#Firstforged

[autoacafiles]

[docgold13]

Optimus's origins would be expanded upon in the cartoon & would essentially become his defacto origins in most TF media: Originally a bot named Orion Pax he was a humble little fellow, His Nobility, & Optimism caught the eye of Alpha Trion (One of the Thirteen Primes) & deemed him worthy to carry The Matrix of Leadership thus reforming Orion into Optimus Prime.

Coolness. 

And the Thirteen Primes, or the Firstforged, were the original Cybertronians created by Primus to fight the force of destruction that had manifested as Unicron.  The transformers have a very rich and intricate lore.  

I suppose they are indeed more than meets the eye...

[karanseraph]

Ages of Cybertronian History

I'm trying to work through my writing process in public again here, but it does sometime help me to organize thoughts.

I'm still writing The Life and Times of Skywarp. It's close to reaching 400K words and is nowhere near finished. I think this meandering style of writing I often do comes from not pre-planning. Like, if I already knew the major pivotal events in his life, I could skip ahead to the next one and summarized what had happened in between. But I don't necessarily know the order of events in this fan continuity.

Some existing ages (from TFWiki, that can happen differently in various continuities):

Age of Evolution (simple machines, a macguffin, or god happened)

Age of Primes (The Thirteen in charge)

Great Cataclysm/Age of Extinction (Cybertron altered, Predcons die)

Age of Firstforged/Knights/Origins (Non-Prime Legendary figures)

Dark Age (A period of warlords, tribes or city-states at war)

Age of Wrath (Bots vs Quintessons at some point)

Age of Internment (Time(s) of internment for particular group(s))

Golden Age (Time(s) of energy prosperity and peace)

Age of Expansion (Colonization by Cybertronians)

Age of Rust (A Rust Plague Pandemic at some point)

Great War (Time(s) of war, often Autobot vs Decepticon)

Combiner Wars (Time of combination and violent division)

Great Exodus (Most Cybertronians abandon Cybertron)

Great Shutdown (Cybertron and those on it stasis locked)

Pax Cybertronia (Time of peace perceived as forced, probably)

Beast Wars (something techno-organic, probably)

Great Transformation (something esoteric and technorganic)

How I think these exist in my fan-continuity, so far:

Age of Evolution (Simple machines made planet that self-actualized, or religious lore is true.)

Age of Primes (Primes and Predcons co-exist, not all friendly, first contact with other dimensions)

Great Cataclysm (southern hemisphere altered, most Precons die, Unicron theorists suggest...)

Fall/Decline of Primes (Primes turn on each other, die or leave, Maximo made Maximals on his farm, other dimension knowledge lost)

Age of Origins/Warring States (rise of warlords and city-states)

Age of Internment (prejudice against remaining Predacons and Maximals, biped/vehicle supremacy)

State Games (Attempted non-violent resolution between states)

Time of Seduction (First Contact with Quintessons introduces interstellar commerce, xenocultural influence, establishment of senate)

Age of Wrath (Poductization of Cybertronians leads to rebellion and war against Quintessons, enables different Cybertronians to work together against common enemy.)

Golden Age (post-war freedom from productization categories/classifications, mostly egalitarian, trade between city-states, some shipping trade with other planets, but increasing senate corruption)

Age of Expansion (Space Bridge Corps and Titan Projects race to serve needs/wants to expand and attain resources/goods without Quintesson reliance, rediscovery of other dimensions kept from general public)

Age of Games? (political maneuvering on Cybertron and colony worlds, prejudice against constructs and outliers, increasing calls for representation, new State Games, Rise of The Ascent in south rivaling Polyhex Province and Greater Iacon, use of shadowplay and propaganda, factions as politics)

Age of Rust (expansion leads to Rust Plague pandemic. Space bridge technology blamed and defunded, isolationism and purging of xeno population on Cybertron, killing of wildlife believed to carry disease, trade disruption, assistance from another dimension aids in discovery of cure but exposes previous coverup.)

War (factions as identity, conflict between super-powers tips into war between factions, further detabliized infrastructure, exhausted resources)

Great Exodus (most of remaining population abandons Cybertron as resources dwindle)

Time of Seeking? (State of war between factions continues, piracy, seeking resources and artifacts, attempts to locate lost colonies, galactic reputation of Cybertron terrible, a particular collision in the Sol System.)

Something I've been trying to figure out is if war starts before or after Rust, but in this version, it's like they start with cold war, attempt to deal with Rust, and then only when getting the cure break into active combat?

IDK how much this makes sense.

[thenamesblurrito]

Ahshdhdj thank you for the explanation post! However there are some characters I don't recognize, those being Solduron, Apex Ginrai, Physis, and Logos Prime. Also, how did Heatwave make the Hydrafire Blasters? Isn't he still a toddler?

for the most part, the various Knights of Cybertron who made these relics aren't, in fact, super important, outside of a meta sense of recognizing another canon name peppered into SNAP lore. they're looooong dead historical figures that have little influence over what's going on today, outside of a possible ghost left inside their relics

Solduron was a set of armor invented by Primacron, an alien POW back during the God War. Apex Ginrai was the first Titanmaster, and essentially my version of the canon human Ginrai. Physis... now Physis is some meta stuff, but essentially all you need to know is it was a moth. a very meta moth, much like another moth, perhaps? and then Logos is one of the Thirteen original Primes in this canon, a trinemate of Quintus and Vector. you can see him being a dumb teen over at @ask-the-firstforged which i have NOT abandoned i simply do not have the time to draw and haven't for a good while

Heatwave the ancient powerful Knight just happens to share a name with bitty baby Heatwave Pax! repeated/shared names are fairly common in this universe. kind of like how it only took one Alexander the Great for the name to be common across multiple cultures even thousands of years later, there's a good number of folks with historical, traditional, or religious names. there's plenty of Megatrons/other variants of Megatronus-es, there's been several Optimuses who became Primes throughout history, and Servo is the most common religious name as a traditional term for the Guiding Hand. heck, some folks are named after the Knights' relics, like Star Saber the teacher, or Terminus the junker, or even a young Knight named Terminus millions of years ago who was the last to use an uncorrupted Terminus Blade, his namesake, before he was slain and the relic stolen

[nexusvectorsigma]

Did I need to make this guy look like Discord?

Nope.

Did anyway.

Eh.

[askvectorprime]

Happy Holidays, Vector Prime!

We have a lot of holidays over the winter but what are your favorite Cybertronian Holidays, where do they originate and how are they celebrated? The more the merrier.

Dear Festive Fan,

It probably won't surprise you to learn that, like humans, Cybertronians have a wealth of holidays—often known by different names across realities. One held around this time of Kilo-Cycle would be Deliverance Day—the story, too, varies; I spoke earlier of Thunder Cross and the Cyber-Solstice, but for many protoforms across the multiverse, it is the Arisen who delivers gifts on this occasion. I do remember my sibling delivering presents to the fledgling societies of the Firstforged—little did any of us know that this good deed would pass into myth! I know Alchemist has kept up the tradition, when our sibling has been indisposed. Your kind has similar legends, I believe—during dark times, a good bot must always arise to bring good cheer to their fellows.

Later in the year, we celebrate All Spark Day, marking the day when the first Cybertronian arose from the surface of Cybertron. We hold the Parade of Metals, a celebration of the substance that gives us all life, and sustains us. It's a time for togetherness, for sharing stories, and merriment.

During the Festival of Primes—also called the Primal Procession, or the Ceremony of the Unending Circuit—we commemorate the Lineage of Primes, begun when Prima first passed on the Matrix of Leadership. Many Primes, honoring tradition, have also passed on the Matrix to their successors during this festival.

You know, listing them out like this, I realize that my siblings and I all feature heavily in these festivities. Perhaps it makes sense that my favorite holiday is one which I had nothing to do with: Chosen One Day. I could never have imagined that an occasion created out of greed and egotism would transform into such a time of sharing and kindness!

So, in the spirit of Chosen One Day, I shall retire for the night, and spend some time with my loved ones. May whatever festivals you celebrate fill you with love and good cheer, and may your wires never cross, and your luster never dull!

[horizonzerodawnaesthetic]

Firstforge

[ask-the-firstforged]

“What’d you do to it, Vector?” “Nothing! Just cut it apart, like normal! I dunno what this is.” “Pfft, it’s making noises at you. You definitely did something to it, some funky spacetime thing.” “No really! I… it does have weird vibes, but it’s not my fault-” “Aren’t you gonna answer it?” “Uhm….. hello?”

Ask Vector (Prime?) and the firstforged family

Welcome to a Transformers AU askblog centered around the very first members of the Cybertronian species, before they even know what “species” means! The main AU can be found over at @thenamesblurrito​, this is a spinoff of sorts.

CONTEXT & RULES CHARACTERS (check who’s active by clicking the ‘active’ button on the side) ASKBOX: closed while I work through answering, 13/15 current asks M!A: none, not accepting any right now

For those on mobile for whom the links might not work, all the information is contained below the cut-

Characters-

(bolded/starred ones are currently active and available for questions)

*Vector- youngling. he/him. a timespace mess. *Logos- youngling. he/him. reality optional. *Quintus- youngling. they/them. kills with curiosity. Solus- youngling. she/her. flaming creativity. *Maximo- youngling. they/them. slick and clever. Prima- youngling. he/him. plans and people. Optimus- youngling. they/them. hope via punching. *Megatronus- youngling. he/him. rough and tumble. *Alpha- youngling. he/him. prim and peculiar. Onyx- youngling. he/him. dog person™. Amalgamous- youngling. they/them. anti-physicality. Micronus- youngling. he/him. trick AND treat. Alchemist- youngling. he/him. good vibes only. Nexus- youngling. they/them, singular she/her. scatterbodied. Primus- adult. he/him. bit of a fixer upper. Epistemus- adult. he/him. genuine genius. Adaptus- adult. he/him. good-hearted jock. Solomus- adult. he/him. will cut you. Mortilus- adult. he/him. hugs from heaven.

Context-

In a strange little sector of space, there is a living metal planet. Secreted away across the planet, there are members of a family. An odd and unpracticed family, they are the first of their species. The firstforged family.

This is an AU ‘prequel’ spinoff of a Transformers fan canon called TF:SNAP, following the first Cybertronians to ever exist. The events of this askblog are noncanonical to SNAP, and vice versa. I don’t use OCs for this project, and the vast majority if not all of the plot and worldbuilding elements I use have some basis in actual TF canon somewhere. If you recognize something, congrats! You’ve probably found one of the canon inspirations I’m drawing from. If it’s not like you’re used to, please remember this is an AU of a fan canon.

The firstforged family is the Guiding Hand and the original Primes, and you can check out the interactive character roster here. The Primes are all younglings, teenager equivalents, and all siblings. The Guiding Hand are all adults, all siblings, and the parents of the Primes. If you’re wondering what there is to do on a primordial Cybertron where these are the only people to exist and ‘civilization’ isn’t even a word yet… send an ask ;)

Content warning-

Topics I may cover/draw include: violence, gore, invasive mental and medical acts, genocide/forced extinction, violation of personal boundaries Topics I won’t cover/draw include: lemon/NSFW

Rules-

I’m doing this for fun, to explore my own canon. I reserve the right to ignore or delete asks I’m uncomfortable with answering, wait as long as I need to answer an ask, and say no to any prompt I don’t want to pursue. I do have some plot to follow here, so stay tuned for that.

This is, kind of, an AVP blog! Ask Vector Prime has been a source of canon information for Transformers for a long time, and I’m greatly inspired by the noncanonical fan one run here on tumblr. The Vector behind this blog, however, is much younger, less experienced, and ignorant of a great many things. Feel free to fish for information, but he probably knows less than you do!

This isn’t an RP blog. RP blogs are free to send in-character asks, just for some interdimensional spice, but I’m not going to start any threads, I don’t have the mental bandwidth for a back-and-forth like that.

Not shipping any of these characters with each other, sorry. It’s a bunch of siblings and parents. Ships might work in other continuities, but not this one.

I don’t mind innuendo or violence-related NSFW, but no sexytimes here.

I won’t accept magic anons unless I ask for them, so pay attention for when I put out a request. I’ll keep that status updated in a pinned post, along with any other current events/themes/arcs. There will also be times when some characters are ‘away’ aka unavailable for this blog, as opposed to ‘active’. Please check the character roster to find out which ones are active.

[thewollfgang]

373

Actual Word Count 375

Chloe inhales a shaky breath and nods. ”Okay, okay. We’ll have to do something about that before the police get here and we need to warn your Chloe and my Lucifer.”

“Warn them?”

She nods. “Qutab is after the blade. She’s got it and she’s with Lucifer.”

Lucifer’s mouth thins. “It’s the only thing on Earth with the ability to kill me, except for Maze’s knives. Given the choice between facing off with a firstforged demon or a human, I can see why he chose you, even if it was a grave miscalculation.”

“Why? Because you’d save me?”

He raises an eyebrow. “While I will always do my best to protect you, Detective, I do not restrict your freedom. Qutab made a mistake when he underestimated you. You are a worthy and dangerous opponent in your own right.”

“Oh.” She feels a little embarrassed. “Thank you.”

[autoacafiles]

The stories of the Firstforged are many and the mysteries many more, but one of the most commonly understood aspects was that Cybertronians aligned themselves to the Firstforged that best reflected their values, and that when the schism led to all out war between the Thirteen, those that followed their lead would either go into battle alongside them or find another way to secure their legacy. Though most Cybertronians have long since forgotten the tribes, they remain a somewhat important historical fact, and the names of these tribes still stand in the writings and records of the ancient ages.

The devout followers of Prima, the Houses of Light divided themselves under given surnames, many of which are still prominent in Cybertronian society today, including House Pax, House Ambus and House Maximus. The Houses of Light were often in stories portrayed as less of a tribe and more an order of gallant knights, and are to this day seen as keeps of order, hosting the largest number of Convoys from their lineage.

Considered a tribe of barbarians and conquerors by the history books, the Darklanders were those that followed Megatronus, taking their name from the wild and then untamed regions of Cybertron that they resided in. It is said that the surviving Darklanders thrived after the Schism, forming under warlords to try and rule what remained of the then scorched planet.

The followers of Onyx Prime, the members of the Flock sought to spread their wings out into the cosmos and create new homes for themselves. They believed in finding that balance between the organic and the technological, and unlike others would rather live alongside the organic nature of their adopted homeworlds. While isolation has lead some descended warlords such as Gigatron, Yharon and Dragotron to see a bestial superiority, it is known that Onyx always advocated a way of collaboration.

A tribe that focused on both smithing and artistry, it is said that this tribe were taught by Solus to see the beauty in all things. Contributing to Solus’ work on the Primal Amory, the Radiant Forges departed Cybertron completely on the advent of the Schism, seeking to avoid conflict and preserving their culture in honour of Solus, as well as hiding as many of the weapons they were responsible for. While they were only remembered only by name and relics for many eons, the emergence of Caminus lead to a resurgence of their culture.

Those that followed Amalgus Prime were said to be those that believed that transformation was the most fundamental function of their being. It is said that all natural triple changers were descended from the people of the Enigmakind, with rumours spreading some of their kind had evolved to have even more mode. None of the Enigmakind, however, could ever truly guess the depths of their leader’s obsession with form and transformation, nor the steps they would take to affirm this.

Said to be the forebearers of the minicon race, the people who followed Micronus Prime were said to be the earliest to sprout the irregular abilities that would come to be known as “Talents”. The Micron Arms were firms believers in unity and that they were stronger together, a statement attested to by entries that say the people of the Micron Arms were even able to bolster the powers of their allies with the abilities.

The servants of Liege Maximo, it is said that many of those that joined this tribe were manipulated by Liege or his acolytes, fed lies to buy their loyalty to them. While in most cases this would make the tribe fragile, Liege’s mastery of the spoken tongue allowed the tribe to remain intact, at least until he vanished into the Dark Ages.

Knowledge and Wisdom is true power, especially to the followers of Alpha Trion. They were said to be seekers of great knowledge, believing that everything has future consequences. Every event recorded in detail, giving Cybertronians a vast degree of information on the past that not even the smartest races of the galaxy can hope to have. It is said that the Dark Age that came after the Schism, before Knight Convoy uncovered the Matrix, is the one blank mark of the Lorekeepers’ records, and they hope one day to change that.

One of the least well understood of the Thirteen Tribes, Gestalta followed the teachings of Nexus Prime, said to act as middlemen between the different tribes to maintain stability and foster unity. With the recent rediscovery of combiner technology, some are beginning to suspect the name Gestalta and their interest in unity had a double meaning.

One might call the Adherents of the Moment less of a tribe and more of a group of people who like to chill around each other. While not directly lead by Alchemist Prime, the Adherents of the Moment follow his way of taking each day as it comes and enjoying every moment you get. As a result, they kept their hand clean during the schism and spread out amongst the stars, creating their own little communities away from the conflict.

The followers of Vector Prime are those so dedicated to their leader that when Vector disappeared into the temporal wilds, they patiently waited for his return. While some members of the tribe await his return so that they may learn from his knowledge from the future, others wish to ensure that the flow of history is not disrupted, though as the days turn into years, and the years turn into millennia with no sign of Vector, few continue this once sacred duty.

Lifegivers is perhaps too narrow of a descriptor for the ambitions that flow from the tribe of Quintessa Prime. They seek not only to create new life, but also to constantly build and improve upon it, as well as existing life. An eternal quest to bring everything to its quintessential self. A general disregard for time honored traditions in the face of advancement and evolution puts them at odds with the more fundamentalist tribes.

Little is known about the mysterious thirteenth tribe. Their leader, their goals, their communes are all a mystery. Even their symbol has been found in scarce ruins and artifacts. This has resulted in the tentatively known “Others” to be one of the largest historical mysteries, even to this day...

[stonecrusherdrawsthearts]

Cybertronic Revolution - ENTRY 001 SUBJECT: Optimus Prime SPECIES: Cybertronian Career: Autobot Commander Alt Mode: Semi Truck Signature Weapon: Plasma Axe

He was once a rebel leader who, in order to give a guiding hand to the Autonomous Robot Resistance, took the appearance and name of a member of the Thirteen Firstforged Primes. Before that, he was a record keeper named Orion Pax, working under the Decepticon Regime to examine ancient history texts for the Matrix of Power once held by Prima of the First. Now, he's the one who stands atop the tower of Cybertron, having walked to it on a staircase of failures and screw-ups, every step feeling like it would be the one where he falls from their graces. He doesn't feel like he should be the leader. Hell, if anyone knew the extent of how he helped the Decepticons rise to power, he'd be shot on the spot. But for now, he looks over Cybertron, to protect it from harm… and to await the day his sins are laid bare.

[of-fire-and-light]

“As I understand it from what my lord has told me,” Cyclonus says - a little carefully, because he’s not sure how much of this he has a right to repeat - “it was indeed chance that our creator found our timeline’s Megatron, but it was Megatron’s strength and potential that informed the decision of what to do with him. The results… exceeded Unicron’s expectations, shall we say, and not necessarily in directions that were to his benefit.”

He’s torn between his reflexive pride in his lord, and the desire not to give the impression that Galvatron’s extraordinary capabilities are purely down to his inheritance from Megatron. As far as Cyclonus is concerned, Galvatron is quite simply greater than the sum of his parts. Neither Megatron’s contributions nor Unicron’s crafting fully explain the firstforged Herald’s unique strength of character.

And as for the latter question… Cyclonus gives Megatron a look that’s on the brink of incredulity. “Do the Decepticons thrive under Galvatron? You need to understand, Megatron: the battle of Autobot City followed by the last stand against Unicron reduced the Decepticons to nothing. To a handful of squabbling empties stranded on a dead world. The last of everything they could offer was expended by Scourge and myself to recover Galvatron, and everything after that is to his credit. The Decepticons as you knew them continue to exist at all only thanks to Galvatron’s leadership.” He’s heard plenty of people say that he is the power behind the throne, that Galvatron commands in name only, but it simply isn’t the truth. 

“And those who serve him loyally, and at least reasonably competently, have nothing to fear from him. He doesn’t pander to traitors and malcontents as you, or at least our version of you, did-” Starscream’s name hangs unspoken “-but those who follow him to the best of their ability can expect his protection and a share in what resources we have. The Decepticons have fuel, supplies, a throneworld, and a cause to fight for - what more would you have him offer them this soon, from so inauspicious a beginning?

“His temper can be volatile, true, and he isn’t patient with fools. But by all accounts, much the same was true of you.”

(Pick whoever you like :3) ’ i am filled with a hunger to consume and be consumed ’

Cyclonus here, intercepting this ask before Galvatron sees it. “Then I can only assume that’s why the Unmaker saw such potential in you,” he responds.

His tone is carefully neutral, his optics wary as he watches the silver mech. Cyclonus doesn’t hate Megatron, not in the reflexive way that Galvatron does. Galvatron’s discomfort around Megatron(s) is rather unique in its quality; born of having detailed, first-person knowledge of everything his predecessor ever did, but not feeling the same emotions or motivations that justified it all at the time.

But Cyclonus does know that Megatron is old and cunning and much more than meets the eye, and he’s not letting that knowledge slip his mind. He’ll talk, if Megatron wishes, but he’ll tread carefully.

[thenamesblurrito]

"and an underlying component of��� spirituality, i guess" Cybertronian: "Oh Great Primus, smite my enemies" Primus, groggy, half asleep: "No" after which he turns on the mute button.

it's sort of like that i guess? there's absolutely an organized state religion sanctioned by the functionist regime, revolving around Primus and the firstforged to some degree, but it's very much a tool of state control and thought policing rather than moral and spiritual development. more genuine branches of the religion or "heretical" offshoots need to be carefully concealed lest they be persecuted. Star Saber is one of the kind and genuine spiritual authorities, but not everybody is like him

but religion and spirituality aren't synonyms, and the spiritual/metaphysical layer of SNAP's universe is a major foundation of all my worldbuilding and storytelling. typically in canon there's the big deity duo of Primus vs Unicron, equal and opposite cornerstones of the fabric of their universe. while both of those things exist in SNAP, they are not the big deity duo that play tug-of-war with reality. SNAP's duo is different. there's an invisible rivalry going on in SNAP's worldbuilding that doesn't overtly affect anyone on Cybertron to their knowledge, and they don't even have the context to realize it's happening. so this is more meta information/pre- and post-SNAP lore, because it will only show up a little in the main storyline, but it's something i deliberately decided on

Vector Sigma is not the only singularity in the universe, and is certainly not the largest

[nexusvectorsigma]

[askvectorprime]

Did any other prime also have the ability to transform or just Amalgamous?

Dear Transformation Tracker,

Certainly. Amalgamous was just the best at it.

Just because each of the Firstforged had specialities, didn't mean the others were inept at it. I may be the Guardian of Time and Space, but Onyx and Alchemist had their own abilities to see into other times and places. Solus was the paramount creator, but we are able to make our own tools when she is unavailable; Alpha Secundus boasted his ability to make computer systems outweighed her own, while Nexus always liked making his own blades. Autonomous Maximus was the ultimate warrior, but no one could deny that the Fallen or Beta were among the greatest masters of battle.

Likewise, while Amalgamous was a master of transformation, each of the Thirteen had one or more alternate modes we can use, depending on our bodies at the time. You are well aware of my preferred Solar Sailor mode, and Primon was incredibly fond of his Laputan Machine form.

[horizonzerodawnaesthetic]

I accidentally found firstforge on my own before the quest, so I skipped right over the hidden ember visit with Erend :( I didn’t even know it was a thing until everyone was talking about it. I’ll have to make extra sure I go through it when ng+ comes out.