The Yaz attack episode SUCKS because it's basically "campus shooting, but with dinosaurs", so it's really not that Fun.
Like...cowardly scientist gets eaten on his birthday abandoning kids? That's kinda funny.
Guy gets pulled apart by T. rexes while saving our heroes? Sad, yes, but he went out like a hero. A champ. He was pulling a gun! He fought to the end!
Babysitter gets eaten trying to rush her charges to safety through a mass panic? Not funny, very sad, but noble and spectacular despite the horror.
Bunch of mercenaries get torn apart by a freak experiment? Yeah, that's what they get for stealing dinosaurs and selling them.
Guy on a scooter gets chomped in the middle of mayhem? Sad for him, but also funny, especially because you know the guy won a contest for that role (probably won the scooter in-universe, too, making it Ironic).
But three random people killed and/or wounded in an almost-indiscriminate attack on a refuge? That is...not cool. It's Too Real. I Do Not Like It. There is A Thing there.
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I wish to love and appreciate idw optimus more too. But I also don’t want to read through the entirety of IDW 1.0. Can you please recommend me any specific issues/parts?
My best friend and fellow IDW Optimus lover made a post compiling all the comics with major story beats involving Optimus. Her list has a lot of the same things mine does, but also a lot more specific issues because she actually knows which specific issues of which series you can read specifically for ones focused on IDW Optimus. We don't agree on everything (I love some comics she dislikes and vice versa), but I would recommend her list simply because it's the most well-documented and thorough. Link I also have a lot of far less coherent but still genuine posts about IDW OP on my #idw op love tag.
As for specific parts I would recommend... since you don't want to read through all of IDW1, I'll go ahead and recommend you things based on in-universe chronological order rather than story release order, but if anything here interests you then I would recommend reading IDW1 in release order so that you get a better grasp of the story's context and how new lore was given out over time:
Chaos Theory and Police Action by James Roberts (The Transformers 2009 issues 22-23): I love love LOVE the way JRO writes Optimus talking to Megatron during the present day, it's very IDW-Optimus flavored because of how blunt, abrasive, and snappy Optimus is. There's a part in the comic where Megatron claims that he "knows [Optimus] better than anyone else," and he's right, but it's also true that Optimus knows Megatron well enough to see that he's bullshitting and it's very entertaining watching Optimus slowly lose his patience with him. I love the dialogue especially, no one (canon or fandom) has ever quite written the same IDW OP who's in this set of comics. It's also the most MegOP comic of all time because the sexual tension and the subliminal imagery of them doing BDSM together is unreal, plus it really captures their dynamic of two old soldiers who snap together with chemistry despite (or perhaps because of) being such long-time enemies. They just UNDERSTAND each other so well. Also, as a bonus point, Chaos Theory is where the pre-war lore for IDW1 began being published, so if you read Chaos Theory then the context for future pre-war lore makes a little more sense.
Shadowplay by James Roberts (More Than Meets the Eye issues 10-11): More pre-war lore that picks up where Chaos Theory/Police action left off. Important because it establishes a lot of IDW OP's character relationships, especially with "the Senator," Roller, and to a degree Ratchet and some minor side characters. I don't really know what to say about this besides it's just really fucking fun to read and features IDW OP getting to do cool shit like fight bad guys, investigate conspiracies, and do heists while also establishing one of his key character traits: being disastrously gay for suspicious men that he places entirely too much trust in to tell him what the right thing to do is.
Spotlight: Orion Pax by James Roberts: Okay, I'm really sorry for recommending JRO's stuff because it feels like favoritism and I don't even think JRO does the best version of IDW OP, it's just going in in-universe chronological order means that a lot of JRO stuff ends up first on the list. This one doesn't really have much of consequence in it and is honestly one of the weaker Spotlight issues, but like Shadowplay, it involves Orion Pax doing fun action shit and having way too much trust in a suspicious man (a new one from the suspicious man in Shadowplay).
The Autocracy Trilogy (Autocracy, Monstrosity, Primacy) by Chris Metzen: Oh my fucking god this is THE IDW Optimus to me, this trilogy is literally what made my ears perk up to even start liking IDW OP because it's what took me from "Optimus Prime, that's the guy who's the super awesome leader that everyone likes and is a paragron to everyone, yeah I know him" to "Oh.... holy shit this is such a good plot/worldbuilding, Optimus has so much CONFLICT and DRAMA with other people." It covers one of my favorite periods of the general Transformers formula, namely pre-war and early war plot events as conflicts come to a boiling point, there's political conflicts and personal conflicts, the planet is falling to shit and everyone is trying to escape and things are as depressing and scary as you would expect for a war that's literally about to consume a whole planet. I found the general plotlines to be gripping and intense (Autocracy is the weakest in this regard, but the writing gets better with each book) and I really like seeing how Optimus grapples with leadership. Especially the negative parts where people hate/fear him because of his association with Zeta's regime (the previous Prime, who Orion worked for), call his judgment into question, refuse his calls to action or waver in their faith in him, and so forth. I found it to be a really nuanced yet sympathetic view of IDW Optimus that made me fall in love with him. Because really, the thing that humanizes a character the most is making them flawed, and Autocracy trilogy Optimus is so incredibly flawed and conflicted. And also it shows him being shit on by other characters in a way that's well written in a plot that makes sense and doesn't feel like the entire plot is conspiring to shit all over him.
The Death of Optimus Prime by James Roberts and John Barber: This comic is basically the transition from phase 1 to phase 2, it establishes the branching plotlines of MTMTE and exRID, so this is another one of those comics that will help you understand IDW1 better if you want to read for more than just Optimus. Anyways, DoOP is great because it has a similar vibe to the Autocracy trilogy in that society is chaos and full of people who fucking hate Optimus' guts for the role he played in the war. You can also compare/contrast the way OP was before the war and early in the war versus the way he is after the war and see how much the war changed him (Chaos Theory also kind of is like this but it more shows bitchy Optimus specifically in his dynamic with Megatron). It also features a fair amount of Optimus Heroic Moments, Optimus Brooding, and Optimus being so fucking depressed he's literally sad when he wakes up and realizes he's not dead dude get some fucking therapy please I'm begging you--
Punishment by John Barber: This skips ahead quite a bit in the story but I think stands decently well on its own without having to understand the wider context. It's one of Barber's best-written stories and one of the only ones I've come back to reread for its own sake. It features Optimus trying to solve the murder-mystery of a bunch of Decepticons, featuring really cool plot conflicts like Optimus trying to navigate post-war society and the tensions that still linger from the Autobot-Decepticon war. I really like this one because it has that whole "not everyone loves OP and a lot of people hate him for justified reasons" thing that makes IDW OP a much more 3D character, PLUS it has some politics with the way Decepticons are treated post war. And I think it does really interesting things with Optimus in terms of showing how he DOES have this idealistic, merciful side that wants people to choose peace and letting go of vengeance, but of course it's not so easy to expect that of people after a 4 million year war. So when people inevitably choose violence, Optimus gets frustrated and angry and lashes out in a way that feels very real and understandable. It's a really good example of a comic that shows IDW OP in a nuanced way, showcasing both his virtues and flaws in a complicated situation that shows that there's no easy solution to these problems and no way for Optimus to escape without getting his hands dirty. Unlike future comics which involve OP being in complicated situations but instead the plot is super contrived and seems to overwhelmingly shit on OP without ever mentioning the very obvious ways that he could be defended, creating a story that's conceptually fascinating but incredibly mediocre in execution.
If I had to recommend any single one of these to read, I would recommend the Autocracy trilogy the most because it's literally the story that made me love IDW Optimus and made me realize "whoa, this guy is super nuanced and not what I expected of him." That's not to say that no other Optimi have depth and nuance, but I think the Autocracy trilogy was great for me personally as one of the first IDW1 comics I read. It struck a really good balance between "uh Optimus was part of some bad things that warrant being shit on" and "Optimus is struggling to overcome those bad associations he did, succeeding with some people and failing with others" and "Optimus is an optimist who has faith in others even when they don't have faith in themselves." Also, as a bonus, the Autocracy trilogy also features cunty murder-husband Megatron, an interesting character arc for Hot Rod, and the Dinobots as really interesting supporting characters (including their leader, Grimlock, having a cute veteran-rookie dynamic with Hot Rod that I wish we got more of).
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A clown obsessed girl ranks all of the different versions of Circus Baby because I have an obsession with her.
I'm ranking every single version of Baby the franchise has created only out of boredom.
I'm ranking them from best to worst.
Topping In at number 1 'Circus Baby'
The OG, the classic, practically perfect in every way, Circus Baby.
She was a very well written antagonist for what I thought was a new story fnaf was building, she was a breath of fresh air from the purple guy and I love it. She was intimidating, calculated, manipulative, and tragic. She was an evil you couldn't help but sympathize with like 'damn I feel bad they went through this shit, I don't condone the murder but…' and best of all nothing about her character was kept hidden or obscured from us, we were given everything and just left to collect it all and judge her on our own, I wish more people would do that with characters. Anyway I really feel this is the best version of Baby you could ever find in this franchise and I love her with all my heart.
Coming in close 2nd, 'Ennard'
Ok ok I know Ennard isn't technically Circus Baby, but she Is apart of Ennard so I'm still counting it. Ennard being second isn't a negative on Ennards part only on the lack of screen time, like give me more fnaf. Other than that Ennard is just as great as Baby. I love their design, love how threatening they are, love how they kill and hide themselves as a person. Ennard is based. I have nothing else to say they are just great, I just wish they got more time in the franchise.
Off to the 3rd is, 'The Plushbaby's'
They are my little gremlin children. Yes I've adopted them, they are mine. I understand some people's dislike of the plushbabys I mean they are basically the modern Balloon Boy to sum, but I found their level in HW strangely fun. The reason they are in 3rd is because I can't believe they would be able to kill me, they are a plushie I could just kick them, I wouldn't, but I could. I love them because they are like tiny little babs, I picture them following CB in a little line, shuffling along behind her. The plushkins in the DLC are also wonderful and made me love the Plushbaby's even more, and the Scrap Plushbaby's are just as adorable.
4 below 3 '8-bit baby'
Just look at her she is babe ❤️🥺.
Lucky number 5 is, 'Scrap Baby'
I really wish I could put her higher on this, but sadly her design can't save her from the terrible writing. I don't know what it is. Something about the way she is written irks me, like there's a pivotal piece missing for her change from SL to 6 to make sense. I feel if her character was kept more consistent with CB or her character change felt more natural and actually shown to us then I would be whistling a different tune, but sadly since this isn't the case she has to get 5th. I still like her just not as much as ones higher on this list.
6 isn't anything to scoff at with, 'Heartsick Baby'
Yeah I'm even adding the AR skins. The skins aren't high on this list because we'll there skins, they ain't got much else going for them except looks. Heartsick Baby as a skin is wonderful, I just kinda wish her bow and arrow was like a crossbow attached to her arm. I feel it would give Scrap Baby claw arm vibes you know.
7 ain't all that bad, 'Broiler Baby'
I like this skin. I just wish more was done with it, you know, like it needed more.
You have now reached the bottom, these are the absolute worst versions of Circus Baby the franchise has created, at least that's how I feel about them at least. I couldn't put one before the other because both of them bring me ungodly amounts of rage when I see them.
Now before I rip into these two I'm here to say if you happen to like these two no hate towards you, and more power to yah. I mean no true harm to you, I'm just a salty person hating a fictional character. That being said
In the pits of hell, 'TFC Baby and Eleanor'
[They don't get images because I hate them so much]
I cannot describe how frustrating these two are as characters. Maybe it's Eleanor, such an inconsistent and annoying evil that would make William Afton blush, or maybe TFC Baby's frustrating writing that not even Scrap Baby has, or maybe it's the fact neither of these bitches are even Baby. Their origins are completely different or non-existent to Baby's story. No none of these, ok yes these, but these pale in comparison to the main thing that irks me about these two.
These two are the physical manifestations of how I feel the franchise sees and will continue to see Circus Baby as a character, not as a determined, competent, dangerous, yet tragic threat but as a one dimensional sexyfied villain with nothing going for them except about how evil they are. Whether they intentionally made TFC baby sexy or not (let's face it, if it wasn't intentional I wouldn't be talking about it.) doesn't change the fact that they had no reason doing this, let alone to a character that is big enough and thick enough to kick TFC Baby like a football (I already talked about this) and Eleanor is no better She's like even thinner like malnourished thin, and she isn't even CB she's literally just a bitch who stole CB's fit.
Now I would let this slide kinda if at least they were written well, but there not. Eleanor is a one dimensional villain and TFC Baby is a William Afton kiss ass.
I wanted to like these characters 'cause others liked them so that must mean there is something good about them right? I found nothing except more reasons to hate them, again if you like one of these two go off king, queen, or nonbinary bean you keep doing that I'm just gonna stay far away from that.
Also I will not be convinced otherwise, TFC Baby wants what M3gan has.
TFC Baby fell so M3gan could walk on her corpse and strut to the end.
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