Y'know the thing about writing feral/unhinged versions of Orion/Optimus, is that you can't go too far into the feral/unhinged direction to a point where OP's core character traits are lost or become too diminished. After all, in a multiple-continuity franchise like TF, part of what makes the stories make sense is that even if details change (sometimes major details), the characters are still recognizably themselves to one degree or another. (Although this isn't always the case due to executive meddling or some characters being such blank slates from their initial G1 appearances that there's basically nothing to model them off of, but I digress.)
It's pretty much another reason why I love IDW1 Optimus, bc he literally is a canonical feral/unhinged Optimus who's unhinged as a direct consequence of who he is as a person and what he's been through. Like, he still has those fundamental character traits of trying his best to be moral and make good choices, trying to be a role model, etc, except after 4 million years of war and untreated depression he's basically holding onto his sense of self by his fingertips. So when he "goes feral" e.g. losing his temper and beating up/killing people or saying hurtful things, he's feral in a way that's directly tied to his normal personality and not just as a random quirk he has.
IDW OP's feral moments arise from the gaps between "Optimus' attempts to be who he thinks he needs to be" and "the reality of the world that he can't fix/seems to only make worse" that cause him to lose hope, or become cynical, or lose his temper. But in this case, the unhinged-ness makes perfect sense because it arises out of Optimus trying and failing to be the best person or to make the most morally good choices he's trying to make. Basically, the "feral/unhinged" label is just another way of me trying to say that he's not just unhinged because he's weird or because he's a bad person, but because it's an emotional reaction (more like an emotional explosion due to pent-up emotions) to the context he exists in.
I'd also say that IDW OP's personality being generally reserved/stoic and (trying to be) noble works in tandem with those moments he has of going feral because it makes him more realistic. His psyche is treated in a way where the writers are like, "Hey what if the pressure of having to be everyone's idol and be the best person in the galaxy at all times actually broke Optimus down mentally and emotionally?" It makes IDW OP far more relatable. Instead of naturally being a perfect Christ-like figure who never wavers in his morals or convictions and is just naturally a nice person who always has the wisest and best answer, being a good person is something that IDW OP has to consciously strive to be. Even when he feels like it's useless, or the cycle of violence will never stop, or any attempts he makes to help only ends up with things becoming worse.
And I feel like this does a service not only to IDW Optimus as a character, but also as a sort of moral/philosophical perspective for the reader to ponder upon? I feel like culture at large (or at least my experience of it) tends to believe that "goodness" in a person is simply an innate feature that people are born/not born with, and that being "good" means that you must be good at all times, both in your actions as well as the way you feel emotionally about yourself and the world. Like, there's a tendency for our vision of "a good person" to be good in every aspect at all times without having to try to be a good person. So I think IDW Optimus' character stands as a good example of how someone can be good at heart but still struggle to maintain those feelings of optimism and hope and justice. It's a good idea to have such a paragon of a character (in-universe and out-of-universe) be so conflicted and to even be mistaken, misguided, or make things worse because it shows that goodness is as much about "trying to behave/act in a way that is good" and not just "existing as an innately good person."
It's way more realistic for a person to want to be good, try to be good, and sometimes/often fail than it is for them to just be a good person. I enjoy the fact that IDW Optimus is both a good person at heart, but also has to strive to be a good person and live up to other people's expectations of what they see in him. I like how he wants to be a good person and change society for the better, but he also spends a good amount of time either feeling hopeless and alone or being angry at/detached from other people because of how frustrated they make him. He's realistically portrayed as someone who wants to be good and hopeful and change things for the better, but is also mentally and emotionally broken by that burden because of how impossible it is for him to Fix Everything and be the Perfect Prime/Leader/Autobot that people see him as. It's this fascinating mixture of "yes, this is who he is as a person" but also "there are things he desires to be that he could never possibly become or live up to."
This got really far off based from feral/unhinged Optimus sdklfjaslkdlfkas. The TLDR is that if people want unhinged OP, I feel like they should give IDW OP a chance because he IS unhinged but he's unhinged in a way that's a realistic/thematic representation of how being an Absolute Good is impossible. And how being a good person isn't just about Existing And You Are A Good Person, but rather goodness is a constant state of flux in which you adjust, you make mistakes, you lose your temper and feel hopeless, but then you pick yourself up and try again.
Also IDW OP really likes climbing in dangerous wilderness and jumping out of flying vehicles which I think is very feral and sexy of him to do.
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since we're probably finally gonna be seeing spiderbit back together in a couple days, here's my personal take on their reunion :>
just to be safe:
tw for talk/implications of suicidal thoughts (under the cut)
They stay there for God only knows how long, holding on as tight as they can, in fear of what could happen if they let go.
(It could all change in the blink of an eye. Heaven forbid.)
They’d started their embrace standing, but it was short-lived, the weight of everything crashing down on them as their legs gave out, water building behind their eyes.
For now, it’s finally over. For now, it’s finally just them. And that’s enough.
It’s Roier who finally moves first, lifting his head from Cellbit’s shoulder but not pulling back far enough to leave his husband’s arms. No, he’s not ready for that yet.
He holds Cellbit’s face in his hands, brows furrowed as he stares him down. “What the fuck happened?”
“I didn’t—” the investigator pauses, seeming to rethink his words— “I chose to stay there.”
(He can never lie to the spider-hybrid, in any capacity.)
Roier’s brows furrow even more, if possible. “¿Qué—? Hijo de puta, what were you thinking?”
Cellbit glances away from him, eyes flickering down. He looks… guilty. Conflicted. “I… I saw Richas die in front of me. At least, I thought I did. And honestly?” He swallowed. “I wanted it to be over after that. I didn’t care anymore. As long as you made it. And you did. That was the only thing that mattered to me.”
Roier purses his lips, chest heavy. He understands, in a morbid truth - he really does. He thinks of how he felt immediately after Bobby died and the days that followed. The hours spent in the damn pool, hoping, praying for a way out. Falling from the heights of his castle without a care. The pain that still plagues him.
(He understands better than anyone else.)
But it was Cellbit who started to make him feel alive again. Cellbit who made his world even just a little brighter, even with the storm clouds of his own past.
And he’ll be damned if he loses him, too.
(They’re together. For better or for worse.)
There’s a question on the tip of his tongue. Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to stay?
(He feels like, deep down, he already knows at least a small semblance of the investigator’s answer. And it makes him upset. For Cellbit.)
(Why does this happen to any of them?)
But Roier doesn’t even have to ask. He knows Cellbit knows, somehow, by the way his husband studies his expression.
(They’ve become eerily good at reading each other. That’s just how they work now. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.)
The thoughts come pouring out of Cellbit before he can really stop them; the same ones he’d relayed to Baghera. “I knew you would've stayed if I told you. And I didn't want you to do that. I didn’t want to take the chance of you around me when I was… like that. And this isn’t much better. I’m still—” he recoils, retracting his arms from Roier, who nearly grabs for his hands at the loss of contact. “You deserve better than this, guapito; you deserve to be free, not stuck there on that fucking island, stuck with me— you’d be happier without me.”
“¿Qué?”
(Roier feels like someone just submerged him under icy water.)
“I thought you’d be happier without me. I didn’t think you could be happy around me like this. I still don’t— I—”
Cellbit is interrupted by a sudden hand against the back of his neck, pulling him forward as lips crash against his, and he’s nearly overwhelmed by all the emotions behind it, intertwining with his own.
But he kisses back immediately, melting right into it; of course he does. He knows he can talk all he wants about not wanting Roier to be around, but what he wants and what he needs are two separate things.
They're breathless when they pull apart, and Roier's hands settle on Cellbit's shoulders. “You’re an idiot, Cellbo, you know that? So brilliant, yet so stupid sometimes."
He breathes in, out, catching his breath and trying to gather the right words. “I spent so long looking for you. Hours and hours, every single day, trying to find some sign of you. Anything.
Why? Because I was fucking miserable, man! I felt like shit without you! I missed you, I missed you so much.” His voice falters slightly.
“But—”
“Pinche pendejo—” Roier hisses under his breath— “I don’t care what you think I deserve. I want you. Always. We stick together, no? Not because we're stuck and we have to, but because we want to, no?"
Cellbit nods slowly after a moment, remaining quiet. "Exactamente." The spider-hybrid reaches up, cradling his husband's face in his hands and catching a stray tear with the pad of his thumb. "I will always help you, no exceptions. Remember? Always here, for anything you may need."
The investigator falls into his arms, muttering tearful apologies, and they're right back to clutching each other tightly, securely.
(They're both crying, now. The tears stream freely, knowing they can be. Together.)
(It's not okay right now, but maybe in time, it will be.)
"Desculpa—" Cellbit chokes out— "te amo..."
They hold on tighter still. Roier's voice is muffled slightly, but Cellbit can make out the words as clear as day as the piece he's been desperately missing for weeks slides back into place.
"You and I against the world, gatinho."
And so it'll be.
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I think queer headcanons for the characters of the ccs are fine when it is clear you are not talking about the actual irl person. Maybe not on Twitter but here. Tumblr doesn't have many of the ccs here and people usually try to be respectful about it and it's good to see someone like you in your favorite character.
I do understand your reasoning tho, this isn't an argument or anything. Just wanted to add my two cents.
Love your art btw <3
i appreciate the input! and thanks for the compliment :D
the way i see it, the personas that the ccs put on in the life series and hermitcraft etc are not consistently separate enough from the irl ccs in order to warrant treating them as fictional characters. of course this is case-specific— ren probably considers some of the characters he’s played as more separate from himself, compared to someone like etho who doesnt stray much from his true personality. and to me, its just not practical to take it on a case by case basis— we’re not going to ask every cc a list of questions about their content just to know if its ok to ship them and whatnot, so i tend to take a very “better safe than sorry” attitude and just not engage with that fictional treatment at all
i’ve seen this described as a twitter opinion before and while i do think that probably has foundations in reality, i think separating between platforms like that isn’t helpful. i barely use twitter and haven’t for probably a year or so (aside from my private account) so i engage way more with the tumblr fandom than the twitter one, and further, i see a lot of people on twitter who do treat them as separate characters. idk that statement just irks me
and i’m glad that people are generally trying to be respectful— that’s good! and i understand that i, a random guy, cannot enforce my own views onto other people. but i do think this is a good conversation to have that too often i see people brushing off in favor of their own fan desires
if you want to see people like yourself in the minecraft content you watch (as many do, including myself) you should find other queer creators to watch, and/or find qualities about the hermits (and co) that you can relate to
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