#cyberflora

[zoomzooml]

[Worldbuilding] Flora of Cybertron

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#worldbuilding #Transformers Cheesy Fan Continuity #TFCheesy #Cyberflora #cybertronian ecosystem #my thing #maccadam #long post #I feel like I forgot something but I don't know what #I hope it's just a hunch lol #fan continuity #transformers fan continuity

[thenamesblurrito]

eleven whole ask dumps

that’s a LOT! topics this time are: survivalists, cavemen, survival tv shows, Bloodron, plantformers, food storage, eating underwater, beast mode mouths, Rodimus and Abominus and flammability, and Rock Lords

as a matter of fact yes! it’s sort of difficult, because it’s a labor intensive process to mine, purify, distill, and store enough energon and other foodstuffs all by yourself unless your alt mode is like an energon refinery or something. so it isn’t a quick and easy solution for just anybody who has issues with the current regime. as it stands, it’s genuinely easier and safer for many junkers to hang around in the city than it is to rough it in the wilds, otherwise they’d be gone in a heartbeat.

but!

there’s certainly been folks who prefer roughing it to living in civilization. this has been true throughout history and isn’t specifically driven by the corruption of the Stratocracy. a popular counterculture in Kup’s youth was spelunkers/squatters who would specifically seek out old buried ruins and underground places to live in, like cavemen if you will, just because they could. there are antisocial folks and hermits and extreme introverts who would rather homestead than deal with anyone in their vicinity. there’s one crazy kook of a dedicated scientist in particular that i am still waffling about actually showing in SNAP’s storyline, but old gramma Glyph is definitely still kicking somewhere in the Forbidden Zone and has been since before size classes became a thing! she would absolutely fill the role this ask describes (not the same Glyph as the JAAT student, mind you, it’s just another common name)

there are still people who live in caves. no, not the folks i mentioned in the above answer, i mean like there are entire underground cities and everything. there’s a lot of stuff down there anyway! living underground is not unusual on Cybertron and a good percentage of infrastructure and industry isn’t even visible from the surface in some places

that said, there is archaeological evidence that the original Cybertronian civilizations actually developed below ground and migrated upward/outward! First City, a set of ruins swallowed by the Rust Sea, is the aptly named earliest appearance of a proper settlement aboveground, but it shows evidence of being a base camp before a proper city, and contains artifacts and materials thought to have been taken from belowground before being put in the city. the entire concept of Simfur was of a holy temple city that was already supposed to be underground before some great cataclysm sundered it so far beneath the surface that not even its original inhabitants could find it. so “cavepeople” were, in a way, the default from which mecha have branched out from to live on the surface

and re: eating mechanimals, that’s definitely a (relatively) recent cultural value, and it isn’t even universal. there’s been people eating mechanimals throughout history, and likewise there have been people squeamish and disapproving about it for just as long. the current social climate is disapproving, but that’s variable depending on when and where you look into history

fsdfhgljfsdghfk yknow what sure. on Carcer and Eukaris specifically because these are the cultures i think would be into that. the more widespread popular version of this is probably space travel survival instead of on-planet wilderness. like can you pilot a ship for a vorn with limited supplies out into the black and make it to your destination with minimal contact kind of challenge. not unlike those solo sailing challenges i suppose

okay so this was a joke ask from Jensen that has now fleshed out a piece of SNAP history thanks

Bloodron was a tyrant of Caminus during the Prime Wars who took over after the murder of the previous de facto Camien leaders, Solus Prime’s children Magnum and Pyra (the original Magnus and Mistress of Flame, respectively). he was successful where other conquerors had not been in part because of his ruthless execution of the original usurpers who murdered the twins, instead of trying to pander and please. while his methods were cruel, he was debatably the safest option for leadership at the time and was instrumental in putting down further unrest on the colony as even Cybertron was swallowed by chaos. he and his enemy/conjunx/??? Convoy (a name at this point, not yet a fancy title) worked together to thwart scheming insurrectionists vying for power amongst their familial and political blocs, which resulted in a mostly unified culture for Caminus many centuries later and gave them a legacy of being a very strong, put-together colony. the academic community remembers him and his period of history with mixed feelings. while what he did for Caminus was pretty good, all things considered, he was not exactly a good person himself

excellent questions!! i think the only plantformer i’ve got in my cast list atm is Botanica so i won’t have a lot of examples here. unlike beastformers looking like mechanimals, not a lot of plantformers actually take after a specific species of cyberflora. most seem to generate their own unique specimen, although in root mode many of them are quintoid frametypes

since cyberflora grow out of/need to be rooted to some kind of hotspots, plantformers often have very strong sparks, or at least a very high degree of energy cycling, and act as their own personalized hotspot. this gives them quicker and better than average healing, but it does mean they have a higher metabolism. some of them have alt modes that can process energon and/or package it. these are considered “fruit bearing” cyberflora alt modes, and are often given fuel processing functions much like vending machine, distillery, or refinery alt mode. this is really the only kind of food you’ll get from a plantformer, even though actual cyberflora are used for food in many many more ways than just energon fruit. most plantformer alt mode products won’t be eaten and are instead used in their function’s industry, or perhaps as a rare and expensive knick-knack in the same vein as some kind of handmade collector’s item

their mobility isn’t usually very high, in keeping with how most cyberflora function. filling a niche in the ecosystem may look like sifting metal, crystallizing minerals, conducting and rerouting electricity, or another small but significant part of planetary upkeep. as such, the majority of plantformers have alt modes designed to slot into a given environment where they can participate in the ecosystem, often moving only at the whims of their environment. a heavily cabled transmission tower tree meant to fit in amongst buzzing mangroves will have flexible bases and strong grounding roots as it connects to other trees with its cables. a lone lightning rod pine out on the prairie will have similar grounding roots that go even deeper and broader, meant to conduct lightning all the way to a planetary leyline, and windmill sequoias have perhaps the sturdiest, broadest trunks to brace their height against the movement of their milling boughs. on the opposite end of the spectrum, tangled cable tumbleweeds can unplug at any moment and be set adrift to seek out any new crevice or cranny to worm its wires into. it really depends on the plantformer’s individual alt mode. Botanica has root cabling to keep her steady when in alt mode, but her leaves and boughs are still mobile

this actually has less to do with stuff like mold or sour milk and more to do with expiring chemicals, decaying materials, and loss of charge. the point of energon is how it inherently carries a charge instead of just being burnt for power, but if you leave energon or batteries or what have you for too long, it’ll lose that charge. maybe it can be recharged, but you’ve lost an important part of your fuel just from waiting too long. undercharged energon is better than nothing, but it won’t fix your lethargy. expired chemicals can either be inert and useless or highly flammable/explosive/dangerous in some way depending on what it is and what kind of reaction it had over time. you don’t really wanna raid the pantry and pick up something that explodes in your hand because it expired a month ago. and decay isn’t always bad, with stuff like steel woolies turning into rust bunnies, but if you’re need an iron meal and instead find just a hunk of corroded rusty junk, that’s not gonna meet your nutritional needs. proper food storage is about minimizing corrosion and decay, preserving or restoring charge, and preventing adverse chemical reactions when possible, as well as keeping out pests like scraplets

that said, i think edible-grade energon can retain its charge for... at least a good while? it’ll longer than a month and still be a full meal, i’d say, if it’s just straight liquid energon on a regular charge. that’s why it’s kept in glass despite its delicacy, since glass isn’t a good conductor. so community pantries, dead drops, hideyholes and such are all fairly effective as long as everyone remembers to keep the spaces pretty clean and make sure nothing gets left too long, which is never a problem

ummmm.... hm. this is an off the wall question. i guess i think it would be weird and difficult. like, could you eat underwater?? could you take a bite of like i dunno what’s something that doesn’t instantly fall apart in water..... a candy cane? could you safely eat a candy cane underwater? probably yes if you were very careful to keep your throat closed and also try to force out all the water in your mouth before chewing and swallowing, but it would be hard. mecha aren’t in danger of choking/drowning like humans, and it’s safe to assume that if they’re already underwater then they probably have the seals for it, but still consuming a lot of water isn’t great for a mechanical species, and it’s not easy to make sure you’re not swallowing that along with your food

oh sure, like they’re perfectly functional mouths and all, the issue is just the connection to the fuel systems. no throat, as it were. whereas the folks who can eat in beast modes essentially have two esophagi that rearrange depending on what mode they’re in. for folks like Strafe who have intact beast heads in root mode, it’s possible they can use their jaw? like she in particular uses them as a second set of unwieldy hands, but a pocket is a good idea too, or a can opener, etc etc. chewing food just to spit it back out is probably something only a very determined person with a specific food craving is going to do, because most folks who aren’t able to chew would just get silted shakes to sip with a straw

oh all the time. Rodimus’s whole THING is setting himself on fire and just throwing himself into the fray. like that one Denethor scene in LOTR but madly cackling. he only bothers showing some finesse when around Drift who he wants to impress clearly requires more careful application of skill to beat. Abominus can’t set himself on fire like Rodimus can, but he can shoot flames from his beast head and will fan them higher with his wings, which means he can essentially generate a firestorm to stand in if necessary that will drive everyone else away. Elita 5 has some immunity to flame too as a pyrokinetic hero, but is in fact still vulnerable to heat unlike the other two. she won’t get scorched, but she does need to watch her temperature

in general mecha aren’t like extremely flammable, they have much much higher heat contact tolerance than humans, but ironically have lower atmospheric heat tolerance, because the majority of them use air cycling for cooling systems and so hot weather makes them overheat easily. buncha pansy computers. but they’ll think nothing of holding an open flame, picking up embers right from a fire, ducking through a burning doorway, setting off firecrackers in their hands, etc. their caution is more about smoke and soot clogging vents, or discolored paint, or getting dents from small explosions than actually burning. they start endangering themselves when the heat gets high enough to overtake their cooling systems or melt their kibble, or has enough force to punch like in an explosion, but even then they can struggle through until actual vital internal components are compromised, at which point they’re in danger of catching fire themselves. energon isn’t super flammable when in a controlled environment like their insides, and a liquid trail can catch fire, but it’ll take a mortal wound to really get someone burning up inside

hhhmmmmmmmmm i... don’t think i’m going to use them in SNAP, or at least this storyline. i’d probably make them extraterrestrial creatures sort of like what they were in TFA. they’d fit in with stories of demons and invaders for sure

#ask dump #cybertronian culture #worldbuilding #bloodron #glyph #caminus #cybertronian biology #cybertronian food #Cybertronian history #cyberflora #Rodimus Prime #abominus #elita 5 #rock lords

[transingthoseformers]

oh it's so pretty like

It's so pretty goddamn pretty

#fic reading as ya do #🎶oh that's so coooool!🎶 #divorce au #camp lake Mithril is just so pretty like goddamn that's a lovely place #mCFUCKING PRETTY #like this is so insanely detailed— right down to the differences in cyberflora and the prints on the wall and the lake itself #the colorsssss!!!!!! #the landscape! #plus the fact that out of all the characters we know full well damus is one of the most qualified to describe it to us #it used to be a temple and subsequent grounds yes but it has become something else entirely post war #pretty

[transformers-extrication]

How did Cybertronians evolve? Did they evolve or were they originally created by something/someone? Same for the cyberfauna. Did those evolve? Are they still evolving?

Also, are there any cyberflora?

There IS Cyberflora! I just don't have much in the way of ideas for them and I'm also generally more interested in drawing critters and bots over plants myself. The Fauna errs more on the side of naturally evolving, they're just not organic lifeforms, it's also why they don't transform but I wont say they haven't had some... external help here or there to push them to certain avenues, such as the Lilleth, they're too fragile to exist as they do, so it's not wrong to believe they're that way because someone wanted a purely ornamental species. They're like Earths Peacocks but they're all multicoloured messes that wouldn't survive on their own.

Cybertronians did evolve! To a degree.

The Quintessons started it, similar to G1, however, over many billions of years the Cybertronians did swap/intermingle codes creating more and new various body shapes, frames and the like, so yes, they did start 'evolving' via the sharing and intermingling of different lines of code in new generations. So they 'evolved'. That being said they still have heavy influence from when they were Quintesson-made. Fun fact: Their teeth are an indication of their heritage. It's also of note that curiously you can likely tell which side a cybertronian is on (in the war) by how their teeth are structured.

#elkas-corner #ask #transformers au #maccadam #transformers

[rxng]

"I throw away broken things, yes, but..."

"What if someone ever wanted an original copy of Charoii's Guide to Cyberflora? It'd be an incredible gift!"

#text #mobile;

[spymeister]

what process does your muse have for styling their hair finish/polish?

Jazz honestly doesn't style much, but when he does- he has a pretty thorough care routine. Mostly, you'll see this after a mission- when he has to return to his original layer when he's having to use kibble.

He'll slip into whatever washrack he's using- and lock it down. A basket slung over his arm filled with thinner, primer, base layer, sublayer, top coat- and then the resin waxes to seal it. He's gotten used to using organic products because they last longer.

He takes off his sensitive items, the visor and extra sensors he carries with him. Even his extra armor is removed- and the first thing he does is indulge in a good shower. After that, is an oil-soak to loosen up gunk in the gears and fine points. It also lets him doze in warmth and relaxation for a while.

Once he's good, loose, and relaxed- the first thing to do is to take his detailing kit and begin to dig at his joints and gears. This is a time-consuming process and usually takes the bulk of the time allotted for personal grooming. He has an entire assortment of brushes, scrapers, squeegees and long, thin metal rods to push and pull at stuck grit and grossness. Unfortunately, in his job profession- congealed and burned energon in his gears is common.

Once his gears and joints are cleaned- the old layer is stripped off first- putting him down to his base graymetal. His nanites are stripped away as well, leaving him sensitive and twitchy. His sensor net calms down once the first primer is laid down- that base gray close to his natural armor color. An air-sprayer is used for an even coat- with fine brushes to get at detailed and small places. He uses a mirror for this, and a hell of a steady hand.

After the primer- he steps over to the dryer to let the hot air seal it. The second is a sub-layer, this one is for insulation and to let his natural cyberflora return to balance with his natural nanites. The sealant is good for protecting it from open air and cyber-parthenogens.

Lastly, the resin-wax coat is applied after the sealing top layer. This is likewise time spent in the dryer- allowing the shell to harden so to speak. This allows his natural coloring to come back- the titanium whites mixed with the onyx blacks. The racing stripes are done last as a wrap, sealing down the thin layer with a heat gun.

His faceplates are waxed and buffed next, then his claws once they're sharpened to a fine point and repainted. Only then, will he observe himself in a mirror- and nod sharply. Later, when he's more comfortable- he'll get someone to help him with his doors- but until then, he'll put them behind the protective plate at his back.

#jazz's grooming habits

[daryasizina]

@ksubi Leather Leggings and Jeans: A Bold Layering Trend🖤 I recently experimented with a unique fashion trend by layering leather leggings under a pair of Ksubi jeans, paired with a Transfer La Top Cyberflora. The leather leggings added a sleek and sexy touch to my outfit, while the Ksubi jeans provided a bit of texture and contrast. The Transfer La Top Cyberflora was the perfect finishing touch, with its vibrant colors and futuristic design. I received so many compliments on my outfit. I love taking risks with fashion and trying out new trends, and this look definitely paid off. If you're looking to add some edge to your wardrobe, I highly recommend trying out this unconventional layering technique. Don't be afraid to mix and match different pieces and textures – you never know what amazing combinations you might come up with! Photo by @shapovalov_m #ksubi #nyfw (at #NYFW) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqYulL7v5PK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#ksubi #nyfw

[ofvaporex]

A card amid a bouquet of golden metallico lilies from a famous flower boutique is delivered to Ratchet. There's also a basket of jelly cyberflora fruits. A healthy if sweet treat.

The courier insists on taking no tip. Leaving as quickly as they came.

The card is a simple holoprojection that reads " Rumor has it you weren't feeling too good doc. I hope your recovery, I needed, is swift. - Your generous benefactor.

Ps: Don't make me have to buy Crystal roses so soon after our last chat doc. Mechs care about you yknow? "

No other identifiers.

He has a theory, once he reads the note. Only one person he knows of has referred to himself as his benefactor. He'd search the mech down if he had the energy, but stuck in the berth to recover for now, all he can do is chuckle fondly, lounging back against the pillows with a sigh.

Well. It's a nice gesture. He'll have to send a message later. And perhaps finally put one pede in front of the other to jumpstart his dream. Whether or not Starscream approved.

If Swindle is still interested in assisting, of course.

#⚕️ ╰ ic • best care anywhere ╯ #⚕️ ╰ asks • due to circumstances beyond our control lunch will be served today ╯

[sheltiechicago]

The Cyberflora Kinetic Art Of Julia Nizamutdinova

Julia Nizamutdinova (Julia Cyberflora) — multidisciplinary artist, designer, inventor.

Her work is a continuous experiment with materials, technologies, and form. The study of the boundaries of art and design, real and virtual, living and nonliving, the structure of organisms and futuristic architectural objects. This process is like evolution. creatures and structures resulting from this evolution are called Cyberflora.

#julia nizamutdinova #julia cyberflora #multidisciplinary artist #artist #designer #inventor #materials #technologies #form #art #design #architectural objects #cyberflora

[tf-earthling]

Iacon Archives: The Thirteen

Micronus Prime. The Aide. The One Who Acts As A Moral Guide.

Image Above a Recreation of an Ancient Mural found on Cybertron’s surface. 

Micronus was the fifth of his siblings to be created, and is well-remembered as not only the first Mini-Con to ever exist, but as a being of morality and kindness. He was said to be a friend to all Cybertronians, using his abundance of energy to help others in any way he could.

Much like how Solus Prime’s height came as a surprise to her siblings, Micronus Prime’s lack of it did as well. Alpha Trion has yet to explain why Micronus Prime was significantly shorter than the others, despite holding more energy within him, but many other archivists believe it was an attempt by Primus to create an easily-portable “battery” of sorts. Of course, there is no definitive way of knowing Primus’ reasoning.

Shortly after his creation, he and Solus worked together to create several small-scale projects, including several species of cyberflora and, after an incident that Alpha Trion has yet to elaborate on, Micronus Prime’s very own relic. the Chimera Stone.

Image Above a Recreation of an Ancient Mural found on Cybertron’s surface.

The Chimera Stone was a device created for the sole purpose of channeling the incredible amounts of energy within Micronus Prime to whatever-- and whoever-- he chose.

In many modern-day Mini-Cons, smaller “duplicates” of the relic can be found, but as an actual part of their biology as opposed to a separate item, making it useless to anyone but them specifically. The original Chimera Stone is believed to have been destroyed along with Micronus Prime at the hands of his sibling Megatronus during the Quintesson Wars.

[Head Archivist Note: Micronus was both a valuable asset and a wonderful sibling to have around. With his relic, he could allow many of us to do even more than we thought possible alone. With his kindness and humor, he could bring a smile to the faceplate of even the most sour of mechs. Myself included.]

#worldbuilding #the thirteen #micronus prime #tf earthling #maccadam #tf original continuity #q #HEY THIS ONE DIDNT TAKE 4 MONTHS! GO ME!

[thenamesblurrito]

ask dump lucky number thirteen!

13 is actually my lucky number! it's been awhile since i wrote out any SNAP lore, let's hope i still got the touch

these asks include: Halloween, remote control bodies, mythic plants, minicon mass shifting, Sixshot's fluid transformations, Cheetor speaking with mechanimals, gambling, gravity-compressed food, sparks generating energy, and power up sounds

i don't think i have any expies of Halloween specifically. in the holiday list there's a few that would have spooky or dour undertones, like the Wake of Mortilus or the Tragedy. a lot of dwelling on the dead, the monstrous and such around then. it's plausible some cultures decide to make it a creepy costume festival

i absolutely do not remember that, all i remember about remote control bodies is the sturgeonoid thing. i don't think i do have a remote control body villain??

your version actually sounds more horrifying than anything, being able to rip someone from their body and put them into whatever you please. that's a puppetmaster setup right there. actually when i think about it that way i may have a villain who has done exactly that... hm

that's not a bad idea, i'd never thought about that before! there are old and extinct species of cyberflora, since Vector Sigma does occasionally stop producing certain types and they eventually all die off, so it's possible some of these got mythologized. even normal plants could be mythologized i suppose. maybe some city-states have legends about the bombegranate being used to trick wandering travelers to stay in the Well when they eat a few seeds or something like that

mischief

it's not infinite mass shifting, they have a lower range of approximately minibot sparkling sized and an upper range of about a size 3 youngling, which means they can vary by about 15'. mostly they use it to shrink down and squeeze into tight places or go unnoticed, and bulk up to intimidate or throw a heavier punch. they're very creative with it and quickly figure out how changing sizes affects their speed and handling in their alt modes when on the run. it's also a useful ability to distract and unnerve or even make someone completely not recognize them at a glance. i haven't drawn them yet, but Squawkbox mass shifts to more comfortably combine in root mode, as they're something of a mitotic spark when powered up instead of the separate twins they are as normal kids. it'll be better explained when i draw them

Sixshot could definitely do that, absolutely. it violates all known Cybertronian physicality and rules of biology, so it'd be just as horrifying as if you saw a human do that! but it's also exactly the kind of thing they'd do, tbh. they're kind of weird and sometimes lean into the unnerving vibe. i doubt Makeshift could do this when powered down (yet) but they definitely start getting a lil more fluid and flexible than normal even as a kid

oooo this was a cool short!

it's sort of possible. Cheetor can speak with mechanimals but that doesn't mean he can control them. a scene like this would require a LENGTHY conversation beforehand, convincing every insecticon or scraplet in the vicinity to help him out and either wasting time arguing with them or abandoning his efforts if they don't want to cooperate, and also going over a game plan for a specific strategy like forming bodies out of the swarm. most mechanimals don't even have complex thoughts like that either, so it would be an incredible challenge. he would have more success telling a mechanimal that an enemy is a good foodsource, or an interloper on their territory, or a threat to nests and dens, or something like that. simple things, not moral concepts, that align with what mechanimals actually experience and prioritize

this does of course mean sometimes he gets stuck negotiating or wheedling or out-stubborning a particularly unruly mechanimal, or trying to inventively communicate something that, say, a random songbird absolutely would not care about nor have any frame of reference for. a pigeonoid won't be able to repeat back vital information some Enforcers were talking about, only whether or not they dropped crumbs in their wake

it might be more effective asking scraplets to eat an enemy and work around what they do than tell them to swarm in a specific pattern

huh, i dunno! i don't know very much about gambling at all tbh

i imagine there's plenty of card games, betting on sports (especially on Velocitron), maybe even some gacha games or lotteries. i'm unfamiliar with a lot of slot machine or other gambling type of devices but i think there's probably some that work with object interfacing, and folks are more likely to think it's dependent on how your brain works or how efficient you are at interface when it's still up to chance

i'm not sure gambling would have as big a draw for mecha as it does for humans tbh. they can instinctively calculate probabilities more accurately than humans, and i don't think they'd get as big a dopamine hit on random chance success as we do. gambling games like cards or sports would be more attractive, where they can actually participate/predict and influence their chances

she definitely could, she does so with much larger chunks of matter all the time, but i'm not sure if it would be edible anymore. something that heavily compressed would be incredibly dense, so i'm not sure it would be chewable, and it may sit in a mech's tanks for way too long, or even be indigestible. she'd have to pick her materials and level of compression very carefully and experiment a bit with the assistance of someone who knows more about food. for junkers specifically, their more pressing need is fuel/energon over self-repair materials, and i don't think very many fuel sources could be so easily made into a lil food ball... energon would prolly just explode. Elita 2 might be able to help, but they'd need to be careful to not make it toxic. the idea has merit, but the execution isn't so simple

(the post this is referring to)

when they're alive, sparks sort of are self-generating. enough to perpetuate themselves, but not enough to power an entire frame without outside energy from fuel. but once they're gone, they're gone... with some recent notable exceptions. but a ghost isn't regenerative, it's just an imprint of energy that managed to stay roughly person-esque, which can happen with particularly powerful sparks like those of the supernatural Primes. but again, the way Vector died, he really shouldn't have had a ghost at all. i'm not telling you how bc i'd like to illustrate it someday but it was pretty final

oh that's an excellent question hmmmmmmmm

i want to say yes just for the anime of it all. the whole sequence with sparkles and effects and specific body parts changing and glowing and spinning and oo la la! i would guess to an outside observer it's like a flash and the usual transformation noise but Different somehow and a sudden rush of power like static electricity prickling across their sensors. and of course their catchphrases, like on the tech specs here. actually i think their powerup phrases would just be the faction "mottos" like this

#worldbuilding #ask dump #cheetor #sixshot #minicon #cybertronian culture #transformers #macaddam #tf:snap #cybertron #cybertronian biology

[mairemccrystal-blog]

I’ve always been inspired by flora and fauna and found the gesture of sending and receiving flowers among the most charming of traditions. I recently found myself researching all I could on the crossover area between technology and ecology – specifically flowers.Wikipedia defines ‘flower robot’ as “a simple electromechanical device with the appearance of a common flower.”  There are many motives that have inspired creators to experiment in this area from artificial flowers to promote pollination for bees to integrating semi conductive polymers inside the stem to generate electricity from photosynthetic processes and other designs and sculptures that have incorporated technology purely for aesthetic appeal.One of the earliest projects I found pertaining to this subject was an art/installation of a robotic flower garden by the Personal Robots Group at MIT’s Media Lab. This was developed in 2003 and coined the term Cyberflora. The flowers defined in this project all had different properties; Chromafant Blossom – capacitive sensing which will trigger swaying and glowing. Cobra Orchid and Dragon Iris – Movements synced to warmth. Violet Oscillies – Senses a hand passing over the top as the petals move.

Conducting experiments using electronic components and technical elements may raise ethical issues as plants are living things, extending into principles of biocentrism and plant rights. There are two types of approaches to cyber plants – adaptation of the pre-existing living flower or a digital product that mimics the properties of the living plant. The aforementioned artificial flowers to promote pollination take the second approach; known as the Synthetic Pollinizer it sits alongside real plants to try and lure bees in to gather man-made pollen from the robotic flower which is a safer alternative to pesticide infected plants. An example of the first approach is the experiment researchers at Linkoping University carried out creating a simple transistor circuit inside a rose. 

I think this is a very interesting sector to watch. The evolution of plants and flowers, not to mention the vast amount of species and variants means that we have a lot to learn and a long way to go.  Every day we are exploring new agricultural processes and expanding upon our knowledge, being able to communicate and collaborate on findings via the internet and means of modern communication will make a massive difference to the future of plants.

[transformerslivinggods]

Descendant of Gaea

For the third and final demigod, we have Skyfire, the Protecter, and the one who is meant to mediate the conflict between Starscream and Windblade, just as Gaea mediated between Primus and Unicron. Skyfire has the difficult job of keeping the balance in check, and saving the innocent mortals caught in this conflict. Skyfire was brought to the temple of Gaea, allowing Her to communicate with Her descendant, and granting him the shield to channel his powers.

The entire Insecticon Hive supports him in this, as they are followers of Gaea. They may only be mortals, but they are willing to do anything to stop this conflict between deities. Led by Hive Leader Dimachaerus, they are fearsome and battle hardened warriors.

Skyfire’s powers are interesting. Rather than just encompassing creation, or destruction, he can channel both. He could cause a natural disaster, or grow cyberflora. He is far from a pacifist, despite his powers being on the defensive side. As a more neutral party, he does not side with either Windblade nor Starscream.

Skyfire is a caring, kind mech, but one should never assume he is weak or unwilling to fight. He is determined to end this conflict in a way that won’t destroy Cybertron, or the universe as a whole.

#transformers original continuity #tf gaea #skyfire #insecticons #transformers living gods

[spymeister]

send a 🌍 for a worldbuilding headcanon

A small Worldbuilding Headcanon

Cyberflora and Cyberfauna on Cybertron is a relatively new thing. And by relatively, it's only "evolved" after the last war with the Quintessions in the past five billion years. They were originally manufactured by said Quints in order to help better hunt down their wayward slaves. In return, after the war ended- they were left to their own devices on the planet.

Whole mechano-ecosystems formed, and now there's "wild" places on Cybertron where these fauna and flora interact with other mechanisms. It's interesting to note that Rangers on Cybertron have a completely different role than they do here on Earth.

A ranger on Cybertron is there to protect YOU from the fauna and flora. Going into the "Wilds:" or the "Wastes" is paramount to suicide, as there are things there that can absolutely consume and tear apart other mechanisms. Hound is one such Ranger, and is one of the oldest ones still functioning.

The assumption is that he's a relatively easy-going individual, though no one seems to notice how he can find just about anyone, and can track both organics and inorganics with almost no problem. The missile-net on his shoulder-strut isn't there for looks.

And it's one of the few things he can use to take down some of the more predatory cyberfauna.

#Hound is the variation of a cybertronian green-beret #headcanon

[rip-roaring-ruffian]

Head Canons in Progress: Cyberflora

Well there's one huge difference between Cameroonian and Terrestrial ecology. Check out these simple models:

Earth

Energy: The sun >>> Producers: Plants >>> Consumers: Animals

Cybertron

Energy: Energon >>> Consumers: Robits

Since fuel naturally occurs in a comestible form there is no niche for plants. (╯°□°)╯︵ ロ;~✿

But wait... Energon's default state is a solid crystalline formation. The energon Cybertronians use as fuel has to be processed into liquid form.

Now, it's been speculated and pretty well accepted in the fandom that Cybertronians are able to ingest fragments of crystal energon and process it internally. This practice was largely replaced with the advent of specialized machines, as using pre-processed energon was easier and more efficient. This is plausible.

But was if this is not the case?

What if prior to the introduction of artificial energon processors, Cybertronians relied on other organisms for comestible fuel?

While these natural processors would essentially fill the same role in the Cybertronian food web, they would differ greatly from most earth plants. They wouldn't have leaves or chloroplasts, since they aren't adapted to collect sunlight. They would congregate on viens of energon underground, so all or most of their structure would subterranean. Imagine vast networks of sprawling roots that only break the surface to propagate.

What would they look like? As it happens, we have something on Earth that roughly matches that very description:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you to consider the exciting world of molds and fungi~!

Now, a lot of you are probably still skeptical. Mayhaps you question how an mechanical construct can function like organic plantlife. How could machines, with all their interrelated parts assembled according to intelligent design, also be a growing, changing, organism?

Well, since you asked...

If popular culture has taught me anything, it's that no matter how fantastic and implausible something may seem you can dismiss all disbelief with a wave of the hand and the word "nanomachines."

But this actually makes a certain about of sense. The role of organic cells is filled by tiny, interdependent, self-replicating machines.

I have to speculate that even more complex Cybernetic organisms incorporate nanomachines to some degree. That could explain their limited self-repair functions; little bitty nano-bits that form robo-scabs and such. Geez, this got weird.

But if that's not enough for you, robot plants are an actual thing that is canon. Though, there hasn't been any mention of them in the Aligned Family continuity as of yet.

In closing, I invite you all to use what I've discussed here to speculate on your own ideas for cyberflora. Here's some visual inspiration!

#ooc #headcanons #cyberflora

[thenamesblurrito]

do All cybertronians know a transformed bot at sight, or could a plantformer sneakily pretend to be a normal plant? i'm imagining one sneakily pinching peoples snacks when their backs are turned.

i mean it'd depend entirely on the person and the plantformer. the thing about mecha is they don't turn into exact copies of whatever their alt mode looks like, they have their own shapes and forms. beastformers usually look like existing (or extinct) mechanimal species, but even then a beast alt and an actual animal aren't identical. plantformers generally don't take after any real species of cyberflora and have their own appearances. tool and vehicleformers have alt modes suited to their biology rather than exclusively to the function of their alt mode like an actual machine would. they aren't "robots in disguise" here, in this universe and also on their home planet in their home culture, because they're not copying anything as a disguise and have nothing to hide from

so maybe you have someone wandering by a plantformer who happens to be a botanist who knew all the local species of cyberflora and can pick out how the plantformer doesn't fit. or maybe you have a plantformer whose arrangement of kibble is simply obviously shaped like a person. or maybe you have someone really trying to blend in with cyberflora and they do legitimately succeed because everyone around them is convinced, or not paying attention, or just dumb. it really is not a yes/no thing

there are symbiotic/parasitic cyberflora, and i think i've designed one? yes i have the logginkey here

but a plantformer again would still need to eat. like, they'd also need to recharge and self groom and everything else that goes into, yknow, having the body of a Cybertronian mech, instead of an actual literal plant. just like another plantformer may be able to take the shape and perform some of the functions of cyberflora without sharing the ability to plug into a leyline and subsist off that, a parasitic plantformer might have a similar shape and could do some of what a similar cyberflora species is capable of, but fundamentally has a different biology and different needs. the average plant for instance needs much less nutrients and a much smaller variety/different balance than a mech

#this doesnt necessarily mean its absolutely impossible to find someone just living like a tree in a forest #but it does emphasize how UTTERLY WEIRD that person would be #worldbuilding #cybertronian biology