visage-of-the-lost-light

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

[Worldbuilding] Protoforms and sparklings - basics.

Apologies for any translation errors. I’m doing my best to avoid them, but due to the fact that I’m a sleep-deprived human disaster they can still occur. Sorry!

Keep reading

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

[Worldbuilding] Flora of Cybertron

With a word of introduction, it is worth mentioning what “cyberflora” is in general. Plants are primary producers in most terrestrial ecosystems and are the basic link in the food chain in that way or another. This is how things are on both Earth and Cybertron.

Transformers and mechanimals are derived from protoforms created directly by Vector Sigma, but plants are self-sustaining in this case. No life form reproduces sexually, and plants undergo a process that can be called self-fertilization. Some reproduce by pollenation. Pollen is nothing more than a naked or nearly naked, tiny protoform. Then it can rely on either pollinators or the wind. Once it lands in a suitable place, the pollen, like other organisms, will develop an armor, turning into a seed and burrow itself. Others have developed reproduction by dividing the shoot.

The environments on this globe are varied, conditioned by many types of plants, adapted to these conditions. However, there are a few that are at least recognizable almost everywhere.

One example is the Crested Sunflower. The largest and most recognizable part of it, to which it owes its name, is the solar panel which measures 4 to 8 meters in height. Thanks to a mechanized process similar in action to photosynthesis, from the light absorbed, the Sunflowers are able to produce energy that goes to Vector Sigma. The calyx contains energon - nectar - which the Sunflower shares with its pollinators, who, frequenting will spread the pollen so that it eventually lands on the right ground.

Another variety of sunflower is the Table Sunflower. The unusually large form is shaped like a tree, which measures from 30 to as much as 100 meters in height, sometimes even exceeding them. It is rarer and much more tenacious. The Table Sunflower has its solar panels always pointing parallel to the sky, and pollen develops under the plates to let the wind carry it away when its time comes. It performs a function similar to its smaller cousin, energy acquisition for Vector Sigma

According to the prevailing theory, the sunflower flora is one of Vector Sigma’s main sources of the energy, which it is able to convert into energon, which then goes into the planet’s circulation. For other Cybertronians, these plants are practically inedible and very unpalatable; it is possible to process them into energon essence, but this is controversial due to religious symbolism.

These are most likely the oldest plants created on Cybertron, but not the only ones.

Another example of flora, this time growing underwater, is Fuel Kelp, whose fruits - fuel bulbs - are a common energon. The plant’s stem is a tangle of wires and tubes, and its fruits, stores of surplus absorbed nutrients. The fruits are soft and flexible. They reproduce by dividing the shoot, which makes them easy to reproduce artificially. This makes them a staple, fairly inexpensive food for Transformers.

Flower-like plants come in all sorts of shapes and forms, but most of them - at least terrestrial - can be structurally fitted into these types. Some trees will also fit.

The petals can be anther protection or solar panels. If they are armor solar panels usually develop as leaves. Pollen can be deposited on the anthers or directly on the edge of the pistil stigma (also called energon cup or nectar cup).

No ecosystem is free of parasites. Those affecting Cybertron’s flora are usually invasive lichens that will digest host metal or virtually suck out energon. This can and will result in plants dying, crumbling and collapsing. Interestingly, some parasites haunting Cybertron will happily settle for the soil itself, which can lead to cracks in the ground, weakening the soil or chewing through root clusters, destroying entire habitats of flora or cocoons.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

Hi vector prime! I have a question which I’ve been dying to know, how do transformers age? I’m asking this because some transformers look like old men, for example, revenge of the fallen jetfire has a cane and a beard and alpha trion also has a beard and some transformers look like kids too, for example, wheelie and those kids that were shown on the planet that unicron gobbled up. I hope there is an answer to this transformers age thing, thanks vector.

Dear Mature Matcher,

Well, I like to think I've aged gracefully, ha!

In truth, you ask a good question, though I think your lived experience as a human has colored your perspective. We do not age as humans do, but our bodies are still subject to wear and tear. Our fuel lines erode and leak, our gears grind and slip, our belts become brittle, our joints seize. We discolor, our paint scratches off, decals peel free, chrome flakes away. Stress marks line our faces and hinges. We rust. Our minds are prone to different kinds of degeneration, as newer memories overwrite older ones, or as unhealthy feedback loops develop into rampancy. But few of these processes are fatal, and fewer still are irreversible, so long as we take the occasional tune-up to replace parts as they fail.

The physical traits you observe aren't directly tied to the process of aging. With the usual caveat that not all Transformers are the same, even within the a single universe… it tends to be that, once we are protoformed or built, the only time our bodies naturally change is when we take on a new form. Now, you may not realize this, as we still must appear very alien to you—but on Earth, this might involve changing our appearance in robot form, too, mimicking physical traits that we identify with, the better to be understood by your kind; this is sometimes called "humanizer" technology. Don't be too quick to judge based on appearance, though, as sometimes what you perceive as a mustache might simply be a coincidental arrangement of kibble!

Otherwise, our bodies only change in the course of upgrades. After choosing our first alt-form, we may undergo procedures to bring us up to "full size", speaking either culturally or biologically. There are universes where our sparks grow continuously through our lifetimes, demanding periodic upgrades to match, with the bodies of the biggest and oldest Transformers practically being extensions of the planet—but those are extreme cases, and it's usually not a necessity. You mention Wheelie, who had something of an arrested development while marooned on Quintessa, and although there exist divergent timelines where he did get a larger body, he's usually comfortable with his stature; many Transformers take pride in being "Minibots" and may even make the conscious decision to downsize.

In the modern age, there is certainly an association between youth and a diminutive frame, as Micromasters, Mini-Cons and Protoformers join our society. The fact is that Transformers nowadays are smaller than they used to be, because fuel is more scarce. There have been many such paradigm shifts in the construction of Transformers: generations are usually demarcated by broad design trends, major technological advancements, and shared aesthetic sensibilities. When it comes to these fashions, there are some classics that anyone can recognise—facial adornments, oversized chins, and non-visible olfactory sensors are all characteristic of different points in history, and give a clue for how old we might be. You know, the oldest Transformers predate the introduction of the ball-and-socket joints which are so ubiquitous in Earth life; I myself have not one in my body!

The multiverse being as strange and wondrous as it is, there are plenty more esoteric reasons behind these physical changes. Famously, the Matrix of Leadership is known to induce a metamorphosis in its bearers to better accommodate the collective wisdom of Primes past. Exotic kinds of Energon have been known to possess transformative properties. For reasons yet unknown to my Transtech friends, exposure to negative-polarity particles correlates strongly with facial structures resembling human goatees.

Some believe that we once lived mortal lives, aging as most other species throughout the galaxy do, only for that mortality to have been taken from us in our race's infancy—through the interference of Quintessons, or the defeat of Mortilus, spoken of in myth as death incarnate.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

To the wise Vector,

So if 'mode drilling' is considered unpleasant, and a Cybertronian can suffer t-cog burnout from switching modes too often for too long- is there a limit on how many times a Cybertronian can change modes, or is it just like simple physical exertion for us humans, and t-cog burnout is more like exhaustion from overwork?

Dear Gear Grinder,

Most meta-mechanics estimate that even the most efficient T-cog can spin up to approximately one trillion times. At this point, due to wear and tear, there are several comorbidities, such as "hiatus mutatis", that become more prevalent around this time.

In general, your T-cog needs regular check-ups. The most common issues afflicting them are axial misalignment (something like a permanent crick in your neck) and surface abrasion. Inner energon, which usually coats the cog, can dry up over time, making the cog scrape and chafe over the inner chassis.

If you don't treat these issues in a timely manner, you may come down with a severe case of defluxitis, a chronic glitch. Unable to spin properly, the T-cog demands more and more energon, which doesn't resolve the problem. Eventually, you become perpetually tired and dangerously low on fuel, and surgery is necessary to restore function.

Burnout, the deliberate abuse of cog spinning, is a very sensitive subject among Cybertronians—I recommend not bringing it up in casual conversation.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

Do T-cogs varie in shape from one protoform to the next or do they have one uniform design?

Dear Rotating Ranger,

The transformation cog is a very specialized organ, and over a long period of time it usually settles into one of several shape classes, such as quasi-spherical, tetrahedral, and cuboid. I've reflected on the connection between cog shape and number of alt-modes previously.

It is very curious that our T-cogs tend to appear like regular polyhedra, and our scientists put forth many theories as to why this is the case. One prevailing theory is that the T-cog is itself part robot and part energon crystal. The idea goes that cogs which mimicked naturally occurring crystal shapes had an evolutionary advantage over transformation systems that didn't—maybe their greater symmetry let them spin faster. Proponents of the theory suggest that the cog is itself mimicking the properties of energon, which gives us the ability to mimic other shapes.

Other scientists think that all cogs are variations of Vector Sigma's shape: naturally our bodies would be as the Great Supercomputer designed us!

Your T-cog may change shape over time for a variety of reasons. The more it spins, the more it tends to be wider at the "equator" than at the "pole". As well, the more you change your alt-mode, the more complicated its shape becomes. For example, Sixshot has an icosidodecahedral shape for his cog!

Finally, if you don't transform regularly, small solid deposits can appear on the surface of your T-cog, frustrating your ability to transform and causing it to take on an asymmetric shape. The remedy here is cog-smoothing, a very common procedure that is highly successful if you remember to get it done.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

CW: drug abuse

Thinking about Ratchet and his prototype energon and how it’s so clearly meant to be like a steroid of some kind.

We saw him use it once and the effect it had, but what if he didn’t stop?

He’s a medic, he was able to figure out energon enough to have it help him even if there were bad side effects and he, y’know, figured out how to save Cybertron. So, it’s not all that unrealistic to think about him finding a way to lessen the effects some.

Now, if he did it so he wouldn’t have none of the side effects that he would have just made energon.

That’s not what I’m thinking, but more him finding a way to micro dose to give short burst of energy when he, oh I don’t know, pulls an all nighter to do work? Starts to get tired or saw from his older joints? When he feels like he’s not doing enough and needs something so he can be ‘better’ for his team?

It would be so easy for him to fall into addiction, especially with an enhancement drug that does actually sustain his life force some.

Of course he’d have to be careful about his optics turning green, but it’s Ratchet, he’d either find a fix or a way to hide it.

It’s not abnormal for any kind of medical personnel to self-prescribe drugs and the fact that he’s so well informed would make him convince and gaslight himself into thinking he’s in control. He’d definitely know what he’s doing is wrong, but he’s also so sure that he’s the reason his team gets hurt or suffers even if there’s nothing to suggest that.

I think that it would take the team a while to notice, but conceiving him to stop?

Ratchet is a stubborn old man at the best of times, but when you try tell him he’s wrong in any way?

They’re going to need some divine intervention for this one.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

Dear, Vector Prime.

Could you tell us about the snacks Cybertronians eat?

Dear Snacking Satiated,

Ah, snacks—something that unites species throughout the multiverse. Whether as an accompaniment to a cup of oxide, or as a late-night pick-me-up, the temptation to top up with snack food between recharge periods is undeniable—despite the energon imbalances that can result. Even I have my own preferences.

The most famous of course, is the simple energon goodie. This is a small amount of energon in its jellified state, often known as energon gum or energon resin. It's easy to mold into different shapes; with cubes, icosahedrons, and sticks all being popular.

Another popular snack is chocolate-covered oil drums. Here the natural oxidation of the Cybertronian chocolate provides a pleasing bitterness to the mellow oil. The treat is popular with many Cybertronians, and even I've been known to enjoy one on occasion.

Ah, of course I must point out that these terms I've been using—"sweet," "chocolate," and "bitter"—are all approximations. I should take this opportunity to explain this, because it's important to note that Cybertronian foods would taste extremely unpleasant to humans, in much the same way organic sugar is toxic to Cybertronian fuel tanks. When I say energon is naturally sweet, I am referring to our ability to taste the fissile element within it. As an aside, this is also where our sense of sourness comes form, as energon undergoes radioactive decay and becomes depleted. While this is unfortunate for people who like sweet treats, it is invaluable for a good energon wine.

As for Cybertronian chocolate, that comes from rare mechanical plants. These plants process chemicals for fuel and along the way a thick sludgy bi-product is created and sealed within pods for disposal. Cybertronians learned to process this sludge even further to create a bitter yet pleasing chemical. The bitterness comes from our natural toxicity sensors, and so when searching for an equivalent, it is common to associate it with Earth fuels like chocolate or coffee.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

Highmoon TF: ONE concept art, Cybertron

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

Cybertronian Fauna idea: Common Oil Karp.

Average length: 2.3 - 3.5 meters

Average weight: 211- 250 kilograms

These oil dwelling piscine are common around Cybertron with variations within the species that range from size to additional sensory whiskers. They are often drab in color however recent specialized breeding have produced more color variations for aquariums. 

The Common Oil Karp are not specific to oil based sources but can often be found in sources of Energon and even water. They commonly feed off on minute particles and microorganisms that grow within sunlit oil sources. The filters on the side of their body allow them to filter out potential food from the liquid sources around them.

Oil Karp are relatively strong swimmers and are usually left alone by potential predators once they reach adulthood. They make good aquarium pets as they are easy to maintain.

(It’s a new post sure, because the old one wouldn’t update the image for some dumb reason

Feel free to reblog)

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

I’ve been thinking off an on about Cybertronian Fauna, and wondered to myself: what if instead of there being a version of most mammals, there were instead crustaceans and gastropods??

Keep reading

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

Polyhexan Nightstrike: With its nocturnal habits and ability to navigate in near darkness, the nightstrike is an invaluable companion to those who make their living in the subterranean levels of cybertron and the near constant darkness of polyhex itself. Despite its long-standing importance to polyhexans, all attempts to breed in captivity or completely domesticate nightstrikes have failed. As such, pups are poached from their nests at a few days old. While a nightstrike is willing to learn and obey commands, they are always just as likely to desert their owner and return to the wild. Praxian Tracker: Sharp witted and obedient, Trackers are a favorite of hunters and search and rescue teams. Their ability to pick up scents, even those days old and separated by distance is second to none, and their ability to match speeds on foot equal to most alt modes makes them prime hunting companions. Iaconian Hound: Their sturdy frames, speed, and jaws powerful enough to crush most metals make them a favorite of law enforcement and private security. Hounds are loyal but head-strong; their willful personality is both a blessing and a curse, but their dedication to their owners- once earned- is unshakable. Kaonite Pit-Hound: A favorite of fighting rings and as guard-dogs, Pit-hounds are a close cousin to Iaconian Hounds, but even closer to their Cyberwolf ancestors. Pit-hounds are unique in that their claws do not fully retract, and their protective mane of kevlar fibers is coarser and thicker than that of their Iaconian counterparts. While faster, stronger, and with sharper teeth, their temperament is unpredictable and tempers short; Pit-Hounds are not good companion or work animals. Simfur Rounded: One of the largest canine breeds, Roundeds are gentle giants. They love people and especially sparklings, and are happy with both sedentary and active life styles. Originally bred as temple guardians, Simfur Roundeds are still used in official events, and at least one lives at every temple as per tradition. Noble Opallios: Cute and playful, they are a favorite companion to Nobles across all of Cybertron. Their fuel probably costs more than you make in a year, pleb. Tarnish Ridgeback: It’s long been debated whether Ridgebacks are actually canines- almost as long as they have been used for labor in the mines. Hardy and strong, Ridgebacks have no problem going underground and hauling several tons of raw materials in carts back up when machines break down or the going is unsteady. Also good deterrents against intruders.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

cybertronian cats! to go with my dogs and crustaceans/gastropods

more info below the cut:

Keep reading

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

some flora to go with the cybertronian fauna I’ve made, from last month’s patreon poll. (cats, dogs, crustations/gastropods)

Keep reading

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

They Cyberphants are an extinct type of fauna native to Cybertron, these big majestic beasts did not survive the Autobot-Decepticon war. Information on these beasts below the cut.

Keep reading

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

Do turbofoxes exist in this continuity? Are there other cybertronian animals like the turbofox?

I don’t remember when I got this ask and I have no idea why it took me so damn long to answer this one, but now that I have some idea how TFMR Turbofoxes look like I can finally deliver the answer.

Short answer: YES.

Long answer:

Turbofoxes are one of the most commonly seen mechanimal of Cybertron. They are also one of the very few remaining thing that can be called “fauna”, since the urbanization of entire planet caused some major damage to natural environment. Lucky for Turbofoxes, these smart animals figured out how to adapt to city life.

Turbofoxes have turbo boosters mounted on their body, which enables them to be very fast and agile. They can also jump very high thanks to these boosters. Their main diet consists mostly of scraplets due to heavy urbanization yielding no better prey, but back in the days they hunted small scavenger mechanimals like petrorabbits or electromice.

When scraplets come in short supplies, they become scavengers instead. They rummage through trash cans for leftover Cybertronian foods, although this wouldn’t do very good to their system due to high heavy metal concentration.

Turbofoxes usually flourish in regions where ferrofelinids are rarely seen. However, there are many places where Turbofoxes and ferrofelinids compete for same niche. Small ferrofelinids like domestic cats are easily overpowered by these agile vulpines, but that’s about it. In most cases, they have to yield their hard-earned food to big, scary cats.

Turbofoxes are smart animal. They know who to run away from, who can be trusted, and who can be exploited. Their main target is, of course, bots who has food in their servoes; especially young minis with food in their servoes. 

Once upon a time, Turbofox hunting was all the rage. Cybertronians “bred” turbofoxes by spark splitting method, largely increasing the number of the mechanimal. When it went out of fad, many turbofox factories abandoned their ‘products’ in the wild. Many died, but some of them survived, overcoming their trauma to become even more cunning and agile than they ever were.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

RS Lore : Religion

     Fic Tumblr and Ask/Rp blog  

  Timeline Page

–

Rogue Seeker being a fan continuity that leans more hard sci-fi, does not have literal planet-sized deity mecha. But religion is still a thing among seeker kind.

Entropists, Creationists, and Ritualists

RS Seekers, have three spiritual philosophies.  Ritualists, Entropists, and Creationists.

Ritualists uphold tradition and make sure their. cultures survive no matter the cost. Status duels and flock hierarchy are often a Ritualist thing, they are balanced between the metaphors of Unicron and Primus as forces. A lot of Ritualist ceremonies have their basis in keeping quint programming/hacking/parasitism away.

Entropists specialize in the way of Unicron. Chaos and upheaval of the old social order. They stress predating on other mecha and destroying settlements with poor defenses. After all, if those mechs can’t survive a seeker raid, sure as slag not going to survive the Quints. Old school Entropists were serious about using evolution arms races to make sure Cybertron survived another invasion. Younger Entropists are just using it as an excuse to wreck havoc. Of course, their victims don’t care either way. Creationists specialize in the way of Primus. They work on preserving Cybertronian life forms in Titan ships and manufacturing every productive cycle to ensure Cybertron will live on. Creationists can just be as vicious as Entropist mecha. Creationist mecha will often hunt down other mecha in order to feed their flock, or even spawn all kinds of disturbing Cybertronian fauna.

Arknaughts of Primus

Arknaughts are the title of the priests of Primus, with them guarding and running the holy arkives. They guard the arks from becoming zero, nothing.

The Arknaughts run open-source databases on how to preserve and save cybertronian culture and code from extinction. Rung’s database is named Primus, and its filled with schematics of various frame types, nanite codes on how to grow these parts, programming for various minds, and forks - backup copies of mecha’ minds and such.

The Primus database is currently in its infancy, with the Cybertronian Diaspora distrusting of each other due to generations of warfare and predation, along with Quint viral programming splintering the once unified species.

Starscream, as an xenobiologist, is also an Arknaught,  due to khyr knowledge and vaults on nanites needed to restart the cybertronian ecosystem.

Scourges and Harbingers of Unicron.

Scourges hold information on how to end Cybertronians as a whole. They used to be much more common, but both sides courted both of them for their entropic war knowledge. Scourges were considered the last resort defense should the Quints come back.

The Scourges are near extinct, having been regulated to historians and veterans of the Second Catalycsm.  Caminus killed their known Scourges, out of fears, they would bring the end. Velocitron fears them.

Being a Scourge is now highly stigmatized. Scourge information was passed down from teacher to student, usually creator and creation. Or a label given to those who figured out weapons and knowledge of mass destruction.

Skywarp is a former Scourge, having once been a weapons engineer of ill repute. Sha deleted their knowledge of it after they dumped it into the Aegis’ databanks.

Harbingers of Unicron serve as warnings of extinction and run simulations to ensure cybertronian civilization doesn’t go kaput. Again. Caminus has Harbingers, along with Velocitron.

The Aegis has two Harbingers. Outside of the actual Titan holding the knowledge,the lone Scourge on the Aegis refuses to share zir knowledge with the Titan-ships’ Harbingers.

Harbinger warnings are much less effective, without a Scourge who actually knows what would kill off society, It’s a good thing that the Aegis nirself is bearing the burden of that knowledge.

Other

Harbingers, Scourges, and Arknaughts all have paint that mark their stations.

[visage-of-the-lost-light]

I had to put on my big braincells for this one… I am developing a whole ass lore document about cybertronian botany. I think there is so much to explore there, Cybertron is far from a dead and barren world! I have always loved depictions in which cybertron is rich with flora and fauna