him as Primus's new champion, and transformed him into Optimus Prime.
Megatronus fled with a few other defecting Autobots... That day, he became Megatron, and the newest era of the war had begun.
But that was thousands of years ago. The War has finally come to an end. A ceasefire had been called, and by none other than Megatron himself... Optimus should be happy, and without a doubt he is relieved that the fighting is finally over.
... but one of the agreements of the ceasefire was very clear... both Optimus and Megatron had to step down from their positions as leaders.
Optimus has given a lot during the war, and has held the entire weight of the Autobots' fate on his shoulders for so long... He's not sure he remembers how to be Orion Pax again... especially not when there is still so much work to be done.
Quickfire Storyline: Black Arachnia
A relic of a future long past...
This unique minicon was unearthed from one of the many Cybertronian tech crash sites that dot planet Earth... However, unlike the others, her stasis chamber was run by machinery and code that was indecipherable to even the Teletraan Supercomputer. She was also made of a completely unknown material to the transformers and humankind alike.
When she came online, Black Arachnia introduced herself, and through a series of confused questions and vague answers, slowly revealed some of her story. While she'd been in stasis for thousands of years, her true origin was from a distant future. In her timeline, Cybertronians had not gone extinct, but long after the ceasefire, the war had consumed them once again. This time, new factions were fighting over control over valuable time travel technology. Black Arachnia's host had been one of the scientists to test said technology, and the two of them had been cast into Earth's distant past during an experiment... It's unknown if her host survived.
She couldn't answer how the extinction was averted... but Black Arachnia had helped with some of the prototypes for the time technology. Perhaps they could replicate it? Perhaps use it to save Cybertron as a whole?
But her cooperation isn't a given. Black Arachnia had suffered under her previous host's oppressive thumb... She has good reason to be guarded, and won't give assistance easily... In fact, she seems very intent on keeping as much information as she can to herself.
General Worldbuilding: Minicons
Minicons have lived beside larger transformers for millenia, but have only directly worked together since the ascension of Micronus and Solus Primes. After years of warfare tore up Cybertron, the minicons needed to join the battle or be flattened in its wake, so many formed symbiotic relationships with larger transformers.
In exchange for protection, transportation, and a share of energon, minicons will assist their partners however they can. Many provide extra senses and power boosts, while others can become unique weapons, shields or drones. Some transformers can even form and maintain bonds with multiple minicons at once, though more than two is incredibly uncommon. The rarest cases seem to have no limits, and such bots are known 'Carriers'
Naturally, such a versatile alliance and personel resource changed the face of Cybertronian warfare. Battles for control over unaligned minicons caused the 'wild' populations to dwindle and eventually vanish. Autobot minicon recruits were as often treated more as equipment than partners, but the unfortunate sparks that ended in Decepticon clutches faced many of the same experiments and psychological torture endured by traitors and prisoners. Regardless of which side they joined, the smaller mechs would gradually lose their ability to live independently from their hosts.
After the ceasefire agreement, minicons as a whole were granted freedom and compensation. A handful managed to fully separate and form a small community on Earth's moon. The majority, however, still live on Earth itself with their former hosts, but now with enforced rights and equal partnerships.
Minicons are also at risk of full extinction.
Quickfire Storyline: Wheelie
Wheelie was the last protoform to crawl from the Well of Allsparks, which makes him the youngest remaining 'True' Cybertronian. When he was discovered wandering the barren landcape, the Autobots immediately took him in, and he was aggressively protected. Protoforms were already thought to have vanished completely, and such potential was worth defending from Deception clutches.
Unfortunately, the young mech inevitably fell into the crossfire. Decepticons attempted to kidnap him, but an explosion interrupted the plot, and caused irreversible damage to poor Wheelie. His left foot became permanently locked as a tire, and errors in his speech processor cause him to only speak in rhyme.
After the ceasefire agreement, Wheelie was moved into a human home to experience life with an average Earth family, and hopefully get to experience some peace in his adolescence. He lives with an ambassador named Sam (nicknamed Spike), his wife Carly, and their son, Daniel, who quickly became Wheelie's best friend. The two often get into playful antics and pull pranks on the 'serious adults' during meetings and wellness checks.
For now, Wheelie's happy, and seems to enjoy life on Earth!
... But being the youngest of the last generation can hardly be an easy title to bear.
Quickfire Storyline: Starscream
They say that once upon a time, long before the most recent chapter of the war, Starscream was under the care of an Autobot named Skyfire, who taught him a love of exploration, and encouraged his curiosity as the young seeker grew fascinated with life on other planets.
He even worked as an archivist's apprentice under Alpha Trion's time as Prime, alongside Orion Pax.
But war changes a mech, and now no one would ever have guessed that the miserable, paranoid, and frankly xenophobic asshole known today had ever had such a hopeful future. Thousands of years under Megatron's cruel abuse had mangled any remaining shred of Starscream's wonder for the universe around him, and replaced it with fear and desperation for control, simply to survive another cycle.
This didn't magically go away when Megatron offered to make peace with the Autobots. In fact, unsurprising to literally everyone, Starscream initially used the ceasefire as an opportunity to take control of the Decepticon cause.
No one followed him, so he failed rather spectacularly.
Part of the ceasefire agreement was that no Cybertronian would be executed, and that any limitations on freedoms, such as prison time, would have to be served as rehabilitation and integration training, so that they may eventually 'graduate' and live a peaceful life among humanity. Obviously this system works better for some than others, and Starscream was BY FAR the most stubborn case.
As a last-ditch effort to try and get him to cooperate, he's been restricted to a weapon-less holoform, and sent to live side-by-side with an average human, to serve out a sentence of community service.
What could possibly go wrong?
the right question to ask when worldbuilding is not "does this make sense", it's "does this fuck tremendously".
