On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:02:30 AM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5:42:07 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj....@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > > > >
> > > > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > > > >
> > > > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > > > >
> > > > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > > > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> > > >
> > > > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> > > > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > > > >
> > > > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > > > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> > > >
> > > > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> > > >
> > > > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
> > > >
> > > > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> > > >
> > > > Me and Starscream:
> > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> > > >
> > > > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> > > >
> > > > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > > > >
> > > > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > > > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> > > OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
> > >
> > > Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
> > >
> > > Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group. You'd be most welcome to participate!
> > >
> > > JB
> > Thanks JB! Not on FB or any kind of social media - but may have to check it out! Do you know if they've made their archives and old issues accessible? I'm having a deuce of a time trying to track down the old PDFs they used to have on their website.
> Let me check with my friend (and fellow Canuck) Tony Klepack, who is the group admin and de facto club leader. Will report back this week! A bunch of old-timers are active there, so I am hopeful that this will be a simple thing to look into.
>
> More from me soon -
>
> JB

On Sunday, May 14, 2023 at 6:15:45 PM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:02:30 AM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5:42:07 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj....@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since.. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > > > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > > > > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> > > > >
> > > > > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > > > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> > > > > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > > > > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> > > > >
> > > > > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> > > > >
> > > > > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
> > > > >
> > > > > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> > > > >
> > > > > Me and Starscream:
> > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> > > > >
> > > > > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> > > > >
> > > > > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > > > > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> > > > OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
> > > >
> > > > Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
> > > >
> > > > Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group. You'd be most welcome to participate!
> > > >
> > > > JB
> > > Thanks JB! Not on FB or any kind of social media - but may have to check it out! Do you know if they've made their archives and old issues accessible? I'm having a deuce of a time trying to track down the old PDFs they used to have on their website.
> > Let me check with my friend (and fellow Canuck) Tony Klepack, who is the group admin and de facto club leader. Will report back this week! A bunch of old-timers are active there, so I am hopeful that this will be a simple thing to look into.
> >
> > More from me soon -
> >
> > JB
> Just an update on this: I've been out for a lot of this week with a stomach bug, but am back online now. Will keep you posted, Codigo! Appreciate your patience.
>
> JB

On Monday, May 15, 2023 at 11:59:19 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> On Sunday, May 14, 2023 at 6:15:45 PM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:02:30 AM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5:42:07 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > > > > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > > > > > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > > > > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> > > > > > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > > > > > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today.. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK..
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Me and Starscream:
> > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > > > > > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> > > > > OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
> > > > >
> > > > > Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
> > > > >
> > > > > Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group. You'd be most welcome to participate!
> > > > >
> > > > > JB
> > > > Thanks JB! Not on FB or any kind of social media - but may have to check it out! Do you know if they've made their archives and old issues accessible? I'm having a deuce of a time trying to track down the old PDFs they used to have on their website.
> > > Let me check with my friend (and fellow Canuck) Tony Klepack, who is the group admin and de facto club leader. Will report back this week! A bunch of old-timers are active there, so I am hopeful that this will be a simple thing to look into.
> > >
> > > More from me soon -
> > >
> > > JB
> > Just an update on this: I've been out for a lot of this week with a stomach bug, but am back online now. Will keep you posted, Codigo! Appreciate your patience.
> >
> > JB
> Hope you're feeling better JB! Plenty of fluids and bedrest!

On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 3:08:24 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> On Monday, May 15, 2023 at 11:59:19 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > On Sunday, May 14, 2023 at 6:15:45 PM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:02:30 AM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5:42:07 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > > > > > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > > > > > > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > > > > > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> > > > > > > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > > > > > > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Me and Starscream:
> > > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > > > > > > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> > > > > > OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group. You'd be most welcome to participate!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > JB
> > > > > Thanks JB! Not on FB or any kind of social media - but may have to check it out! Do you know if they've made their archives and old issues accessible? I'm having a deuce of a time trying to track down the old PDFs they used to have on their website.
> > > > Let me check with my friend (and fellow Canuck) Tony Klepack, who is the group admin and de facto club leader. Will report back this week! A bunch of old-timers are active there, so I am hopeful that this will be a simple thing to look into.
> > > >
> > > > More from me soon -
> > > >
> > > > JB
> > > Just an update on this: I've been out for a lot of this week with a stomach bug, but am back online now. Will keep you posted, Codigo! Appreciate your patience.
> > >
> > > JB
> > Hope you're feeling better JB! Plenty of fluids and bedrest!
> Finally back among the land of the living. Gosh, that took a lot out of me. Apologies for the delay!
>
> So, I have two ideas for the Reading Club's next offering:
>
> 1) Steve-O Stonebreaker's vintage "The Transformers FAQ", circa 1996. Yes, this document has been superseded in countless ways since then, but the document is a delightfully entertaining (and, well-written) capture of a vanished era that reminds me that, at one point, it really was possible to "know everyone" in this fandom.
>
> 2) Lizard's "The Horror From Beneath The Sea". It features the Seacons, it's deliberately shaped as a Lovecraftian homage: what's not to like? One of my favorite and most memorable works of his.
>
> Any preferences?
>
> Hope everyone's doing well,
>
> JB

On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 1:08:04 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 3:08:24 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > On Monday, May 15, 2023 at 11:59:19 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > On Sunday, May 14, 2023 at 6:15:45 PM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:02:30 AM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5:42:07 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since..
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > > > > > > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > > > > > > > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > > > > > > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> > > > > > > > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > > > > > > > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Me and Starscream:
> > > > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > > > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > > > > > > > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> > > > > > > OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group. You'd be most welcome to participate!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > Thanks JB! Not on FB or any kind of social media - but may have to check it out! Do you know if they've made their archives and old issues accessible? I'm having a deuce of a time trying to track down the old PDFs they used to have on their website.
> > > > > Let me check with my friend (and fellow Canuck) Tony Klepack, who is the group admin and de facto club leader. Will report back this week! A bunch of old-timers are active there, so I am hopeful that this will be a simple thing to look into.
> > > > >
> > > > > More from me soon -
> > > > >
> > > > > JB
> > > > Just an update on this: I've been out for a lot of this week with a stomach bug, but am back online now. Will keep you posted, Codigo! Appreciate your patience.
> > > >
> > > > JB
> > > Hope you're feeling better JB! Plenty of fluids and bedrest!
> > Finally back among the land of the living. Gosh, that took a lot out of me. Apologies for the delay!
> >
> > So, I have two ideas for the Reading Club's next offering:
> >
> > 1) Steve-O Stonebreaker's vintage "The Transformers FAQ", circa 1996. Yes, this document has been superseded in countless ways since then, but the document is a delightfully entertaining (and, well-written) capture of a vanished era that reminds me that, at one point, it really was possible to "know everyone" in this fandom.
> >
> > 2) Lizard's "The Horror From Beneath The Sea". It features the Seacons, it's deliberately shaped as a Lovecraftian homage: what's not to like? One of my favorite and most memorable works of his.
> >
> > Any preferences?
> >
> > Hope everyone's doing well,
> >
> > JB
> They sound like great choices. I'd vote for the FAQ next month and Lizard's offering the month after!

On Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 5:16:35 AM UTC+1, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 1:08:04 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > On Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 3:08:24 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > On Monday, May 15, 2023 at 11:59:19 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > On Sunday, May 14, 2023 at 6:15:45 PM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:02:30 AM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5:42:07 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > > > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > > > > > > > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you.. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > > > > > > > > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > > > > > > > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> > > > > > > > > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > > > > > > > > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Me and Starscream:
> > > > > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > > > > > > > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > > > > > > > > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> > > > > > > > OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group. You'd be most welcome to participate!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > Thanks JB! Not on FB or any kind of social media - but may have to check it out! Do you know if they've made their archives and old issues accessible? I'm having a deuce of a time trying to track down the old PDFs they used to have on their website.
> > > > > > Let me check with my friend (and fellow Canuck) Tony Klepack, who is the group admin and de facto club leader. Will report back this week! A bunch of old-timers are active there, so I am hopeful that this will be a simple thing to look into.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > More from me soon -
> > > > > >
> > > > > > JB
> > > > > Just an update on this: I've been out for a lot of this week with a stomach bug, but am back online now. Will keep you posted, Codigo! Appreciate your patience.
> > > > >
> > > > > JB
> > > > Hope you're feeling better JB! Plenty of fluids and bedrest!
> > > Finally back among the land of the living. Gosh, that took a lot out of me. Apologies for the delay!
> > >
> > > So, I have two ideas for the Reading Club's next offering:
> > >
> > > 1) Steve-O Stonebreaker's vintage "The Transformers FAQ", circa 1996. Yes, this document has been superseded in countless ways since then, but the document is a delightfully entertaining (and, well-written) capture of a vanished era that reminds me that, at one point, it really was possible to "know everyone" in this fandom.
> > >
> > > 2) Lizard's "The Horror From Beneath The Sea". It features the Seacons, it's deliberately shaped as a Lovecraftian homage: what's not to like? One of my favorite and most memorable works of his.
> > >
> > > Any preferences?
> > >
> > > Hope everyone's doing well,
> > >
> > > JB
> > They sound like great choices. I'd vote for the FAQ next month and Lizard's offering the month after!
> Sounds great!
>
> As a bit of an advance read, here's a direct link to the FAQ from 1996, on this group:
>
> https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/C4NG-jT9c3o/m/jOPAeRi1b6UJ
>
> I love this file for the slice of time and life it captures. Life was slower and simpler.
>
> You had to write away for toys and media. ATT was a place where it was possible to "know everyone" if you played you cards right, and contributed meaningfully. Fan activity was still largely impulsive, beneath the radar of any "official" sources, and self-directed.
>
> Passion projects like MUSHes and fanfic and zines flourished because there was simply nothing else.
>
> And ... everyone was so young! (Joseph Neo surveyed the fandom this year, and found that the median age was 22 (!)).
>
> Enjoy! Feel free to share thoughts!
>
> JB

I am all about a fanfic reading club, but this thread is insanely long and confusing. Can we have a clean topic for next time? Or should we each post our own thoughts in a new conversation?

Anyway, I'm in agreement with Codigo that the FAQ really does preserve a slice of online life that modern internet users don't know, and that's what's so compelling about it. I didn't get into the TF fandom until 2001 / 2002, so a lot of this goes over my head, but I'm of the so called Star Wars generation who got online when we went to university--which I did in 1996--so a lot of this stuff resonates hard even if I wasn't aware of the fandom at the time.

BTW, do we really not say 'Transfan' anymore? I always think of it as 'Transfandom'.

On Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 11:11:12 AM UTC+1, Codigo Postal wrote:
> - The very first question is so telling (1. Why don't you guys go and get a life?). There are millions more TF fans globally than ever - it's safe to say that TF is mainstream, for all ages, sexes, and races to enjoy. A far cry from the days when hanging on to your childhood memories marked you as immature to the outside world.
>

The other side of this is that the internet is mainstream now. I don't know if anybody else had this experience, discovering an online world in the 90s (and probably early noughties as well), but it was a revelation for me. This medium where I could geek out with people in a text-based community, absolutely transformed how I saw myself and my interpersonal skills. Before I got into the TF fandom I used to roleplay on a MOO, and looking back at it, I suspect most of us were on the autism spectrum, or otherwise neurodivergent, but undiagnosed.

It was also a time before social media and profile pics, and in the fandoms I frequented, people had net-handles rather than use their real names. I think one of the things that surprised me about ATT and some of the other old-school TF-fandom was the amount of people who did just go by their RL names, because I was so used to the anonymity--and I liked being able to compartmentalise my life, having a different username for each fandom.

But anyway, the defensive tone of the first question throws me back to those social insecurities of my late teens and early twenties when I never wanted to admit what my hobbies were--or how OTT I went about them; I never could do anything by halves. I think these days, when everybody is online, geekery has been normalised to some extent.

On the other hand, I've never been able to recapture the freedom I felt in my first decade online. As the majority of people have moved away from text and into pictures, videos, and soundbites, it's harder to find the interactions that really stimulate me. I have a compulsion to be longwinded, in case you hadn't noticed.

> And of course, Zobovor, who essentially keeps this place alive (it's his blog, and we're just posting on it).

This made me smile, because it's too true.

Me, one week ago: "I should go check if ATT is still around. I bet Zob is still posting."

> - I was about to bemoan the death of fanfiction, MUSHes, and the like, but then, the fandom continues to express its creativity in a million other ways on and offline.

Yeah, this ties into what I said about the majority of people moving away from text based fandom. Though I know the MOO I used to play on 25 years ago is still going (I've no idea how active it is, but it's still out there!). I hadn't really thought about the fanfic stuff, I'd just vaguely assumed that like me, people had grown up and had kids and didn't have time to write a polished 15,000 word story anymore. But it does seem like the next generation isn't writing as much fic, which is a shame. I'm glad Lexicon is still online, but it feels so *historical*; I remember checking it daily for new fics, way back when. I was really tickled by the section of the FAQ which talked about compiling every fanfic in existence. I wonder how long that lasted... I don't think it would have been possible when I was writing, around 2002-2008.

> Mostly, the FAQ is a reminder of a more innocent time when TF was still niche, but the fans were truly passionate, and I firmly believe that it's the passion of the fans and the support they showed for the brand that set the stage for both the return of TFs, and the worldwide success that it enjoys today.

That and the fact that us kids of the 80s are all middle-aged now and ruling Hollywood. OK, we're not all ruling Hollywood, but there's a lot of people driving pop culture who were groomed at a tender age to think transforming robots are cool. I'm always amused by how many shows my kids watch have these geeky 80s references, just because nobody's stopping the writers throwing them in. That said, the TF fandom always blew me away for how organised it was in consolidating and promoting their experience of TFs. You call it a niche fandom, but it was much larger than the ones I'd dabbled in before then.

Velvet Glove (getting my text-fix)

On Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 7:27:50 AM UTC-7, Velvet Glove wrote:
> I am all about a fanfic reading club, but this thread is insanely long and confusing. Can we have a clean topic for next time? Or should we each post our own thoughts in a new conversation?
>
> Anyway, I'm in agreement with Codigo that the FAQ really does preserve a slice of online life that modern internet users don't know, and that's what's so compelling about it. I didn't get into the TF fandom until 2001 / 2002, so a lot of this goes over my head, but I'm of the so called Star Wars generation who got online when we went to university--which I did in 1996--so a lot of this stuff resonates hard even if I wasn't aware of the fandom at the time.
>
> BTW, do we really not say 'Transfan' anymore? I always think of it as 'Transfandom'.
> On Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 11:11:12 AM UTC+1, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > - The very first question is so telling (1. Why don't you guys go and get a life?). There are millions more TF fans globally than ever - it's safe to say that TF is mainstream, for all ages, sexes, and races to enjoy. A far cry from the days when hanging on to your childhood memories marked you as immature to the outside world.
> >
> The other side of this is that the internet is mainstream now. I don't know if anybody else had this experience, discovering an online world in the 90s (and probably early noughties as well), but it was a revelation for me. This medium where I could geek out with people in a text-based community, absolutely transformed how I saw myself and my interpersonal skills. Before I got into the TF fandom I used to roleplay on a MOO, and looking back at it, I suspect most of us were on the autism spectrum, or otherwise neurodivergent, but undiagnosed.
>
> It was also a time before social media and profile pics, and in the fandoms I frequented, people had net-handles rather than use their real names. I think one of the things that surprised me about ATT and some of the other old-school TF-fandom was the amount of people who did just go by their RL names, because I was so used to the anonymity--and I liked being able to compartmentalise my life, having a different username for each fandom.
>
> But anyway, the defensive tone of the first question throws me back to those social insecurities of my late teens and early twenties when I never wanted to admit what my hobbies were--or how OTT I went about them; I never could do anything by halves. I think these days, when everybody is online, geekery has been normalised to some extent.
>
> On the other hand, I've never been able to recapture the freedom I felt in my first decade online. As the majority of people have moved away from text and into pictures, videos, and soundbites, it's harder to find the interactions that really stimulate me. I have a compulsion to be longwinded, in case you hadn't noticed.
> > And of course, Zobovor, who essentially keeps this place alive (it's his blog, and we're just posting on it).
> This made me smile, because it's too true.
>
> Me, one week ago: "I should go check if ATT is still around. I bet Zob is still posting."
> > - I was about to bemoan the death of fanfiction, MUSHes, and the like, but then, the fandom continues to express its creativity in a million other ways on and offline.
> Yeah, this ties into what I said about the majority of people moving away from text based fandom. Though I know the MOO I used to play on 25 years ago is still going (I've no idea how active it is, but it's still out there!). I hadn't really thought about the fanfic stuff, I'd just vaguely assumed that like me, people had grown up and had kids and didn't have time to write a polished 15,000 word story anymore. But it does seem like the next generation isn't writing as much fic, which is a shame. I'm glad Lexicon is still online, but it feels so *historical*; I remember checking it daily for new fics, way back when. I was really tickled by the section of the FAQ which talked about compiling every fanfic in existence. I wonder how long that lasted... I don't think it would have been possible when I was writing, around 2002-2008.
> > Mostly, the FAQ is a reminder of a more innocent time when TF was still niche, but the fans were truly passionate, and I firmly believe that it's the passion of the fans and the support they showed for the brand that set the stage for both the return of TFs, and the worldwide success that it enjoys today.
> That and the fact that us kids of the 80s are all middle-aged now and ruling Hollywood. OK, we're not all ruling Hollywood, but there's a lot of people driving pop culture who were groomed at a tender age to think transforming robots are cool. I'm always amused by how many shows my kids watch have these geeky 80s references, just because nobody's stopping the writers throwing them in. That said, the TF fandom always blew me away for how organised it was in consolidating and promoting their experience of TFs. You call it a niche fandom, but it was much larger than the ones I'd dabbled in before then.
>
> Velvet Glove (getting my text-fix)

Yes, this thread has gotten super cumbersome - mostly on account of it turning four years old this long weekend. :)

A bit of background: I'm also a words person, Velvet Glove, and - for me - TF fanfic has always been a real conduit into the fandom. I have vivid memories of the original FTP site, run by James Hoxsey, at Oakland, back in 1994/95, and the plethora of TF stories it contained. Most of the authors were absolutely those "early adopters" of the Internet - people whose Net access coincided with their starting university - and I really think that that fact was reflected in the quality of the writing, by and large. A lot of the TF fanfic of the early to mid-90s was really excellent, and reflected an earnest time where it really was all that we had to keep the story moving forward. Many of these stories made a real impact on me.

Over the years, I've archived a lot of these stories, and, back in 2018/19, started sharing them again here (with full credit to their original authors in all cases). I feel like, even if the author has long since moved on (or passed away, unfortunately, as has been the case in more than a few instances), the work itself stands alone, and deserves to be experienced by new readers (or enjoyed by folks who had read the stories in the past).

We've been discussing the stories themselves on a pretty casual basis, and it's been a lot of fun. Some of my absolute faves (Raksha's stories; Kendrick's "Human Urges" novella; Belinda Kelly's sprawling and extremely atmospheric "Andraxus" epic, Zob's work, Rob Jung's fantastic pieces, etc.) continue to feel vital, fresh, and relevant, and I really love the discussions that emerge.

So - that's where we've been. Happy to pick another vintage story and repost in a new thread!

Joseph (fondly remembers his years spent living the lives of Perceptor, Onslaught, and Ratbat on TLY, TF:DD, and TF:2K5, respectively...)

On Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 10:05:55 AM UTC+1, Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> A bit of background: I'm also a words person, Velvet Glove, and - for me - TF fanfic has always been a real conduit into the fandom. I have vivid memories of the original FTP site, run by James Hoxsey, at Oakland, back in 1994/95, and the plethora of TF stories it contained. Most of the authors were absolutely those "early adopters" of the Internet - people whose Net access coincided with their starting university - and I really think that that fact was reflected in the quality of the writing, by and large. A lot of the TF fanfic of the early to mid-90s was really excellent, and reflected an earnest time where it really was all that we had to keep the story moving forward. Many of these stories made a real impact on me.

Ooh, that's a really good point. It's so easy to forget that at one point none of us were seriously expecting more TF canon. It seems that there's always some new bit of fiction out now, whether comic, show, movie, video game....

> Over the years, I've archived a lot of these stories, and, back in 2018/19, started sharing them again here (with full credit to their original authors in all cases). I feel like, even if the author has long since moved on (or passed away, unfortunately, as has been the case in more than a few instances), the work itself stands alone, and deserves to be experienced by new readers (or enjoyed by folks who had read the stories in the past).

That's so cool. I kept an archive of my own stuff, but it never occurred to me to save other people's stories, and now most of those websites are long lost. Well done for your foresight!

> So - that's where we've been. Happy to pick another vintage story and repost in a new thread!

Yay!

> Joseph (fondly remembers his years spent living the lives of Perceptor, Onslaught, and Ratbat on TLY, TF:DD, and TF:2K5, respectively...)

Damn straight. Never TF MUSHed, but there was this one character on a MOO I played for nine years (before regretfully concluding I no longer had the time and killing her off rather than fading away)... She and her world were such a huge, fun and amazing part of my life. Every bit as fantastic an experience as doing some instagram-worthy holiday stunt.

Velvet Glove (geek to the core)

On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > >
> > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > >
> > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > Indeed I do!
> > > >
> > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > >
> > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > >
> > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > >
> > > > JB
> > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > >
> > > BJN
> > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> >
> > JB
> HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
>
> I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
>
> BJN
Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.

On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > >
> > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > >
> > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > >
> > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > >
> > > > > JB
> > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > >
> > > > BJN
> > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > >
> > > JB
> > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> >
> > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> >
> > BJN
> Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.

@Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.

@Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).

I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).

The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.

Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).

Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.

All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)

JB
joe.bardsley@gmail.com

On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > JB
> > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > >
> > > > > BJN
> > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox.. :)
> > > >
> > > > JB
> > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > >
> > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > >
> > > BJN
> > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
>
> @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
>
> I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
>
> The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.

Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song.. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.

That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.

> Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).

Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!

>
> Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.

Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).

Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron.. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time.. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).

On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > >
> > > > > > BJN
> > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > >
> > > > > JB
> > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > >
> > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots.. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > >
> > > > BJN
> > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> >
> > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> >
> > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> >
> > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
>
> That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> >
> > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
>
> Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
>
> I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
>
> Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
>
> Me and Starscream:
> https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
>
> Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
>
> Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> >
> > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.

On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj....@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > JB
> > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > >
> > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > >
> > > > > BJN
> > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > >
> > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > >
> > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > >
> > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> >
> > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK).
> > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > >
> > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> >
> > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> >
> > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
> >
> > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> >
> > Me and Starscream:
> > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> >
> > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> >
> > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > >
> > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
>
> Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
>
> Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group. You'd be most welcome to participate!
>
> JB

On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 5:42:07 AM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7:41:33 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > On Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:31:44 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > On Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:01:35 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> > > > > On Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 12:06:30 PM UTC-5, Brian Nelson wrote:
> > > > > > On Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:43:39 AM UTC-5, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 11:35:39 PM UTC-8, brianj...@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Friday, June 12, 2020 at 12:03:50 AM UTC-4, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 7:18:33 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 1:41:32 PM UTC-6, brianj....@gmail.com wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > It was a story where Thundercracker had left the Decepticons and joined the
> > > > > > > > > > > Autobots. It was an uneasy alliance for some, and it actually culminated in
> > > > > > > > > > > the Autobots betraying him.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Oh, man. I totally remember that one. It kind of made me upset. The Autobots treated him so unfairly. They were such jerks in that story!
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > I might have to try to track that one down again. I don't remember who wrote it. Somebody who is a more avid fan fiction reader than me would probably know.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > Zob (gonna have to try my Google-Fu)
> > > > > > > > > Indeed I do!
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > The story in question is "Coming Clean", written in 1993 by a fan with the ATT moniker of "Jiminy Cristmas". It is, indeed, the epic odyssey of Thundercracker as he navigates a shift in allegiance. It's a great story; one that's held up remarkably well over nearly 30 years. As Zob has recently noted, fanfic from this era demonstrates a certain kind of unique pedigree; it's from a time where the only people, mostly, online had access via their university campuses. so the quality of writing was generally quite high.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Another note about this story - it's one of the most slavishly adherent to "toy" bios that I've ever seen, before or since.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I have a Word copy I am happy to email folks (it's too long to post here). Let me know!
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > > > I can't believe you knew what I was talking about! Yes, could you please send a copy? brianj...@gmail.com
> > > > > > > > BTW, that's a really interesting point about online access and universities, something I just never really thought about before but makes a lot of sense and takes me back to the late 90s!
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > BJN
> > > > > > > Hey Brian - thanks for taking the time to respond! Check your inbox. :)
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > JB
> > > > > > HUGE thank you to Joseph Bardsley!! This was a blast from the past that I honestly never thought I would have the opportunity to re-visit. The human brain is so wonky. What was so important about this that I wanted to read it again? I mean, I read it once - that should have been good enough right? Instead of taking a chance on any of the new fiction or fan-fiction that has come out in the last 30 years I wanted to reconcile with a tiny sliver of an old memory instead. Not only that - but what I described above is exactly everything I remembered from it. Like, if you had put a gun to my head, in 4 million years I wouldn't have been able to remember one single more detail. And yet, as I read it again, there were not only sections that I *still* had absolutely no recollection of, but then some that I was like, "oh yeah, I do remember that". It's kind of wild.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I definitely enjoyed it. Sort of quasi-set in the cartoon universe with some techspec aspects thrown in. Definitely out of my comfort zone at the time, but now I appreciate the way it fleshes out some characters and the universe as a whole. I wasn't as much into the pure murderous side of the Decepticons, but I did really appreciate a different side to the Autobots. In the cartoon, the Autobots were (mostly) pure heroes. Happy go lucky nary a problem could go wrong for more than about 21 minutes guys who got to save the day every 22 or 23 minutes. Probably not the most accurate depiction of robots who have been at war for millions of years and are now stuck on an alien world. I know it's not a 1:1 relationship, but look at our heroes. First responders, military, etc - work for 8 hour a day for a small paycheck - mired in red tape, bosses they don't have confidence in - all to get home and try and put food on the table and raise a family - it's TOUGH!! The Search for Alpha Trion and a few other small bits give us peaks into the Autobots having some type of life outside of the war, but Coming Clean really puts some emphasis on it.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > BJN
> > > > > Joseph, any interest in bringing back an occasional fanfic for a reading club? I've been diving into the works of Robert Jung and Merytneith, among others, and it surprises and saddens me that the depth of thought and passion that went into these, and many other works by fan authors, far exceeds anything we've gotten in the official media in the decades since. If I were Hasbro, I'd edit and reissue the cream of the crop in official digital anthologies, if only to give the lie to the notion that TFs are only for children/man-children.
> > > > @Brian, if you're reading this, many thanks for your very kind message! Not sure how I missed this when you originally posted it - I check ATT every day or second day - but thank you. Coming Clean is one of my very favorite stories, too, with so many visceral moments that - for me, at least - remain burned into my brain - and I am glad it landed for you. Like you, perhaps, I first encountered these stories at a formative age, which makes the memories seem all the more fresh.
> > > >
> > > > @Codigo, I would totally be down for this. TF fanfic, along with fanzines and MUSHing, is probably my favorite way to experience the fandom these days (even if this means I feel like a relic a lot of the time - albeit in good company), and I have a pretty sizeable archive of stories from back in the day (early 90s - early 00s).
> > > >
> > > > I wasn't sure how many folks here were actively reading the old works I was posting - I never want to be a bother - but, if there is interest, more than glad to revive the tradition. (If nothing else, you and I can chat via email!).
> > > >
> > > > The unique confluence of a near-total lack of official media + waning public interest + many of the very first online TransFans being able to share their ideas from major universities made ~1992 - 99 a really fruitful year for quality writing, and I feel like shining a continued light on these stories is the right thing to do in terms of helping them find new readers, no matter what has ultimately become of their authors.
> > > Agreed! The fandom definitely has a different feel to it these days; today, it's a multi-billion dollar juggernaut that attracts A-list sponsors, licensees, and Oscar-winning superstars. Back then, to most people, TF was an extinct children's toyline with a half-remembered catchphrase and theme song. It was those cool older college kids, pioneers of the internet, who brought their erudition and their passion to legitimizing and elevating the brand. Without them, I doubt TF would be where it is today; certainly it was their passion that brought me into the fandom.
> > >
> > > That's not to dismiss the fandom today, of course. There are folks doing amazing things with CGI, stop-motion, artwork, and more, and certainly their passion is no less. But the 90's for TF was another time and place altogether, and I think so much of the creative work from that era deserves to be seen by a wider and newer audience of fans.
> > > > Agreed that Rob Jung was a very fine fanfic writer - as is our own Zob, and Gustavo Wombat (if you're reading this, Gustavo, I hope you're OK)..
> > > Zob's fanfics are indisputably part of that classic fan canon, and his work on restoring the soundtrack should earn him more recognition in the fandom, IMHO. Seconded on Gustavo's whereabouts and good health!
> > > >
> > > > Dave Van Domelen also comes to mind in a big way, as do vanished personalities like Raksha, Robert E. Powers, Belinda Kelly, Bobbi Carothers, Lizard (an amazing series of TF/Star Trek crossovers I really love), Stanley Lui, and Kendrick.
> > > Dave Van Domelen's Tales of the Intermezzo still resonate today. Chilling to think about a coldly totalitarian Maximal government clamping down on the rights and freedoms of the remaining Bots and Cons (my favorites are a tossup between the fate of a grounded Sky Lynx finding his expression through dance, and Treadshot teaming up with the remaining Cons on a penal colony to reclaim their identities and fate).
> > >
> > > Always enjoyed Raksha's "Chance in a Million" about the origins of Megatron. Seconded on Robert E. Powers; I still scan his old site from time to time. Bobbi Carothers brought relationships into the TF world in a believable way with her Spring Cycle (I also enjoyed her take on Only Human, mirroring Zob's take).
> > >
> > > I regret not knowing much about Star Trek, and so never getting much out of Lizard's otherwise great stories. Of course, Stan Lui of the Encyclopedia and Kendrick of the Weekday reviews (archived here https://camphortree.net/tf/weekday/). Also, Merytneith, Sky Shadow, and Transmasters UK.
> > >
> > > Nightwind's Transfan Asylum was also a great site, and a couple of her essays recently got me thinking:
> > >
> > > Me and Starscream:
> > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=470&chapter=1
> > >
> > > Decepticons And The Women Who Love Them:
> > > https://transformersfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=195
> > >
> > > Certainly food for thought in both essays. I think it hits differently now, in 2023, for better or for worse.
> > > >
> > > > All of this to say - happy to revive this! Let me know your thoughts. :)
> > > Great idea! I'll follow your lead and would be interested as well in everyone else's thoughts, especially Zob and Dave Van Domelen as the old guard.
> > OK - it's a plan. Let me see what I've got kicking around on the old hard drive this weekend. Will post something shortly!
> >
> > Also, agreed about Nightwind, btw, as well as the thoughtful brevity of Kendrick's TF:Weekday reviews. I love them.
> >
> > Meant to ask you, Codigo - are you on Facebook at all? TransMasters has had something of a resurgence on that platform, and is now an active group.. You'd be most welcome to participate!
> >
> > JB
> Thanks JB! Not on FB or any kind of social media - but may have to check it out! Do you know if they've made their archives and old issues accessible? I'm having a deuce of a time trying to track down the old PDFs they used to have on their website.