Basically for the lineup I have Deceptions: Shockwave, Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Chemtrail and Flatline

Autobots: Wheeljack, Trailbreaker, Road Rage, Cosmos and Meteorfire

As to why it's a mix of that I find them cool, I think they could have interesting dynamics with the other characters (I'll get back to that in a minute) and that they fit into the story.

So what do I mean with "they fit into the story"?Basically, I feel like stories should have a clear theme/ message they want to convey. That theme is incorporated both into the storyline itself and the characters. It is looked at from different angles because each character& their dynamics embody it in a different way.

The theme I would like to go with is: Connections.

By that I mean the different ways you can be connected to someone, be it friendship, partners, rivals etc.

The term in general is quite neutral so it also gives you the possibility to explore negative and positive relationships/ connections which you can have, portrayed in the different dynamics of the characters.

I feel like it fits because the main plot line would be both teams wanting to get back to their faction from which they were cut- off, so they want to re-establish the connection they've lost.

My rough idea of the story is that the Decepticons get a mysterious energy signal and Shockwave gathers a crew to investigate it. Some Autobots however discovered the signal as well, it is coming off of some sort of 'magical' rift thingy. Due to some accident (probably caused by fighting) they all fall through that rift and wake up in a really weird place, assumingly far away from home, while the story revolves of them trying to get back.

I picked the Deceptions this way because they'd make a good exploration team to assist Shockwave.

Astrotrain is used as a transport for all of Shockwaves science stuff (he's not happy about that), Blitzwing as some sort of guard (totally not only there for Astro), Flatline as a medic in case things go south and Chemtrail.. I'll get to her in a second

For the Autobots I picked WJ, TB and RR because I think they all could be a sweet friend group.

I could imagine Trailbreaker with his force fields helping out WJ, so that he doesn't blow himself up and assisting Road Rage whenever she has one of her glitches.

(Road Rage is a female Transformer btw who has a glitch that when she's in her alt mode, she kinda loses control and drives around very recklessly, thus the name).

As for Meteorfire and Cosmos:

So, this really depends if you watched Cyberverse (I think you did?). And well in the later seasons there's an episode, which focuses on the duo and later you can still see them in the background.

Meteorfire (i think he's only a character in Cyberverse) and Cosmos are some sort of celebrities there going alien hunting and discovering super natural anomalies. I feel like they received the weird signal as well, went to investigate it and sort of got caught up in all this mess.

That's the IN story explanation to why they're here but for the "Outside" part: the theming

Again, it's about connection.

We've got the WJ& TB& RR and MF& Cosmos as friends. While on the Decepticon side it's more like a co-workers connection between them all (well except for maybe Astrotrain& Blitzwing, if you know what I mean hehe).

In a story, I think it's super cool if the theme is explored in an antithesis as well: here it would be isolation.

I would like to have Wheeljack and Shockwave foiling each other. Both are brilliant scientists/ inventors but due to their work they tend to isolate themselves to not get distracted. But while WJ has friends to pull him out of it (positive connections), Shockwave is on his own, completely devoted to science (isolation).

He rejects connection thus the theme of the story which makes him the antithesis or even antagonists.

We also have the connection of Astroblitz, being triple changers and veryyy close, and Meteorfire and Cosmos with their little adventures, bonded by their shared interest.

However both duos are sort of separated (isolated) form other groups given their unusual nature/ occupation.

Sort of an alone together type of situation.

Now I promised I was gonna go back to Chemtrail.

If you look up her WIKI this is all that you will find: basically nothing about her, not even a design.

She is a completely empty page which I thought was interesting.

I definitely wanted to include female transformers into the cast but go for more lesser known characters, so they also get the spotlight (a reason why I went for Road Rage instead of like Arcee or Elita (I like both characters but I want to see other female transformers explored as well!!)).

So Chemtrail has one short characterization and that's it.

In the story I want her to be an aspiring scientist (thus the name fits ig) who wants to work with Shockwave. Everyone's questioning why, she just says he's the best, so she wants to learn for him lol

I imagine the in- story reason she's there is that she snuck after Shockwaves science team, to try to help in the mission and ending up in the rift as well.

So there would be the connection of her trying to impress Shockwave, seeking for connection with someone, who is not in search of it (and thus potential for character arcs).

The story could roughly be split into 3 acts

ACT 1: the start of the story, falling through the rift and waking up in a weird new place.

You get to know the characters and a first impression of the world they find themselves in. Maybe Astro got hurt, so the Decepticons goal is to fix him up, so they can leave the planet they landed on or something

(Idk how tall I'm gonna make Cosmos, so idk if he'd be able to carry all of the other ABs, so maybe WJ has to build like a space craft or something).

The act would end with the teams getting off the planet they landed on

ACT 2: would focus on the teams traveling around and trying to get home.

They start to notice that the world is.. weird and some stuff doesn't seem right. The teams often clash here and there (yk the typical AB and Deceptis beef)

Then they get a notification from some sort of base

They rush there and find it completely abandoned except for some log entries left by someone

TURNS OUT they didn't just get /tp all across space, that be too easy- they fell into some sort of pocket dimension.

Both the notes they find and the hide out were made by some unfortunate mechs, who landed in this world before them, long dead by now

So that's a fun discovery

ACT 3: would probably focus on the teams trying to figure HOW to get out of this place, so maybe there'd be a team up.

For drama maybe like they only have some time left before the rift closes and they'd be trapped for a very loooong time

So: Pocket dimensions are little spaces basically, which are connected to our reality but potentially have completely different physics and stuff

THIS is a video I watched, it gives a small overview over the concept. I'd have to do more research on the topic but the idea that the natural laws of physics could be completely turned on their heads is incredibly interesting to me (that's what I mean by the world is "weird", like inventions failing or the other transformers not being able to fly well because the atmosphere is different etc. Maybe the endgame could also be about two of those universes melting together and everything getting destroyed or something)

I could imagine Shockwave starting to obsess over this place, like new rules of science to discover and everything

The Arc/ story ends with both teams locating the rift again and trying to leave before it closes, with maybe Shockwave not wanting to leave this place and the potential it has and him maybe even choosing to stay behind.

(Again embodying the antithesis of choosing to isolate himself instead of going for connection. Other characters such as Cosmos and Meteorfire also have a weird hobby but they found someone to share it with. Wheeljack is also interested in science but he'd never abandon his friends for it.)

Also, there's connection in-between the factions as well, such as foils, rivals etc.

Characters I'd put against each other:

SW-> WJ (character foils of the main theme, scientist Vs inventor)

Astro-> Cos (space alt gang, maybe embodying the isolation one can feel given their alt mode)

BW-> RR (not super sure about theme wise but I'd bet they'd make fun rivals with RR going all out when she transforms)

FL-> MF (realist Vs dreamer*¹)

CT-> TB (confidence Vs second guessing*²)

Notes:

- I also included Flatline because I really think he sounds interesting

-> Decepticon medic+ choosing medical code over AB/ Deceptis helping anyone in need

-> it's funny because he's the only medic, so he's stuck of treating both sides basically, while they continuously shoot each other (poor guy- a medics work is never done)

- *¹what I mean by FL Vs MF:

Flatline is a medic, someone who has to realize the situations at hand and act accordingly. He's described as specialising in creating new frames, thus also knowing what has been given to you and working with it. Meteorfire is a dreamer however. He adores the abnormal and wants to explore it, so is head is up in the clouds, so there's a foil in there too hehe

- *² what I mean by CT Vs TB:

Chemtrail would be someone who'd want to impress the others no matter what. She's confident in her abilities and a quick fighter. Trailbreaker however, as stated in his character bio, tends to second guess himself, given that he has a slow, fuel consumptive alt mode. However he is already accepted into the group while CT is trying to achieve that

- I think with the whole pocket dimension it could be fun to go completely whacky with some stuff

-> maybe it's like a small bubble they're all in and there are a couple of bioms/ planets with different theming

-> it creates a reason the characters clash often (being stuck close together)

- I think the vibe of the story would be the longer it goes on the more batshit stuff happens

-> I'd definitely put someeee existential crisis/ cosmic horror stuff in there

-> like they are stuck in some small other universe, not knowing if they'll ever get out

-> they probably find the remains of people who have died there before them too which is... Not so encouraging

- idk how the whole physics stuff with Multiverse/ other dimensions works but I could imagine that rift thingy opening up every few millions if not billions of years, creating a way out of the space

-> and like if you step outside (into the main world again) basically no time has passed

- I think if Shockw would have some sort of madness arc it be interesting

-> like his confusion/ frustration on why his plans and stuff isn't working properly turning into curiosity into obsession

-> he thought highly of his abilities but now he has the option to discover everything scientific in this place anew

-> I could imagine the rest of the Cons actually sort of vote him off the team for this

-> like they don't want to be around that Scientist who sees everything as an experiment and is literally starting to have some screws loose

-> which also leaves him alone to his work which wouldn't help his case

- alongside the occasional fighting between the teams they'd have to deal a lot with environmental challenges and maybe creatures as well

Idk if I put my thoughts in a coherent string buuuuuut yeah

That'd be my idea for a comic/ show