#transformers: exiles

[dirtydragonthoughts]

I'm finally getting around to reading Transformers: Exiles and

omg. It is so bad. Like, bad on multiple levels.

I read Transformers: Exodus a few years ago. It was... OK. Definitely not a great work of literature, and there were some "huh" moments in it, but it was fine. But now I'm starting on the next book. I didn't look at the TFWiki entry for Exiles until last night, but just the Errors section is absolutely sending me. (The idea that the book was panic rewritten by Hasbro just before publication would explain a LOT of the issues I'm seeing.)

As someone who loves the franchise, it physically hurts that this guy was paid to write this. It is completely phoned in. Now, I'm sure he was writing on spec, and was probably handed an outline or specific plot points/characters that needed to be included, but even with that limitation it could have been a LOT better.

Anyway I'm going to jot down some of my impressions in this thread because I want to make sure I remember why I didn't like this book, years down the road when I see the book still sitting on my bookshelf. (If I even keep it, that is up for debate.) I'll even keep away from the things mentioned in the Error section of the wiki entry, since that's low-hanging fruit.

(If you enjoyed this book I'm glad for you, but I am down to just hate-reading it now. Sorry about that.)

Impressions will be behind cuts in case you don't want to spoil yourself for this masterpiece. XD

I've finished Part 1 and some of the things that stuck with me have been:

There's a thing in fiction writing that's often bandied about, how you should show and don't tell. It's hard to explain to new authors what this means, and why it's a bad thing. Well, this book has about a million examples. Instead of showing how a character is feeling, it just tells us. Optimus was stressed. Optimus was worried. Prowl was irritated.

Related to the showing/telling thing, this book loves just giving a laundry list of things that happen, regardless of how important it is. For example, we got a whole paragraph on what happened after a race on Velocitron. None of these details mattered to the story in any way, but we still got a whole half page of detail about it:

We got a multi-page scene of Prowl cultivating an informant. He gets named (Armco). A few chapters later Prowl brings him in saying "Here's someone who can keep his mouth shut" and then IMMEDIATELY someone tries to blow up the Ark, and Armco falls out of the plot, never to be seen again. RIP Armco, we never knew ya.

Weird character note: The Autobots show up on Velocitron and discover there's a schism in the leadership there, with factions forming on both sides. While the Autobots are preparing to leave the planet, the "bad" leader says something relatively innocuous to Optimus, who then punches the Velocitronian in the face. This sets off a giant battle between the two factions, whereupon the Autobots dip and go through the space bridge. Brilliant.

More when I finish part 2.

#piper reads exiles #transformers: exiles #maccadam

[nobleryu]

Starscream's opinion on the other Seekers (from Transformers Exiles):

#transformers #starscream #thundercracker #slipstream #skywarp #megatron #tfp starscream #tfp megatron #transformers aligned #aligned continuity #transformers exiles

[novafire-is-thinking]

Idealistic and Stubborn

In TFP, one of the defining aspects of Optimus’ characterization is his stubborn belief that Megatron is not lost—that he can overcome his lust for power.

By the end of Predacons Rising, he was proven correct, but there was very little beforehand that gave any indication that Megatron would change.

In spite of this, Optimus refused to believe Megatron had fallen beyond redemption.

Potential, Potential, Potential

“Everything always fools you,” Makeshift said. “Megatron was right about a lot of things, but he especially knew you. Naive, he said. Vulnerable because you keep on insisting that the best in bots might show through even when all the evidence is to the contrary. (Exiles)

Optimus views the world and other people in terms of their greatest potential for good. He can’t help but look beyond the present reality and see a perfect ideal. He then finds it nearly impossible to let go of this perfect ideal, no matter what reality looks like.

But I Can Change Him!

Peace with the ones with whom war had been waged for eons. . .The Autobots might have believed it to be impossible, but Optimus was willing to give it a try because whatever anyone else might say, he knew that Megatron wasn’t entirely evil. (Retribution)

There was absolutely nothing anyone could have said that would have convinced Optimus that Megatron was evil to his core. This strength of conviction made Optimus a force to be reckoned with. I can only assume that after a while, those under his leadership gave up trying to change his mind. They recognized his incredible strength of will as an asset to the Autobot cause, even if they didn’t agree with him when it came to Megatron.

“Idiotic” Instincts

What happened next was pure instinct. Optimus reached out and grabbed Megatron with one arm, then used his legs and other arm to climb, pulling them both out of the rising white water. A dazed Megatron looked around.

“What are you doing?” he yelled.

“Saving your life,” Optimus told him.

“You’re an idiot, librarian.”

“Thanks for your opinion,” Optimus said. (Retribution)

This was only one of several times Optimus could have ended Megatron’s life.

However, the belief that Megatron could and would change was so deeply embedded in Optimus’ psyche that even though he may have reasoned Megatron’s death was best, his instincts overrode everything.

At that point, Optimus was operating on the old assumption that there was still a part of Megatron left untainted by the lust for power. I believe some part of Optimus hoped that the act of saving Megatron’s life would make the warlord reevaluate things. Optimus was blind to the reality that Megatron’s purely opportunistic mindset would just see it as an opportunity to continue working toward his twisted personal vision.

More than once in TFP, we saw Optimus hesitate to kill Megatron when he could have done so and ended Megatron’s reign of chaos and destruction.

Optimus did eventually snap and confront Megatron as Unicron was awakening, but by then, it was too late. Megatron had grown too powerful from giving himself fully to the influence of Dark Energon and Unicron himself.

Responsibility vs. Hope

Megatron’s obsession with Unicron disturbs me. I see that he is convinced that awakening the monster would grant him the power he’s always desired. Only I know the absolute naivete of that assumption. Still, nothing I can say alters his course. You can tow a bot to knowledge, but you cannot make it think. He has had a taste for Dark Energon for a while now, and constant exposure to it only accelerates his departure into delusions. Must I wait for one of his aides to start an insurrection, as his madness increases? What is the likelihood? Starscream is too fearful, Shockwave is served well by Megatron no matter how insane, Airachnid has failed and must be considered out of play. Soundwave—well, who knows what goes through his mind since the war? The rest are too small-minded to organize a rebellion in a tack factory. No, it will not be any of them who topple him from his throne. Rightfully the deed is mine, though I did not make him into what he is; he was my friend, and once my brother. I would not see him fall farther, but at the same time, I find no way to hold him back other than by recruiting the humans to the Autobot cause, if not for our survival, then certainly for theirs. (CoP)

Megatron refused to allow anyone but himself be the one to kill Optimus. Similarly, Optimus believed the responsibility to stop Megatron fell on him alone.

For Optimus, there was a constant inner war between his sense of responsibility telling him he was the “right” one to stop Megatron, and his instincts rooted in idealism telling him that Megatron still had the potential for change.

When Strength Becomes Weakness

Optimus’ refusal to believe Megatron had fallen beyond redemption was closely tied to his difficulty unseeing potential and seeing things as they were. This stubborn idealism was one of Optimus’ greatest strengths and one of his worst weaknesses. It enabled him to survive the most brutal of circumstances, but it also enabled him to allow Megatron’s reign of terror to last much longer than it would have otherwise.

“Megatron has fallen, Optimus.”

“I cannot bring myself to believe that.”

✧ ✧ ✧

series master post

#transformers prime #maccadam #tfp #tfp optimus prime #tfp orion pax #tfp character analysis #tfp meta #aligned continuity #tf aligned novels #tf exiles #tf retribution #the covenant of primus #the one and only op ❤️💙 #who is TFP Optimus? series #long post #nova’s nerding out again #it’s been ​almost 4 months since I wrote anything for this series #but I’m hoping to finish it this week

[transingthoseformers]

Got idea for a fic to release into the wild

Instead of immediately exiling himself Megatron remembers that Djd is a thing and gets an idea:

Megs calls up Tarn and gives him mission of guarding Unicron container so no idiot can get the bright idea to release the Unmaker

Ooooo???? That's gotta have fun results, especially considering I've been thinking a fuck ton about Tarn on earth

So

It would be immensely funny to elect these fuckers as the new protectors of earth

#maccadam #transformers #decepticon justice division #tarn #at least based on the self exile part i think this is for tfp #i always tag him separately from the djd for some reason idk why #tfp megatron #tfp Unicron #imagine though imagine there's another ''unicron is awakening'' scare like a decade or three later

[postapocalyptic-cryptic]

A missing scene from MTMTE, in which there is some deliberation over what should be done with Drift, and exile isn't the first answer Rodimus comes to.

After his conversation with Rodimus, Ratchet wastes no time in storming down to the brig. Quick as he is, he’s not the first one there. There’s a crowd gathered around cell three, and as he gets closer, Ratchet realizes someone’s busted the door open. A dozen members of the crew are inside, beating on Drift.

Drift isn’t fighting back.

“Hey!” Ratchet hollers, and everyone freezes. It’s almost comical. Most of these bastards are young, war-born idiots who still freeze at the sound of an officer’s voice. Good. “Break it up!”

A particularly bold blue and purple much turns to face him. “Are you really going to defend this t--”

“Yes,” Ratchet interrupts. “I am. And unless you want Ultra Magnus to hear about this, I suggest you listen to me.”

Blue-and-purple opens his mouth to retort, but one of his companions grabs his shoulder. Clearly, comms messages are exchanged, and blue-and-purple deflates. The crowd disperses, and Ratchet is left alone with Drift, crumpled on the floor of his cell and staring up at Ratchet with something like awe in his bright optics.

He’s not too badly hurt, all things considered. It’s mostly cosmetic damage, scrapes and dents, but energon splatters the floor and drips from a cut on his right arm, and Ratchet wants to get him to the medbay sooner rather than later. He’s still shackled to the wall, and Ratchet hopes that’s why he made no attempt to defend himself.

“Drift?” he calls, stepping into the cell. No reaction. “Kid? Can you hear me?”

Drift cycles his optics and vents sharply as if awakening from a trance. “Ratchet?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” He kneels at Drift’s side and, when Drift doesn’t move, unlocks the shackle around his wrist. “Come on,” he urges. “Up. I’m taking you to the medbay.”

Drift says nothing. He doesn’t move, doesn’t react other than to angle his finials further back and keep watching Ratchet with that awed, confused look.

“Why didn’t you fight back?” Ratchet asks after a long, silent moment.

Drift just shrugs.

“Let’s go. Up, on your feet. You need some energon in you; Rodimus says you haven’t fueled since Overlord.”

Drift, who had been pulling himself to his feet, freezes at the sound of Rodimus’s name. “Did Roddy say this was alright?”

Ratchet rolls his optics. “He agreed under duress.” He agreed under threat of exposure, he thinks to himself. Selfish bastard.

“Ratchet…”

“Listen, do you want to get out of here, or not?” He tugs Drift’s hand, trying to get him to follow Ratchet to his feet.

“But Rodimus said--”

Ratchet growls. “I don’t care what Rodimus said.”

Drift watches him carefully. When he speaks, it’s just one word: “Why?”

“As far as I’m concerned, the legal system decided you deserve a second chance, and it’s not up to Rodimus to take that away from you.” It’s the truth.

Drift shakes his head sadly. “I’ve already had my second chance, and I blew it. This is what I deserve, and I’ve been trying to get out of the habit of dodging my punishments.”

“This isn’t responsibility, Drift, this is idiocy! You know he’s planning on dropping you off at the nearest prison, right?”

Drift flinches hard. Oh. Ratchet wouldn’t have broken the news to him that way if he’d known-- He would have been gentler. He’s never been good at that.

“I,” Drift starts. “If that’s what he thinks is best.”

“Damnit, kid, listen to yourself! You spend half the time expecting everyone to just forget your past, and the other half expecting them to shoot you for it. What is with you?”

“It’s what I--”

“If you say it’s what you deserve,” Ratchet warns, “I swear I’ll start screaming.”

Drift yanks his hand of of Ratchet’s. “It is! You know what I’ve done, Ratchet.”

“You’re right. I do. I also know what Rodimus did.” Drift cringes. “And I know he’s using you to get out of his own punishment.”

“He’s the captain,” Drift argues. “The crew--”

“Exactly! He’s the captain, so he should bear the responsibility. That’s how it’s supposed to work. That’s what Optimus would want. He would want Rodimus to own up to his mistakes, not shove them off onto the nearest vulnerable idiot with a guilt complex.”

“Ratchet…”

“Drift. Listen to me. You infuriate me. You are, without a doubt, the most annoying, most difficult person I have ever met, and that’s saying something. Despite that, for some Primus-forsaken reason, I care about you, and I know you deserve a second chance. Yes, even if you blew the first few. That’s how life works, kid. You can’t just give up.”

Drift stares at him, tears welling in his optics. He frowns, searching for something in Ratchet’s face or field or aura or whatever, and then, without warning, surges forward and hugs him so tightly Ratchet feels something in his spinal struts pop. “Thank you,” he whispers like a prayer.

“It’s gonna be okay, kid. I promise you, we will make it okay.”

#and then drift is still exiled #dratchet #drift #ratchet #idw #mtmte #more than meets the eye #tf #transformers #tagging the shit out of this I'm proud of it #maccadam

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Mourning Turned to Joy

1 "At that time," says the LORD, "will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." 2 Thus says the LORD, "The people who were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

3 The LORD appeared to him from afar. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.

4 Again will I build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel: again you shall be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who make merry.

5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy its fruit.

6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim shall cry, "Arise, and let us go up to Zion to the LORD our God."'"

7 For thus says the LORD, "Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish, praise, and say, 'For the LORD has saved your people, the remnant of Israel.'

8 'Look, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, along with the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who travails with child together: a great company shall they return here.

9 They shall come with weeping; and with petitions will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.'"

10 Hear the word of the LORD, you nations, and declare it in the islands afar off; and say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as shepherd does his flock."

11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

12 They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and they shall be radient over the goodness of the LORD, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

13 "Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

14 I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness," says the LORD.

15 Thus says the LORD: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping and great bitterness, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more."

16 Thus says the LORD: "Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded," says the LORD; "and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

17 There is hope for your latter end," says the LORD; "and your children shall come again to their own border.

18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, 'You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as an untrained calf: turn me, and I shall be turned; for you are the LORD my God.

19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I struck on my thigh: I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I bore the reproach of my youth.'

20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him," says the LORD.

21 "Set up road signs, make guideposts; set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went: turn again, virgin of Israel, turn again to these your cities.

22 How long will you go here and there, you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall encompass a man."

23 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I shall bring again their captivity: 'The LORD bless you, habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness.'

24 Judah and all its cities shall dwell in it together, the farmers, and those who go about with flocks. 25 For I have satisfied the weary soul, and I have filled every sorrowful soul." 26 On this I awakened, and saw; and my sleep was sweet to me.

27 "Look, the days come," says the LORD, "that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of animal. 28 It shall happen that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant," says the LORD.

29 "In those days they shall say no more, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.'

30 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity: every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

31 Look, the days come," says the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, and I disregarded them," says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days," says the LORD: "I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: 34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD'; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sins I will remember no more."

35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar; the LORD of hosts is his name:

36 "If this fixed order departs from before me," says the LORD, "then the descendants of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever."

37 Thus says the LORD: "If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the descendants of Israel for all that they have done," says the LORD.

38 "Look, the days come," says the LORD, "that the city shall be built to the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line shall go out further straight onward to the hill Gareb, and shall turn about to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever." — Jeremiah 31 | New Heart English Bible (NHEB) The New Heart English Bible is in the public domain Cross References: Genesis 1:14; Genesis 28:16; Genesis 43:30; Exodus 4:22; Exodus 15:16; Exodus 15:20; Exodus 33:14; Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 24:16; Deuteronomy 28:13; Deuteronomy 30:4; Deuteronomy 30:9; Judges 21:21; 2 Kings 14:6; 2 Kings 14:13; Job 29:2; Job 38:33; Psalm 48:1; Psalm 84:5; Psalm 89:36-37; Psalm 90:14; Psalm 107:37; Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 2:23; Jeremiah 29:11; Jeremiah 31:12; Lamentations 3:29; Zechariah 1:16; Matthew 2:18; Matthew 5:6; Mark 14:24; Luke 1:77; Luke 18:13; John 6:44; John 16:22; John 18:1; Acts 3:26; Romans 11:1-2; Romans 11:26-27; Hebrews 6:10; Hebrews 8:9

#God #transformation #sinful hearts #obedience #God's law #exiles #mourning #joy #Jeremiah 31 #Book of Jeremiah #Old Testament #NHEB #New Heart English Bible

[ohblushblushblush]

Currently obsessed with the fact, that in “Exodus” it is confirmed that minicons can feel when Soundwave is thinking and they are really annoyed about it each time it happens

BONUS:

So basically here Megs is pressing Sounds about the data on the energon transportation. And while it is all seems scary to any other mech, Soundwave is not intimidated by Megatron. Instead, he gets exited (???)

Eheh

#transformers prime #megatron #soundwave #transformers #exile #minicon #minicons #guys are annoyed at boss thinking too much #they want to jump into some action instead #ahaha #I am going to tag it as megasound anyway #megasound #cause you know #Megs coming close #saying some stuff quietly #and Soundwave being exited at the end a little #ehehehe #ok now I am back to work #transformers aligned #tf aligned #aligned #well #now that is all

[emperor-kumquat]

Why is Soundwave like such a sadist in the Retribution book with “enough unrestrained relish” and probably watching the video of torturing Axer over and over again like I thought Soundwave was one of the most civil decepticon and didn’t get pleasure from suffering but just did what he had to do for the decepticon cause but I guess not 😭

The books can be a bit random like Optimus calling Megatron an "old man" and Starscream punching Soundwave

#exiles #retribution #transformers aligned books #transformersprime #transformers prime #transformers

[loveandscience]

MegOp confirmed.

No but really can you imagine him being willing to share his rule with anyone else?

#megatron #optimus prime #megop #transformers #exiles #transformers exiles #transformers novel

[incognitobird]

you know what I AM gonna make a post about chants of sennar and I don't CARE that only my 3 friends and a handful of pornbots will see it.

IT IS SUCH A FUCKING GOOD GAME

I am incredibly baised by the fact that Linguists is my autism special interest. but I also must state very very clearly

I HATE PUZZLE GAMES AND PUZZLES IN GAMES

they make me frustrated and and angry and more often than not make me feel stupid and I do not like them. I power through them when I must (breath of the wild I love you but fuck your shrines) or bribe friends to do them for me (viz I will sell my kidneys for you to do my puzzles)

but chants of sennar? even when I was frustrated (and incredibly sleep deprived, it was 3 am when I finally went "ah shit I need to go to bed") it only made me more determined to figure it out without help! I REFUSED to look up a guide and only caved twice, once because I fucked up my own written down notes, and the other was because in my sleep deprived state I had missed an entire room with a teleport spot and stone plate before the alchemists, making it so that I had done the ENTIRE ALCHEMIST FLOORS MISSING 3 WORDS I SHOULDVE JUST HAD. my last 3 hours of play through went soother with the help of my friend but those first 9 hrs? even sleep deprived and frustrated I was having fun!!!

even when the game took its detour into being a fuckin HORROR game I couldn't stop being FASCINATED by the language and the people and the cultures

and gods the ending made me CRY and I have so many fucking thoughts.

and the best part about ALL OF THIS?

I want to get back into learning Linguists

I had one semester in college of a gen'ed course that taught you the basics of feild work through creating a language. I loved that class. however I was actively suffering the effects of a debilitating depressive episode that ended in a mental breakdown resulting in me not attending any of my classes BUT that Ling101 class and in my second semester I dropped out. I wanted to major in linguistics but now between trauma and financial issues I will never being going back to college and it's not something I want anymore.

but I still want to learn linguistics so badly. I have a shelf full of books from the Ling section at my local bookstore (calling it a section is kind it's literally just 2 shelves). I haven't read a single one of those books because I can't bring myself to start.

but now? after spending 12 and half hours playing chants of sennar? I want to read all of them because it reminded me of exactly why I love linguistics.

in conclusion:

CHANTS OF SENNAR IS A GREAT GAME AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY SLANDER OF IT IN MY PRESENCE.

#this isnt getting any actual tags #if it breaches containment it will do so by the grace of god #or the grace of duty #or the grace of beauty #or the grace of transformation #or the grace of exile #idk if you can tell but i think i am Hilarious

[vigilskeep]

Here's one for ya: is the exile some kind of half-drider?

LMAO kind of! his eyes were transformed with the intention of looking like a drider’s, as part of his exile, so all lolth-sworn drow would know to turn him away or kill him. it’s also just part of the punishment/a lingering threat, as there’s nothing he fears more than truly becoming a drider

#the exile #his training and control of his body is pretty much all he has so the idea of transformation fucks him yp #*up

[flamewar05]

My guess as to what the leader class Thundertron is for the Star raiders sub line is that it’ll be the Legacy voyager possibly with the transformers GO black deco and it’ll come with either the armada or machinama recreum blaster because he used in in Exiles

#transformers #transformers toys #tfp #starseekers #thundertron #transformers exiles #transformers legacy united #transformers legacy #recreum blaster #transformers figures #plastic robots

[nobleryu]

Optimus laughs? Wow. (These are from Transformers Exiles, btw)

#transformers #optimus prime #tfp optimus prime #transformers aligned #aligned continuity #transformers exiles

[novafire-is-thinking]

Slave of Destiny

He considered the question, thinking back to the great wealth of Iacon’s Hall of Records. The shipping manifests and customs logs of Cybertron’s Space Bridges were all dated millions of cycles before the coming of the civil war. He could not remember the exact date, but the scholar within him suddenly wanted to dig into those records and see if that date could be recovered.

But it would be a long time before Optimus Prime could be a scholar again. Sometime in the distant future lay the moment when he could bequeath the mantle of Prime to a worthy successor. Until then, he would wear it with pride and resolve. And until then, his wish to bury himself in records and research would take a backseat to the overriding imperative to bring the AllSpark home and restore Cybertron to its long-lost state of peace and prosperity. (Exiles)

Destiny called Orion the scholar to be Optimus the world changer. Orion abandoned his safe haven of knowledge to lead an army into a war that would determine the fate of more than one world.

Megatron insisted on choosing how he would serve destiny. Optimus did not.

Orion the Dreamer Dutiful

Optimus Prime looked around the tomb one more time. It was beautiful in its way, austere and silent. Beauty was for another time, though, and although it pained the curious nature that had led Orion Pax on the path to becoming Optimus Prime, he knew this was the moment for direction, not reflection. (Exiles)

Optimus is the sort of individual who, if given the chance, would be happy doing nothing but learning and thinking. Countless times during the war, he had to cut himself off from his contemplative nature in order to keep moving forward. If TFP is any indication, things got to a point where ignoring and suppressing the desire for reflection had become a cruel, unwanted second nature.

Scholar of Stories and Secrets

The scholar in Optimus Prime, the remnant memory of Orion Pax who lived for nothing but knowledge, burned to know what was within Vector Prime’s mind at that moment. So much history, he thought. So much lost because those who could tell it preferred to remain silent. Could he provoke Vector Prime to tell the story? He did not know, nor did he know if he should. Perhaps long-held secrets should remain secret. Releasing them back into a world that had turned its back on them could have unforeseen consequences, and Cybertron had seen enough unforeseen consequences in recent times.

Still, he could not entirely let go of the desire to know. (Exiles)

Optimus experienced the most joy and fulfillment when he was collecting and studying stories—stories of history and people and their experiences. More than anything, he longed to peer behind the veil of life and study its secrets.

When he set aside that core desire to answer the call of a destiny so much bigger than himself, he got far more stories and secrets than he bargained for with no time or space to reflect on them.

It’s an understatement to say this took a heavy toll on him. By the time we see Optimus in TFP, he’s a mere shell of who he once was and is far from who he wanted to be.

War is a brutal thing that makes warriors out of scholars and tyrants out of poets.

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series master post

#transformers prime #maccadam #tfp #tfp optimus prime #tfp orion pax #tfp character analysis #tfp meta #aligned continuity #tf aligned novels #tf exiles #the one and only op ❤️💙 #who is TFP Optimus? series #long post #nova’s nerding out again

[transingthoseformers]

I think what bothers me about the TFA Autobot establishment is that they simply exiled the Decepticons rather then dealing with them in a more permanent fashion. Not only is that foolish but it basically gives them license to victimize others. What I like about most versions of Optimus Prime is that he cares for more then just his fellow Cybertronians, and thus would never allow the Decepticons to cause issues for others as long as they left the Autobots alone.

Yeah! I feel like there were a LOT of changes bc Oppy was born later in the timeline, and this certainly was one of them.

#maccadam #transformers #Optimus prime #tfa optimus prime #transformers animated #not only did they exile the decepticons but they then proceeded to lie to everyone and say they destroyed them #... i wonder about that. there's stuff that is Up about the end of the war in tfa.

[transmorphobots]

Also since i posted some script stuff heres some of my favorite Prowl dialogue from the aligned novels Exodus and Exiles.

#i cant tell if hes supposed to be dead pan horatio caine type or just snarky but either way im obsessed with him #this also always effects how i write prowl dhd 90s prowl especially got thos guy's energy #transformers #maccadam #transformers exodus #transformers exiles #prowl #transformers prowl #i also gotta find the silverbolt and prowl do a crime scene thing in exiles thats truly my favorite writing of all time