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 (wiki). 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 Botosphere
 * Recommended by 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

Sakon76
 * Recommended by 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 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 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 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 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 Jeysie
 * Technically less a website in and of itself, but rather a Group on DeviantART 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 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.

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.'

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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..

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.

Dead Aces by Lex1
 * Recommended by Rebecca Hb.
 * Synopsis: Half a year after the Aerialbots arrive on Earth, a mission goes somewhat awry.

Power Cut
 * Recommended by Gecko
 * Synopsis: Megatron is busy plotting. Unfortunately, so is Sideways.

28 Starscreams
 * Recommended by 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.

The More Things Change
 * Recommended by 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.

Masks
 * Recommended by Danel
 * Seconded by 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.

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."

Transformers Frontier By Ghengis Quan.
 * Recommended by: 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.

Transformers Animated: Cybertronian Genesis by Darth T-Rex
 * Recommended by 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.

SEEDs of Transformation by Arthur Hansen and Fanboyimusprime
 * Recommended by 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...

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.

StepFather by Consuelo Higdon
 * Recommended by Calamity Jane
 * Synopsis: Even after all Hot Shot had gone through, in the end, he still had absolutely no idea who Rodimus Prime was.

Transformers: Juxtaposition by ''Vaeru.
 * Recommended by 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

How It Is by NightElfCrawler
 * Recommended by 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.

Purpose by SeekerFreefall
 * Recommended by lurker
 * Synosis: What is the reason for a Prime to exist?

A Bolt Out Of The Blue by Ryuuza Kochou
 * Recommended by 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.

Thinking 'Bout The Future by Epona Harper
 * Recommended by Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: You didn't think Sector Seven would let Bumblebee go home with Sam without protest, did you?

Security Breech by Cyndi
 * Recommended by Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: CHRISTMAS FIC. Will finds a way to freak Ironhide out.

Glances Into A Spark by Saesama
 * Recommended by 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.

Bone Garden by Dierdre
 * Recommended by [Cedarleaf
 * Synopsis: The next time Starscream set foot on human soil, it was in a forgotten place. Post-2007 Movieverse

Fidelis by The Starhorse
 * Recommended by Zephyr77
 * Synopsis: Even Optimus Prime has to wallow sometimes.

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.

CSI: Ark by MoonMadKitty/Tanaigre
 * Recommended by 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...

Do You Know What it Feels Like by ajremix
 * Recommended by 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.

Limelight: Dreadwind by Loganprime
 * Recommended by 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.

Transformers: War Journal by Various Authors
 * Recommended by 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 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.

Best First by SkyShadow
 * Recommended by 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.

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.

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.

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?

Property Of by hydraling110
 * Recommended by TF Latte
 * 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.

Isola Di Poveglia by Alaskan Olive
 * Recommended by 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.

Things We Don't Tell Humans by Sinead Rivka
 * Recommended by Mariko-chan
 * 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"

Ragnarök Rising : Optimus along with the sequels Ragnarök's Eve: Prowl and Ragnarök by vericus ciaris
 * Recommended by 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'."

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.

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.

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"?

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?

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."

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."

An Adjustment of Plans
 * Recommended by NK
 * Pairing: Soundwave/Ratchet and Steeljaw/Frenzy
 * Synopsis: G1 - Soundwave is captured by the Autobots after being severely and permanently damaged in battle.

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?

These Games We Play by peacewish
 * Recommended by 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.

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.

Crossover Fics
The Animorphs Enter the Beast Wars by Gaz42
 * Recommended by 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.