#{PROJECT UNICRON}

[sonicasura]

Realizing this now but Poppy Playtime would fit in the Transformersverse creepily well once you think about it. Shockwave, Meltdown, Mandroid, Tarantulas... They have experimented and create terror for various purposes that left either disgust, horror, or both on viewers than just the opposition.

Poppy Playtime could fit right in even more so when you notice how the toys operate. All of them are taught to pretend to be normal children playthings. Still like statues until no one notices and the perfect time to strike. Ambush predators that need to eat as there is evidence like tailoring Boxy Boo's appetite to human flesh(to get rid of those who knew too much) in a recording found inside Project Playtime or the EXP.1006/The Prototype not needing to eat unlike the other experiments within a recording inside Poppy Playtime.

I can't forget the most darkest information. These living toys were once human and the Chapter 3 ARG has given more evidence children being potential subjects. In Chapter 2, there are documents that label a kid's name but also a toy in the Game Station.

Children were actively being tested by scientists before the conversion. However the final nail in the coffin is this official video from Mob Entertainment's YouTube page. A confirmed toy who was once a person.

It gets even worse. This shit is morbid enough so how bad can it become? The Bigger Bodies Initiative. A plan to make giant toys for the purpose of labor. Legitimate slave labor in order to cut costs as these human experiments will work to sustain the factory until they are killed. Toys meant to never age so they continue to live unless put out of their misery.

Now I know you're thinking they couldn't stand a chance against Cybertronians. A giant toy might be able to offline Minicons and damage regular bots to some degree unless trained to aim for weakspots. Like ambush predators tend to do. TFA Optimus and TFP Arcee wouldn't have fun with Mommy Long Legs due to personal trauma involving spiders.

No, the danger is directed to their human companions. Most Transformers series has at least one person becoming an important member of the team with the majority being teenagers and CHILDREN. Poppy Playtime's monstrous toys can easily kill humans as Boxy Boo is made to devour adults whole without a peep.

There's no way to discern or even expect a simple children's plaything could be a man eating monster. Optimus kills a toy that found its way into base and Ratchet does an autopsy. Imagine their horror upon discovering human organs being intertwined to make an actual alive creature.

The dread only deepens as realization dawns that these are from children. Someone is bound to feel ill especially when you consider Optimus fondness for humans and the iterations with young charges. Death seems natural to a species intertwined by war for over multiple millenia.

They stomach the grief as until the battle is truly won, they can't mourn fallen comrades for long without being in constant danger. What people like Shockwave does to others truly wrought terror. To know their own kind is subjected to experimentation so extreme, so vile, that you don't believe there's a line this person won't cross.

Real horror can come from those they cherish becoming targets to an unforeseen threat. Morbid realization that toys could kill and devour the humans who snared their sparks. The disgust since these monsters once being their charges' species even possibly their age. And it can be your fault as toys like plushies are common innocent gifts.

TFP Bulkhead getting Miko a little Catnap toy as a present for her birthday. Imagine his horror seeing the girl unconscious, pain etched on her face from vivid nightmares. The toy he gave to Miko ready to take a bite out of her neck until he crushes it. Bulkhead would be forever haunted by the incident.

Now there are two threats hiding in plain sight. The machinery used for everyday life can potentially be a war criminal with the only indicator of potential death being an emblem. Now simple children playthings are possibly a former human that feeds on others.

And this threat doesn't have a warning sign until it's too late.

For those who want to delve further then here are the recordings so far. Chapter 1 & 2, Ch 3, Project Playtime Phase 1+2. Chapter 3 ARG summarized can be found here. Finally the documents from Poppy Playtime right here.

[brandwhorestarscream]

Masterpost of AUs

As promised, here's the (wip) masterpost of all my AUs. In alphabetical order with a short synopsis, and the tags are all on this post so you can easily search them up :) if there's any I missed, please send them to me so I can get them added! If the last tags aren't alphabetized that means I need to get on my laptop and move them around lmao

Bittersweet Reunion AU

TFA AU wherein the jet twins are Starscream's offspring specifically produced by the autobot government, and their finding out kicks off an entire domino effect storyline

Blitzbee Baby AU

Exactly what it sounds like. TFA Bumblebee gets Blitzwing sparked up and neither of them realize until he enters emergence

Cross Dimensional Shenanigans

- Umbrella tag for anything that involves more than one iteration of transformers interacting with each other

Cross Dimensional Starblitz

- How the CDS started. Focuses solely on TFP Starscream and TFA Blitzwing’s weird friendship

Cryptid Seekers AU

- Everything is the same except seekers are terrifying cryptids. Nuff said

Cybermorphs AU

- An AU in which a group of warframes working off planet accidentally stumble into an ancient, buried xenomorph nests, and come back to Cybertron bearing what becomes the first generation of cybertronian-xenomorph hybrids, aka the Cybermorphs. Features a lot of world building, Cybermorph Queen Megatron, a lot of fun alien biology, and some angsty MegOP among other ships

Cybertronians Are An Invasive Species

- No war AU wherein cybertronians are an invasive pest species that have moved onto earth and cause the most havoc

Cybertronians Are An Invasive Species: The Soap Opera

- Takes place in the invasive species AU, but specifically is about a goofy soap opera created by humans with the bots as the inspiration

De-Extinction AU

TFA, the autobots have finally run out of stored Allspark energy and, seeing as the artificially created population is completely sterile, are now an officially endangered species. Their only chance at salvation lies with the decepticons and their ability to produce "sparklings"... whatever those are 🤭

Hindsight AU

- Aligned continuity. Arcee goes back in time in an attempt to stop the war with the help of Vector Prime, accidentally creates a much worse world. Goes through several crazy timelines, currently on the Self Imposed Exodus.

OS×BB AU

A TFA storyline wherein Omega Supreme wakes much much earlier than canon, becoming truly self-aware and sentient. He and Bumblebee form a connection and Things Happen

Shadows House AU

- Exactly what it sounds like. All of our favorite bots and cons are parasitic fae members of the Shadows Family. Megatronus is plotting to bring it down from the inside. Lots of secrets and spooky stuff

Subnautica AU

- Starscream and Skyfire (and sometimes the other seekers) stranded on the terrifying hell planet, 4546B

Terran Task Force

- An angsty AU that involves GHOST getting their slimy hands on the Emberstone and making legions of their own little terran warriors

The Repopulation Project

- A dystopian future AU wherein the autobots won the war, and in an effort to save their species from extinction, implemented the repopulation project. It warped and twisted over time til the war frames are kept as nothing but livestock to be bought, traded, and harvested. In an attempt to change the horrific conditions of their present society, Optimus gambles by having decepticon high command reborn in the hopes that they'll be able to overturn the huge mess he made

Unicron Reborn AU

- Technically an AU/what-if of the 5th timeline of Hindsight. Unicron is killed and later reborn as a sparkling on Cybertron; Megatron adopts him. Later gives rise to The Spawn

[windydrawallday]

GHOST HEART

"Do you ever think of me Cause you're the ghost in my heart."

COVER ART for the ship week challenge hosted by @heartsandsparksshipweek // I'm going to a more platonic route with these two to show how admiration can be as powerful and lovable between characters of different species!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[ 01 Differences ]

[ 02 Affection ]

[ Interlude - Initial Sketches ]

[ 03 Night Out ]

[ 04 Celebration ]

[ 05 ]

[ 06 On Cybertron]

[ 07 Voyage ]

[ 08 BONUS Thank You]

[bd-wireroses]

Radar was trying to move as carefully as possible to work his way out from under Uni's arm. [the-weeping-wind-association]

"???"

She feels his fabric brush against her and she scoops him up under his arms and sits him in her lap facing her, seeming to ask what's up. Maybe he wants new clothes?

She's made some progress when it came to not yanking him around...as much.

@the-weeping-wind-association

[unicronnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom]

Blinks. Sorry, no fear here.

( WELL OF COURSE NOT )

( UNICRON IS DESIGNED TO INCITE TERROR IN CYBERTRONIANS )

( ALSO, YOU'RE A MORON )

[transingthoseformers]

Is it just me or do littler freelance Decepticons have a very different vibe than the larger ones?

Like there's a certain sliding scale where one is merely considered traitors, mild nuisances, or at most competent wildcard threats. But the big and tall motherfuckers? Those Decepticons scare the slag out of exactly everyone and are almost mythologized in either faction.

This likely also applies to the autobots, but we have less experience with freelance Big Motherfuckers in the autobots and more with the smaller ones who are treated so much more leniently and often are considered lone wolfs who mean well or autobots who lost their way. The only one one the former I can really think of is Sunder, other than that the larger autobots tend to be highly connected to autobot command or various special units (ie, the wreckers)

[lets-try-some-writing]

Unicron may be a god of destruction but destruction does leave chaos in its wake.. And creatures on Earth(and Earth itself) can be pretty chaotic. He doesnt know if to feel proud or terrified.. I think some of their conversations would be like this:

Earth: I made roughly 400,000 species of beetles

Unicron: ..That's nice..

_

Earth: Everything will become crab

Unicron: ..Why?

Earth: Crab

_

Unicron: I don't regret attacking Cybertron back then

Unicron: But sometimes i do because i'm stuck with this.

Earth:... I'm not sorry about whatever you witnessed this time

Unicron in this just gives me this vibe:

On one hand, he really quite likes his personal pet project. On the other:

Unicron: Why can't you behave?

Earth: You are chaos incarnate. I am a being born of your will.

Unicron: .... fair.

Also

Unicron whenever Earth makes something new and terrifying to the point of him needing to step in (he absolutely obliterated the dinosaurs.):

[ckret2]

bouncing off that anon's ask, who would you ship Bill with *outside* of Gravity Falls? Literally any media go ham with it

Invader Zim for exactly one reason: their voices would be sooo annoying together. Imagine it. Imagine the dirty talk. Absolutely atrocious.

This isn't a ship but I think he should hang out with Team Rocket. I mean I guess it could be a ship if you wanna find a way to fit him into the polycule. They've got plenty they can relate to each other on: complicated relationships with parents, being special in your species in a way that makes you a freak/outcast, seeking family via criminal gang, trying to accomplish ONE evil task for like a billion years and somehow no matter how many people you try to manipulate or how clever your cover stories and creative your plans you just canNOT do it...

But mainly I want him to give them terrible advice and horrible help on their criminal ambitions while trying to get them to build him a portal. They waste 50 episodes on 50 different portal-building schemes while Bill gets progressively more irate, and in turn they get equally furious at this annoying talking Ghost-type they can't touch or make go away. Poké balls work on him but he immediately pops back out even madder, which does nothing to help him persuade them that he's not a Pokémon.

Anyway within a month they'd all die for each other. In a very emotional moment when he thinks they're about to be killed and there's nothing he can do about it, he'd tell them they would have made fine Henchmaniacs; and then when they inevitably survive he immediately takes it back.

I think Bill and Unicron would hook up and I think Unicron would make Bill worse. I think he's one of the only beings in existence that could make Bill worse. Bill's got a self-destructive streak a mile wide and Unicron would exacerbate it. They'd break up cordially and then slowly grow to loathe each other more and more in retrospect. Bill would still booty call Unicron when drunk and Unicron would accept.

this isn't necessarily a ship but imagine if bill and getaway teamed up

The Princess in Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer. Bill would promise her a diamond the size of a star and she would build him a portal in less than a week. Bill would compliment her interior decor sensibilities and she might actually compliment his appearance because he's very bright, and that would be enough for them to decide they're besties. They'd get champagne, trash talk their enemies, and bully the plebs like a couple of high school mean girls. They'd make out while completely wasted and deny it when they're sober. Each of them privately thinks the other one is their pet.

Grendel from Grendel. Bill would initially hook up with him expecting him to be the monster equivalent of a party frat boy and then they'd talk philosophy in a dark cave for 18 hours straight and mutually feel like they're not alone for the first time they can remember. They'd make each other worse and then fix each other and then Grendel would die in battle and Bill would get worse again.

I think he could have something with Frankenstein's monster, too—original novel version, not movie version. Similar reasons to Grendel: strong sense of alienation from parents and of isolation from everyone else in the world; feeling of having been created as something totally singular, feeling of having a perspective no one else shares; self-identification as the monster in the narrative of their own life... Plus with the monster Bill's also got "life inevitably culminates in killing my own dad." Bill met him because he was actually trying to get Frank to build him a portal—he's like the first scientist trying to do major projects using electricity—but then ended up more fascinated by the science project than the scientist.

[artificial-absinthe]

Last to Follow, chapter 5

Through bad and through worse.

Illustration from the last Chapter of "Last to Follow", @vsphelix 's beguiling, gorgeous work, which has been such an stimulating ride throughout these last months (?). I wish it never ended🪦

Chapter 5, the last one, rises the tension to a climax cutting like taunt wires, beautifully and ingeniously written as all the others, striking and impressive, and leaves you wishing for more.

Alas! It's the ending. But what an ending.

Some of you perhaps are wondering, Is he that massive? Yet he is exactly like that, I swear. Soundwave barely reaches his hip now.

The measures are the result of comparing what part of Megatron's body Soundwave's head used to reach before (above Megatron's waist), and then comparing upgraded Optimus to Megatron. Finally, measuring unicronian Megatron to upgraded Optimus. Then, lo and behold.

(please notice Megatron's legs and hips. Soundwave: superior. Unicron: inferior. Sharing line art later)

Summary: The war is over. The Decepticons are no more. Megatron has fallen mortally ill, and the jaws of Autobot retribution are closing in. Soundwave will never abandon his leader. Tarn rejects the dissolution of his Cause. When their paths intersect, Soundwave clashes with the DJD in the ultimate test of loyalty.

Last to Follow (14890 words) by ARTificial_Absinthe, vsphelix Chapters: 5/5 Fandom: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Megatron/Soundwave (Transformers) Characters: Soundwave (Transformers), Tarn (Transformers), Megatron (Transformers), Decepticon Justice Division, Ravage (Transformers), Laserbeak (Transformers), Minicons (Transformers) Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Post-Cybertronian Civil War, Post-Predacons Rising (Prime Movie), RID2015 never happened, Fugitives, Major Illness, Flashbacks, Ideology, Illustrations

[that-glitter-chick]

MegOp week 2024, day one! My second Transformers challenge of the year commenced today! Weeee! Wish me luck. 😅

The prompt was Memory/Gift, and I set today’s art and fanfiction in the Transformers Prime universe. The song I chose is Slow Suicide by Scott Stapp. Medium is markers.

Side note, this is the first time I ever drew Unicron and I’m pretty happy with how it came out 😊

Megatron receives a package with a simple cryptic message that only he understands. For more on that, please read the fanfic with the link below. 🩷

[justanotherperson1]

Heyo,

Just had another what if reasons since you mentioned TFP! Op somehow managing to summon Bay! Op because of a Vector Prime artifact Team Prime (and TFP! Optimus himself) would probably wonder why such a brutal version of Optimus had been sent before them instead of someone like G1! or TFA! Op. My brain immediately went to turbo creative mode and I narrowed it down to these three possible outcomes as to why.

(Pure speculation)

1. Unicron has actually managed to destroy Bay! OP’s earth and him getting summoned was kinda Vector’s way of saving a Prime (if they were in the worst possible circumstance).

2. At the end of part 4 Bay! Op leaves Earth in order to protect his friends while hunting down his creators. In this AU being accidentally summoned by TFP! Op into the TFP universe was for a reason. Perhaps one of his creators is actually from the TFP universe (*cough* Shockwave *cough*).

3. Since Bay! Op is such a brutal character, perhaps him getting sent to the TFP universe is a way of him rediscovering himself giving him hope to be a better bot. At the end of his journey he’s still our lovable war criminal but his personality can end up being similar to that of ROTB! Op at the end of his movie. (Where he can actually smile)

OOOOOHHHHH

I LOVE ALL OF THESE

Darkest timeline of all. I kind of imagined Vector to be so disconnected from any one reality that out of the billions of timelines he wades just outside of, he kind of just wanted to see what happened with Bay! being armed with the knowledge TFP! needs to actually defeat Unicron, if only to finally see a different outcome than that of Unicron simply rising.

Also super cool, because in the comics, shockwave fucks around with minerals he cultivated to control time, space, and so on if only to find a power source for Cybertron (horrifying) This one feels like one of the projects from @lets-try-some-writing (The imposter AU I think?)

REDEPTION IS GREAT. Like a sort of "calling the kings and queens of old" from Narnia moment, where the new young prince uses a relic from the past to summon his help, but those who were summoned were also in need and they defeat the enemy together. Maybe Primus is looking out for TFP! Prime after all. Soft bay! learning to not let his anger control him is also a great plus.

I don't see why all of these ideas could be used at once too. I love the trope of different characters attributing larger-than-life incidents to either purpose, god or science and the author hints at them all being the case.

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic #580 - "Prime Factors - Part One"

Originally posted on February 14th, 2011

Story, Colours - John-Paul Bove Art - Ryan Button

deviantART | Seibertron | TFW2005 | BotTalk

wada sez: This is the first of a mirrored pair of strips by Bove, serving to establish that when Optimus Primal took on Prime’s spark in Earth’s prehistoric past, there was some degree of interplay between their memories; Optimus Prime’s iconic ironic line from The Transformers: The Movie is thus made literal, as he knows the outcome of the battle is predetermined. On deviantART, Bove remarked: “I always thought it was a strange thing to say unless you KNEW that one of you wouldn't be coming back. After all, he's fought Megatron many times before and they both left standing at the end. Now we know why... ;)” Bove would explain the mechanics of this in detail on Seibertron: “Just to explain, the idea is that Prime has had these visions since waking up on Earth for the first time but that it is only now that he's able to start seeing the shape of what's coming rather than just a feeling, which is why he says "Then it hits me" at the point he does.” He further clarified that Prime was not remembering his own death firsthand, but rather has Primal’s knowledge of Cybertronian history: “Well Primal would know that Prime died, as BW characters come from a time at least 300 years after G1 and would certainly know the circumstances of it. It's more the idea that a fragment of Primal's knowledge stayed behind, in the same way that the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of previous leaders is supposed to stay within th [sic] Matrix. That may not have been enough for Prime to have crystal clear knowledge of the future but certainly would have enough to have premonitions and a sense of deja vu about the circumstances.” To one reader who pointed out that knowledge of Earth had been deliberately censored by the time of the Maximals and Predacons, Bove said: “I don't think that was the case but I'm happy to be corrected. The presence of the Matrix (and references to Unicron) implies the events of the Movie would be canon in BW continuity. Black Arachnia also mentions that Starscream was killed by Galvatron, so again the events of the Movie at least were known. BW Megatron does try to kill G1 Prime so that the Autobots never win the war that leads to the BW status quo. If the events on Earth had not mattered or the information lost then Prime would not have been important to the outcome of the war on Cybertron and not worth Megatron's efforts.” Bove’s grasp on Beast Wars continuity has always been, well, shaky. Again, I find myself baffled by the behind-the-scenes process of the Mosaic project, as Bove remarked that this story had been written “about 3-4 years ago” by the time of its publication! Clean colors below.

[ao3wasntenough]

Sam being deemed as a “false prime” cause he’s not prime enough like Optimus prime but the matrix was formed in his hands and Optimus called him his brother but he ends up a failure of a prime and the opposite of Optimus’s best traits, being compared to Unicron

The brother of Primus, the standard of which all primes live to carry on. Unicorn a brother of a prime, one capable of harnessing matrix energy but the complete opposite of his brother

Sam being set up to be some monster in the making and deemed a reject. But he just isn’t evil. He’s not a monster no matter how much he’s told he isn’t good enough he’s not bad enough either.

But Optimus, the legend of Primes, shines so bright it casts a dark shadow people project over Sam

[starimusprime]

Caught

An OpLita fanfic 💜

Word count: 2,432 Continuity: TF: One

Summary: Optimus takes Elita to see the Hall of Records. They kiss. They kiss a lot.

❗️CONTAINS BIG TF ONE SPOILERS❗️

As the two walk with languid strides through the lit archives of the Hall of Records, Optimus occasionally stops to point out his favorite sections or where he had almost been caught by the guards when he was Orion.

     They round a corner and he pauses, glancing back at Elita with a soft chuckle as he gestures to a bot-sized grate at the end of the aisle of shelves.

     “The last time I came here, I busted through that grate with a security drone in my servos and almost died.”

     "I remember hearing about that incident," Elita says. "You were always one for the dramatic exits, Orion."

     “Hah. And entrances,” he adds.

     A soft smile graces his face as he recalls who he had been not even a quartex ago. Hearing his old name…it doesn’t feel like it’s no longer his name. He’s still getting used to being called Optimus, not to mention Prime.

     "And how many times did D-16 have to bail you out of trouble?" she asks playfully, walking closer to him.

     He stops mid-stride, his gaze falling to the floor. He takes a deep breath.

     “Please, Elita,” he says quietly. “I don’t want to talk about D…”

     She steps closer and places a gentle servo on his arm. “I’m sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned him... Are you okay?"

     Optimus vents. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts.

     “No,” he admits. He then looks at her with a gentle smile. “But I will be.”

     Elita nods understandingly, her optics softening. "Let's talk about something else, then."

     He nods back. His optics return to their usual brightness and he beckons her to follow him down one of the aisles. They come to a junction with a holovid table in the center. He walks over to a shelf and picks up a holovid drive, blowing the dust off of it as he returns to the table.

     “This is an old favorite of mine,” the Prime explains before gently inserting it into the table’s drive slot.

     Elita watches with curiosity as he activates the table, a holographic projection springing to life in the air above it. The image is grainy but powerful:  two colossal figures locked in combat, one radiant with light, the other shrouded in shadow.

     A narrator’s voice emanates from the table, recounting the legendary tale as the projections of Primus the Creator and Unicron the Destroyer fight each other. Unicron desired full power over the universe, while Primus believed that balance was essential. Optimus’ optics glow a little brighter as he allows himself to be immersed in the story of Primus becoming Cybertron.

     Elita watches the ancient battle play out in awe. The story is told to every Cybertronian when they are forged, so she knows the tale by spark, but there is something about seeing it play out before her that makes her spark thrum stronger. She glances at Optimus, his new, yet familiar frame reflecting the light from the holographic projection.

     The holovid comes to an end and he removes it from the play slot.

     “I would always watch it when I saw it,” he says as he returns it to its shelf. “It gave me great inspiration for what I still believe in.”

     "The balance," she agrees, nodding her helm slightly. "You've always had a strong sense of justice."

     Optimus turns to her with a gentle smile. “Yes…although, it seems it’s too strong for my own good sometimes.”

     "I think it's your biggest strength," Elita says, her optics searching his. "And it's what makes you a great leader."

     His optics widen slightly and his smile fades. “But I’ve only been Prime for a quartex… I still have so much to learn about what makes a good leader.”

     She steps closer, her servo resting gently on his arm. “You’re doing great, Optimus. You’re still the same Orion I knew, just with a little extra wisdom now. And a really cool new name.”

     Her touch is unexpectedly soothing, but Optimus shies away from her optics. He can feel his spark thrumming in his chassis, threatening to remind him of the sight of D-16's enraged face when he took the killing blow for Sentinel Prime.

     “Thank you… You have also done well as my commander so far. I'm glad I chose you to be by my side."

     "You've always had a knack for making the right decisions, even if you do execute them in stupid ways sometimes," Elita says with a playful smile. She takes a step back to give him space. "But tell me, how are you really feeling? This is a lot to handle in such a short amount of time."

     He shakes his helm. “I am recovering. Slowly, but…I am. My frame still aches from the reformat, but it’s getting better.”

     She looks at him with concern. “And…emotionally?”

     He vents and shifts his weight on his peds. “I’d really prefer not to talk about it right now. I’m sorry.”

     "You don't have to be sorry," Elita says softly. "We all have our burdens. I just want you to know I’m here if you ever want to share yours."

     He nods, his smile returning. “Thank you. I do appreciate it.”

     They resume walking through the archives, Optimus leading Elita through the maze with such efficiency that one might have thought he had worked there.

     As they stroll, Elita can’t help but notice how the light from the archives' dim lights dances across the Prime’s red and blue armor.

     “So, uh," she says with a teasing lilt, "have you ever been in love?”

     He nearly trips on his own ped. His battle mask snaps over his lower face, and it takes him a second to realize it’s his new frame’s automatic response to his own face heating up. He tries his best not to show that her question has caught him off-guard, but he isn’t confident that it works.

     “Uh…um…no, I don’t think I’ve been in love…before.”

     Elita’s smile widens, and she lets out a light laugh. “Oh, come on, Optimus. Surely a scrappy mech like you had at least one lover?”

     She playfully nudges his servo with her own, her armor brushing against his.

     Optimus feels his blush deepen and he tilts his helm up slightly, trying to hide it from her prying optics. “No, I…I’ve never had that. No one ever found me attractive in that way.”

     She chuckles lightly, her optic sparkling with mischief. "I find that hard to believe. You've always had a certain charm to you, even as the annoying, foolhardy miner you were. And now, as Prime, some say you’re quite the optic candy."

     His engine sputters at that and he stops, looking down at her with wide optics. “Wh…what?”

     Elita laughs. “You really don’t know, do you?”

     He’s quiet for a long moment. He shakes his helm, his spark thrumming hard in his chassis.

     “Don’t know what?”

     She steps closer to him, her gaze unwavering. “The way you blush so adorably when you’re flustered. It’s charming, really."

     Static gets caught in his vocalizer and he resets it, offering a nervous smile that he forgets she can’t see with his mask in the way. “You really…think I’m charming? You aren’t just trying to make me feel better?”

     Her optics widen, then glow brighter with adoration. She brings her servo up to gently stroke the side of Optimus’ smooth, angular battle mask.

     "I wouldn't say something like that unless I meant it," she says gently.

     “Elita…I…” He takes a deep breath, then wills his battle mask to disengage. It retracts with a series of clicks, fully revealing the soft blue glow under his optics. “I don’t know what to say. I…I never thought this would be…mutual…”

     "I know we've both been through a lot lately, but I think we could use a moment to just...be ourselves." She reaches up to caress his cheek with her servo. "I've had feelings for you for a little while now."

     His spark skips a thrum. “…you have?”

     Elita nods, her gaze locked with his. “I have. Since before your transformation. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

     Optimus finally lets his optics meet hers again. After a long, tense moment of silence, he slowly lifts his own servo, hesitantly sliding his digits up her jaw. His servo stops at the side of her neck, just under her audio receptor.

     “Elita…”

    She leans into his touch. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but I needed you to know how I feel.”

     He lets out a shaky breath. So much has happened in quick succession over the past two quartex, but this…this is all he can focus on. It’s time.

     “I have been in love with you since the solar cycle you became my mining captain, Elita,” he confesses quietly.

     She stands frozen for a moment, processing his words. Then she leans in, her servo sliding behind his neck to pull him closer.

     He feels her warmth as she presses into him, his spark fluttering and engine purring. This is what Orion had always hoped for, but he had never dared to believe it could ever be real. He lets her pull him down to her, his own servos trembling as he cups her helm and tilts his. Optics closed, he gently kisses her lips, ever cautious with this act that's so brand new to him.

     Elita’ optics close and she kisses him back just as gently. Her servo slides from his neck to his back, drawing him closer as she melts into his tender embrace.

     His servo lingers at the side of her neck, feeling the quick pulse of her spark in her fuel line as he kisses her more deeply. His other servo drifts downward and he wraps his arm around her waist, holding her close as if he's afraid she might vanish into thin air.

     Elita's other servo moves to the side of his face, her thumb brushing against his cheek. His inexperience is palpable, but the way he holds her, the urgency in his kiss, speaks volumes.

      Optimus pulls away just enough to breathe out, “I’ve wanted you for so long,” then kisses her more passionately, leaning into her.

     Elita giggles softly at his eagerness, reaching her servo up to gently caress one of the two finials on his helm, her touch light and exploratory.

     The sudden contact on his finial makes him jerk his helm away with a gasp.

     “Oh, careful…” Optimus chuckles sheepishly as he tentatively rubs his overstimulated finial. “Sorry. These are still quite sensitive…”

     She pulls back, looking slightly apologetic, but her gaze lingers on the prominent new pieces on his helm.

     "They're cute," Elita purrs.

     His blush deepens at the compliment and he smiles, shyly lowering his helm back down toward hers with a nod.

     “It’s okay, you can touch them. I was just…startled.”

     She laughs softly, a warm sound that fills the coldly lit metal hallway. "You're so cute when you're flustered."

     She leans in and places a gentle kiss on his finial, pulling back with a curious glint in her optics.

     The Prime’s optics widen at the unexpected gesture. He smiles at her, his engine purring from the gentle contact.

     “What was that for?”

     "They're part of you now,” she says. “I just wanted to...welcome them."

     Optimus chuckles softly. “I’m sure my finials appreciate your welcome.”

     He pauses, his processor lagging with the reality of the situation. Him…Elita…in the Hall of Records…alone. Flirting. Kissing. It sounds fictitious.

     He resets his vocalizer again and quietly asks, “May I…kiss you more?”

     She grins and nods, leaning into him as her engine purrs louder. “Please do.”

     With a low rumble in his chassis, he wraps his arms around her waist and leans in to kiss her again. This time, a little more familiar with the act, he’s regained some of his old Orion Pax confidence. He kisses her deeply, pressing against her until her back meets one of the shelving units. The datapads on the shelves rattle from the light impact and one clatters to the floor, but he simply nudges it out of the way with his ped.

     Elita giggles at the way he keeps his attention on her. She wraps her arms around his neck, her digits tracing the subtle grooves in his helm.

     “Orion...” she purrs softly between kisses.

     Optimus feels alive in a way he never has in his life. Not when he was mining. Not when he was scaling buildings. Not when he was sliding down them. Not when he was getting caught by the authorities. Nothing compares to Elita.

     The weight of his new title feels momentarily lifted as he’s just Orion again, finally holding the femme he’s always loved. His servos trace the smooth contours of her armor, savoring every inch of her, as his kisses grow bolder.

     Elita cautiously begins to run her servos over his chassis, exploring his new form with an eager yet respectful curiosity.

     The Prime feels a warmth spread through his entire being as Elita’s servos caress his new frame. For a moment, he’s lost in the feeling of her against him, the scent of her armor, the soft sounds of their servos sliding over each other’s armor.

     The clearing of a vocalizer snaps Optimus into fight or flight, his powerful engine revving and armor flaring as he turns away from Elita. It’s Jazz, the smaller silver and black bot leaning against the wall with a slag-eating grin on his face. Optimus’ thoughts scatter.

     "Jazz," he stammers, "I...uh...we were...just...inspecting the archives for any signs of structural damage. Yes."

     Elita's laughter rings through the hallway, a light, melodious sound that fills the space with warmth. She steps back from Optimus, her own cheeks a soft shade of blue.

     "Okay, you caught us," she says, her voice playfully chiding. "Couldn't you see we were busy?"

     She crosses her servos in front of her chassis, trying to compose herself. She glances at Optimus, the amusement in her gaze purely affectionate. The sight of his flustered state is adorable and somehow comforting, reminding her of the Orion she knew before he became Prime.

     "Ah, I see. Structural inspection, huh?" Jazz winks at Elita, his optics shifting between the two of them. "I can't say I've ever tried that particular method before, but to each their own, right? But, as delightful as this is, Prime, we do have some serious business to attend to."

     Jazz holds up a data pad, at which Optimus lets out a heavy vent before gesturing for Jazz to enlighten them.

[witchofthesouls]

Hey Soul! Have you read the ‘Project Regen Files’ by Quiet_Shadow on AO3? I’d think you’d love it. It’s basically a ‘what if’ series about if the TFA Decepticons had won and conquered cybertron, the twist being that they regressed the Autobots back to their ‘proper’ spark age (the younger ones like OP, Bee, and Bulkhead mostly being turned into sparklings while the older ones like Prowl, Ratchet, and Ultra Magnus were turned back into younglings/young adults.) and are adopted by Decepticons and are given ‘proper’ childhoods by them.

A question if mine would be; how would TFA Megatron’s human kid react to all this? One minute their fighting with their friends team prime to save Earth and Cybertron from their recently discovered bastard tyrant of a biological father and than the next thing they know, they’re waking up on Cybertron - a Deception ruled one at that! - and from the news they’ve gathered, their friends had been turned (back?) into babies! Now they’re wondering and on the brink of a panic attack about what Megatron and his thugs have done and will continue to do. A main question that keeps their great pounding and their mind spinning is; what is he going to do to/with me?

Oh, yeah, I read it. I got hope they'll update it since they're still active in the fandom. I actually had a draft of a continuation with TFA!Ratchet and his Cybertronian SO where they're dealing with a Decepticons!win scenario where that happened. Now Ratchet is a young man with a young sweetspark (they were worried about their spark-bond since they've been together that long) under new management, and suitors at their door since he's a medic and the SO has a lineage that intrigues some Decepticons.

Slight deviation here: Sari is Megatron's kid. Because, c'mon, it fits so well~!

All Megatron's are territorial, TFA is no exception with his bougie aft. He would definitely fetch his wayward daughter, and he isn't above using threats to coerce her.

Sari has a Cybertronian alt-mode, but her father...

In exchange for going with him, Dr. Sumdac gets to live with his ill-gotten company and Earth will be left alone since Cybertron is the jewel of his achievements

To sweeten the deal, Megaton even dangled a few newsparks of her friends. He ensured that they'd be well-cared for with those trusted.

Optimus becomes her new brother since Megatron isn't letting the Prime that almost bested him go out of his sight. A little maintenance bot with far more courage and ball-bearings bestowed by Unicron nearly got the Slag-maker himself! He's curious to see what will happen with proper guidance.

Megatron has his work cut out for him. There's no way he can simply unwind and relax. Oh no, now the real work begins with reconstruction, subduing rebellious forces within the population, and transporting Decepticons back to their homeworld. Made more stressing now he has young bitties with him.

He can appreciate how spirited Sari is, especially as she digs her blunt digits into his seams as he takes her for a proper check-up. He'll eventually teach her how to access her talons.

Not happy about the state of health, but not surprised either. Dr. Sumdac was only a human and merely addressed her humanity.

Sari is critically low in essential metals and minerals, especially as a war-frame sparkling. Megatron has no idea where the yellow comes from, but her armature is supposed to be thicker, her frame larger with more coverage.

He severely dislikes the blue disc upon her chassis. She doesn't have the skill nor the experience to taunt her opponents like that.

Her weapons systems are far more advanced in development...

Due to the lack of so much, her growth prioritized a more slender, speedier frame and jacked-up her weaponry for defense since she didn't have any half-decent caretaker.

Optimus is at least in decent health. A surprise, considering the reports coming in about the remaining adult Autobot population. He does quite a set of vents on him.

The Decepticons don't regress every single 'bot. There's too much critical infrastructure they don't understand or need hands-on to maintain.

The warlord will make a creator-bond with them. It's only a matter of time. Their frames will fall to their biology.

Newsparks seek out creators to soothe their immature sparks and basic emotional needs. They need an adult to lull it back to parameters. Optimus is no different now. Blind, confused, and terrified. Unlike the 'bots that were reversed to their young adult or mechling phase, newsparks are too underdeveloped to retain their adult memories. Their bodies are ruled by instinct.

Optimus had initially fussed and wailed, but with time, care, and close contact had soothed him to burble happily in Megatron's arms.

Sari, however, is a war of attrition between her sparkling frame's needs and her fostered human independence.

If anyone were to see meal times in the newly created High Lord Protector's household, there's a patient Megatron spoonfeeding Optimus and a Sari mullishly picking at her own plate. It becomes a common conversation that it isn't poisoned. Enhanced with nutritional boosters and supplements, but nothing designed to kill.

Megatron is deeply unamused over the argument of maturity. He doesn't care that she's a teenager on Earth. Sari, by Decepticon laws, is a sparkling that's not even close to a mechling (adolescent).

Even accounting her techno-organic status and her "upgrades," the basic readings of her spark energy clearly puts her as a young child of his species.

Because of the sheer range of her abilities, Sari has a power inhibitor on her. The last thing anyone needs is for her to disappear in the middle of the upheaval and restructuring, especially with newsparks she has no knowledge to care for.

Sari didn't even know Cybertronians could have the equivalent of babies. She still remembers Optimus' confused distress over her blunt explanation.

It was one of the major points that drove Cybertron to war before the schism as the Senate tried to impose "sticter frame-schematics regulations to ensure greater workforce efficiency."

There seems to be a great discrepancy between the Autobots and Decepticons beyond size and flight capabilities. Megatron wasn't imagining things: the little cretins aren't as durable as before.

Many of his generals (and himself) had assumed that the Autobot military were attempting to mimic their civilian-frames over the eons. The fools didn't even realize they severely compromised the core-programs by all the extensive modifications of their own frame-schematics.

The compact size allowed Autobot High Command to throw all the available resources into their research, but impacted their life expectancies and immensely increased health complications.

When the extent of the damage was realized, Megatron swore in his office and had to order a new desk. New plans and interventions needed to be made...

Sari spends a lot more time in Optimus' nursery. Between a choice of Megatron or a baby, she rather have spit-up down her armor.

Maybe it's hope, no matter how vain it is, that Optimus remembers because he seems to blindly reach for her.

But it's different. The adult-Optimus always had a field that curled carefully around hers whenever she used her bot-mode. A steady, warm presence like a friendly hand on her back. Baby-Optimus spikes against hers. He tugs and yanks until he's fully buried in her, blanketing deep into her field as he nuzzles her neck.

Sari has to admit, he's a pretty baby with his bright colors and chubby face. It's super cute when Optimus' antennae flicks.

She whispers to him updates on the rest of the team. How Bumblebee and Bulkhead are a pair in Lugnut's and Strika's huge hands, that Prowl is under the care of a mech called Barricade, the twins went to Shockwave, and now Ratchet is a young mech with a chipped chevron that's still as grouchy as ever.

[transingthoseformers]

Okay but Tarn and Soundwave fighting over who gets to fuck Megatron, who's just watching them. Judging.

And then that spawn of Unicron, Optimus Prime, swaggers in and like that, Megatron has only eyes for one bot.

YESEXACTLY

Megatron has Opinions on all of this, and Tarn & Soundwave are so jealous of hate Optimus so much

Tarn and Sounders disagree on so much, but they agree on their opinions on Optimus

I'm remembering the end of that one fic where Megatron was selling his seals because hey quick cash and while Tarn, Starscream, (and i think Soundwave) were fighting Shockwave scoped in on his opportunity to 'face Megatron, and this reminds me of that so much. Found it.

The vibes are similar