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crack_van2009-12-27 04:38 pm
mremre.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2009-12-27 04:38 pm
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Fandom Overview: Transformers
It has been an absolute bear of a month, and I am super delayed with posting, but here's hoping I can rec something you'll like! First up, though, the fandom overview.
Everyone--and I mean everyone--knows a little bit about the Transformers. They're giant alien robots that transform into cars, planes, weapons, animal forms or other functional machines. They started out as a line of toys in the late 1970s-early 1980s, and to help market it, a cartoon series was created by Hasbro. Nearly 30 years later, the robot toys have spawned a lot of animated series, movies, comic books, videogames, and ever more toy lines.
The fandom is unique in that multiple continuities are pretty much accepted as canon somewhere in the Transformers multiverse. You will see several codes (G1/G2, DW, IDW, BW, SG, etc), which I will identify when they come up.
I do not claim in depth knowledge of the fandom, but here's a little basic info:
The Main Characters
A long (long, long) time ago, two factions of robotic lifeforms from the planet Cybertron started fighting. The Decepticons fought the Autobots, and thousands of years of endless war brought them to the brink of extinction. In most continuities, the fight spreads across the galaxy, and comes to Earth.
The Autobots are generally considered "the good guys," and defend themselves (and other species) from the Decepticons. In almost every continuity, their leader is Optimus Prime. He's the big red-and-blue guy on the right in the picture above.
Other Autobots include: Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet, Ironhide, Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime and far too many others to name.
The Decepticons are usually considered "the bad guys," and go about stealing, destroying or killing anyone and anything they feel like, including each other. Mostly, Megatron/Galvatron (the big white-and-grey on the right in the picture above) is their leader.
Other Decepticons include: Starscream, Soundwave, Shockwave, Astrotrain, Blitzwing and (again) way too many to list here.
There are literally hundreds of characters in the Transformers, and if you're curious, check out the wiki character list by continuity.
Major Continuities
Many continuities are related, or use familiar characters in fascinating new ways. I do not have access to the vast library of TF comics and older animated series, nor do I collect the toys, so I rely on memory and google for these blurbs.
Generation One (G1) - Arguably the continuity most familiar to everyone I know. Even if you watched the 2007/2009 live action movies, I'll bet you thought of the 80s cartoon first when you thought of the Transformers. Episodes are available online if you want to enjoy the nostalgia.
Transformers: The Movie (TFTM) - Technically, this immediately follows G1, but some fans like to break it from continuity due to the extreme trauma of events with Unicron. (OK, fine, my extreme trauma with events, etc, etc.) This movie is the reason some specify pre- and post-TFTM canon. Post-TFTM is also known as Generation 2 (G2). The movie established the Matrix of Leadership and Unicron as central concepts in Transformers.
Beast Wars or Beast Era(BW) - This is actually part of the greater G1/G2 universe, since there is a crucial bit of time travel involved in the story, and it was established that sometime in the future, the Great Upgrade gave the Transformers beast forms. Not everyone liked the Maximals and Predacons, so there isn't as much fic for BW. It is significant for introducing the concept of Transformers sparks.
Unicron Trilogy or Armadaverse - I'll confess, I never saw this series. There are minicons, and Unicron, and time-travelling kids, and you might be better off checking out the wiki timeline (sorry Armadaverse fans)
Dreamwave Comics (DW) - owned the comics license from 2001 to 2004. I never read them, so I don't know how much canon was established, but they created a G1 reboot, and wrote the Armada and Energon comics (slightly different from the anime series). The images above are from the DW G1 reboot.
IDW Comics (IDW) - current comics license holders (from 2005 on). Again, a reboot of G1, but a LOT of different backstory. Take it as something completely new but with almost-familiar faces. IDW established a more sophisticated universe of conflict, politics and war.
Transformers: Animated (TFA) - the newest animated series from the Cartoon Network. "Prime" is an academy rank, Optimus is a (very) young, inexperienced leader, and they used clips from the first episode of the 80s cartoon as 'historical footage.' Also, the only time Prowl has NOT had a white-and-black color scheme.
Movieverse or 2007 Movieverse or Bayverse - the live-action movies that refreshed the franchise for modern audiences. To help confuse things further, IDW produces the comics for this continuity. Incidentally, many fans specify pre- and post-ROTF (Revenge of the Fallen, 2009) canon as well.
Honorable Mention: Shattered Glass (SG) - this is the Mirror Universe of the Transformers. Cliffjumper gets dragged into an alternate universe, where the Evil Optimus Prime seeks to grind the universe under his boot, while the Honorable Megatron and his loyal Decepticons fight to stop the Autobot's tyranny.
There are more continuities, but I stuck to the ones with the most easily available fanfiction out there. Check out the wiki entry to get an idea of how convoluted continuity can be, or just take a look at the tracking map for various continuities, if you want to make your eyes cross.
Fandom Concepts
Primus and Unicron - The Transformers have a religion: Primus is Order, and his twin Unicron is Chaos. There was incredible war between the brothers--eventually, Primus trapped each of them in metallic planetoids, Unicron learned to transform, Primus created Transformers and his children banished Unicron, then Primus went to sleep to prevent his twin locating them through their mental link. The Transformers grew and thrived on the body of their creator god (Cybertron) but eventually Unicron returned--as one of Cybertron's moons. Part of Primus is actually part of the Matrix of Leadership and Vector Sigma, he infuses the Allspark, and each Transformer's spark is also a part of Primus.
Matrix of Leadership - super-powerful artifact passed from Prime to Prime, giving them leadership of the Autobots and a physical upgrade (hence Rodimus Prime's change in TFTM). Most recently, the Matrix made an appearance in the 2009 movie, and is much used in fanfic.
Allspark or Well of All Sparks - the original series didn't have this artifact, but it was retconned into place. It is the usually considered to be the lifeforce of Primus. Each Transformer's spark is the equivalent of a soul, and when they die, their sparks return to the Allspark/the Matrix/Primus. "Till all are one" is one of the most quotable quotes of the Transformers.
Sparks - lifeforce, or soul of a Transformer. Makes them something greater than just robotic machines. This is the most beloved fanfic idea EVER. Just think about it: a mystical force that links all Transformers, their souls given physical dimension. Some Transformers (twins) share sparks, which of course gives fanfic the impetus for oodles and oodles of sparkbonding fic.
Transformer Reproduction - um. OK, there are several ways the Transformers increase their numbers so don't be surprised by all the sparkling fic you will find out there. The plethora of reproductive means gives fanfic a LOT to work with. Score mechpreg!
Construction - they design and build new bodies. G1's Dinobots were created this way by Wheeljack.
Infusion - design and build new bodies, then brought to Vector Sigma to be given a spark. Some theories also have the whole protoform thing, a skeletal body that is 'fed' materials to grow then infused to become a new Transformer.
Resurrection - um. A bit oogly-moogly, but copies of a Transformer's memories/spirit can be infused into a new body, and poof! He's back. Lot of fanfic mileage with this one.
Budding - um. A new Transformer grows out of an existing one and eventually pops out. Supposedly this system of growth was erased from racial memory by Primus after they hit the right population levels.
Sexual - yes, this is a bit handwavey. Male and female 'gender' is portrayed as more a function of mental/social rather than sexual differences among the Transformers. They refer to each other with familial terms (twins, sisters, sons, parents, etc). DW established the split spark twins theory, and some sources have spark merging as a source of pleasure.
Combiners or Gestalts - Terms are sometimes used interchangeably; they are groups of matched Transformers that combine to form a larger one with its own personality and identity. Thus the Constructicons merge to form Devastator, Aerialbots form Superion, Stunticons form Menasor, Protectobots form Defensor, and so on.
Triple changers - some Transformers have two alternate modes, such as the Wrecker's Springer with his land- and air-based modes in addition to robot mode.
City-bots - some Transformers' alt modes are intended to become cities (or the heart of a city, anyway), definitely as big as a large building at least. Metroplex, for example, forms part of Autobot city. They're...pretty big.
Giant Transformers - Not quite on the scale of a city bot, there are nevertheless giant Transformers like Omega Supreme, who is one of the neutral Guardian robots of Cybertron. (There's a beautifully angsty backstory involved for the enmity between Devastator and Omega Supreme, BTW.)
Cassettes (also: symbiotes) - These (relatively) tiny Transformers are largely part of the entourage of the 'cassette player' bots Soundwave and Blaster. Generally transform into robotic animal forms. The more romatic areas of fandom have pretty much adopted the cassettes as children; cue much foofy love.
Fandom Resources
Fanfiction Archives
FF.Net, a.k.a. the Pit - in the cartoon, cartoon xovers, 2007/2009 movie and 2007/2009 xovers
Lexicon - Transformers fanfic, essays, interviews and more
Transfictions.net - a multi-continuity Transformers fanfiction archive
Livejournal communities
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
thecybertronian - fandom newsletter; publishes 2 issues a week: the Art/Awards/Meta and Fic editions
tf80sfun - Fanfiction, fanart, and other such things based on the 80s cartoons
tf2007fun - Fanfiction, fanart, and other such things based on the 2007 Transformers movie
tf_animated - Fan community for the Transformers: Animated series
beast_wars - Fan community for the Beast Wars and Beast Machines series
transficsation - fanfiction
mecha_erotica - adult fanfiction
tf_bunny_farm - Transformers Bunny Farm (where bunnies go to be adopted or found)
Other Resources
Seibertron.com - the ultimate Transformers resource
Teletraan I - the Transformers wiki
Transformers Wiki
ETA 12/29/09: added fandom concepts section, as I realized my brief overview was too brief.
Everyone--and I mean everyone--knows a little bit about the Transformers. They're giant alien robots that transform into cars, planes, weapons, animal forms or other functional machines. They started out as a line of toys in the late 1970s-early 1980s, and to help market it, a cartoon series was created by Hasbro. Nearly 30 years later, the robot toys have spawned a lot of animated series, movies, comic books, videogames, and ever more toy lines.
The fandom is unique in that multiple continuities are pretty much accepted as canon somewhere in the Transformers multiverse. You will see several codes (G1/G2, DW, IDW, BW, SG, etc), which I will identify when they come up.
I do not claim in depth knowledge of the fandom, but here's a little basic info:
The Main Characters
A long (long, long) time ago, two factions of robotic lifeforms from the planet Cybertron started fighting. The Decepticons fought the Autobots, and thousands of years of endless war brought them to the brink of extinction. In most continuities, the fight spreads across the galaxy, and comes to Earth.
The Autobots are generally considered "the good guys," and defend themselves (and other species) from the Decepticons. In almost every continuity, their leader is Optimus Prime. He's the big red-and-blue guy on the right in the picture above.
Other Autobots include: Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet, Ironhide, Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime and far too many others to name.
The Decepticons are usually considered "the bad guys," and go about stealing, destroying or killing anyone and anything they feel like, including each other. Mostly, Megatron/Galvatron (the big white-and-grey on the right in the picture above) is their leader.
Other Decepticons include: Starscream, Soundwave, Shockwave, Astrotrain, Blitzwing and (again) way too many to list here.
There are literally hundreds of characters in the Transformers, and if you're curious, check out the wiki character list by continuity.
Major Continuities
Many continuities are related, or use familiar characters in fascinating new ways. I do not have access to the vast library of TF comics and older animated series, nor do I collect the toys, so I rely on memory and google for these blurbs.
Generation One (G1) - Arguably the continuity most familiar to everyone I know. Even if you watched the 2007/2009 live action movies, I'll bet you thought of the 80s cartoon first when you thought of the Transformers. Episodes are available online if you want to enjoy the nostalgia.
Transformers: The Movie (TFTM) - Technically, this immediately follows G1, but some fans like to break it from continuity due to the extreme trauma of events with Unicron. (OK, fine, my extreme trauma with events, etc, etc.) This movie is the reason some specify pre- and post-TFTM canon. Post-TFTM is also known as Generation 2 (G2). The movie established the Matrix of Leadership and Unicron as central concepts in Transformers.
Beast Wars or Beast Era(BW) - This is actually part of the greater G1/G2 universe, since there is a crucial bit of time travel involved in the story, and it was established that sometime in the future, the Great Upgrade gave the Transformers beast forms. Not everyone liked the Maximals and Predacons, so there isn't as much fic for BW. It is significant for introducing the concept of Transformers sparks.
Unicron Trilogy or Armadaverse - I'll confess, I never saw this series. There are minicons, and Unicron, and time-travelling kids, and you might be better off checking out the wiki timeline (sorry Armadaverse fans)
Dreamwave Comics (DW) - owned the comics license from 2001 to 2004. I never read them, so I don't know how much canon was established, but they created a G1 reboot, and wrote the Armada and Energon comics (slightly different from the anime series). The images above are from the DW G1 reboot.
IDW Comics (IDW) - current comics license holders (from 2005 on). Again, a reboot of G1, but a LOT of different backstory. Take it as something completely new but with almost-familiar faces. IDW established a more sophisticated universe of conflict, politics and war.
Transformers: Animated (TFA) - the newest animated series from the Cartoon Network. "Prime" is an academy rank, Optimus is a (very) young, inexperienced leader, and they used clips from the first episode of the 80s cartoon as 'historical footage.' Also, the only time Prowl has NOT had a white-and-black color scheme.
Movieverse or 2007 Movieverse or Bayverse - the live-action movies that refreshed the franchise for modern audiences. To help confuse things further, IDW produces the comics for this continuity. Incidentally, many fans specify pre- and post-ROTF (Revenge of the Fallen, 2009) canon as well.
Honorable Mention: Shattered Glass (SG) - this is the Mirror Universe of the Transformers. Cliffjumper gets dragged into an alternate universe, where the Evil Optimus Prime seeks to grind the universe under his boot, while the Honorable Megatron and his loyal Decepticons fight to stop the Autobot's tyranny.
There are more continuities, but I stuck to the ones with the most easily available fanfiction out there. Check out the wiki entry to get an idea of how convoluted continuity can be, or just take a look at the tracking map for various continuities, if you want to make your eyes cross.
Fandom Concepts
Primus and Unicron - The Transformers have a religion: Primus is Order, and his twin Unicron is Chaos. There was incredible war between the brothers--eventually, Primus trapped each of them in metallic planetoids, Unicron learned to transform, Primus created Transformers and his children banished Unicron, then Primus went to sleep to prevent his twin locating them through their mental link. The Transformers grew and thrived on the body of their creator god (Cybertron) but eventually Unicron returned--as one of Cybertron's moons. Part of Primus is actually part of the Matrix of Leadership and Vector Sigma, he infuses the Allspark, and each Transformer's spark is also a part of Primus.
Matrix of Leadership - super-powerful artifact passed from Prime to Prime, giving them leadership of the Autobots and a physical upgrade (hence Rodimus Prime's change in TFTM). Most recently, the Matrix made an appearance in the 2009 movie, and is much used in fanfic.
Allspark or Well of All Sparks - the original series didn't have this artifact, but it was retconned into place. It is the usually considered to be the lifeforce of Primus. Each Transformer's spark is the equivalent of a soul, and when they die, their sparks return to the Allspark/the Matrix/Primus. "Till all are one" is one of the most quotable quotes of the Transformers.
Sparks - lifeforce, or soul of a Transformer. Makes them something greater than just robotic machines. This is the most beloved fanfic idea EVER. Just think about it: a mystical force that links all Transformers, their souls given physical dimension. Some Transformers (twins) share sparks, which of course gives fanfic the impetus for oodles and oodles of sparkbonding fic.
Transformer Reproduction - um. OK, there are several ways the Transformers increase their numbers so don't be surprised by all the sparkling fic you will find out there. The plethora of reproductive means gives fanfic a LOT to work with. Score mechpreg!
Construction - they design and build new bodies. G1's Dinobots were created this way by Wheeljack.
Infusion - design and build new bodies, then brought to Vector Sigma to be given a spark. Some theories also have the whole protoform thing, a skeletal body that is 'fed' materials to grow then infused to become a new Transformer.
Resurrection - um. A bit oogly-moogly, but copies of a Transformer's memories/spirit can be infused into a new body, and poof! He's back. Lot of fanfic mileage with this one.
Budding - um. A new Transformer grows out of an existing one and eventually pops out. Supposedly this system of growth was erased from racial memory by Primus after they hit the right population levels.
Sexual - yes, this is a bit handwavey. Male and female 'gender' is portrayed as more a function of mental/social rather than sexual differences among the Transformers. They refer to each other with familial terms (twins, sisters, sons, parents, etc). DW established the split spark twins theory, and some sources have spark merging as a source of pleasure.
Combiners or Gestalts - Terms are sometimes used interchangeably; they are groups of matched Transformers that combine to form a larger one with its own personality and identity. Thus the Constructicons merge to form Devastator, Aerialbots form Superion, Stunticons form Menasor, Protectobots form Defensor, and so on.
Triple changers - some Transformers have two alternate modes, such as the Wrecker's Springer with his land- and air-based modes in addition to robot mode.
City-bots - some Transformers' alt modes are intended to become cities (or the heart of a city, anyway), definitely as big as a large building at least. Metroplex, for example, forms part of Autobot city. They're...pretty big.
Giant Transformers - Not quite on the scale of a city bot, there are nevertheless giant Transformers like Omega Supreme, who is one of the neutral Guardian robots of Cybertron. (There's a beautifully angsty backstory involved for the enmity between Devastator and Omega Supreme, BTW.)
Cassettes (also: symbiotes) - These (relatively) tiny Transformers are largely part of the entourage of the 'cassette player' bots Soundwave and Blaster. Generally transform into robotic animal forms. The more romatic areas of fandom have pretty much adopted the cassettes as children; cue much foofy love.
Fandom Resources
Fanfiction Archives
FF.Net, a.k.a. the Pit - in the cartoon, cartoon xovers, 2007/2009 movie and 2007/2009 xovers
Lexicon - Transformers fanfic, essays, interviews and more
Transfictions.net - a multi-continuity Transformers fanfiction archive
Livejournal communities
thecybertronian - fandom newsletter; publishes 2 issues a week: the Art/Awards/Meta and Fic editionstf80sfun - Fanfiction, fanart, and other such things based on the 80s cartoonstf2007fun - Fanfiction, fanart, and other such things based on the 2007 Transformers movietf_animated - Fan community for the Transformers: Animated seriesbeast_wars - Fan community for the Beast Wars and Beast Machines seriestransficsation - fanfictionmecha_erotica - adult fanfictiontf_bunny_farm - Transformers Bunny Farm (where bunnies go to be adopted or found)Other Resources
Seibertron.com - the ultimate Transformers resource
Teletraan I - the Transformers wiki
Transformers Wiki
ETA 12/29/09: added fandom concepts section, as I realized my brief overview was too brief.
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*is totally an unashamed Starscream fangirl*
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