#it was ultimately both Optimus and Megatron’s fault

[quibbs126]

I’m thinking about it, and I think Optimus banishing Megatron from Iacon with the High Guard was probably one of the worst decisions he could have made to deal with this situation

Because Optimus pretty much left him alone, outside of his home and I’m fairly certain the only remaining city on Cybertron, so to live out in the wilds of the surface, with a bunch of complete strangers whom they literally call nut-jobs and have a strong belief of “strength of one bot over another”, and are also much older and more experienced than him

And in leaving him with the High Guard, he’s likely isolated Megatron even more than if he was banished alone. Because while Optimus and the others have friends they can be vulnerable with and be comfortable talk about their feelings, Megatron does not know these people, and they don’t know him. But he’s now their leader in a group that values strength above all else, and emotions are usually considered a weakness in these sorts of settings. So not only does he have no one to talk to, he has to bottle up his very strong and raw emotions to appear stronger and worthy of his position, thus making them far worse and probably leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms

This could end up not being the case, and the High Guard are very considerate of his emotions. But it’s also very possible the case that they aren’t, or Megatron believes he can’t be vulnerable around them. They (the quartet I mean) don’t know these people, and they’ve really only seen them be violent and aggressive, and Megatron knows he’s an outsider to them. It’s a more likely scenario that they’ll be harmful to Megatron’s mental state rather than helpful

And again, they’re a lot older than him too, and they probably all know this, at least on some level. And thus, he’s far more likely to be influenced by the High Guard’s mentality and beliefs, which we already know aren’t great (even if it’s somewhat justified why they’re the way they are by this point). And assuming they’re pissed at Optimus as well, they could very well try to have Megatron distance himself from his old friends, and it be more successful than if he was alone

But moving away from the High Guard, there’s the fact that Optimus banished him from his home and left him to fend for himself, which Megatron would absolutely take personally just on its own. He was clearly not in a mentally stable place at that point and I think he thinks what he’s doing is right, he’s the one not being like Sentinel while Optimus is. It definitely isn’t right, but he thinks he is. And the banishment to him could not only be Optimus/Orion standing against him, but essentially him saying he’s given up on Megatron, making him leave his home. And I mean, Sentinel did kind of do this to the High Guard 50 cycles ago, so yet another parallel to be made between Optimus and Sentinel

But note that when I say all this, I don’t mean it as a criticism of the movie, that this is a flaw of the plot. I’m fairly certain this was 100% intentional by the writers. It wasn’t just Megatron that created Megatron and led to the war, it was Optimus too, even if he didn’t intend to

Optimus probably thought at the time that this was the best solution in dealing with him. He doesn’t agree with Megatron’s actions but he understands where it all comes from, and he was someone very important to him. So he probably doesn’t want to arrest him, punishing him for what he thought was right and making himself more like Sentinel, oppressing those who were supposed to be on his side. But he still has to be punished for his actions. So by banishment, he is punished while still being allowed to essentially be free, just not in Iacon, and maybe in turn he’ll see his wrongdoings and come back better. And even if the High Guard aren’t ideal, they did help Optimus and Elita rescue their friends, and maybe he thought at least with them he wouldn’t be alone in his thoughts. Also they agreed with Megatron’s ideals and probably shouldn’t be allowed to just roam free in Iacon, especially in this politically fragile state it is right now

But in doing so, Optimus essentially threw Megatron to the wolves and created the perfect environment for his anger and pain to fester and cause him to become more like the Megatron we know in the future

I’m not sure what the actual best solution would have been to this issue though. Maybe it would have been just jailing Megatron? Granted in the short term, it’d probably sting even worse for Megatron, that his own friend would lock him up, and it’d probably make him even more resentful. But at least there, he’d still be in Iacon, with his friends and people who want to help him, and with Optimus and Elita at the helm, they can probably see that he gets treated well and has access to people that can really help him work through it all and see what he did was wrong

But that’s not what happened

[starburr]

Another thing that I think about is despite we see Orion pushing D-16 to imagine more, to strive for it, he ultimately means well. He says "I did this for us" during the race even if what comes next is to D-16's annoyance, or the way he looked over to wait for D-16 to catch up during their quest to find the matrix. Orion is impulsive and selfish at times but makes sure to try and figure out what to do next instead of just internalizing it, because he knows he wants others to succeed with him. He dreams big because he wants to be more, and wants what he reaps to give to others because of how they "can be so much more."

On the other hand, D-16 is easily hurt and angry, selfish. It makes sense given his entire life was built on lies, and even before that he felt frustrated but ultimately resigned himself to the fact that they're "just miners. We mine, that's it." He put his faith in Sentinel and the system they lived in that was built on lies, believed in it, but blames others for it. Notice when he lashes out at Orion that he blames him specifically, not even questioning himself on why he believed Sentinel for so long or what he could do to change their lives now. He projects that Orion is constantly thinking about himself and no one else, and yet he still thinks about Sentinel's deception towards him, not his people. He's realistic because he reacts to his first taste of power with a willingness to fight back (maybe too willing), but with the added philosophy of "might makes right" no matter the consequences. Even as he's aiming to kill Sentinel, he's desperate to get it done. He doesn't want to think about the consequences as much as he knows there are, because that's for him to figure out later once he achieves his satisfaction. I'm not calling Orion blameless and perfect for the rest of their interactions in the movie leading up to their falling out, but he at least is thinking of the bigger picture and how it is they can be better.

D just wanted Sentinel dead, I don't fault him for that. But if you are to cement that philosophy that only the strong should rule in front of your entire people, it will make everything inevitably worse as far as overthrowing corrupt governments go. You've replaced your sell-out two-faced fake prime of a leader with an even worse one, one who demands you stay on protocol or else you face the consequences. He believes that others are as selfish as him, even as he was breaking down after having shot Orion, he still blamed him. "Why did you do that why?!?!" Not once did he try to comfort Orion or the others after the revelation that Sentinel betrayed the Primes, this leads him to further becoming cold and intimidating because he believes he can only trust himself. He is right to want Sentinel to pay for his actions, but wrong for not thinking of the consequences of killing him and applying this 'might makes right' mindset right after he's still projecting his selfishness onto others.

D-16/Megatron is a complex character, a tragedy that makes you wish he wasn't so selfish because ultimately, he was still Orion's friend, something that Orion never forgot. Even in the final battle, where both of them were still relying too much on their new-found abilities, Orion wasn't trying to hurt him. Well, I should say Optimus, but where D-16 saw another Prime to be crushed after renouncing them, Optimus still saw the same miner bot he cared for so long.

[krinsbez]

Random Transformers One Thought

A week later, I want to discuss two thoughts, one which is fairly trivial, but the other is a bit more substantial.

-First, kinda annoying that the rap theme namedrops Optimus, Megatron, and Bumblebee, but not Elita.

-Second...actually it's very involved and also involves spoilers, so I'm putting it under the cut.

-So, yeah, they portray Orion as doing all this crazy stuff and D-16 as his long suffering friend who has to clean up after him, but like...they also make it clear that Orion isn't doing it for himself, he's trying to help other people. He also, notably is entirely willing to accept the consequences of his actions. After both the mine explosion and the Iacon 5000, almost the first thing out of his mouth when confronted by an authority figure was insisting that he is at fault, he is to blame, and he should be punished, no one else. -D-16 is from the beginning taking the easy way out. Not only is his goal to just keep his head down and work hard, but he isn't willing to seriously argue with OP when he proposes they do crazy things, and until that moment in the cave, he is unwilling to seriously rebuke him either, always insisting that he is ok with the outcome, that he forgives him, that he isn't really mad at him, even when he very clearly is, because it's easier than risking losing OP's friendship. -Also, from the very beginning, OP has a Vision. He has a goal in mind of making their world better, and the hting is he isn't just impulsively doing shit for fun, he makes plans. And when they don't work he comes up with new ones on the fly to replace them! Also, notably several of his plans only failed because they're based on the flawed assumption that the people in charge would be willing to fix the flaws in the system if said flaws were pointed out and a better way was presented. -Actually, this is important, because OP's response to finding out the Truth is, once again to Make A Plan to fix it. WHile he undergoes character development, he doesn't fundamentally change as a person...and if you think about it, neither does D-16. because he's still taking the path of least resistance, he's still doing what's easier for him. The only change is that, now that he's a big powerful Trasnformer instead of a small. weak Miner, instead of keeping his head down, what's easy ot is to shout and break things. -And notably, it doesn't actually help! Like, yeah, he gets the High Guard on their side (which was OP's idea, remember), but then proceeds to squander that by making a loud speech that gets them captured. And his refusing to kneel to Sentinel was badass and all, but it didn't accomplish anything; OP showing up with an army and a plan did. -Like, D-16 says he's done saving Orion, but Orion just saved HIM, and also the reason OP needed saving is because he was trying to save D-16 from himself! -And then, having removed all opposition, what does Megatron do? He makes an angry speech and starts wrecking stuff, heedless of the fact that he's hurting innocent people. -In contrast, after defeating him, OP's first act is to start the Energon flowing, the second is to start handing out Cogs, and the third is to start forming a new government. His last scene is giving the Quintessons an ultimatum and taking the fight to them. Megatron's last scene is making a speech to the people already following and swearing to one day take revenge. -In short, the movie does an excellent job of showing why OP is The Guy and Megatron isn't and crucially, it does so by showing that ultimately, while Megatron talks a big game, when it comes down to it, OP is the one who gets results. Getting angry and hurting the people who hurt you feels good, but having a vision of a better world and making plans to achieve it works.

[transformers-nerd-13]

I’m curious if you have any thoughts about how Optimus being an archivist in some continuities effects his leadership style :3

Good question! To be honest, the only continuities that I’m well versed in where he’s formerly an archivist are Prime and Cyberverse, so I’m answering based off those two continuities.

I’m assuming that both had caste systems (as far as I’m aware Cyberverse never says if it did or not but the existence of the gladiator pits makes me think there was) and if so, in both, Orion Pax is a higher caste than Megatron. He doesn’t know about most of the corruption on Cybertron until he meets Megatron so I’d say maybe a bit naive at first but by no fault of his own since people are actively trying to hide this from the Cybertronian public. In both, Optimus started out fighting alongside Megatron since they had a shared goal; freedom for Cybertron. Megatron’s approach was to gain followers among the lower castes by riling them up; making them angry over what had been done to them. Orion’s approach was diplomacy; trying to settle things through words whereas Megatron “proclaimed the need to overthrow the old guard with force.” —Ratchet, Transformers Prime, Season One finale. Ultimately, Orion Pax was made a Prime for a reason.

I’m not sure how much being an archivist actually affected his leadership style. Yes, he’s diplomatic and tries to use words and avoid conflict whenever possible, but that could be said of most versions of Optimus.

I don’t think what he was before so much affects his leadership style as what he’s been through; his friend betraying him, going to war with a mech he once considered his best friend, forced to take up arms to defend his dying world, seeing friends die on the battlefield where there was nothing he could do for them other than hold their hand and say goodbye, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg with a lot of Optimus’. Despite all the hardship and loss, he choses to be kind; to be strong enough to be gentle. (Well, most of the time; violence is a necessity of war.)

Sorry, that turned into a bit of a rant lol. Hopefully that answers your question! :)

[askvectorprime]

dear vector prime, is there a version of evac from the idw1 continuity? was he a knight of cybertron like live action incarnation?

Dear Evac Evaluator,

No, the Evac of that universe was not a member of the Knights of Cybertron. In fact, he bore a great resemblance to the Evac that I came to know during my time searching for the Cyber Planet Keys alongside Optimus Prime and the Autobots, transforming into a blue and yellow rescue helicopter. He was one of the many who called for reforms and the end of Functionism alongside Megatron and his followers. However, he was disgusted when the planet erupted into war, and ultimately left Cybertron with many of his fellow Cybertronians, under the leadership of Metalhawk. Upon the war’s conclusion, he returned to Cybertron with his fellows, but was among the few who did not support Starscream as leader, as he remembered living as one of the Seeker’s constituents prior to the war. He survived the various crises which befell Cybertron, including the coming of Unicron, and came to settle down on Earth, where he ultimately partnered with the United States Coast Guard as part of a cultural exchange between the United States and Little Cybertron.

I do, however, know of another incarnation of Evac who served as a Cybertronian Knight. A young warrior from a technorganic Cybertron who possessed both helicopter and assault buggy modes, Evac's skill as a swordsman saw him recruited by Knight Commander Ginrai into his elite order of Cybertron's defenders. Noble, idealistic and selfless to a fault, Evac's personality clashed heavily with his fellow recruit, the grim and pragmatic Crosswise… which is why everyone was confused when Alpha Trizer advised that they be partnered together on an ongoing basis. However, the sage's wisdom proved itself as Evac and Crosswise came to appreciate each others' philosophies as complimentary, not opposed; these days, the duo are known as some of the finest combatants in the galaxy, Crosswise's sonic disruptors and Evac's rotor-blade working in concert to bring evildoers everywhere to justice.

[melishade]

Attack on Prime: The foils between brothers

Main Story

What’s funny about me writing this in the spur of the moment is because I thought people were aware of this. But I was having a conversation with @echoblaze5 about it and now I gotta do a full in depth about it. 

 So as I’ve written Attack on Prime for years, I’ve come to the remarkable conclusion that Armin and Eren are a parallel to TFP Optimus and TFP Megatron. Because...it’s really right there if you think about it. Friends before bloodshed. Fight each other. All that jazz. I will be talking spoilers so be mindful.

Let’s do Armin and Optimus first.

Both are idealistic in nature. They have a desire to learn and a natural curiosity. Both have a desire to sit down and try to talk things out instead of resorting to violence immediately. It’s an innate desire for peace, but Armin also sees talking things out as a way of mature thinking, since resorting to violence would be stooping to the attacker’s level. Both were burdened with a great power and responsibility. Optimus being tasked to take on the role of Prime during the war, and what ultimately kick-started the war in the first place. Armin, canonically, took on the powers of the Colossal Titan. It was in order to save his life and gain the Colossal Titan’s power, but it’s a lot of responsibility. And the powers of the Colossal Titan are equivalent to that of a bomb. It’s a dangerous and heavy power to have. On top of that, when it comes down to it, both will be willing to take action if peace talks don’t work. Armin would be a little more reluctant to do that, but Optimus is a seasoned war veteran. But Armin has a bit of sadistic streak compared to Optimus. Remember this face:

And this: 

My man needs to chill out.

Armin and Optimus were easy, but I can go on and ON about the similarities between Eren and Megatron and both would fucking hate it. LETS GO!

First of all, violence. It is not the solution. It is the question and the answer is yes. Megatron being forced to be a miner, then turned into a gladiator, and then flung to war, violence is all he’s ever really known. I don’t necessarily fault him for that. He had to rely on violence in order to survive, and I think if Megatron had grown up in a different environment, he would not have become a violent person.

BUT EREN! I know he did it to save Mikasa’s life, and I respect that because they were literally human traffickers who killed her parents mere hours ago. They deserved what they had coming and deserved to suffer. I get that, but 9 year old Eren fucking STABBED ONE IN THE THROAT AND THEN LURED THE OTHER ONE OUT TO STAB REPEATEDLY! Like Jesus Christ man! And his response to Zeke about it in the Paths: bitch, I’ve always been like this. Eren lived a normal life before the Shinganshina attack and had no issue hunting human traffickers down and killing them to save Mikasa. OMG the distress Carla must’ve gone through that night! Coming home with a little girl and finding out her nine year old son has a body count now!

I digress.

Second, the head strong personalities. They are both extremely stubborn in their own right and it’s led them to make extremely foolish and reckless decisions. Eren always running headfirst to attack the enemy without any real plan. And I can go on and on about the millions of blunders Megatron has made. A book could made about the stupidity of tampering with dark energon alone! But no! Megatron doesn’t listen to his only medic about injecting his own ship (a literal flying corpse) with dark energon (something that can revive the fucking dead). Oh my god, that man lost all thought process when it came to both dark energon and Optimus Prime.

Three, the descent into madness. Cause ya know, Eren destroying the world and Megatron’s revolution of equality turning into one of conquest. ‘Cause Megatron had good intentions, but with his reliance on violence and the war just going on, he just cracked. He literally did everything he ever could to gain power to the point where he just jammed dark energon into his spark and doomed himself from ever experiencing reincarnation ever again by not joining the Allspark. 

Meanwhile Eren, oh boy, I need to shit talk this man. Yes, the situation was complicated, and yes, Eren wanted to protect his friends, and yes the hatred the world had was intense and unforgiving. But you cannot forgive genocide! Megatron is your one-dimensional evil villain. He wanted to conquer Earth to rule it. There’s no need for complexity or even sympathy. And at times, it sucks seeing Eren in pain, but Eren literally dragged his friends into hell on the off chance that they would survive and live long lives. And Eren really did not take into consideration what they wanted because they did not want a full scale Rumbling. We know that Eren cares for his friends. But reading those last few chapters...it makes you feel like Eren cared more about this idealistic version of freedom that doesn’t exist compared to the lives of his friends. His selfish desires weigh out more. Eren said so himself: if he wasn’t stopped, he would’ve completed the Rumbling in full. And Eren knows what he was doing was wrong because he’s literally disassociating while doing the Rumbling and regressing back to a child because he literally cannot handle the weight of what he’s done. Whether or not it was foretold, pre-determined, or whatever because of his future visions, it was just horrible. It’s an action that can’t be forgiven. There’s actually a quote TFP Optimus says to Megatron that definitely applies to Eren.

“I am but a soldier, Megatron. And you, are a prisoner of your own twisted delusions.”

Eren was a slave to his idealistic, non-existent version of freedom. He couldn’t escape it.

And the fact that both Armin/Eren and Optimus/Megatron went from brothers to enemies is really adding to this too. Eren wants to destroy the world; Armin wants to save it. Because he believes in a world that exists beyond what they’ve seen. Optimus wants to protect; Megatron wants to rule. Ideologies clash and...they fight. 

I could be missing shit. I know I am. This is more of a rambling if anything, but if anyone wants to add then go for it.

[cyraniadebergerac]

RWBY x Transformers...

Could work. Have the main transformers all have cool weaponry and powers then have beastformers be the equivalent of faunus. Set in the pre-Civil War world then have the transformers!RWBY cast exist alongside the canon transformers cast and see how they interact and change their main plotlines.

The Adam Taurus-White Fang would likely join the Deceptions and be their own division within it (and if Megatron ends up having a change of hearts and tries to stop the rebellion from becoming more cruel than those they're overthrowing, then Adam would be quite willing to strike him down and take command which then could lead to a heavily wounded Megatron being saved by Soundwave and the Autobots).

Salem would be a powerful witch that commands Empties and creates mechanical monstrosities who would support the Deceptions in order to ruin all that Ozpin sought to build and in time improve just because he ran away after she called upon Unicron to bring him back to life. Ozpin and Salem would then be among the few truly ancient transformers like Alpha Trion.

Ozpin still appears to merely be the headmaster of the Hunter Academy that fight Salam's Grimm monsters and are meant to help against other foes in a pinch. Through his connections and that cover, he tries to work to improve and ultimately dismantle the caste system that has risen up from within (potentially because he was mourning Salem's fall and/or was her prisoner after he first tried to run and before he finally succeeded in escaping so the caste system became entrenched while he wasn't paying attention and he feels it's his fault). Part of that process has been getting the academy opened from warriors and nobles to all castes and frame types, making the Hunter Corp a legitimate way to rise up in life. But of course, there are those that oppose that and want to push back. Both future Autobots and Decepticons could have being a student here as part of their background. Ozpin himself would definitely support Optimus's Autobots.

Weiss is still the noble daughter of a mining company tycoon, though we can also have Megatron working within Jacques Schnee's mines along with Adam. She still becomes a Huntress to protest what her father's done in his company. I'm imagining a Mercedes Gullwing type car for her vehicle mode and a potentially Praxian frametype.

Blake is a black panther beast former in hiding who joined Adam's rebellion at first but then found that he was going too far and bailed for Ozpin's academy while she tries to figure out what side she should be on. Ruby and Yang are Polyhexian with Ruby just seeking to be a hero like her parents and Yang wanting the thrills. Not quite sure how the Silver Eyes would play out, perhaps from Ozpin's influence. Perhaps a because of being descended from someone uniquely blessed by Primus. Perhaps the descendant of a surviving child of Ozpin & Salem. Yang meanwhile may or may not potentially be a golden raven beastformer since Raven and Qrow would be raven & crow beastformers.

Ironwood would be part of the military and a liaison for the hunters within the military as he's a hunter himself. He's known for how he had half his frame torn off yet he stubbornly held on to life and lived. The two sides of his body are obviously different metals.

The Maidens could work in a way similar to how the Primeship works, though it's best if the former Maiden passes it down before she's offline. The Maiden's power could be drained and taken by someone else, but it's the artifact that holds their power that's the important thing. Only femmes can be Maidens and it could be seen as traditionally a Vestal Virgin sort of duty though the next wielder does not have to be among the Maiden-elects, though typically that's among whom the Maidens choose a successor.

Penny's story could either be about being a cold-construct who was designed to be a huntress or about being a human made robot would ends up with a transformers spark.

It definitely has potential. What do you guys think?

combine your first real fandom with your current one to create a terrible, terrible au

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

fuckit im posting some Cybertronian caste system rambles now. copypasted from discord bc im lazy, names redacted except for mine.

THIS IS THE OLD DIAGRAM. IM GONNA SHIFT SOME SHIT AROUND IN THE NEW VERSION LOL

also note: this is historical worldbuilding, i.e. the shit megatron and optimus got rid of. just wanna make that clear xD

catboy orion pax — Today at 6:50 PM

ok so to start with i wanna get rid of the summary words

theyre like loosely applicable in terms of how social organisation went but there's enough variation that it was never a guarantee

like for example, the guard castes that work around the well of all sparks and at the palace of the primes were more like T3  than T6 and sometimes higher

and sometimes different places had different priorities so you might get a scientist in, like. kaon or some shit who's T4 at best

jhgfgdfds — Today at 6:54 PM

Jazz is a chronicler, right?

catboy orion pax — Today at 6:55 PM

yep, he and orion are both in t4

buuuuuuut the chroniclers rank sliiiightly higher

there are internal ranks within the tiers (but it’s less like a ladder of rank than a vaguely-defined cloud of midges jockeying for position tbh)

my headcanon is the chroniclers are the ppl writing down history and life as it happens, and the archivists - their caste name is 'record-keepers' - are the ones maintaining and working with that data

the hall of records also has a guard clade that rank about t4 bc they have to, and a clade of cleaners/maintenance workers who rank about t6 and dont interact with patrons. both of these are ranked higher than they would otherwise, and are pretty well off compared to castes that do similar jobs in, say, the global undercities, but they still get kind of a shit deal in comparison to everyone around them. it’s all relative.

red alert is somewhere in that general T4 data handlers' area too

i made a joke about, if you're using the Grid (the part of the Datanet that isn't a complete dumpster fire), you have like a 1 in 3 chance of red alert being ur own personal FBI agent meme

hgfdgg — Today at 7:08 PM

so is Prowl lower ranked than the rest, at tier 6?

catboy orion pax — Today at 7:09 PM

i think prowl might be admin caste level, tbh

the enforcers are like, the vast majority of them are t6 because that's all they need to be to interact with tiers 6, 7 and 8, who are most of cybertron

there will be t6 officers and then there's be higher-caste officers

probably local command structures vs regional

in rise, prowl is in a regional commander sort of position, trying to run an anti-cartels unit of sorts, and it isnt going well

ultimately they fall under the ministry of justice, which is headed by T1 mecha

tbh the main thrust of this system, as it applies to my fic, is that it has like bureaucratic bloat out the wazoo

there are a lot of castes that just fuckin exist?

they do the same job as some other caste or few but somehow they ended up in separate castes, with the different legal status and restrictions that implies, and the caste system as a whole just shrugged and moved on because fuck dealing with all that shit

absolutely nothing about my cybertronian government is an efficient system lmfao

jhgfjgdf — Today at 7:14 PM

I blame the quints

catboy orion pax — Today at 7:14 PM

[cackles]

tbh it sort of came from the quints but it wasn't ultimately their fault

there was like... the quintessons tried to take over cybertron and add it to their colonial empire three fuckin times

they failed every time but it was a close run thing that wreaked an apocalyptic level of destruction and disruption on cybertron

the ppl who finally beat the quintessons the third time were scared to shit of them coming back for a fourth go, so they did everything they could to turn cybertron into a unified state for the sake of better defense

previously it had been fragmented, kinda like europe in the middle ages? in theory the kings paid homage to the prime and took his thoughts into account but in practice they mostly got left to their own shit

i want to say there were like five large-scale social reorganization tactics that the empire used to try and make a centralised single state but i can only remember three of them rn

1) enshrinement of caste system (didn't have an 'untouchable' equivalent at the time, that came later); 2) creation of a state religion out of the bits of the previous religions that played nicely w each other, and 3) imposition of a global language of government

oh yeah and there's a thing called rank-exempt

cause sometimes the Govt acknowledges that the caste system just makes shit Kinda Annoying so if ur sufficiently useful the ppl ur useful to can apply to have ur restrictions temporarily or permanently lifted so u can be even more useful to them

but ultimately the system is just Bad For Society in a variety of ways and nobody’s been brave enough to admit it, so it stumbles on with a chokehold around the Empire’s figurative neck.

[tea-mew96]

Analysis: TFP Optimus Prime and a Discussion on Revenge

Disclaimer:  This post is going to be a long vent about my frustrations with TFP Optimus Prime, specifically with the advice he gives to Arcee and the audience in regards to revenge. So if you’re someone who does likes him or hold similar views to him, you are probably not going to like or agree with what I’ll say in this post and that’s completely ok. The whole point of this post is to provide another perspective and open discussion with me and anyone else about this (But do so respectfully, please).

Also, there are going to be spoilers for Transformers Prime in this, so skip this post for now if you don’t want the show to be spoiled for you.

So without further ado, let me explain why TFP Optimus Prime’s stance on revenge is wrong.

For those who aren’t familiar with Transformers Prime or don’t remember everything, one of the biggest subplots of the show was Arcee and the loss of her partners, Cliffjumper and Tailgate. Throughout most of Season 1 and Season 2, Arcee is on the hunt to find out who killed Cliffjumper and to get revenge for Tailgate by going after Arachnid. 

Everything with this arc was going ok...until Season 1 Episode 20, Partners.

During this episode, Arcee ends up following Arachnid, much to Optimus’ distaste. After Optimus saves Arcee from Arachnid, he tells her that seeking revenge for Tailgate is a bad idea. Later on in the episode, Starscream lets slip that he was the one who killed Cliffjumper, and Arcee reacts accordingly by attacking him. She almost kills him, but is stopped when she realizes Bumblebee is watching them and she lets Starscream go. The episode ends with Arcee saying that she thought settling scores would allow her to move on but that her actions instead lead to the Autobots losing an ally. Optimus comments that wisdom is gained, not automatically earned. This arc continues in Season 2 Episode Episode 10 Armada, where Arcee ends up trapping Arachnid in a stasis pod, ultimately ending their rivalry. The pod is taken back to base, where Ratchet says Arachnid “deserves worse”. Arcee responds that she “intended worse, more times than you know” and Optimus responds that Arcee is “stronger” for her choice.

These series of events are what ruined both Optimus as a character and Arcee’s arc for me.

Optimus tells Arcee that seeking revenge is bad and that she’s a “stronger person” for giving Arachnid a fairly merciful fate of being put in stasis. There’s one problem, though: he’s wrong. And apparently no one on the writing team knew that.

What Optimus ends up implying is that Arcee’s anger at both Arachnid and Starscream is not justified, that being mad at them for hurting her makes her a “bad person” and wanting them to suffer consequences for it is not the right path to take. Except none of that is true.

I think it’s fair to say that Arcee is victim of murder, and has a lot of trauma and emotional damage because of it. She has lost two partners that she clearly cared for and were close to, with one of them (Tailgate) dying right in front of her optics. She displays signs of depression throughout the series, and if the flashbacks in Season 1 Episode 12 Predatory are any indication, Arcee probably has a good case of PTSD too. 

The thing about people who have been severely hurt and traumatized by others like this is that they need closure, and there are many ways that this can be accomplished. Forgiveness is only one way. Sometimes closure comes in the form of having the aggressors be given jail time or the death penalty. Sometimes with bullying, a victim will find peace by seeing the bully getting in trouble with the teacher and being suspended. Some find peace through therapy. Sometimes, people can only find peace by taking matters into their own hands and punishing the aggressors themselves (victims fighting back against their bullies and the story of Gary Plauche are good examples of this one). The point is that victims and their friends/family members affected by murder, rape, bullying, or any other hurtful acts is that they don’t have to forgive the ones who committed the crime, nor are they required to. In fact, many people don’t.

This is something that Optimus Prime simply doesn’t understand, and many adults don’t either.

I want you to take a quick read at these statements that people often give as solutions to bullying:

“Don’t react, just ignore them. They’ll go away.” “Don’t fight back, that’s stooping to their level” “Tell them to stop saying/doing those things, they’ll listen”

On the surface, all of these statements sound correct because these are all very tame, non-violent solutions. They’re all moral high ground statements. But almost any victim of bullying can tell you that none of this advice ever actually helped, and if you ever told a teacher someone was bullying you, you at best got ineffective solutions/similar advice to the above and at worst did nothing about it.

Optimus Prime’s statements about not seeking revenge come from the exact place that the above quotes come from: a place of wanting to appear moral and above-it-all but having none of the experience or knowledge to actually back it up. 

Optimus wasn’t as close to Cliffjumper as Arcee was. Optimus didn’t see Tailgate’s gruesome death first-hand. He may be older, but being old doesn’t automatically make you right. And I find it ironic how Optimus states that wisdom is earned at a cost yet he’s the one who is clearly is struggling with that concept when it comes to Arcee.

It upsets me to no end how Optimus is contantly tellling Arcee that she’s the one who has to be the more moral, bigger, stronger person. But Starscream and Arachnid? You know, the ones who caused all of Arcee’s anguish to begin with? Naw. Arachnid can continue to tease Arcee by asking if she’s lost any more partners and Starscream can pretend to feel bad about killing Cliffjumper and then immediately brag about it the next day. Yeah, those two don’t need to change. ARCEE DOES. CUZ REVENGE BAD. 

Remember how Arcee said she intended a worse fate for Arachnid and Optimus praises her for it? While the show treats that as “closure” and the end to that rivalry, I’m not convinced. For the longest time, Arcee wanted Arachnid dead. So for her to all of a sudden switch to being merciful to Arachnid seems off to me. And thus I began to wonder: Did Arcee decide to not kill Arachnid because she had a genuine change in morals, or did she do it in order to make Optimus Prime happy? Or in other words, is this a genuine change of character or this just the writers’ last-ditch attempt at pushing the “no revenge” narrative into the audience’s face? I don’t know for sure (although I’m pushing for latter in both questions) and the show doesn’t address this. And this is bad because depending on this answer, this could mean that this arc was never truly finished. If Arcee still didn’t believe or feel that having Arachnid in stasis was good enough closure, than the story isn’t fucking over. But no one of the writing team thought this far. No one was willing to put this kind of depth into the show.

Furthermore, I’d argue that this constant talk about Arcee being a “better person” is causing her to be critical of herself over things that aren’t really her fault or that she wouldn’t be able to predict the outcome of.

One is Arcee blaming herself for Smokescreen’s “death” in Season 2 Episode 21 Alpha/Omega. The other is Arcee regretting her attack on Starscream and losing a potential ally. But the reality is that Starscream is extremely fickle and having him join the Autobots wasn’t guaranteed to end in success to begin with. Even if Starscream did join the Autobots, there’s no promise that he would side with them forever. Almost all of his decisions are based off his own goals, and many times that can go against the ideas/goals of the group he’s in. Actually, Starscream does end up betraying the Autobot’s trust anyway in Season 2 Episode 23 Inside Job where Starscream uses the Autobots’ (ok, most Optimus Prime’s) trust to steal the Omega Keys and use them in order to gain Megatron’s favor again. Unsurprisingly, trauma victims in the real world also blame themselves for what happened to them too.

There’s many things about TFP Optimus Prime I can forgive. Boring characterization? Fine. An intriguing characterstic (lack of outward emotion) that has potential to be interesting but the writers never decided to explore it? Whatever. But I draw the line at shitty advice presented as a good lesson, especially when your audience is young kids who don’t know better and may need desperate help.

Kids get bullied and abused. Kids need to be told that fighting back against bullies and abusers who have hurt them doesn’t make them a bad person because the “lessons” and “solutions” that many schools and adults teach or tell rarely work. And telling them otherwise because it sounds right isn’t going to help. If anything, it’s only going to hurt those kids in the long run.

TL;DR Arcee is a good girl who deserves hugs and therapy, and Optimus Prime is a self-righteous moron who deserves to be thrown into a smelting pit.

[exitiumsuum]

I'm curious, you said you love megarod so much? What dynamic are you envisioning for the two? I personally don't like it because what interactions rodimus and megatron had seemed incredibly abusive or at least negative to me- but i'd be interested in seeing your view on the subject if you'd be willing to share?

(Sorry I took so long to answer, Chrome borked, and then I got tacos. I hope this doesn’t come across rude or anything. I tend to be a little dry in my analysis. I blame being an art and  history major.)

I don’t know if you’re following, or how long if you are. Partially because this has been a pretty prevalent ship on my my blog, along with another (that hugely developed from an amazing partner but that’s a tangent). But also because I’ve written several meta before on Megatron’s warped perception of the world and development of unhealthy coping mechanisms that have modeled him to be The Way He Is, both of his own doing and outside contribution.

That being said, Megatron has grown to be an abusive individual. Practically any and all interaction he has with anyone at any given time can be taken that way. He’s a short tempered, explosive, control freak who hates being told he’s wrong. Any ship with him is going to start off outright abusive, bordering abusive, or turn abusive, depending with what character and at what point in time you ship him. There is really no way around that, at all.

Through MTMTE and LL we’re watching both of these characters grow. Rodimus is valiantly trying to carve his own path, and make a name for himself, while trying to overcome his own hang-ups and insecurities. He’s trying to prove himself and work himself out from under the shadow of the hero he’s practically worshipped, and sometimes still seeks guidance from, despite how said hero treats him. Megatron is seeking atonement more so than forgiveness, and it’s ultimately a journey of self-awareness and moving forward and accepting his eventual end. Granted, there are valid criticisms in how that story played out, and I have my own, but that’s basically the gist of what story is being told here. It’s a theme for them, and everyone else on the ship.

Whether you ship them romantically or not, it’s something pretty clearly presented that these two characters bring a sort of completion to each other. They are both each other’s face and heel. The two of them are both rather stubborn and obstinate, and in their clashing, they teach each other. Megatron curbs Rodimus’ impulsivity and causes him to weigh the consequences and outcomes of his actions. Be a little more analytical in his approach. Exert and exercise control. And to actually be self-aware, as it’s something he’s struggling to learn for himself, too. Meanwhile, Rodimus shows Megatron that sometimes you have to fly by the seat of your pants. That it’s okay to let things be out of your control. And that it’s okay to be ruled by your kinder emotions, the ones that have been suppressed for so long.

Megatron does berate and chastise Rodimus. It’s not usually for “no reason”, and often hinges on Rodimus being childish or otherwise pedantic, and Megatron not having any patience, and also a lack of tact on how to deal with it, especially early on as those aforementioned unhealthy control issues don’t change overnight. And also because they’re both stubborn individuals who don’t like to yield. But despite their arguments, Megatron is one of the few characters that actually respects Rodimus. He doesn’t go out of his way to demean or undermine him, or treat him like a child like so many other characters do, even when they’re trying to be supportive. (It’s only when Rodimus acts like it, and warrants it.) Their conflicts tend to come as a result of their equal stubbornness, and a difference of opinion (which isn’t always that different, just the execution of it).

There is also the fact that the power imbalance is actually somewhat skewed toward Rodimus. Megatron may have been appointed the title of co-captain by Optimus, but Rodimus is ultimately the commanding officer, and has been. He is also essentially Megatron’s warden by extension. This is not something Megatron is used to, as he’s the one typically in charge. Of course he’s going to buck against that a bit. But Rodimus is the one with power over him. And he respects that Rodimus is a capable captain. He sees it, he knows it, and he knows that ROdimus doesn’t actually see it in himself despite his bravado.

Conversely, Rodimus is shown to be an incredibly empathic character. While he makes himself out to be selfish and self centered, he is completely the opposite. He has a strong moral compass, and he will sacrifice himself to do what he feels is just and right, and for the better of everyone else. He’s self sacrificing to a fault. He is also incredibly understanding, and willing to see past even centuries worth of corruption to find what lies underneath, and willing to give a second chance. His entire friendship with Drift is based around this alone. And despite his prejudices (prejudices with good reason), he is able to see Megatron taking steps to actually better himself, even if it seem sto everyone else that it’s too little too late.

The point is, they both bring a piece to each other that completes them, and in some way allows them to make a bigger step in the goal of their character growth. They also realize each others’ potential at a level that no one else does. Is it because they empathise with each other on some level? Perhaps. Their convictions aren’t that different. It was the execution of them that cause their paths to deviate so far.

Either way, the chemistry is there (whether you see it romantically or not), and in my opinion undeniable, and exceptionally under utilized. But that’s what fanfic and roleplay is for.

I am also personally a sucker for ‘oil and water” type pairings, where the two have such opposing personalities, yet they find a common ground and find their jagged edges actually fit together in a way that helps them both to heal. So I ship it romantically. It’s a pairing that takes a lot of work, but I feel they’re both the type of characters that would give it the work it needs with enough time. Because that’s just how Rodimus is as a person, and he’s the best thing to ever happen to Megatron, and I don’t see him wanting to let that go.

Anyway, that’s how I see it. I hope that answers your question.

[tigressaofkanjis]

That would be the funniest slap in the face they could do to everyone who's all into Megatron being this nice guy to humans and Terrans.

But, in a way, it would make sense because he's already a bit peeved by Optimus' hypocrisy of how the Autobots are handling the Decepticons prisoners and although they made them apologize to each other, that doesn't necessarily mean Megatron's over it and he likely doesn't see what GHOST does with the Cons in general. If push comes to shove and more things with the Autobots don't sit right with him, there's a perfectly reasonable chance he would relapse.

He may have befriended Dot but if it comes down to the ultimate decision of his species vs humanity regardless of what situation that would ever entail, Megatron's not like Optimus. Optimus always puts another species above his own and technically, many unnecessary deaths have been Optimus' fault because of that. Megatron is on Optimus' side because its currently Autobots vs Decepticons still and that he can tolerate. Against his species entirely for another, Megatron would never prioritize humanity over Cybertronians as a whole. If a war between Cybertron and Earth were to come up from members of both factions not onboard with Optimus' priorities over another species, Megatron wouldn't follow Optimus that far. If he had to go back to being a Decepticon to preserve his species, he would do it.

Since TFE starts with Megatron already with the good guys, there can't be a redemption arc.

There could, however, be a villain arc.

[rorykillmore]

maeve, bernard, aaand while dc stuff is Tempting, how about One megatron or optimus!

maeve

How I feel about this character: there is something incredibly powerful about maeve’s empathy and compassion. i mean seeing a character who reacts primarily through anger and retaliatory violence, like dolores, can be very empowering too when it comes from someone who was formerly a victim, but maeve just... idk she really reaches me with that. i think part of it must be that, as she says herself, she’s literally PROGRAMMED to be a selfish survivalist so seeing her extend herself so far beyond that is really... moving??? idk she’s just such a great character overall, she’s driven by so much (sometimes ruthless) ferocity but also love

All the people I ship romantically with this character: i didn’t really care about her and hector as a ship that much in season 1, but this season their devotion to each other has really been growing on me. also... is it okay to ship maeve and akane... it’s okay right... god, what a powerful connection they already have

My non-romantic OTP for this character: maeve and her entire squad, honestly. maeve and her daughter, although i realize we have... no idea what that’s ultimately gonna look like when she does find her, but it’s probably gonna be upsetting.  and i’ll reiterate that i’m really interested in her and dolores having a dynamic!!

My unpopular opinion about this character: people who complain that maeve’s character “isn’t that deep” because she’s “reduced to her connection to motherhood” like.... are you even... watching the show... like literally. but reddit will find a way to nitpick any female character’s arc, so there you go.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:  much like dolores, i’m really not sure i have any complaints at all so far. i’ll be interesting to see when her narrative collides more with the revolution one, though!! and of course i want her to have a happy reunion with her daughter, but what are the chances of THAT, westworld,

bernard

How I feel about this character: is it even possible to like... not enjoy bernard or find him really compelling as a character? i mean the “[human character] realizes he’s a robot” twist isn’t really uncommon in this genre but westworld does it so well and makes him so sympathetic and real!!! i love it, i really feel for him but at the same time i think it’s so interesting that he’s in the situation he’s in now, in the middle of a revolution he kinda helped create without realizing it. i have no idea what direction they’re gonna take him in, he’s probably one of the most confusing characters rn, but i’m rooting for him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:  idk if i really “ship” him with anyone, but i do appreciate his connection to theresa for what it was and i think ford is an absolute fuck for. well. “messing it up” seems like way too tame a phrase, honestly.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: i’m really loving the stuff he’s getting with elsie this season!!! i’m looking forward to seeing that continue, though i’m also kind of holding my breath because there’s clearly... an undercurrent of someone else’s agenda through all of that. i also hope bernard gets more stuff with dolores because i love seeing his connection to arnold explored and i think there’s a lot to be said about how they both feel about that. and how bernard’s feelings re: whether he’s more host or human tie into that dynamic.

My unpopular opinion about this character: i literally have no idea what kind of discourse surrounds bernard, actually. that’s basically like the one thing even reddit isn’t shitty about. everyone wants bernard to be happy!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: mmm.... the only thing i can think of is that i would have loved to see him be able to have some kind of more firm confrontation with ford that takes place after he’s really processed things and come into himself more and made some decisions about where he stands. but i’m not sure that’ll ever happen, for obvious reasons... plus who even knows what’s going on with bernard this season

idw megatron

How I feel about this character:  honestly... taking one of the most iconic and well-known villains and have him switch factions and pursue redemption is gutsy as fuck, tbh. i remember being intrigued by that even before i knew much about transformers. this is hands down the most fascinating and nuanced iteration of megatron that i’ve seen and most definitely one of the things i enjoyed most when i was reading mtmte. scenes like the conversation he had with ravage really got to me.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: i mean... i guess there’s still optimus... does anyone who loves these characters ever truly escape that ship?? not really in a way where i think they’ll end up together, i just REALLY love their dynamic and think there’s so much intense and complicated emotion between them and i love any time it’s explored.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: megatron and ravage.... whose fault is tHAT,,  but i also love all the complicated history and hurt between megs and soundwave, and a lot of the decepticons tbh. and some of the bonds he forged with some of the autobots, like how interesting his and rodimus’ dynamic became

My unpopular opinion about this character: sorting out transformers discourse and which side of it i’m on and what’s more popular to think is too much of a headache for me to sort out, tbh

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i don’t keep up with the current comics At All tbh but last i heard about megatron he got an ending that, understandably, a lot of people didn’t find satisfying?? but that a lot of OTHER people contended was part of some bigger twist?? idk if that ever resolved itself or whatever but i hope it did, his redemption arc was so powerful and ambitious that it deserves an ending suited to that.

[primus-why]

Hit me up with them Bayverse Hot Rod predictions or what the heck you think is gonna happen. I'm disparate for the trash child

AIGHT, here’s a long-ass rant of what I think is gonna go down in Bayverse number 5:

I think, first and foremost, Unicron will be awakened. I think Unicron will have actually been around way back in the day (hence the King Arthur stuff?), and had Predicons under his command that became the myths and legends we humans interpret them as today (AKA “dragons”, “hydra”, “monsters”, etc.). Lockdown had been alluding to a big religious phenomenon while he was around in the last movie, and I don’t think it was just centered around Optimus. Remember how the Dinobots were on his ship? What if they were also minions to Unicron, originally? Basically Unicron employs big beasts to roam the planet, and I think Lockdown was using the humans to collect them– all under the guise of helping humanity, when in fact, I think he was going to release them upon the humans to take back the Earth and kick-start Unicron’s revival.

I think Unicron is gonna pull a Transformers Prime on us and possess some people, most notably, Optimus Prime. How, you may ask? Well, Optimus has become more and more flawed as the movies have gone on. If we think about Primus, a being associated with life-giving properties, Optimus does his best to ensure a certain quality of life for all those he meets. He would do what he could in the first film to uphold his religious teachings/obligations. “Do not harm humans” was a part of his Primely mantra for so long, but then what happened in the last two films? Optimus slays another Prime, another holy entity; Optimus kills humans out of rage and anguish. And let’s not forget, he has killed Decepticons. Sure, it’s in self defense, but what kind of Prime kills the people he is supposed to protect?

So, what I am getting at here is that Unicron will use this corrosion, this slight, way-less-than-other-Primes-but-still-there corruption of Optimus Prime as a means to enter his psyche. Thus, we get purple-eyed Optimus. And from here I’d like to believe that Megatron only get involved and tries to help our main heroes at some point because he’s under the impression that he can prove his resilience and strength to Unicron, who could then leave Optimus’ body and give him some ultimate power. BUT, right as Megatron is betraying our main group, making his case to Unicron/ Unicron-possessed Optimus, OUT STEPS MOTHERFUCKIN’ GALVATRON FROM THE BUSHES, and oh shit now it’s Megatron vs Galvatron!!!! Cuz Unicron is like “why would I take you, an obsolete original, when I already have the loyalty of your upgraded superior…? Finish him.”

Anywho, I’d also like to toss in some BS and say the Dinobot make a reappearance and are firmly on Team (good) Prime, er… I guess Team Bee at this point. Imma come up with something convoluted like, they imprinted with Optimus, or Optimus broke Unicron’s hold over them in the last movie when he beat them into submission, or whatever. I’d also hold some hope that the human characters might be the ones to give them speech– think about it. Team Bee is isolated from their usual leader, who is actually trying to kill them right now; we’ve got some rando, sort of silly French guy who’s really late to the party; Bumblebee, who might not be ready to lead just yet; and maybe if we’re lucky some bots/Wreckers from the last film. Maybe. Anyways the humans are frustrated because everyone is really lacking in the communication skills. Maybe then, one of the Dinobots walks up and curls around them, and a human companion offhandedly says something like “I wish you could talk, maybe you’d have some more information on Unicron…”

And then, BAM, Cade Yeager and his small friend (who I am gonna assume/hope again the odds is also a super smart engineer person) upgrade the Dinobots with a speech ability. This could explain why Grimlock and pals have limited speech– it was engineered by humans, which of course can only grasp so much of Cybertronian technology…

AN - Y - WAYS

To get to what you were asking about, originally– where is Rodimus Hot Rod gonna fit into all this? I think he’s going to be very similar to Bee in the first movies (I think Bee seems a little more serious now, but that could just be speculation). He and Bee are gonna be BEST BROS. I think he’s going to be fun-loving, a little goofy, and probably really trusting towards humans (after he gets over a phobia of organics, perhaps???) Like Bee will be like “These are humans, they’re our friends” but then Hot Rod and friends are gonna get cornered by the government and Hot Rod is gonna be all “It’s okay, friends! We’re just here doing this-and-that, blah blah illegal things!” and Cade is gonna be like “THOSE guys AREN’T our friends!” Giggles will be had from the audience, they’ll be captured, and heck, maybe some bot is gonna die. IDK.

I think there’s gonna be some heart-to-heart scene while they are captured where Bee is like, being the stern one for once and is like “Take things more seriously!” but then it’s revealed that Hot Rod is always happy-go-lucky as a sort of front, as a way for him to deal with the awful shit he’s seen off-planet. And ANGST ANGST ANGST and PTSD. Like maybe if we look back after this reveal we’ll see signs that he really hates explosions or something– MAYBE when he arrives and he and Bee are being pals, a fight with an enemy group breaks out and it’s revealed that Hot Rod is actually super freaked out by explosions/battle or whatever. Freezes up. Hides. That sort of thing. Bee or other bots are like “What happened to the kick ass guy I used to train with?” and Hot Rod brushes it off with a joke. I wouldn’t put it past Bay since he seems like the kind of guy who would subscribe to the stereotype that French people are cowards.

Another thing Imma spin with: You know those pics of Cybertron crashing into Earth? Well, in Transformers Prime we’ve seen how Cybertron itself is Primus, while Earth is Unicron. Maybe these two planets so close together is what wakes up Unicron. Or maybe it’s the abominable experiments the humans made that have no spark (Galvatron)? Maybe it’s both lol. He could want to break free of his planetary form, and maybe only one Cybertronian god can release/destroy another, so he orchestrates the possession of Optimus Prime so as to use Primus’ own vessel to draw in Cybertron (Primus’ planetary form) until it destroys his planet form, then he would be free to wreak havoc across the universe. Or maybe he does it to destroy himself because he’s bitter and hate the humans crawling all over him. Or maybe it’s another thing that I will get to later.

AIGHT, so anyways I also want to take a moment to think about the title “The Last Knight”. I know Optimus is seen holding a sword, so maybe he’s gonna become a knight? I know that seems obvious, but hear me out on this. Armed with the knowledge that in other continuities, Hot Rod gains the Matrix and becomes Rodimus Prime, what if Optimus is slowly losing his connection to the Matrix? What if at some point Hot Rod does some daring do that then tunes the Matrix to him? Optimus may willingly die to be able to pass on the Matrix to someone else, someone better than his corrupt self. Remember “rethink your heroes”? What if that tag line is like a way to soften the blow of taking Optimus out of the Prime position (like instead of outright killing him in a shocking twist like in the G1 movie and then trying to replace him, they’re giving us a warning this time lol). HOWEVER, knowing Optimus’ life, he could get revived anyways (you know that OP floating in space clip), blessed once again by Primus for recognizing his faults, and instead of crowing two Primes, revives and anoints him to be a Knight of Cybertron. Then it becomes his duty to protect and be a mentor to the new Rodimus Prime. Rodimus gets to learn from one of the best, while forging his own path of Primacy. And his buddy Bee will be there all the way to support him too.

Final misc movie stuff: Cade’s daughter and her BF are never in this one. She’s in college or studying abroad or some BS. Young girl travelling with him NOW is/was a child prodigy of engineering. Bumblebee becomes a leader of his own small team, who peel off from Optimus’ main remaining ‘bots. Megatron and Galvatron’s battle takes them off a cliff, into the ocean where it’s up to the audience (or lol the next film) to find out who won who’s next you decide. Dinobots are turned loose after Grimlock proves to Optimus and Bee and Rodimus that he is a (pretty) intelligent, but capable leader for them, and agrees to keep in touch. aND THEN, OHHHH AND THEN–

I want it to be revealed at the end or implied throughout the film that the Quintessons have been orchestrating the whole thing, giving a set up for the next film. Maybe Quints are what gave Optimus the Unicron bug in the first place– perhaps he is doing some space meditation and feels this connection with a divine source, but he realizes too late that it is Unicron reaching into his mind. Maybe Primus and Unicron were just as much of a creation of theirs as the Cybertronians. Perhaps Cybertron/Primus was created as a factory for these Cybertronians, however it had developed an artificial intelligence which bled into and infected the things it created. Well, artificial/imperfect by their standards at least. So then they made Unicron, a polar opposite to Primus in every way to balance it out. Only something so large could be destroyed by an equal or greater entity, they reasoned. Unicron too developed an AI, but they anticipated this, and programmed him to only ever destroy. Perhaps Unicron becomes aware of this, and thus tries to kill himself and Primus to end his suffering. Or, perhaps the Quints programmed him to enforce a hard reset on their experiments– aka, programmed him with a self-destruct button. Anyways I want a looming threat of the Quints as the next film sets them up to formally “meet their makers” lol. (maybe they can kill one of them this film, and Bee can be like “what the hell was THAT” and Optimus can get all serious and be like “a quintesson”) also lol Primus/Unicron is dead after this flick, weeeee~