Transformers/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth dying for here:

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Fan Fics, all of which have been signed. After a few samples, you will be able to judge whether you might be interested in the 'fic, based on who recommended it. No-name recommendations will be Zapped. Nobody would back up the rec. Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.

Authors, and Websites
Other Vengeance 2.0 by Wayward (Warning! Implied nonsexual nudity)
 * Recommended by Haystackthegreat
 * The Vok decide to get rid of the Beast Warriors once and for all...by transforming them into all-too-vulnerable humans. Probably the best TF's-as-Humans out there, taking a very realistic approach. I can't recommend this enough.
 * Status: Fic is not finished, which was very disappointing, because it is SO GOOD. Read it anyway.

The Primus Trilogy by DragonTail, and occasionally others (AU, crossover)
 * Recommended by User:Andrusi, User:Amadeus Windfall, User:Joshi
 * What started as DragonTail writing down a funny dream he had one night grew into an epic Transformers fic set in an "ultimized" Alternate Universe, blending elements of nearly every Transformers series and forever redefining characters for its readers. Many of those readers have also noted that it has been known to succeed where canon does not in ways that will hurt your wallet and clutter your shelves. You Have Been Warned.

The Botosphere
 * Recommended by User:RK_Striker_JK_5
 * A blog run by the Autobots as they attempt to fit into this strange new world they're on. Limited action, but long on Character Development

Megara-Liancourt's Fanfiction
 * Recommended by User:Tick, seconded by User:Flyairth
 * Why did I choose a fanfiction writer instead of a website? Simple: she's the whole reason I became a Transformers fan! Seriously, read her stories - they are fantastic with a capital F. Admittedly, her grammer isn't very good (she's French), but that doesn't detract from the awesomeness of her stories. Oh, a quick warning to you slash haters: she's a huge slash fan, especially where Megatron and Starscream are involved. Seriously, nearly every story she has written features these two as lovers. And she portrays it in a 'realistic' way, i.e. the way it would have happened in canon: the relationship isn't sugary-sweet, but it isn't violent and abusive either (well, except when the two 'Cons have a really bad falling out). Her stories also contains a LOT of smut. So if you're anti-slash/anti-smut, steer clear. Otherwise, enjoy.

Sakon76
 * Recommended by User:Cedarleaf
 * An excellent author with some very intriguing ideas and a quirky sense of humor. Also very versatile, writing for both G1 and the movie'verse. She's very character-centric, focusing a lot on character relations and their reactions to all the weird stuff around them that makes this series so much fun, but also still down to earth at the same time. Features Sam a lot, and has a few Prowl/Jazz fics. One of the staples of this troper's Transformers fanfic collection. Specific fic recommendations include The Language of After, Simulacra, Good Fences, Things Miles Notices, Cow Tipping, and Ghost Stories.

Aspirare
 * Recommended by User:Cedarleaf
 * Another very character driven writer, Aspirare is one of those true gems of an author who's just a pleasure to read. While she tends to write for Sam/Bumblebee and Ironhide/Ratchet, many of her fics have few or no pairings at all. Her writing is just wonderful and smart, and her later fics especially have this beautiful, dark eeriness to them, she can play you, and your heartstrings, like a virtuoso, and leaves you as enchanted as you are disturbed. Specific fic recommendations include That Still Small Voice, Nemesis Theory, Birds Through a Window (no pairings), Heaven's Shore (Ratchet/Ironhide), Another Gate and Beautiful Day (Bumblebee/Sam if you want them to be).

Karategal
 * Recommended by Zephyr77
 * Just everything by her is just amazing. She wrote an amazing series focusing on a young Bumblebee (ages could range from toddler to child to teenager-ish) and his interactions with others, particularly with Optimus and Ironhide (and even Megatron). She does a great job on characterizations, adding humor, fluff and angst in a perfect balance. Some of her stories include Nightmare, Little Brother and Youngling.

MikePriest83/Thunderwing
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * Mike's works basically fall into two categories. One, several series of utterly hilarious photocomics that skewer, satirize, and Affectionate Parody various aspects of the Transformers characters and series, as well as often also comic books in general. Two, a number of brilliant fanfics which often expand upon the existing comic and cartoon plots to give them interesting new twists, fill in missing scenes, or smooth over plot holes.

Princess Artemis (scroll down to the Transformers G1 section)
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * A big Perceptor fan who does an excellent job of exploring the various aspects of the scientist's personality, especially involving why a relatively mild-mannered academic is still heavily-armed and has a tank for a third altmode. She also has a hilarious fanfic staring Perceptor and Jazz that satirizes Mary Sues, human!TFs, and gender-bending, and another fanfic that's an equally hilarious Deconstruction Fic of Wheeljack's mad inventions.

Transmasters UK/The Underbase
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * An utterly massive shared universe written by various UK-based authors that continues on from the end of the Marvel UK comic, detailing the days after the Great War ended and before the Beast Wars started. Notable for helping launch Nick Roche and James Roberts' careers.

TransFiction
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * Technically less a website in and of itself, but rather a Group on Deviant ART devoted to collecting quality TF-themed fanfics posted on DA. Although a sizable chunk of the fics in the gallery are 600-word entries for IDW's monthly Writing Contest, which has produced a number of high-quality short fics for a variety of characters and continuities.

Transformers: Mosaic
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * A unique project involving many, many individual teams of writers and artists creating self-contained one-page fancomics starring dozens of different characters from almost every single Transformers continuity. Some of the official writers and artists have even contributed stories to the project.

optimus prime 007
 * Recommended by beeruckz
 * This author is amazing! She has the best sad, heartwarming, cheer-worthy and hilarious stories, the best OC's, the best character development, and the best storylines ever! She's a big fan of Prowl/Jazz and Optimus/Elita.
 * YMMV, this troper couldn't get past the blatant Mary Sue-ness of the favored OC, Optimus' daughter.
 * This troper heartily agrees.

Hearts of Eternity
 * Recommended by Sayacha
 * Easily has some of the best stories this troper has read, ever, her War Eternal series in particular. Her fics mostly focus on the relationships between all the bots, but she also writes wonderful fight scenes, and her sense of humor is in no way lacking either. Some parts can get a little cheesy at times, but overall, this is one author you don't want to miss out on. Not to mention, her O Cs (most notably Chase Banes and Virus/Moonfly) are absolutely wonderful and very well fleshed out. Definitely worth browsing her stuff.

General Fics
''Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.''

Dirty Little Secrets by Foxbear
 * Recommended by Holylight88
 * Synopsis: 'The Autobots are forced to come to grips with the foulest aspects of human nature as a darkness from Miko's past threatens to reclaim her and destroy the other humans in the process. NOT slash, some physical violence and refrences to past bad things.'
 * Comments: Awesome story that deals intelligently and compassionately with a very touchy subject. There are technical errors here and their, but the basic writing is fantastic and technical errors are easily ignore. The author does a very good job making Miko seem a Broken Bird here. We feel sorry for her, but at the same time it doesn't feel forced, like we're just going through the motions of tragedy

Basic Program by Black Widow3.
 * Recommended by Haystackthegreat
 * Synopsis: A valley of pure energon is the source of power and problems for the Maximals and Predicons.
 * Comments: In my eyes, this is the piece of goshdarn flippin' ART that has set the standard for all Transformers fanfiction, and so far, in all my years of reading Transformer fanfiction, only TWO fanfics has reached this level of excellence, and NONE have yet to surpass it. This is the holy grail of Beast War fanfics, and any fan of the show should read it.

Shambleau by kepulver
 * Recommended by Rebecca Hb.
 * Synopsis: Vortex runs into trouble of the alien menace variety on Monacus. Slashy overtones and a bit dark.
 * Comments: A crossover with some classic adventure science-fiction, Northwest Smith by C.L. Moore. Kepulver does a good job of writing a science-fiction adventure that doesn't involve Autobots vs. Decepticons, but rather Decepticons vs. aliens. The shambleau is a nasty thing to run into as it is able to use its lures and life-drain powers on the living robot Transformers.

Bent But Not Broken
 * Recommended by nicknack
 * Synopsis: Mirage is captured and raped by the Decepticons. But as the title says, instead of having his spirit broken and losing the will to live, he escapes and gets revenge...in a VERY gruesome way.
 * Comments: One of the scariest, if not THE scariest, fanfics ever written. Whatever you do, do NOT read this before going to bed, especially if you scare easily. On the lighter side, it's nice to see a story where Mirage doesn't end up a quivering wreck, and we get to see a more vulnerable side to Soundwave.

Beast Wars: Make it Real Big
 * Recommended by Slyfoxdeveraux
 * Synopsis: Exceedingly difficult to put into words. A highly highly absurdist take on Beast Wars. It's straight humor and difficult to imagine it wasn't written on acid. Much of the humor comes from the continual upping the ante of increasingly bizarre plot twists.
 * It's a Crack Fic, but they have some measure of plot. The first one revolves around winning the personified love of the forests, and is resolved via a race between Megatron and Optimus, who has evolved into Rapidash. The second deals with a zombie outbreak (seeming to very vaguely parody The Walking Dead in one instance) and a strain of cancer that effects all characters not present in the pilot episode of the series.
 * Comments: Absolutely pure comedy, you'll likely either find it complete unreadable gibberish or the funniest thing you've ever seen.
 * Recently updated with a Chapter 2, a whopping six years later.

Mechanical Miracle
 * Recommended by Silver Wings.
 * Synopsis: Ten years after DOTM Autobots have been integrated into human society and things are peaceful. Ian is the son of a diplomat who grew up around Autobots. He meets a girl that seems to fear anything Cybertronian. When he and his guardian try to help her get over her fears, they get into much more than they could have ever imagined.
 * Comments: It's a very unique story. It starts off looking like a drama about a boy and his Autobot guardian that want to help a girl get over her fear of Cybertronians, but quickly evolves into a Magic Versus Science plot that revolves around the trio's adventures fighting off enemies both Decepticon and human.

Con Job by kepulver
 * Recommended by Rebecca Hb.
 * Synopsis: Bobby Bolivia meets Swindle, in a battle of the fast talkers. Mixes G1 and 2007 movie continuity.
 * Comments: Does exactly what it says on the tin. Better yet, does it well.

The Truth by Silver Rayan
 * Recommended by fruitstripegum
 * Synopsis: The Decepticon Air Commander's quarters seemed like a good place to get information from. He didn't expect to find out about the family he didn't know he had.
 * Comments: Told in first-person, with the viewpoint changing between characters, the fic tells the story of Mirage discovering the Seeker Trine's biggest secret - I'd tell you more, but that would spoil the whole story. While I advise you to read it for yourself, I will tell you one thing - the secret involves an Autobot.

Dead Aces by Lex1
 * Recommended by Rebecca Hb.
 * Synopsis: Half a year after the Aerialbots arrive on Earth, a mission goes somewhat awry.
 * Comments: This story is told as Smokescreen delivering a collected after-action report from the Aerialbots on a very nasty encounter with the Decepticon jets that almost got the gestalt killed. One of the very best Aerialbot character pieces out there.

Power Cut
 * Recommended by User:Gecko
 * Synopsis: Megatron is busy plotting. Unfortunately, so is Sideways.
 * Comments: Set in ''Armada, and does a wonderful job portraying delving into all the different characters' personalities. It's a bit lengthy, and features a bit of Starscream x Jetfire, but you should enjoy it even if you aren't a slash fan

28 Starscreams
 * Recommended by User:Flyairth
 * Seconded by sablin27
 * Synopsis: He is treacherous and screechy - so much we know, but even under his polished and guarded shell there's more than meets the eye.
 * Comments: 28 (well, not really) stories about everyones favourite whiny backstabber. Some are hilarious, some are heartwrenchingly sad, but all are fantastically written.

The More Things Change
 * Recommended by User:Flyairth
 * Synopsis: G1: Over a hundred thousand vorns ago, the great Cybertronian scientist Skyfire was lost. Now he is found, but things have changed more than he could possibly have imagined. An AU fic.
 * Comments: This fic takes a look at what might have happened if the episode "Fire in the Sky" had started differently. One of the best platonic Starscream/Skyfire fics out there.

Masks
 * Recommended by User:Danel
 * Seconded by User:sablin 27 and User:Thornwitch
 * Synopsis: Follows Revenge of the Fallen, but goes in drastically different directions. A very long and as yet incomplete fic, with a very large ensemble cast bringing in more characters from G1. To quote the summary: After Egypt, the Autobots cannot remain a secret. They are Earth's first contact. In some ways they are truly alien, in others they are much like us.
 * Comments: It's surprisingly hard to provide a synopsis of this fantastic fic, since it's more of a serial than anything else - new characters and plots appear and develop, and things just keep moving forward. The first element is Wheelie struggling to become an autobot in the face of justified suspicion and paranoia, but it's a lot more than that. A brief warning, however - some of these developments include unconventional relationships, including slash amongst others, that some tropers may wish to avoid. It also has politics, drama, action and humour and Loads and Loads of Characters, and this troper - who usually avoids slash entirely - can't but recommend it in the strongest possible terms.
 * It manages to weave a lot of the incoherent plot points of ROTF into a logical whole.

Vigil
 * Recommended by sablin27
 * Synopsis: G1. Either "Tragedy strikes the Dinobots, sending Optimus Prime, in particular, a looooooong-overdue wakeup call." or "One of the Dinobots falls deathly ill. Then the universe collapses. No, no, I'm kidding. Actually, only Optimus Prime collapses and only into a gooshy puddle of guilt. Takes place halfway between the cartoon series and the '86 movie."
 * Comments: Basically, a look at who the Dinobots are and how they interact with others in a tense situation. Several autobots get insights into how they could improve themselves. Sequels are Art in Me (a short mystery), Gambit (A bored Slag is, for Prowl, a surprising Slag.) and Mesozoic Muffins (short romance).

Transformers Frontier By Ghengis Quan.
 * Recommended by: User:SAMAS
 * Synopsis: An Autobot ship is shot down over a planet, leaving the survivors and victors with a mystery. The planet is marked as the homeworld of the mighty Insecticons, but they seem to be gone. Instead, the planet has been colonized by Humans, squishy organic creatures with crude transforming technology. Crossover/AU with Macross Frontier, taking elements from G1, Movie, and Animated.

Purple rain by Taipan Kiryu
 * Recommended by Sparrow
 * Synopsis: While on leave to Cybertron, Thundercracker confronts his past, visiting someone he hasn't seen since the war began.
 * Comments: Creates a heart-wrenching and believable origin story for Thundercracker and deals with his present attempts at dealing with it, both at the same time. It also has one of the most plausible "family" relationships I've seen handled in a Transformers fic. The sequel Deviant is also highly recommended reading, dealing with Thundercracker's search for redemption. Both fics characterize him extremely well, taking his canon personality and exploring depths that neither the comics or cartoon ever reached, and the supporting cast is also brilliantly done. In particular, the platonic Thundercracker/Skywarp friendship is handled excellently, both heartwarming and at times heartbreaking.

Transformers Animated: Cybertronian Genesis by Darth T-Rex
 * Recommended by User:Ninja Master 551
 * Synopsis: Picking up where Season 3 left off, dealing with the aftermath of the last great battle and the impact it has on the Autobots, the Decepticons and Cybertron. Carries on into a new story with familiar characters and expanding others.
 * Comments: With the advent of fanfiction predicting how Animated would continue I feel this is another fanfic worth checking out. It may not be as innovative as Return to Cybertron but it definetly follows a decent story and has slow but very tense pacing that keeps you waiting for what happens next.
 * Has a sequel currently in progress.
 * This troper couldn't get past the fact that the writer punctuates oddly. If speech like " 'Look at this', said Character A. 'That's strange'. " puts you off, you might find this a difficult read.

SEEDs of Transformation by Arthur Hansen and Fanboyimusprime
 * Recommended by User:SAMAS
 * Synopsis: Perceptor and his crew are running low on energy, and decide to stop by Earth and trade some parts for it. Unfortunately, the Earth is in the middle of a war over genetic augmentation, and as the Autobots' ship enters the space Colony Heliopolis, the war comes knocking on their door. Naturally, the Autobots' own problems also follow behind...

The World's Translated Thus by Abyssal1
 * Recomended by Thornwitch
 * Much harder scifi than most fanfictions. Considerably darker, more alien look at Cybertronian culture. Explores cultural, religious and linguistic differences between Autobots and Decepticons. Cybertron is ruined after aeons of war, and its citizens are starving for energon. Prime needs to make political alliances.
 * Pairings: Optimus/Starscream (It Makes Sense in Context) Plus relations between genderless aliens. Much, much Better Than It Sounds. Check out its page here.
 * Actually, this troper thought she got the majority of the characters grotesquely OOC, so...yeah. YMMV.

Hate the Dark by NKfloofiepoof
 * Recommended by Do I
 * Synopsis: After Cybertron's destruction, two survivors wait out their final months after crashing on a forsaken and dangerous planet. Takes place during/after the 1986 movie.
 * Comments: Heavily AU and slash (Optimus/Starscream - it also makes sense in context). For being her first Transformers fic, the author did a good job with the characters. A few things could have been pulled off better, but she got their characters almost spot-on. All-in-all, it's a good read. This troper thinks it goes better in general than shipping since the actual pairing of the characters isn't the focus of the story.

StepFather by Consuelo Higdon
 * Recommended by User:Calamity Jane
 * Synopsis: Even after all Hot Shot had gone through, in the end, he still had absolutely no idea who Rodimus Prime was.
 * Comments: As this is centered on OC Stand In characters, there's a good chance this never happened in canon. However, this fic simply cannot be recommended enough. It is only one chapter, so it is a rather quick read. But don't be fooled; it is also chock full of believable characterization, completely void of homosexual innuendo, and tosses a curveball on the fandom's idea that Animated Hot Shot is a pyromaniac, instead making him pyrophobic. The dialogue is full of life, details never go overboard, and it is an overall compelling and rewarding read.

Transformers: Juxtaposition by ''Vaeru.
 * Recommended by User:The Violent Tomboy
 * Synopsis: Transformers AU. A car wreck on a rainy night leads to one of the oddest partnerships imaginable. A disembodied voice, possessed cars, alien robots, kidnapping, rescue, abduction, sparks, keys, and tomato sandwiches... Read if you dare
 * Comments: The first of the Sparkbearer Saga series, independent of any established universes but with most of the characters based off of their G1 counterparts, this is simply epic. Evy may be the OC-centric puny Earthling, but damn if she isn't one of the best, well-written characters I've ever seen. The story's original (dude, there's the consciousness of Sideswipe stuck inside her body) and the interactions between her and the Autobots who inadvertently kidnapped her are amazing. There are several other spin-offs in her profile.
 * Seconded by Zalein! And this fic now comes with a shiny new sequel, found here!

How It Is by NightElfCrawler
 * Recommended by User:Jinxed Blackcat
 * Synopsis: 2007 movieverse - War affects even the most innocent. Changes are inevitable. For Sam, adjusting to life after becoming introduced to the Autobots and Decepticons was nearly as hard as facing the changes in his own life...and the consequences with it.
 * Comments: It's her take on the whole Allspark Sam idea. And it is brilliantly well written. All lot of bots from the cartoons appear and hold plot relevant rolls as the author is a long time fan from the cartoons. I'd recommend reading her other works as well.

Purpose by SeekerFreefall
 * Recommended by lurker User:Green Chick.
 * Synosis: What is the reason for a Prime to exist?
 * Comments: If you think this is about Rodimus being wishy-washy about his promotion, a reluctant Autobot questioning their impossibly perfect leader, or musings on the new show guess again! This is set in the real world and centers around a fan, and isn't some lame self-insert story. If you're part of the newer generation of Transformers fans, like this troper was, and never understand why Optimus mother-friggin' Prime was so important to the Geewuners, this story explains it, and may have you believing. Very melodramatic, but still truthful and touching in its approuch. If you are a Geewuner, prepare to weep.

A Bolt Out Of The Blue by Ryuuza Kochou
 * Recommended by User:Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: There are so many kinds of energy who's to say it only has one purpose? After the All Spark was destroyed, weird things start happening to Sam. Nearly electrocuting Bumblebee is just the beginning. 2007 movievers pre-RotF.
 * Comments: One of the better fics dealing with possible repercussions of the AllSpark discharging in Sam's unprotected hands prior to the release of the sequel. Both funny and serious, often at the same time, with plenty of engaging action, and Ryuuza's characterizations just sparkle.

Thinking 'Bout The Future by Epona Harper
 * Recommended by User:Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: You didn't think Sector Seven would let Bumblebee go home with Sam without protest, did you?
 * Comments: Optimus and SecDef Keller give the boys in Sector 7 an epic verbal smacking. Very funny.

Security Breech by Cyndi
 * Recommended by User:Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: CHRISTMAS FIC. Will finds a way to freak Ironhide out.
 * Comments: If you're gonna prank your guardian Autobot around the holidays, THIS is how you do it.

Glances Into A Spark by Saesama
 * Recommended by User:Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: A series of random ficlets of everything from cyperpets to Halloween costumes, from horoscopes to the horrors of war, from "what the slag is a tooth-fairy?" to "Ironhide, meet Sarah. Sarah, put the gun down." 2007 movieverse.
 * Comments: What makes this fic so great is all the possibilities it proposes. In thirty one short stories, Saesama gives us snippets of thirty one plot lines, giving us just enough for the imagination to run wild with them, with too many shoutouts and callbacks to list. This troper's favorites include chapters 1 through 5, 9, 12 through16, 19 through 21, 27, and 29 through 31.

Bone Garden by Dierdre
 * Recommended by User:Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: The next time Starscream set foot on human soil, it was in a forgotten place. Post-2007 Movieverse
 * Comments: In the author's own words, This is what happens when one turns to the pairing generator for inspiration, and it smugly tosses Starscream/Captain Archibald Witwicky/Touch into one's lap. After an understandable amount of brain-breakage at the ensuing mental pictures, I came up with this. The personal aspects of Archibald's life are a product of the movie canon and some sleep-deprived guesswork. While NOT actually a Starstream/Captain Witwicky fic, this story is nonetheless haunting and awesome.

Fidelis by The Starhorse
 * Recommended by Zephyr77
 * Synopsis: Even Optimus Prime has to wallow sometimes.
 * Comments: I think this may be one of the best Optimus Prime fics I've ever read. Tired and feeling that he was unfit to lead the Autobots, Optimus gets a little present made by Spike to help him get rid of that guilt. The best part was that Spike's present at first had nothing to do with Optimus and wasn't even made for that purpose (it was a school project). And as I was reading it, I kept wondering what this had to do with Optimus in the first place. By the time the story was over, everything fit and it made perfect sense, as well as warming the heart. Definitely recommend this amazing piece.

Sunrise Sunset by Purple Aussie
 * Recommended by Zephyr77
 * Synopsis: G1. Prowl, forced into having a day off, has no idea what to do with himself.
 * Comments: A delightful fic where the workaholic Prowl has nothing to do and is bored. He takes Jazz's recommendation to go out in the sun but his actions simply confuses and alarms the rest of the Autobots, who all try to comfort and help Prowl in their way. It's quite cute to see the rest of the Autobots trying to help Prowl who really doesn't need their help but nevertheless is touched by their concern for him.

CSI: Ark by MoonMadKitty/Tanaigre
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * Synopsis: When Jazz boasts that solving a case based on just gut feeling and the right attitude is easy based on watching episodes of CSI, Prowl (who feels it's really based on logic, procedure, and time) challenges him to prove this assertion by solving a mock crime that Prowl will think up for him. But when Prowl ropes just about every Autobot on the Ark into it, the contest might prove harder than Jazz thinks...
 * Comments: A rare Prowl & Jazz fic that doesn't involve them as lovers and makes a fair amount of sense in their characterization/interactions. It also involves an equally rare instance of Optimus pitching into having some fun and showing a downright dangerous sense of humor.

Do You Know What it Feels Like by ajremix
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * Synopsis: An exploration of what IDW Arcee was like before Jhiaxus changed her in Spotlight: Arcee, what the process involved, how Arcee reacted to it, and why it warped her the way it did.
 * Comments: I can't help but admire how this fic takes what IMHO was a crazy and bizarre canon idea that raised more questions than it answered, and makes it actually make a certain amount of sense by giving convincing fanon explanations of Jhiaxus' motivations and what turning Arcee "female" actually meant.

Limelight: Dreadwind by Loganprime
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * Synopsis: 22-page fancomic focusing on the dour Dreadwind, his equally morbid Frenemy Darkwing, and the massive amounts of trouble that Darkwing's antics get the two involved in.
 * Comments: A delightful little character portrayal that not only reads like a professional Spotlight but looks like one as well with some incredibly excellent art.

Transformers: War Journal by Various Authors
 * Recommended by User:Jeysie
 * Synopsis: 22-page fancomic focusing on the last stand of the Aerialbots, Protectobots, and other Autobots on a planet overrun by Decepticons, and their desperate attempts to survive and wring some kind of victory out of certain death.

Absent and Minded by HSBacklash01
 * Recommended by User:Adrian
 * Synopsis: Thundercracker tries to save face and stave off a nervous breakdown when Starscream decides to take the day off, with some non-help courtesy of Skywarp.
 * Comments: Smart, hilarious and in-character. An amusing take on the relationship between the three Seekers that definitely rings true. Starscream getting hammered is reason enough to check it out, but everything else about this story is equally awesome.

Best First by SkyShadow
 * Recommended by User:Adrian
 * Synopsis: Finding himself at the mercy of Optimus Prime, Thundercracker bargains with the only thing that he has to offer: a story. It is a tale from a time when the Autobots were led by an Iaconian lawman named Sentinel Prime.
 * Comments: There is good reason why this novella is on Lexicon's Top Ten list. Best First is a deftly crafted war story that lends a remarkably mature perspective on the Autobot-Decepticon conflict and the political power-play involved. It centers on Thundercracker, but features a host of characters from both factions, as well as some clever shout outs to the fandom. Do yourself a favor and check this classic out, if you haven't already. It's very long and absolutely worth it.

Small Problems by Ghost of the Dawn
 * recommended by Swordfish Cloud
 * Synopsis: Megatron gets a hold of a shrinking ray gun causing several Autobots to be shrunken to the size of toddlers in a big city. Now the only thing that might help them may be a human.
 * Comments: A wonderful fic where the oc actually isn't annoying and drives the plot. The series that goes along with it is quite nice and shows character development of transformers who barely had any screentime. So good I think it deserves its own trope page.
 * Series Small Problems Ghost in the Machine The Autobot Files The Secret Lives of Decepticons Rising Generations

Black Crayons by Bookworm Gal
 * recommended by Hedgi
 * Synopsis: The first in a series of one-shots and multi-chaptered stories centered around Ironhide and Captain Lennox's family, particularly on the preschooler daughter, Annabelle. there are a lot of them, ranging from sweet to adorable, as Annabelle colors (and occasionally gets in trouble) with her best friend- her father's truck.
 *  Comments: These are really cute stories, and my favorites to read. Mostly about annabelle and Ironhide, sometimes the other autobots and human characters show up, and Annabelle's antics drive everyone a little nuts. They are very good stories! The later additions become more action-oriented since Annabelle is growing older, but they still retain the sense of youth and adorableness. Others stories for the Black Crayons series include Drawings, Babysitter's Nightmare, Night Sky, Bully, Parent-Teacher Conference, Everyone Needs a Birthday, Babysitting, Take Two, When I Grow Up, Party Time, Language Lessons, Summer Vacation, My First Decepticon, Nightmares, and A Child's Innocence. To finish it off, 100 Black Crayons is a collection of prompt sentences scattered thoughout the series.
 * This is so good this fic needs it's own trope page!
 * And now it does

Hope's Journey by optimus prime 007
 * Recommended by beeruckz
 * Synopsis: Optimus Prime is unaware that Elita had given birth to his daughter. A daughter who is now alone and trying to find her father. Will she find him? Will he learn the fate of his sparkmate?
 * Comments: Amazing! Read it if you're a Transformers fan! Also if you're a Optimus/Elita fan! It's sequel My Beautiful Rising Star is also amazing... Just amazing!!! I'm serious! Trying to explain it anymore would make it sound awful! Trust me!

Property Of by hydraling110
 * Recommended by TF Latte, User:Mariko-chan
 * Synopsis: During Cybertronian "peace," ex-Cons hide the sentience of and sell humans as pets to secure Earth. Sam and Mikaela might just be the first to grasp the reality of the situation alongside their new owner.
 * Comments: An incredibly enthralling story with plenty of focus on how alien humans and Cybertronians are to each other. I couldn't get to sleep until I finished it! It's a fascinating fic, and has a lot of fun and sweet moments.
 * Seconded. I'm always excited whenever there's a new chapter.

Isola Di Poveglia by Alaskan Olive
 * Recommended by User:Kryptoncat
 * Synopsis: G1: Halloween Fic. A simple mission quickly becomes a nightmare when Rumble and Frenzy land on one of Earth's most haunted locations. Rated: T. Horror/Supernatural.
 * Comments: This is a perfect story to read if you are craving an unnerving horror tale or simply wanting an adventure with the cassetticons. Be sure to read the (longer -currently unfinished-) sequel, The Poveglian Vendetta, which features all sorts of ghostly happenings down in the Nemesis and great character moments for a lot of the Cons.

Things We Don't Tell Humans by Sinead Rivka
 * Recommended by User:Mariko-chan, seconded by User:Kaidariel
 * Pairings: Sam/Mikayla, Sam/Carly, Optimus/Elita, Ironhide/Chromia, Ratchet/Wheeljack, Jazz/Prowl, Megatron/Nightbird, Megatron/?, Springer/Arcee, Bumblebee/Barricade, Tom Banachek/OC
 * Synopsis: "This was a first for us Autobots; never before have we come in contact with a species like these humans, so eerily similar to our own race and twice as tenacious as Sparklings. The question was, how far can we trust the humans with our culture? Gradual AU"
 * Comments: An outstanding fic in my opinion that has the Autobots hold back on their culture and background to all but their close human friends. It's broken up into 'Arcs', none of which are long; the longest is the Revenge Arc so far, which is twelve chapters. It starts sometime after the first movie, with the arrival of Sideswipe, Arcee, Jolt, and the Twins, and introduces other 'Bots as it goes into ROTF. It has a page now! Things We Don't Tell Humans

Ragnarök Rising : Optimus along with the sequels Ragnarök's Eve: Prowl and Ragnarök by vericus ciaris
 * Recommended by User:Mariko-chan
 * Pairings: Optimus/Elita, Jazz/Prowl, Chromia/Ironhide
 * Synopsis: From Ragnarök: "When they said they'd 'never' fight side-by-side again, clearly they meant 'only when Unicron shows up'."
 * Comments: These three one - shots give me chills every time I read them. Set in Movieverse, the first one shot is of the Autobots and Decepticons first learning of Unicron's arrival, the second of Prowl finally bonding with Jazz, and the third and final one - shot of the devastating battle with Unicron.

Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

The Alone Place by Kenya Starflight
 * Recommended by Darkholme
 * Pairing: Swoop/Arcee(No! Wait! Don't go!)
 * Synopsis: G1, pre-movie. Arcee arrives on the Ark to find her preconceptions regarding a certain 'Bot false, and an unlikely friendship blooms.
 * Comments: Before this fic I generally disliked cartoon Arcee, who always looked pathetic next to comics Arcee. Now I love her. This is more than mushy fluff. Aside from the romance, it serves as an excellent look at the internal conflict between the Dinobots and the other Autobots. I'm generally cautious when it comes to any romance at all in a Transformers fic but this was a pleasant surprise. The authors admits it was chosen because it's a crack pairing but I think I just found my OTP, and only pairing at that, for Transformers.

The Dividing Wall by Kenya Starflight
 * Recommended by Darkholme
 * Pairings: Swoop/Arcee
 * Synopsis: Sequel to The Alone Place. The Dinobots have gone missing, and Arcee is chosen to find them and bring them back to Cybertron. But do the Dinobots want anything to do with the Autobots now? Takes place after the 1986 movie.
 * Comments: As mentioned in the synopsis, this is a continuation of the above fic. Just as good as the second one and just as adorable. The pairing is a sub-plot but due to its nature I decided to place this in the Shipping section. Does something I've never seen another TF fic do: examines how the deaths of Ratchet and Wheeljack affected the Dinobots.

Sound and Fury by Mirage Shinkiro. Hot Stuff between androgynous but male-pronouned bots... That means smut... and lots of it.
 * Recommended by Flyairth
 * Pairing(s): Starscream/Megatron, implied!Thundercracker/Skywarp
 * Synopsis:G1. After his latest fight with Megatron, Starscream finds himself facing his true reasons for hating the tyrant. What is his hate driven by, and can there ever be anything other than hate between them? The answer shocks them both.
 * Comments: This is the fic that convinced me that Megascream was plausible in any way. Great writing, great backstory, great... everything really! Every character is written well, and the Author actually manages to make the... less canonical (though YMMV) aspects of the characters relationships actually believable. I honestly could not love this fic more.

Belonging By Lyricality
 * Recommended by Xaun
 * Pairing: Megatron/Optimus Prime
 * Synopsis: What if both Megatron and Optimus had been sucked into the space bridge in "A Bridge To Far"?
 * Comments: This has been touted by some to be the best Transformers Animated Fanfiction ever written in fact it has been said to be the best Transformers Fanfiction ever written. I would have to say that that is true. It is the best in the pairing fandom and far surpasses all I have ever read about other pairings. It keeps the characters almost perfect in their voice and personality and the character development is believable and realistic. The story is not that far-fetched and uses as much canon back ground as possible. All in all it is a extremely good story even if your not a fan of Megatron/Optimus Prime slash any fan of Transformers will want to read this tribute to the series.

When Did You Become Perfect? by Hearts of Eternity
 * Recommended by Zephyr77
 * Pairing: Sam/Mikaela
 * Synopsis: When did Mikaela stop seeing Sam as that goofy kid who stammered when he was nervous, talked to much when he was scared, and gave one too many wisecracks when his life was in danger, to a man she loved more than she could comprehend?
 * Comments: An interesting perspective from Mikaela, on how her life changed and how her relationship with Sam was defined throughout the first movie and bit more than that. I thought the writing and characterizations were just perfect and despite not being a complete Mikaela fan, I was very intrigued by this insight on her.

WereCars_of_Cybertron and Werecar Diptychs
 * Recommended by sablin27
 * Pairing: Prowl/Rhythm
 * Synopsis: "2007 movieverse. mostly pre-war and pre-earth: some archetypes are universal. some legends transcend species. and sometimes there's nothing left to do but out race the moons."
 * Bored with her horror movie marathon, Mikaela is intrigued by Jazz's reference to the parallels between werewolves and transformers. The story she persuades him to tell of the war's beginning is both very alien and very familiar.

Nine Rings of Vos
 * Recommended by sablin27
 * Pairing: Primarily Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker.
 * Synopsis: G1. "The Seekers have a plan, one that spans the entire length of the war, and is only now coming to fruition. Soundwave and the Cassettacons get caught up in the plot, and somehow cannot find it in their sparks to regret any of it. As for the Autobot and Decepticon factions, well, they are all just really, really confused."
 * Comments: Short chapters combine into several different sub-plots, each following a person or relationship.

An Adjustment of Plans
 * Recommended by NK, User:Mariko-chan
 * Pairing: Soundwave/Ratchet and Steeljaw/Frenzy
 * Synopsis: G1 - Soundwave is captured by the Autobots after being severely and permanently damaged in battle.
 * Comments: An excellent, still in-progress character study of the four characters above and how they all deal with the situation at-hand. The author goes to great pains to portray the Steeljaw/Frenzy relationship not as bestiality despite Steeljaw's appearance due to his high intelligence.

Of Flesh and Metal
 * Recommended by Chiyaa
 * Pairing: Megatron/Starscream, eventually
 * Synopsis: Megatron angers one God too many and Primus finally deems it time he and his Decepticon followers learnt a cruel lesson. But will they change after seeing life through the eyes of the humans in one of the poorest places on the planet?
 * Comments: There are a lot of Transformers-turned-human fics that aren't very good. This isn't one of them. To teach them some humility, the god Primus turns Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Frenzy, Rumble, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Slipstream human and dumps them in a slum in India, where they have to learn to get along. Hilarity Ensues. It's ongoing, but updated fairly regularly. Despite being a slash fic, there's more Ship Teasing going on than actual romance.

These Games We Play by peacewish
 * Recommended by User:faustishlurve
 * Pairing: Soundwave/Jazz
 * Synopsis: Postwar AU with triumphant Decepticons and enslaved Autobots. Jazz has come into Soundwave's possession in the Cybertronian equivalent of a poker bet. Alternates between domestic comedy moments of Jazz acclimating to the family atmosphere of Soundwave and his cassettes, and strangely romantic/sexual powerplays as Soundwave and Jazz struggle for control over Jazz's senses of independence and self.
 * Comments: Unlike a lot of postwar fics, the politics of pacifying remaining renegade Autobots and the subtle possibility of an empire-wide slave revolt remain a solidly present background thread, even pulling into the foreground at times. Additionally, the culture of Cassettes and their symbiotic hosts is explored in depth for once, and the reader actually gets a solid picture of what Soundwave does in a peacetime situation. Kudos to peacewish for updating fairly steadily over the last nearly two and a half years.

Alternate Universe Fics
Fallout and Fallout: Apocalypse by Nan00k
 * Recommended by throwaawy
 * Synopsis: Fifty years after Mission City, Earth has lost hope. Galvatron's drones scour the land. Eleven humans, Autobots, and Decepticons struggle to survive. Now has it's own page.
 * Comments: A series of snippets detailing a time where the events of the first live-action film went very very differently. Both the Autobots and Decepticons have been all but wiped out, with humanity not faring much better. The characterizations are compelling, especially in how the disparate personalities involved mesh together and interact. The first story is more or less one complete plot arc and has a sequel detailing the 'next' arc.

Crossover Fics
The Animorphs Enter the Beast Wars by Gaz42
 * Recommended by User:The Rich Sheik
 * Synopsis: Exactly What It Says On the Tin. Erik warns the Animorphs that Visser 3 has obtained an almost functioning time machine. During the battle to seize it the device is hit by a dragon beam, activating it and sending the group, Visser 3, and 30 controllers back in time to the Beast Wars.
 * Comments: Humans that become animals teaming up with Robots that become animals. Explores the parallels in character personalities between the heroes and villains. Sadly no Villain Team-Up here. (Terrasoar and Waspinator can beat the controllers.)