Author's Notes
I wouldn't usually make extensive author's notes, and it's not really necessary to read these, but readers only marginally familiar with the Transformers phenomenon might find it interesting...
The problem with Transformers is that in their relentless drive to sell the toys (which is what the phenomenon is, at base, all about) Hasbro and associated entities have created at least ten (that I counted) 'continuities', using the same characters or variants thereof but with different 'body-forms' – and, to the fanfic writers' endless dismay... no, actually, their joy, since literally anything goes... with at least four different and completely contradictory origin stories, for the planet itself as well as the main characters. Optimus Prime alone has been:
1) a dock worker killed by Megatron and resurrected as the latest Prime by Alpha Trion,
2) a records clerk who become friends with Megatron the gladiator who led the revolution against the repressive caste system and the oppression of the upper castes,
3) the head of the Cybertron science research division, equal to Megatron, head of the Cybertron military,
4) a gladiator himself chosen by the Matrix of Leadership to lead the autobots.
And that's without mentioning the Shattered Glass mirror universe, where the Autobots are evil and the Decepticons the good guys!
What I am mostly doing with the Poppy Tales is taking option 3 above, as it fits in with the Bayverse (the main continuity I'm using) and as I'm collecting the books/prequels/sequels/sidestories comic books (and figures!) in this continuity I have a good visual aid to Cybertron and what the Transformers looked like at home (recognisable but quite different to their earthly appearance – see Three Prowls, below). However, I've slipped in the caste system reason for the rebellion and war as in option 2, as it seems more rational than the reason for the war as given in the Defiance graphic novel. [Throws hands up] So the origin stories contradict if you look at them too closely. Bugger that. If Hasbro doesn't care about keeping it straight, and Bay can't give a flying fu... uh, fart for continuity or logic, I feel I can gently fudge over any inconsistencies in my own fics. Unless I'd told you, you'd probably never have noticed!
I've scanned the map of Cybertron from my copy of the Vault (that's the Transformers Vault, not the WaveWrights fiction section!) – it's an attempt to marry most continuities. It's also been appallingly spell-checked – Praxus has been spelt Praxis, Sentinel has been spelt Centinel, Primus has been spelt primus, Polyhex should be all one word, and 6 lasers of Cybertron should read Six Lasers Over Cybertron (it's a Cybertronian Alton Towers. No, I have no idea why they'd need a fun fair. I did say logic runs screaming from this whole affair...)
Praxus and 'wingers... I've borrowed the term from fanon, though it is very appropriate. Certain transformers have 'doorwings' on their backs in root mode – I find them quite cute – and according to the map many of them come from Praxus, so it may be a particular body-form that residents prefer. In Defiance their original Cybertronian forms have them, as here –
Three Prowls
(Prowl is Prime's tactician and second in command. I rather like his fierce Cybertronian mode...)
Transformers aren't born, they're sparked. Their spark is a literal spark given by the Allspark, and is not just their heart, it's their soul as well....
A klik is a second. I've fiercely resisted using other Cybertronian time units - I have enough problems using earth time without trying to remember that a breem is 8.3 minutes, a deca-cycle is 10 days, and a vorn is 83 years...
I have to say a profound 'thank you' to the good folks at the Transformers Wiki, where I have spent many hours this last few days in research: you'll find everything I use here, over there, including the situation in Kaon (just search 'Kaon upper class'). But not the characters - they're all mine. I don't care what Starscream says, you people are the greatest!
And finally, the fabulous background picture of Cybertron is stolen from J Jasso's DeviantArt page, with full credits, apology and deep admiration.