Young Writers Society

All right, so I've been playing around with this idea for a bit and I'm willing to give it a shot. Basically, my dream job is to one day write for some future Transformers series. Until then, I'm stuck with that interesting realm known as "fanfiction." And, being an avid writer of such fiction, I've decided to take the idea of "some future transformers series" and make it a reality.

The result: TRANSFORMERS: ROLL OUT (premiering sometime later this year)

Transformers: Roll Out (or T:RO) is going to be that "some future series." A continuity I've created for Transformers in an attempt to see what I can and cannot do with the storyline. It'll be published in written "episodes" (basically chapters of a book) on several websites, including here.

The story: Cybertron is in political turmoil. A rogue gladiator named Megatron has been preaching the ideals of equal rights for all to the lower-caste workers of the planet. Miners, soldiers, and gladiators are all beginning to answer this gladiator-turned-revolutionary's call to peacefully reform Cybertron's government.

However, elsewhere in the universe, a small team of Autobots working maintenance detail in some small, backwater colony are listening to these events unfold just outside the space bridge they keep in order. It is then that Megatron's ship, fleeing battle with Cybertronian forces, passes through the bridge. Suddenly realizing that Megatron's formerly peaceful movement has gone violent, the group attempts to flee battle with their short-range transwarp drive. Megatron stows aboard in order to subdue the ship just as they jump four lightyears away into some even more remote planet.

Their ship crashes, but the Autobot's escape beforehand and are scattered across the globe. Megatron is brutally injured in the fight and dredged from the bottom of a lake by the US military, who have their own plans for the Cybertronian...

The main story then picks up four years later. The Autobots are trying to stay hidden from sight and somehow get a distress call back to Cybertron. Meanwhile, the Decepticon's, lead by Megatron's political adviser Shockwave, continue to search for their missing leader in order to inspire hope to the revolting masses back on Cybertron.

Anyway, that's the gist of it so far. Characters include:

Autobots: Optimus Prime, Hot Shot, Red Alert, Ironhide, and I'm considering either Flareup, Jetfire, and/or Jazz.
Decepticons: Megatron, Starscream, Shockwave, Soundwave, Skywarp, Lugnut, and considering a few others as well.
Unaffiliated: Sideways, Jetstorm, the Vehicons

So that's the plan so far. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'd definitely like to hear them! Feedback wanted and highly appreciated! Thanks for reading!

I'll be honest, I didn't want to read this because I'm not a fan of big smashy robots, so I gave it to someone else to read for me and he said it looked awesome, and here I am to swallow my words.

I still don't like robots much, but I do love underdogs, and having the good guys roaming around in fear of their lives while still trying to break through and send out a distress call is a brilliant plot.

It'll be interesting to watch how the main story progresses. *Anything* could happen, and *anybody* could be the hero. That pre-main-story part sets up for so many possibilities and I can't wait to see what you do with it.

I have to agree with you. When all a Transformers series is is "big smashy robots," I usually don't like it. It's plot and characters that usually make a good Transformers series, which is why Beast Wars, Animated, and Prime have all been major successes with fans both new and old. The movies, however, are big financial successes, but they have no soul and no value to rewatch because it really boils down to just "big smashy robots" with dumb human teens running around in the foreground.

But I'm glad you like the idea, especially since you're not a dedicated fan. I'm hoping to please both fans and people who have never actually watched anything Transformers-related at all. It's a story meant for everyone, not just Transformers geeks or people looking for cheap entertainment. I hope it can impress you when it actually starts moving.

So... the story of Spartacus with Transformers, with a side of X Men government conspiracy/hiding mutant powers.

Really, that's what I read when I saw that.

That isn't actually bad. If you're going for a Beast Wars type feel, then you'll probably hit more notes than anything else (I watched that show just enough to have an undying love for it) and will stay away from the various action smashing thing that get really, really boring in print.

I would just be aware that the plot looks really chock full of tropes, and could get really predictable, really fast. I'd become really familiar with conspiracy plots, with rebellion plots, and with "people hiding powers" plots. These are all fairly common right now, so there's a lot to look into.

As you said, really focus on the characters. Fleshing them out enough that they'll have non-standard reactions to the events going on will help keep your plot moving in the right direction, and you might end up making or breaking this story on the human allies, simply because you are working with pre-made characters. Make sure you have something to really give this some meat, and you'll be fine.