Thinking about TFOne MegOp/OpMeg again, as per usual
Been rethinking some things…
I want OP and Megs to reconcile and be lovers n’ all that, but I think they should REALLY hate each other and try to kill each other before they do so.
+ I think OP ought to snap at Megs
Hear me out on my characterization, or lmk why u don’t agree :)
General consensus abt post movie MegOp from what I gather:
OP is sad and blames himself
Megs is angry and resentful
Both still long for who they used to be, but are resolute on their chosen paths, and believe that they were in the right.
Immediately post movie, I don’t think either of them would truly regret their choices.
So, what next? How do we get to reconciliation?
What next, based on what is set up in TFOne, is a team up against the Quintessons, because if the 13 were losing the Quintesson Wars, then the Autobots and Decepticons definitely will lose the war if they don’t work together.
Okay, so they are forced to work together and this will stir feelings of comradery, leading to reconciliation and a united Cybertron right? Not necessarily. Even if they could set their differences aside enough to ally with each other against the Quintessons, that doesn’t mean that when they win the Quintesson Wars and no longer have a common enemy to unite against, that the Autobots and Decepticons will remain united.
Not to mention, the Quintessons are likely to see this divide among the Cybertronians, and attempt to exploit and exacerbate the tensions between the two Cybertronian factions to give themselves an advantage in the war. The Quintessons wouldn’t win the war, in the end, but they could still leave behind tensions between the two factions that would later on result in a fracturing of their unity.
What this means is that the Quintesson Wars gives a glimpse, a hope for peace and unity between the Autobots and Decepticons, but this hope is not realized… at least, not yet.
This is why I think they’d hate each other and maybe even try to kill each other before they could even get to reconciliation. Walk with me.
Megs would feel bad about having killed and dropped OP, but that would pale in comparison to the resentment of OP now having that coveted position of leadership, granted, in Megs’ POV, through no real merit of his own + resenting OP for banishing him and the High Guard, taking that as a sign that OP won’t back down in standing against him, but also that OP is too soft hearted/weak to do what must be done (what must be done meaning to kill, whether it be Sentinel, or Megatron himself) and be an effective leader. Therefore, Megs must take OP’s place as leader (Prime), b/c in Megs’ mind, he HAS to be worthy of the Matrix as well. He delivered justice by killing Sentinel, and all the High Guard are backing him up. + I think D-16 lowk thought of himself as better than Orion in every way. Stronger, both in physicality and will.
Therefore, when they are forced to work together in the Quintesson Wars, Megs will be trying to gain the upper hand, one up Optimus at every opportunity to prove to all of Cybertron that going forward, he would be the better leader, and they all should follow him. This would also mean that Megs will be attempting to acquire the Matrix of Leadership, during, and after the Quintesson Wars.
OP would feel bad about having banished Megs from the only home he had ever known, as well as his part in damaging the relationship - particularly the trust D-16 had in Orion due to his own single mindedness - but Megatron had chosen to end their relationship with with “I’m done saving you.” In other words, “I’m done with you.”OP wavers between sadness and anger, and sadness wins out in the end. I think he’s putting up a front, hiding how much this loss really hurts him b/c of who he must become + the responsibility he now bears, but in the end he explicitly states he doesn’t think there is going back to how they used to be (friends, rather than enemies, alongside just being D-16 and Orion Pax), b/c Megs betrayed him by choosing to drop him.
OP could have chopped Megatron’s head off, but it was a very deliberate choice just to cut the fusion cannon in half, yet avoid Megatron’s head. To Megatron, this is sentimental weakness. To OP this would be mercy, because of their past friendship, but also because OP is setting an example for what the future Cybertron will be.
“Rebuilding Iacon cannot begin with an execution.”
Rebuilding Cybertron cannot begin with him executing the mech who was once his best friend, but that does not mean OP won’t defend himself from Megatron trying to hurt him, or others. OP fought back against Megatron, and he wouldn’t stop fighting back either if the future Megatron intends to build means indiscriminate killing, and rule by a leader who refuses to listen and follows no one but himself.
Therefore, when they are forced to work together in the Quintesson Wars, Optimus will be trying to also prove that he would be a good leader, that he is trustworthy, and no deceiver or enemy to the Decepticons, so long as the Decepticons don’t choose to become the enemies of the Autobots first.
In other words, Megatron would view this alliance as temporary, of the mindset that he will relent and compromise for now, but only because it is forced by circumstance. As soon as the Quintesson Wars are won, Megatron will continue attempting to seize leadership of all Cybertron from who he views as a less worthy leader.
Optimus would hope, that collaborating in the Quintesson Wars could lead to future peace and unity, and try his best to work towards that future, but also be prepared for the possibility that he and the Autobots will have to fight Megatron and the Decepticons.
In the course of the Quintesson Wars, Optimus and Megatron will see the differences in their respective styles of leadership, and how the other has changed since they were Orion Pax and D-16.
Megatron would see Optimus’ style of leadership as too casual, too unorganized and inefficient compared to how he runs the Decepticon ranks, like a proper army. He would see Optimus’ decisions and think of him too soft hearted and weak for abiding by this moral code/standard Optimus is trying to set, by embodying those very morals, even if to the detriment of himself and the Autobots. However, Megatron would also see that Optimus has become a better version of himself, has become a Prime that D-16 would have looked up to. However, Megatron is no longer D-16.
Megatron would accuse Optimus to be someone that just does whatever he wants, even if that wouldn’t necessarily apply anymore. Megatron would be wary of Optimus trying to rope him and his Decepticons into some “Optimus Prime (Orion Pax) master plan”, especially because he doesn’t want to ever be tricked by anyone (be it Sentinel, or OP), ever again. Even if Optimus’ plan is objectively better at times, Megatron would probably still chafe against following it, because Megatron would be trying to show that he would be the better leader at every opportunity.
Ragebaiter and baited who both attempt to be nonchalant, but the rage baiter isn’t very nonchalant, and the baited attempts but also does fall for the bait sometimes, because Optimus isn’t above having petty grudges and impulses of his own, even if he’s trying his best to be responsible and set an example for others.
This is the point where Megatron’s hate for Optimus would be at its peak, but he’d only be trying to kill Optimus fr fr once the Quintesson Wars were an assured Cybertronian victory, and he no longer needs Optimus to command the Autobots in order to survive.
Optimus would see that Megatron’s style of leadership works, but also how it works by playing the Decepticons against each other rather than by genuine collaboration. He would see how Megatron is has become more assertive, more outspoken but has also become ruthless, pitiless of the weak, no longer the strong, yet gentle bot that D-16 had been, but he would still hope that Megatron could be gentler, kinder again.
Otherwise, I don’t think Optimus would be above killing Megatron. It would be difficult for him to, but he wasn’t exactly opposed to killing Sentinel, and if Megatron becomes just as bad, or if worse, then as much as it would hurt him, Optimus would do it.
The onus would be on Megatron to either change, or force Optimus’ hand, and I think it’d get to the point where Optimus has resolved to kill Megatron before Megatron decides to change.
The Civil War happens, and the Autobots and Decepticons are fighting to see who will rule Cybertron.
Megatron will be actively and openly trying to kill Optimus. At some point, the battles and the war would become like a game to Megatron, especially when he and Optimus get to fight one on one. Even as countless die in the war, in Megatron’s mind, the fight will be worth it once he wins the war, proves himself superior, and takes the Matrix and leadership of Cybertron from Optimus (because “all that matters is the strength of one bot over the other.”).
As the death toll climbs higher, Optimus would eventually realize that he can’t appeal to Megatron, because Megatron no longer cares, and it would be at this point where Optimus comes to truly hate Megatron. Optimus would’ve been annoyed, irritated at Megatron constantly challenging and butting heads with him no matter what during the Quintesson Wars, but wouldn’t hate Megatron, still carrying guilt over Megatron’s anger and resentment at him.
Even after the Civil War continues after the Quintesson Wars, Optimus would hope to be able to reason with Megatron in order to stop the fighting and endless bloodshed. Treating the war like a game would be the thing that convinces Optimus that Megatron can’t in fact, be reasoned with, and pushes Optimus’ patience for Megatron to the limit, causing Optimus to snap and actually try to kill Megatron. He’d nearly succeed, as he could have done at the end of their epic showdown in TFOne.
Megatron wouldn’t die, but not for Optimus’ lack of trying.
I don’t Optimus would blame himself for all of Megatron’s actions, but he would certainly blame himself for not stopping Megatron sooner. I don’t think their past as D-16 and Orion Pax would be enough to prevent Optimus from trying to kill Megatron, because Optimus’ sense of responsibility would prevail, and if the only thing that will stop Megatron from killing innocents is Megatron’s own death, then OP would do what must be done.
Similarly, their shared history wouldn’t be enough to convince Megatron to give up the fight. And while the jokes are funny, a good frag wouldn’t do it either, because none of this would convince Megatron that he was wrong for anything he would’ve done thus far. Not to mention, Megatron would be justifying his own actions to himself, perhaps doubling down on them as well to bury whatever guilt he may feel, regarding everything from killing Orion, to his latest war crime.
OP snapping and actually trying to kill him might be the thing that makes Megatron BEGIN to doubt his own actions, because up until that point, OP was still trying to make peace, trying to make Megatron “see reason,” which, as far as Megatron would have been concerned, was weakness and practically like OP admitting he was wrong b/c OP was the one trying to make amends by making peace. OP nearly succeeding in killing Megatron, would show Megatron that OP’s mercy was not a failing, not a weakness, but a choice because up until that point, OP still held out hope that they could still someday build the future together, and that Megatron could become better, and it was HE who actively destroyed that.
Maybe he’d then double down even more, or maybe he’d change, but for the sake of reconciliation, let’s say he decides to change.
If Megatron were to truly at least make the effort to change, then I think OP would stand by him, and want to give Megatron this chance…though that doesn’t mean OP will immediately trust, forgive, or even like Megatron again.
Megatron will have to earn each of those things, and contend with everything he’s done, from large scale war crimes to the things that hurt Optimus and Optimus specifically.
That’s not to say that Megatron wouldn’t still be hurt by Optimus, especially in how Optimus DID choose to banish him, and has tried to kill him as well, has over and over prioritized the responsibility of being Cybertron’s Prime over anything else, including Megatron himself.
Even if they’ve reconciled, they’d still be re-learning how to get along with each other for a long time, cause now they’d be old(er?) mechs, with all the triggers that come with it.
