#anyways that's my fuckin rant ayyyyy

[lord-squiggletits]

10 reasons to ship IDW MegOP

Full text dump and squeeing under the cut.

1. JRO wrote in a subtextual BDSM scene for them... like, this man deadass wrote a script that had multiple scenes of Megatron being shackled and restrained while playing games with Optimus to provoke him into hurting him. Optimus literally says something like ‘I know what he wanted now, and I think I just gave it to him’ after nearly electrocuting Megatron to death. But honestly, BDSM subtext aside, the entire Police Action/Chaos Theory pre-war story is so fucking good for both of them. It establishes both of their unique identities for this continuity as well as planting the seeds for how they first met and why their fates are entertwined, even if they weren’t friends before the war as in many other continuities. Then again, Orion Pax calls Megatron his friend after just reading his essays and talking to him for a few seconds, so it seems like the connection is there, isn’t it?

2. Personality-wise, Megatron and Optimus are surprisingly similar. While Megatron’s anger issues and propensity for violence are obvious given who he is, Optimus is also written as having a bit of a foul temper despite his best efforts to suppress it and stay optimistic. And even then, OP has never had any qualms about resorting  to violence when the time comes. Then you have Megatron who began his life as an idealistic, pacifist miner (much as Optimus strove to be) but turned to violence due to constant state abuse, and even when he became a tyrant himself, he leans on ideals of freedom from oppression to justify himself. That leads into another point...

3. The two of them have mirror opposite arcs in this continuity. (For the sake of brevity, some things are simplified or glossed over.) Orion Pax began his life basically as one of the bad guys of the regime, but had his eyes opened thanks to Megatron, eventually became a figure of freedom stopping the oppression of organics, but then post-war started to fall to his own fatal flaw, and at the end of his life it was said of him that he may have caused more destruction than he prevented.

Meanwhile, Megatron began as an activist writer coming from an oppressed working class, grew hard under constant state abuse, then lost all attachments and embraced violence as a way of live, eventually becoming the very same type of tyrant he once swore to destroy. But at the end of his life, he did see the error of his ways and do his best to atone.

And JRO was the one who both 1. wrote Orion as a cop and 2. was basically the first writer who actually paid attention to Megatron Origin and put in effort to making it a part of the lore, so it’s plausible that this parallel was intended. Or at least, Barber’s additions as a writer made them parallels of each other.

A lot of people give Optimus shit in this continuity for being problematic, or fawn over Megatron for being “right all along,” but I think that both of them having highly tumultuous lives where they inspired great good and committed great evil is perfect for making them equal rivals as all good MegOP dynamics should be.

4. If you’re into stories with politics, reading (or writing) works that explore IDW1′s lore is rich for MegOP potential. Megatron and Optimus are both incredibly, incredibly political people. Their positions within Cybertronian society, the circumstances they met, and the reasons they became enemies are entirely based on the politics of the society they lived in. They are products of Cybertron. They are emblematic of Cybertron. Any romantic interpretation of them is super juicy because it means that they must resolve their political disputes and heal the wrongs that they (and their factions) have inflicted on each other, not just fall in love on personal terms. IDW MegOP romance is just extremely high stakes and complex. What’s not to love?

5. To go along with the previous points, Megatron and Optimus are both leaders with EXTREMELY big mistakes in their past. They’re both such charismatic figures that each of them basically built up an entire cult of personality around themselves. Of course, that means that all the atrocities of war ultimately fall onto their shoulders to be responsible for. Because of this, their sense of regret for their actions is equally strong-- AND I EMPHASIZE THIS POINT because if Megatron hadn’t started with pure activist intentions, and if Optimus hadn’t once been an enforcer of the regime, they wouldn’t have as high stakes to feel regret as they do! Megatron regrets how far from his original intentions he strayed. Optimus regrets the role (or lack thereof) he played, not doing enough to prevent the war from happening. They’re both full of so much fucking regret, but it gets lonely at the top. Who else can understand them but another person who is equally larger-than-life, equally flawed, and equally crushed by the fact that they spent their lives fighting a pointless war that they themselves could have stopped at any time?

6. Equality is a big part of the appeal of MegOP, and in IDW1, they’ve both wronged each other. In so many ways. Besides the fact that they were military enemies and have hurt/nearly killed each other in many ways, there’s also the personal level. Orion Pax seemingly listening to Megatron, only to become a state dog under Zeta. Megatron taking Damus and indoctrinating him into Tarn just to make a point to Optimus that “anyone can be turned.” Optimus making Megatron denounce the Decepticons. Megatron shooting Orion in the back after they defeated Zeta togther (also creating his own worst enemy in a very poetic irony kind of way).

These guys’ hands are so dirty, not just when it comes to war and politics, but to each other. Neither of them can truthfully claim to be a victim of the other. Both of them have to admit that they fucked up and did completely uncalled for stuff. I like the idea of an eventual romantic dynamic because love between them would mean reconciling and forgiving all of the things they’ve done to each other, politically and personally.

Anyways, that’s the big and heavy stuff, let’s go into more of the fluffy/romantic and possibly silly stuff.

7. Orion/Optimus SIMPS FOR MEGATRON SO FUCKING HARD IN IDW1 HOLY SHIT. This man stormed the Senate and quoted from Megatron’s essays after mere seconds of knowing him, he constantly praises Megatron’s name and words to basically everyone he’s friends with (Roller, Shockwave, etc). Hell, this dude literally threw out all sense of logic or propriety to put Megatron, a fucking convicted war criminal, on the fucking Lost Light just so that he could have his own redemption journey. I know Optimus attached contingencies, but still??? Under what circumstance is letting a genocidal dictator go free a good decision??? Because Optimus is fucking gay for him that’s why.

And let’s not forget about stuff like Megatron muttering Orion’s name/talking about him when he’s tired, the way he knew Optimus well enough to provoke him into hurting him with the VVH, the way that on the Lost Light he takes it as a high compliment to be compared to Orion Pax. IDW OP may be a simp, but let’s be honest, Megatron is just as interested in OP, he’s just better at controlling himself lmao.

8. In general, during the few times OP and Megatron get to talk to each other without trying to kill each other, they banter as if they’re old friends and just generally display comfortable familiarity. To the point that people like Prowl and Rodimus react with discomfort or disgust at how they’re enemies yet talk as if they’re friends, lmao. (Oh and of course there’s the phone call between past Orion and present Megatron in MTMTE.) Point is, they have really good personal chemistry. Also, tying back into the points made earlier, they’re both assholes so I think they would be comfortable criticizing/calling each other out. Which is what both of them need, because they’ve spent almost all their lives being worshipped and idolized. And who doesn’t like the “old married couple” bitchy-but-fond relationship dynamic?

9. Megatron used to be a poet and a writer, so he has the skills to send Optimus romantic poems and letters about how much he means to him. Or he could send scathing critiques of his life choices and call him an idiot. This is MegOP, so probably both. And then Optimus would argue with him right back, because Optimus is also well-spoken and snarky. Cranky old men expressing love via petty fighting and agreeable bickering/banter.

10. And honestly, they’re two big, bulky guys that look super tough and imposing. You have to admit that the visual aesthetic of two equally large, buff guys setting aside their violent ways to gently hold hands and kiss is just a nice mental image. And they’re both sexy as fuck whether you look at the Orion Pax frame and Gladiator Megatron, Bomber Megatron, phase 2 Optimus, MTMTE tank Megatron. Like, their designs are so good and they just look good together.