#unicron themed

[stickerskingdom]

Fancy rabbit sticker

[lord-squiggletits]

One of my favorite parts of phase 2 (and indeed one of the few moments I resonated with IDW Prowl) was when the neutrals were coming back to Cybertron and Prowl said that he refused to let Autobots be pushed aside and overruled after they were the ones who fought for freedom for 4 million years (the exact wording escapes me atm).

And I mean, that resentment still holds true even once the colonists come on bc like. As much as it's true that Cybertron's culture is fucked up, and as funny as it can be to paint Cybertronians as a bunch of weirdos who consider trying to kill someone as a common greeting not important enough to hold a grudge over.... The colonists POV kind of pissed me off a lot of times, as did the narrative tone/implications that Cybertronians are forever warlike and doomed to die by their own hands bc it just strikes me as an extremely judgemental and unsympathetic way to deal with a huge group of people with massive war PTSD and political/social tensions that were rampant even before the war?

Like, imagine living in a society rife with bigotry and discrimination where you get locked into certain occupations and social strata based on how you were born. The political tension is so bad there's a string of assassinations of politicians and leaders. The whole planet erupts into an outright war that leads (even unintentionally) to famine and chemical/biological warfare that destroys your planet. Both sides of the war are so entrenched in their pre-war sides and resentment for each other that this war lasts 4 million years and you don't even have a home planet any more. Then your home planet gets restored and a bunch of sheltered fucks come home and go "ewww why are you so violent?? You're a bunch of freaks just go live in the wilderness so that our home can belong to The Pure People Who Weren't Stupid And Evil Enough To Be Trapped In War" and then a bunch of colonists from places that know nothing about your history go "lol you people are so weird?? 🤣🤣 I don't get why y'all are fighting can't you just like, stop??? Oh okay you people are just fucked up and evil and stupid then" ((their planets are based on colonialism where their Primes wiped out the native populations btw whereas the Autobots and OP in particular fought to save organics. But that never gets brought up as a point in their favor)) as if the damage of a lifetime of war and a society that was broken even before the war can just magically go away now that the war is over.

Prowl fucking sucks but he was basically the only person that pointed out the injustice of that.

And then from then on out most of the characters from other colonies like Caminus and wherever else are going "i fucking hate you and your conflicts" w/ people like literal-nobody Slide and various Camiens getting to just sit there lecturing Optimus about how Cybertronians are too violent for their own good and how their conflicts are stupid, with only brief sympathetic moments where the Cybertronians get to be recognized as their own ppl who deserve sympathy before going right back to being lambasted.

Like I literally struggled to enjoy the story at multiple points because there was only so much I could take of the characters I knew and loved being raked over coals constantly while barely getting to defend themselves or be defended by the narrative so like. It was just fucking depressing and a little infuriating to read exRID/OP

[lets-try-some-writing]

I think i figured something out

Earth - life

Unicron - death

Moon - love

Mars - family

Pluto - safety

Earth creates with no regard for herself. She is a mother. She is a caretaker. She is the cradle for humanity and so many other living being upon her surface. She loves them all without regard for their flaws. Born from a god of destruction, she is life embodied.

Moon is a Titan from an age of fire and ash. He loves so dearly that sometimes it can look like wrath. Despite Earth's origin, he loves her dearly. Despite how much humanity hurts his love, he allows them to continue because Earth adores them. He loves so much it hurts, and still he carries on. It is in his nature to love, no matter how deeply it can ache at times.

Unicron is destruction and death incarnate. However, despite his rough exterior, death is not always unkind. Sometimes it comes slowly, creeping and waiting as it does for Earth and her beloved Moon. Sometimes it is quick and ungracious, seeping into flesh and bones to wither away humans and other organics alike. Death has no favorites. Death is impartial. Unicron does not care for who you were or who you are. All will come to him in time.

Mars is a being meant serve as a safe haven. Much like Moon, love is in his very code. But unlike his brother, his love is wider and freely given. All who need a place to rest their head may come to him. He offers shelter, he offers peace. Mars is a patient father waiting for his children to return to him. All are welcome and all may stay. He will love them with the joy of Primus himself.

Pluto is wrath and devotion given form. Born to serve and love from a distance, his weapons are raised not for himself, but for those who have no way to protect themselves. He hates with such viciousness that it can turn to venom on his tongue, and yet that hate is all so that others will have no need to carry wrath of their own. He takes it all and carries it with him, primed and ready to be used to strike down foes. This is how he shows his devotion.

Each are important, and each offer their own gifts.

[tachyon-omlette]

okay before I lose my thought (MASSIVE Rise of the Beasts spoilers re: Unicron)

in my opinion rotb handled Unicron perfectly.

when I first watched the full trailer & saw Unicron my second thought was "oh no" (my first being "YOOOOOO") because in the bumblebee-rotb timeline it seemed extremely early to be involving him. I went into the movie almost resigning myself to the thought that it would end with Unicron being destroyed & never seen again, because he was advertised as the main Big Bad.

but the truth is, Scourge was the main Big Bad. and while Unicron made several appearances and had more than one line, the primary thing he did was loom over the narrative like the slow approach of death - he did more than haunting the narrative, I think, but aside from his interactions with the Terrorcons and his arrival at the final scene, he was largely uninvolved in the main conflict, and was in the end defeated momentarily rather than destroyed.

what we did see of him was always displays of power: the destruction of the Maximals' homeworld, his ability to supply the battlefield with endless Terrorcon footsoldiers, his mindscape-meeting with Scourge wherein he tortured Scourge for failing him from Primus knows how far away. hell, even Scourge, Battletrap, and Nightbird themselves were living proof of Unicron's power - ruthless, near-invincible supersoldiers who've killed enough Cybertronians and Cybertronian-adjacent lifeforms to steal and wear their badges like a bounty hunter collects trophies. on-screen all of this is done through Unicron's power, the extension of his will - and not, notably, by Unicron himself.

this wasn't Unicron's moment to shine, only to be destroyed so early in the narrative.

this was the moment that painted a target on Earth, and on Optimus Prime. this was the moment that established how Unicron is accustomed to taking thralls from other worlds while also killing off the ones he already had, laying the potential groundwork for Galvatron or even Sideways. this was the moment that showed off just how powerful Unicron and his allies are without cramming it into the first fifteen minutes of another movie down the line, and when he appears again we'll already know just how fucked the protagonists are.

this was the setup to Unicron's moment to shine. though I'd hoped Unicron would get more screentime, rotb ultimately handled Unicron with the severity he deserves; for that, it was perfect.

sidenote: I got very big "then perish" vibes at the end of the movie, when Unicron said smth like "think about this, Prime. I could give you anything you want." and Optimus responded with "then DIE!!". it was dramatic in the moment but remembering it got me a good laugh

[soundcrusher]

Have I shared these G1 designs for Phoenix and Flinch yet?

I don't think so, and even if I did, welp, a second upload wouldn't hurt.

Info about them under the cut.

--------------------------------------------

Either way! Yea, Phoenix still looks like a Hot Rod/Rodimus look-alike, and still turns into a jet. He's also a little more mellow than his other versions and shares more similarities with IDW SG!Phoenix.

Phoenix still likes to pull pranks every now and then, but they're harmless and oftentimes helpful. Losing his home to a planet eating planet though left him scared and a little bit paranoid. So much so, that the thought of finding a new home makes him think that he'll lose that one too. At least his traveling companion keeps him grounded and safe whenever his worries get the best of him.

Phoenix also has a tendencie to sneak into the Autobot or Decepticon base to steal either Energon or subblies. There also was once a time where the 'Bots tried to recruit the young flier, and while Phoenix would have said yes (they promised him safety and fuel), Flinch told everyone off for trying to recruit a bot too young and naive to understand what's going on.

G1 Flinch on the other hand is a lot bolder than his other versions. (Kind of on the same level as Prime Flinch, just without the feral streak.)

He's still soft spoken and friendly, but he's a lot more suspicious of others. Especially those he doesn't know and are part of one of the factions. Losing his home, becoming the sole caretaker of Phoenix (it's a brotherly/friendly bond; Flinch's too young to be a parent), and having seen what both factions are capable of, he will meet most Bots with suspicion.

Sometimes though, he starts to doubt if he's truly the best bet for Phoenix. His indecisiveness on what to do with the factions is something that could end them in bigger troubles than the trouble they're in now, but then again, the 'Bots are short on people and the 'Cons are dangerous. So, it's better to remain neutral for now.

Other than that, he's still the kind guy who sometimes ends up helping out the 'Bots and loves knitting. (Although, it's rare for him to stick around after helping out. Only when the humans are there, does he take his time to talk to them.)

[thenamesblurrito]

Rainmaker the second! they’ve been sitting in my drafts bc i haven’t had the energy to write bios......

Acid Storm: no matter how much time they spend reading and listening and researching, Acid Storm is certain they’ll never learn all the things this Academy has to offer. Seriously, they’re allowed to browse the entire library, how wild is that! They’re a little bummed that their trinemate Ion Storm was left behind, sure, but at least Nova Storm is here, and other Safeguard Aerie kids like Sunstorm. Their roommates can be irritating sometimes, but Fort Max is usually okay, and Skids’ super memory helps with study sessions. Really, this is a pretty good deal. Not even the monsters and mayhem this school attracts will give them pause... at least, they hope not.

Epistemus: when Solomus uses Unicron to recreate the Rainmakers in a divine image, Acid Storm becomes Epistemus, and their mind is expanded. They know things no mere mortal has ever known, and they shall proclaim this message to everyone, no matter if the words cause madness in whoever hears them. The things they know are the truth, the things Solomus has brought unto the world are the truth! Thank them, thank the Guiding Hand, for they so graciously give you the truth!

[kicksnscribs]

listening to the full Rise of the Beast score on Spotify rn and oh my god this is a good one why did i put it off until now...

[quetzalpapalotl]

It's funny, JRo is better at doing character focused narratives than Barber, but my actual favorite IDW1 characters (OP and Arcee) are on the later's stories

[catcake24]

Okay so I have barely watched Earthspark due to ADHD but already have an au idea.

You know how in some continuities earth is implied or even stated to be Unicron??? What if… what if Unicron’s energy gave life to the Terrans??

He’s been asleep for thousands of years, awakening to find his body trapped and Primus’ creations having the nerve to live on the crust surrounding his body. This infuriates him, but all he can do is wait and bide his time… spreading his dark energon through the planet and waiting for the perfect moment… he has Scourge on speed dial, telling him to observe for the perfect moment…

But then, the most unexpected thing happens - his energon, diluted but still his dark energy, is combined with an artifact of Primus and creates the Terrans (I was spoiled on how the Terrans came to be somewhat, with some kind of Prime Artifact, but I’m not done the series yet so I don’t know much lol).

Now you might think Unicron wouldn’t care, or feel resentment to these two new dark sparks, but it’s quite the opposite. He had never created anything before, hadn’t felt the connection to another cybertronian being in millenia, and now he has two new creations. It’s not quite like a parental bond, but something almost unknowable to mortals - a feeling of connection and pride over them. He sees how they forge themselves, how they defy what they’re told, creating chaos in their own way, and he is nothing but delighted, especially as more come into existence with his own energy flowing through them and feeling more connections.

Meanwhile, the series mostly goes over as normal for awhile. The Terrans are completely unaware of Unicron or anything being weird with them, but there are some early signs

The Terrans energon in their lines is dark purple, the colour of dark energon. They can drink normal energon, as their systems basically just process it into dark energon, but this means their “blood” is a really weird colour when the other bots see it.

Anything related to Primus or the Primes (which channel his power) directly either has no effect or actively hurts them, whichever makes more sense in the series.

Their coding is actively evolving and isn’t set in stone, which follows the theme of chaos and evolution with Unicron, which is why they act a lot more like kids in the series. Normal Cybertronians usually grow up much quicker, their coding staying somewhat static when they emerge, since they are born almost fully cooked.

Eventually though, probably post series when there are more Terrans I have no idea about, Unicron wants to meet his creations. He could call Scourge, but he doesn’t trust him to handle it delicately, so he goes with a… different approach.

The Terrans start hearing a deep voice in their heads, calling them to somewhere. At first it’s ignored, then when they tell the others they try to see if someone is tampering with the Terrans, but eventually the call gets too strong to resist and they are basically going on a road trip against their will, their sparks being pulled by some invisible force that isn’t effecting the others.

Eventually, they are pulled into a cave system that eventually goes deep enough they enter Unicron, and it’s all revealed when Scourge emerges and fights the Cybertronian bots but then backs off when the Terrans go to help them defend themselves. Scourge is the one to bring them all to Unicron’s spark chamber, and then… Unicron has a little talk with them and fawns over his creations.

Optimus’ reaction? “Primus he’s just like Primus with his creations. How is the un-maker so… not evil?”

Yeah the twist, which has been obvious for awhile, is that Unicron isn’t evil here. He’s a representation of destruction and Chaos, but he’s been villainized by Primus’ creations since he had, what he calls, a “brotherly spat” with Primus. It’s turns out, Unicron’s job is to basically destroy things to make more room for Primus to create. However, due to some kind of interference or whatever they both ended up fighting then going dormant. They can’t exist without one another, which is why when Primus became a planet Unicron had to as well. Now, Unicron is very very happy to have his own creations and extensions of his will like Primus did - Unicron wanted creations of his own but his dark energon could only corrupt Cybertronians until now.

Everyone’s reactions from here require more knowledge about the series than I currently posses, so that’s all for now lol

[blueikeproductions]

Some Chinese trading cards based on TFONE came out, and they show off models of two of the other ancient Primes.

Spoilers obviously.

The movie shows us all 13, but because of the nature of the story we don’t really get a good look at any of them besides Alpha Trion.

These cards show off the designs of Quintus Prime and Micronus Prime.

Quintus takes heavy cues from his Aligned design.

But simplifies it greatly and pushes the design into a clearer Hindu god like direction.

I like to think he sounds like Apu and, per a friend’s idea, did this to the Quintessons:

Because all the Primes had Cogs, they all can Transform (which runs counter to Aligned’s idea of Amalgamous Prime being the first one to Transform and pass down the Cog, but then Aligned contradicts this with Nexus Prime being able to Transform also, so…), but into what we don’t know. Once more Quintus eludes us into what he turns into, though this design has notable wings, so maaaaybe he turns into a jet? At this version looks capable of Transforming, vs his Aligned & EarthSpark designs.

I still kinda prefer the monk design of EarthSpark Quintus, and I still like to think he Transforms into a G1 style Quint ship.

But I’m hazarding a guess the upcoming Age of Primes toy line will probably use the TFONE design as a basis, so maybe we’ll finally learn what he turns into.

The TFONE Quints do loosely resemble Quintus, so maybe this toy is already a hint at what Quintus Transforms into.

Micronus meanwhile looks like this.

He looks like a hybrid of the RiD15 Micronus and ROTB Rhinox.

I like that they kept the RiD15 body type, as I prefer Micronus being a squat, bulky guy like Hey Arnold’s Ernie Potts vs the hard to read skinny design they had for Aligned originally.

Still don’t know what Micronus turns into in TFONE, though the RiD15 design implies he’s a Buzzsaw like Jetstorm and Slipstream.

Funny enough, like how the movie never clarifies if the Quintessons were created by Quintus Prime, Mini-Cons, Micronus’ descendants in modern media, are never referenced as existing on TFONE Cybertron. The Miners are tiny until they get their Cogs, but they’re not supposed to be Mini-Cons, so. -shrugs- Modern media also says the Mini-Cons are native to Cybertron’s moons, a nod to their original creator, Unicron, being disguised as Cybertron’s moon in Armada; so maybe the TFONE Mini-Cons are up there chilling on the Moons, lol.

The movie made the wise choice to keep things simpler for casual audiences, but the modern 13 Primes are themed around certain races, genders, powers, and technologies, and it feels like writers are never sure on what to do with them because of this. Onyx Prime still makes more sense as the main antagonist for RiD15 because of the emphasis on animal type Decepticons, but they used The Fallen for rule of cool and marketable reasons. I feel like Cyberverse could’ve had Vector Prime as a central character due to the show’s habit of flashbacks and time skips over Alchemist/Maccadam, and Quintus Prime to better tie things to the Quintessons. I feel like Liege Maximo would’ve worked well in Cyberverse too but I don’t know what he’d DO either…

Still now that we have a better look at the TFONE Primes, they look cool, and I want to talk about the other designs once we get proper character models, so stay tuned for that.

My current guess now, until we get toys that say otherwise, is the upcoming Primes toys might use TFONE’s designs as a basis, as the intent was to use TFONE as the new backstory anyway. I suspect aspects of Cyberverse and EarthSpark might influence things though, as those who got a good look at TFONE Alchemist say he takes most of his look from Cyberverse Alchemist Prime.

So hopefully we don’t have much longer to see toy wise.

[transformersbrainrot]

"Monster" from Distant Lands: Obsidian works so well as a Cygate theme

It works especially well for my headcanoned version of Cyclonus—who is the one singing if it wasn't obvious.

In my version of events, he was a cybertronian from the golden age, a crew member of Nova Prime's ship, the Proudstar. When the Proudstar was sucked into the Dead Universe, Nova Prime sent Cyclonus to bring the Matrix back to Cybertron because he was the fastest person on board. Unfortunately, one of the Proudstar's engines was damaged as it got sucked in, and the resulting explosion badly damaged Cyclonus and sent him and the Matrix hurdling through space in different directions. A search party would eventually find the Matrix and return it to Cybertron, but Cyclonus's body was already long gone. His floating corpse eventually crossed paths with Unicron, who restored Cyclonus's spark and upgraded his body in return for becoming his herald.

Eons later, Rodimus Prime uses the Matrix of Leadership to destroy Unicron to save Earth and Cybertron. As a side effect, the heralds of Unicron (including but not limited to Nemesis Prime, Galvatron, and Cyclonus) are all freed from his dominion. Cyclonus begins to try to reintegrate into Cybertronian society after so many years. The Great War is newly over, and Cybertron is still rebuilding. The details of what goes on next are yet to be worked out, I'm not sure if Rodimus Prime will stay on Cybertron or set out on the Lost Light, but in any case, I know that Cyclonus and Tailgate will meet soon after Unicron's destruction and their relationship will play out from there broadly the same as it did in IDW.

[stickerskingdom]

fancy unicorn makeup themed sticker 

[nova--spark]

i’ve been wondering, because of your time-skip au, would you ever draw how you imagine tfp megatron in it? it’s some sort of emotional theme for me as i use to think of him now all alone, avoidant, disgusted with himself to the point he got rid of his external parts, but surely with changed morals and more gentle towards other beings. have you ever had any thoughts about it you would like to share?

So, I am not going to draw Megatron, not because I don't want to, my dear but

Megatron in my timeskip AU, remains as we last see him in TFP: PR

The appearance of Unicron's avatar, his herald, is how he in the end, chose to remain. He chose to bear the burden of his mistakes upon his frame. And with this frame, meant for war, to atone for his sins.

He wanders the galaxy, now able to fly without need for a larger ship, and ventures to fallen or ailing colonies. He speaks little, but seeks his remaining Cons, and tells them the war is over. That they may atone for their sins on Cybertron, or face him.

Many have chosen the former, or chosen a 3rd option: To remain where they are, and make a new life.

It is something that brings him an odd sense of peace.

He indeed has become quite gentle, in a gruff sense. A little of Earthspark Megs if you could think about it, but its a small touch. He will be gentle, to the younger, newer generations.

Older ones, not so much, but also accepts criticism with honor and understanding.

In time, he will return to Cybertron. Settle down, become a teacher, mentor, maybe even caregiver.

But for now, he wanders the stars, seeking to right the many wrongs he committed.

[cybertron-smash-or-pass]

g1 Prowler sweep, come on. He's nice and sleek but he's got those door wings you can grab onto. Sure he's obviously a cop car, but hey, who doesn't like a bit of roleplay? It'd be fun to tie a cop up. He even has huge boobs

Don't you dare ruin this for TFA prowl, TFA needs to secure at least ONE w or I'll be incredibly sad. Please, he's all I have

He does it in canon near the start of the episode Black Friday

TFA prowl is still kind of an asshole but he's like "cat that used to be a stray and will scratch and growl if you pet him for too long but he still very much loves you," g1 prowl seems like a sweety pie but he also seems like he's got all the personality of a cardboard box with a smiley face drawn on it. IDW prowl appears to be a big tiddy war criminal which would be very sexy if he weren't also a huge cunt. Cyberverse prowl appears to only like guns and have a weird situationship with shadow striker. RiD prowl would be a good boy if he wasn't a damn dirt cop, but I respect the people that do want to fuck him. I know absolutely nothing about Unicron Trilogy prowl but I'm glad he exists.

I honestly don't see tfa prowl as a name dump like some folks are commenting, like it's not like we had much to go off other than guy with police theming and a monochrome color scheme. It's no worse than Bulkhead given his previous iteration was like. Just some weird old dude. And honestly? I'm glad we have him 💖

[lets-try-some-writing]

I find it funny that in your 3rd category for the relationship between Primus and Unicron is basically flipped for me. My AUs using that type of relationship typically has Unicron as the chill one who goes with the flow and Primus as the rigid one where everything must go exactly as plan, no exceptions.

This mostly came to me from thinking how hilarious it would be if the perceptions on order and chaos were flipped in in reality. Like, order is almost always equated as good and chaos for evil. But what it weren't so black and white? In fact, why not just swap it a little?

Why does chaos have to be evil? Look at evolution, isn't that chaotic? All those little bugs that make humans, plants, bacteria etc into somehow existing. Unicron really doesn't need to interfere with the universe as it makes chaos on its own. That's good enough for him as when he does interfere, he does it with purpose and a goal in mind which makes it actual lean a little more towards order.

Order has shown itself to be evil multiple times. It is not random, it is thought out plans, strict organization with little allowance for chaos. Primus hates how so many things are out of his control, so he tries to bring them under his control. Everything must go exactly how he envisions it, regardless of how those under him think otherwise. Biological organisms are created from chaos, fragile and unpredictable in their abilities to live and think. Anything mechanical is built with a specific purpose to fulfill and when it can no longer complete it or something else does it better, why let it continue to take up room? Why allow it to exist when it is no longer useful?

Primus must make the universe in his image. Unicron could care less about what the universe does, but he doesn't take lightly of someone trying to force their rule upon it.

Funnily enough, this matches the theme I have going for my Grim Dark Archives Au-

Yeah I love a Primus who doesn't necessarily MEAN to be corrupt, but his desire for order is so all consuming that he cannot help but seek out dominion over all that is and will be. Meanwhile Unicron just wants to watch the universe run its course. Stars will be born and die, empires will rise and fall. Unicron will watch is all in joy, observing with glee as reality twists and changes in new and unexpected ways.

I love to imagine them as two pieces of the same broken whole. In the end they both want something to exist. But they are so focused on either eliminating the order or imposing it that things crumble all around them. Truly, it is rather tragic. I imagine the only reason Unicron wishes to destroy it all is because he feels that is the only way to ensure Primus cannot control reality.

In his mind, at least if everything is dead, it is free from Primus's grasp.

[measlyfurball13]

Seeing as your one of the only people I know who is into Transformers, would you mind info dumping about it?

I know very little of anything about it besides the old "Micheal Bay!" Joke, and that it was initially made to sell toys, but that doesn't really mean anything.

So tell me, is there "more than meets the eye" to this franchise?

HOOOOOOOOO BOY

The single most important thing to know about Transformers is that there is no singular canon. Rather, there's a TON of different continuities, or basically alternate versions of the same universe. Transformers is a franchise that basically tells the same story over and over again, altering each time while keeping some very basic core themes and characters.

Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots. Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons. The Autobots are the good guys, the Decepticons are the bad guys, and they have been fighting a war for millions of years. It is rare for continuities to change these core facts. They might be modified, but they will never be unrecognizable.

In one continuity, Optimus might be a younger, more inexperienced leader. In another, he may be old, wise, and powerful. In some continuities, Optimus and Megatron have personal beef with each other through their backstories, making them almost lost brothers of a sort. In others, Megatron is a stranger and Optimus is an impersonal victim of his cruelty. Each time this story, the story of Transformers, is told, little details like this change.

Generally, continuities try to keep a certain "feel" to them. While sometimes a continuity will completely reinvent a character, most of the time it will try to keep a character within a few (arbitrarily chosen) character traits and/or role.

So, if this story has been told over and over again, and there's certain established expectations for characters, what was this all based on? The answer is the original 1984 animated cartoon! This cartoon is referred to as "Generation 1", or just "G1" for short. This is the cartoon made to sell toys. The animation quality is poor, the dialogue and music are cheesy, and I absolutely love it to pieces. I would highly, highly recommend that you watch the first three episodes, which basically acts as the pilot for the whole show. It really writes the characters at their most iconic and introduces the setting.

Now that you understand that G1 is the base, you can go from there and explore other continuities! Remember, continuities don't connect across different mediums (with the very distinct exception of one specific continuity, which I'll get to right after this) so feel free to find one that interests you. In general, each cartoon (or close series of cartoons) is a continuity. Allow me to list some of the more popular ones:

Transformers Beast Wars. This is arguably the continuity that follows the established G1 pattern the least, since this is the cartoon that followed right after it. In this one, the transformers turn into animals and battle on a prehistoric earth. This one is well-renowned for its surprisingly deep character writing, but the antique 3D animation is the biggest hurdle to enjoyment. It's kinda the continuity that's the most forgotten.

Transformers Armada, Energon, and Cybertron. Also known as the Unicron Trilogy (no, not "unicorn"!), this one was made in Japan and then dubbed and exported. They introduce a lot of anime-inspired features into the lore such as powerups and the like. Armada is regarded very highly with good writing, the other two not so much. The continuity between them is fairly loose. You could absolutely get away with watching just that one. Here's a link to Armada.

The Michael Bay films. You already know this one. These live action films are in a continuity of their own. In all absolutely fairness, the first movie is pretty good, barring Bay's more childish flairs. If you don't mind the U.S. military being portrayed as the absolute good guys, I think you'll genuinely like it.

The Bumblebee movie. Special shoutout to this one! This live action movie is in its own continuity that's really fun. This is an excellent movie and I love it so much, please watch it at some point.

Transformers Animated. This is one of the most widely beloved continuities in the entire franchise. People really, really like this show. It takes the franchise in a refreshing new direction, with the first season feeling almost a bit more like a superhero cartoon than a "traditional" transformers cartoon. The Autobots are the absolute underdogs in this one and it's hard not to root for them. Here's a link. This one's a good one to start with.

Transformers Cyberverse. This one is a web series that was focused for a younger audience for the first season, gets decent in the second but then gets absolutely and insanely fucking unhinged in season 3. I. . . don't recommend this one for any beginners? It's a trip. That first season is pretty unbearable. The second season starts out feeling like you missed something, and then gradually gets kinda better. Season 3 is insane. Look, just tackle this one after you've tackled the others. Don't start here.

Transformers Earthspark. The newest of the bunch, this one is releasing on Paramount Plus. I've really enjoyed what I've seen of it! It's a much more down-to-earth approach to the story. It changes some characters but in interesting ways. The new characters are excellent as well. You can definitely start with this one.

And finally, without further ado:

Transformers Prime.

I fucking LOVE this one.

This one is my favorite and was what really got me into the Transformers fandom. This cartoon takes the good innovations from the Michael Bay movies and then actually tells an amazingly competent story with it. It's the Transformers cartoon with the darkest tone by a long shot, and it really sells that this story is about a war. Characters die! The serialization is suuuuuuuper tight- one of my favorite examples is that injured characters have to spend time onscreen healing back up.

This cartoon also gives a significant amount of focus and exploration of the Decepticons as a faction as well, which is rare for the franchise. Both the Autobot and Decepticon characters will charm their way into your heart.

This show is equivalent in quality to Avatar the Last Airbender to me. I know that's probably overhyping it. You may not like it as much. But I really really really love it.

Here is a link to the first season.

But wait! There's more. Welcome to the Aligned Continuity!

Transformers Prime is actually part of the franchise's first attempt to really connect a story across media platforms. The result was. . . mostly successful? Definitely a lot of plot holes/errors, and some of the continuity is trash, but I want to highlight two videogames specifically:

Transformers: War for Cybertron. This game is a third-person shooter by High Moon studios. They do an absolutely stellar job with this one. Taking place on Cybertron, the home planet of the transformers, this one acts as the first part of an indirect prequel to Transformers Prime.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. If the first game is good, then this game is amazing. The devs layer on more amazing mechanics to those introduced in the first game, with some of my absolute most favorite moments in all of gaming happening in this one. It acts as a second part of the prequel to Transformers Prime.

The writing in both of these games is so amazing, and the gameplay is so much fun. I know you love videogames, so that's why I'm recommending these two you. HOWEVER, the cost is that these games are stupid difficult to get ahold of. You'll most likely have to sail the high seas, yo-ho-ho, if you catch my drift. I play these on my Xbox 360. Best of luck to you!

Anyways, there are other entries into the Aligned Continuity. There's a set of three novels that I've heard are stellar. If you're looking for a show for young kids but that is also fun for you to watch, you could always check out Transformers: Rescue Bots. That one has a small but devoted fanbase of older fans.

But do NOT touch the cartoon in this continuity called Robots in Disguise. Do not. It's marketed as a sequel to Transformers Prime. It is not. Not really. It's like the Halo 5 of Transformers. Every day I am reminded that it exists I am in pain.

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And there lies the end of my introduction! If you actually did read all of this, congrats to you. Ironically, I'm not sure that you've really ended up more knowledgeable than you started. I didn't really go over anything specific about characters or plot or lore or anything. But I hope I've illustrated my point that to do so would be fruitless- this story exists in so many different iterations that you just have to go out and find the one that resonates the most with you, y'know?

My recommendation for getting acquainted with the franchise is to start with those first three G1 episodes, then move on to either Animated or Prime. You could also pick Beast Wars if you're looking for something with a more retro 90s charm, which I know you like from Marathon.