Fandom Specific Plot/Transformers

As one of the Long Runners, Transformers has spawned a lot of repeated storylines over the decades.

General

• Somehow; maybe through the AllSpark, Vector Sigma, being wired into a Cybertronian body, touching a Spark, being infused with Energon, etc; a human ally will be turned into a Cybertronian. This is a rather divisive one.

Crossovers

• A usual set-up for Crossovers is to have the Space Bridge malfunction, dumping the Autobots and Decepticons elsewhere. In the case of Beast Wars, the Maximals and Predacons interfere with a Vok site that sends them to another Vok station somewhere in time and space.
• Whatever Cool Car exists in the other property is a Cybertronian.
• Magic and Transformers don't mix. How else are the Squishy Wizards not supposed to just be stepped on?
• The Transformers are deeply intertwined in whatever mythology of the other property's lore. Usually a previous Cybertronian landing in whatever land.

The Transformers

• Bridging the gap between the second season and Transformers: The Movie. Often this includes trying to answer what happened to all the characters who were hit by Chuck Cunningham Syndrome. The most popular choices seem to be Skyfire or Huffer.
• As the Decepticons seemed to like going into space more than the Autobots, it's common to see a Slice of Life fic about the Autobots interacting with their human friends and human society.
• Doing away with the "the Quintessons built the Transformers" and "a monkey created Unicron" plots and making Unicron his usual God of Evil self while bringing in Primus.
• Jazz/Prowl.

Beast Wars

• A Cybertronian from the era of the Great War somehow ends up on prehistoric Earth and meets up with the Maximals.
• Undoing the Happy Ending Override of Beast Machines.
• Plugging in the gaps of how the Maximals and Predacons arrived on Earth.

Transformers Animated

• Like any great show that fell victim to a Cancellation, continuing the storyline based on the released scripts of What Could Have Been. Or just making a fully original continuation.
• As the Great War was a Great Offscreen War in this timeline, stories about Ratchet's experience in it are very common.
• Exploring Sari's origins.

Transformers Prime

• The early days of the Thirteen Primes seems a very enticing idea to a good number of authors.
• Transformers Prime spawned a lot of fanfics about Jack Darby undergoing Adaptational Badass and becoming The Chosen One while being powerful enough to defeat all the Decepticons on his own. MECH somehow becomes an incredibly competent threat and Jack/Arcee is very likely to happen here. A popular segway for Crossovers as Jack may get some MacGuffin from another property, such as the Omnitrix or a Green Lantern Ring, to give him fighting capabilities. Should it be a Crossover, then expect the characters from the other franchise to smack around the Autobots and Decepticons who have millions of years of combat experience; though one could argue that they undergo Adaptational Badass to fight on a Cybertronian level; but will be helpless against a Hormone-Addled Teenager whose battle plan is Attack! Attack! Attack!
• As said above, reimagining MECH into a competent threat to both Autobots and Decepticons.
• As much as everyone loved Prime's high quality CGI, the tight budget also meant that there was a limited cast of characters to work with. It's very common to have other Autobots and Decepticons, usually Decepticons, hiding out on Earth and join the conflict.
• After Robots in Disguise, it was common to continue the story of Prime, disregarding the Sequel Series entirely.