#energon

ANYWAY- back to the track. Obviously my headcanons are constantly evolving but they've also reached a point where they aren't going to further develop without me working on other aspects of my continuity soup/OCs. So without further ado:

Following with most Transformers content, the most stable state is a solid, crystalline substance (energon crystals, the mines, you know how it goes). Once the crystal is purified (and thus in a consumable state), it is in a liquid phase and is semi-volatile (evaporates in atmosphere but not too much) and highly reactive. The reactivity is important because in order for energon to be a viable energy source it has to be able to release energy in some capacity. In this case, being combustible, because there's many examples where energon has been stated to be explosive or something like that.

ANNNDDD if we're following the lore that Cybertron is Primus's physical body (which I am), the energon in Primus's lines has long since crystallized. But it wouldn't be fun if energon just had one solid form (which it doesn't. See: variations in energon color throughout/between Transformers media). SO! It only makes sense that environmental factors determine crystalline form. And to make things EVEN MORE FUN! I have decided to have multiple quasicrystal and crystal arrangements. (Also, the difference between a crystal and a quasicrystal is that while both have repeating arrangements, crystals have certain axes of symmetry that quasicrystals do not).

Quasicrystal 1: Crystallized energon formed from energon that has been processed by Cybertronians (what is running in their lines) and escaped the pressure/temperature of their lines. Solidifies relatively quickly. Has unique mixes of various metals depending on diet/frame/etc. 

Quasicrystal 2: Most common form of energon on Earth (and other organic planets) due to the introduction of trace amounts of carbon/nitrogen/oxygen (other organic materials) into the structure.

Crystal 1: Most common form of energon on Cybertron due to the purity and ambient temperatures/pressure of the planet. Crystal habit: Scalenohedral

Crystal 2: Most common form of synthetic energon crystals. Something about the exact conditions are hard to replicate when it comes to making harvestable energon. Crystal habit: Massive/compact

Crystal 3: Most common form of energon on Cybertron once the planet starts dying. The constant pauses and interruptions in the planet’s stability allows for breakages in the regular crystalline structure as well as introductions of impurities. Crystal habit: Amygdaloidal

Environment also determines purity of the mixture and the introduction of different elements can create different rarer forms of energon (Dark energon, red energon, etc.). But generally rarer types of energon fall into one of the five crystalline classes (think, different color variants of the same crystal: corundum).

As for when energon is in a Cybertronian’s lines, the energon is in a supercritical fluid state, allowing it to diffuse throughout the inner protoform and be used as fuel to keep them functioning. The inner armor layer (between protoform and visible armor layer) acts as an additional way to maintain pressure within the body to keep the energon in that state. Outside of the protoform layer, nanites are the vehicle of energon transport + other necessary resources. (This gets into my anatomy headcanons for Transformers but those aren't fully fleshed [heh] out atm). This would also explain some particularly gruesome (and explosive!) ways Transformers could be offlined!

Flight frames (and flight capable frames) have a unique organ that is able to aerosolize and hold energon in small droplets, before igniting that energon like grounders do in an adaptation to make their propulsion force much higher to achieve flight.

This is also why flight frame grade fuel is generally of higher purity than ground frame fuel - easier to aerosolize + less oxidized/burnt remains build up.