Knockout(left) And Breakdown(right) Dragonformer Doodles

knockout(left) and breakdown(right) dragonformer doodles

hebennenwhwnwjjejehehhe.MMMMMM love ur writing

Living Remnant

When Optimus dreams, he relives the memories of his predecessors, often believing that he is them until he wakes. But when he does this, odd things tend to occur.

Sleepwalking

More often than not, when Optimus dreams and delves into the memories of the other Primes, he ends up sleepwalking as the Matrix's way of keeping him safe while he is unavailable. The Matrix will pilot his frame, using the remnants of the Primes minds and muscle memory within it to operate. It normally isn't an issue, the team will just let Optimus wander for a bit and one of the more insomniac members will lead him back to his berth. However his sleepwalking is highly volatile, one wrong move can lead him to lash out instinctively as the Matrix is unable to tell friend from foe.

Not only that... but Optimus is rather terrifying when the Matrix controls his frame. He wanders the base like a machine. Everything he does when sleepwalking looks wrong, almost like he is a broken record stuck on loop. Sometimes he won't move for hours, not even so much as twitching, just standing in the shadows and watching with empty optics. Other times he will repeat the same set of actions over and over, lifting and item, carrying it to another spot, and putting it down before doing it all over gain. Startlingly, he also might wander looking lost and repeating ominous phrases as he walks, usually something about it "hurting". And most frighteningly, but thankfully most rarely, Optimus's frame will start to mimic previous Primes.

One such instance led him to wander around the base with his blades extended, lashing out and trying to attack any bot he saw. The team spent the entire night hiding behind locked doors, terrified for their lives. They never mentioned what happened to Optimus after he woke, not wanting to make him feel guilty for things he had no control over. But still, the team hypothesize that the memories that the Matrix was using must have belonged to Nova Prime, a Prime notorious for his paranoia and his death at the hands of his own inner circle.

Another similar instance led Optimus to begin working with dangerous chemicals trying to make... something in his zombified state. Ratchet tried to intervene but he was stopped by a startlingly empty stare and a few muttered sentences about how "There must be a cure" and how he "Must find the cure". Ratchet ended up watching in fear as Optimus created an antidote for the rust plague, something not hard to make with their knowledge but concerning when the thought of which Prime the memories originated from came into play. Optimus woke from his stupor with nearly a dozen vials of rust plague antidote's surrounding him and with his servos covered in all sorts of cuts and chemical burns. Ratchet was thankfully there to calm him down and treat his wounds, but neither have spoken of that particular instance since.

The last instance of such terrifying behavior taking place that the team are aware of started with Optimus sleepwalking as he normally would. But when day came... he didn't wake. The team tried to break him out of it but he was completely unresponsive, totally immersed in the Matrix. He remained in a state of waking sleep for days... hardly moving and only doing one of two things, that being singing songs in the ancient tongue and drawing murals with whatever resources were available to him. It was a horrifying experience, that with the team being unable to wake him in any way, not even to get him to consume energon. Ratchet ended up giving him shots of energon directly to his systems as he spent nearly a whole week in that state. The team were beginning to worry that he wouldn't wake, that he had finally fallen too far into the Matrix's grip when he finally showed signs of stirring. By the time Ratchet dragged him to the medical berth for a checkup, Optimus had already created dozens of highly unusual and very... disturbing murals depicting everything from the creation of the Primes to the great war.

Some were indecipherable, only depicting mecha in various states of agony or other forms of discomfort. Others were clear as day and nearly prophetic in nature, depicting the omega lock, Unicron spark chamber, and even one of Smokescreen with the omega keys. And then there were a few that shook the team to their cores, murals that told a tale of horrible suffering. Those murals showed the deaths of a Prime or Optimus being dragged down into a sea of corpses, always with his face scribbled out in a mess of blue paint.

The team hide those murals away before Optimus could notice them and only brought them out a few weeks after the incident, fearful that he might panic upon seeing the murals or fall right back into the Matrix's grip.

Mistakes

After a particularly intense session with the Matrix, Optimus tends to leave its grip a bit... off. He is never completely right in the helm afterward, either being eerily emotionless or saying and doing worrying things.

He will... mistake things around him on those days, speaking of mecha who have been dead for millennia as if they were present and looking at the team and not really seeing them, instead thinking them to be someone else. Bumblebee was mistaken for Senator Shockwave at one point due to his cheerful disposition, much to the discomfort of the whole team. Arcee was Elita-1 in Optimus's view for nearly a week at one point, leading to some rather awkward situations. Ratchet was referred to as Pharma in part due to their similar appearances, ultimately leading Ratchet to temporarily redo his paint to help Optimus see him for who he really was. Bulkhead and Wheeljack kept getting mixed around, being called by any number of names ranging from Tailgate, Hightide, Ironhide, to even Kup. Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen didn't fare much better when it came to getting misnamed.

It isn't just names either. When out on the battlefield Optimus's fighting style, way of speech, and even his priorities can be warped depending on which Prime he interacted with in the Matrix. Nova's memories made him extra violent, often leading Megatron to retreat quicker but at the cost of the team having more injuries or missing the actual target. Guardian's memories made him far more calculating but less caring of the loss of life, usually requiring another of the team to take over handling civilians or potential casualties. Sentinel's memories made Optimus paranoid as pit, unwilling to take any risks whatsoever if there was a way around it, tending get the team better results when the plan worked, but only if the plan actually worked.

Of course there are other smaller things, like habits that linger during those days. Things like Nova's tendency to constantly have a weapon on hand and keep every bot on high alert was commonplace. Sentinel's notorious paranoid patrols and continual health checks were both common and both the best and worst thing to ever happen to Ratchet. And Guardian's habit of organizing everything that could possibly be organized due to his impossible workaholic nature was something that also become prominent in Optimus on days where the Matrix's touch lingered.

Drowning

It doesn't happen often, in fact it only happens after events that even the powerful emotional suppression of the Matrix can't handle. But sometimes, when times are most stressful for Optimus or when he feels the most useless, the Matrix will activate it's in built defenses and take control of Optimus's frame during his moment of mental weakness. It will push Optimus's mind back, sending him to consult the memories and experience the more... safe ones while it operates his frame. It is the Matrix's way of keeping its Prime safe, and it works for the most part... except for a few occasions.

Usually when the Matrix takes over it will do what it does when Optimus dreams, merely piloting his body somewhat aimlessly until he is ready mentally to take control again. But sometimes while Optimus is still recovering within the Matrix, something happens that the Matrix can't handle, leading to it pulling Optimus back into a semi-operational state in panic. In those instances Optimus isn't fully aware, his mind still half submerged in the Matrix and vulnerable. And so to not damage Optimus's recovering mind, the Matrix will feed him memories from its previous holders on loop depending on the situation so that he can still rest while performing as needed.

If it is battle that causes the Matrix to wake Optimus prematurely, it will feed Optimus the memories of a battle that matches the circumstances best. This is by no means foolproof and leads to more problems than solutions usually, but the Matrix does what it must. In those instances, Optimus truly believes that he is the Prime whose memories he is experiencing. He will act like them down to the smallest details, matching their memories expertly. He will give orders that match the scenario he is in, but they are always off, generally directed toward an enemy that has long since been defeated.

Ultra Magnus: Sir! Vehicons incoming!

Optimus: The Quintessions will fall! Shoot them down! Show no mercy! They will not take Cybertron from us!

Ultra Magnus: *Looking at the others nervously* You heard him, man your blasters and shoot the Vehicons down.

Everything he does seems off, almost like an NPC rehearsing the same lines over and over again. He even has an idle action depending on the memory set.

Ratchet: Prime, I need to check you for injuries

Optimus: *Standing guard periodically checking his blaster* All non-essential personnel are to remain indoors throughout the quarantine cycle. The rust plague is a real threat and should not be underestimated.

Ratchet: ...Just hold still

It is incredibly off-putting and can either be downright strange or dangerous with very few instances of there every being a situation in between. It can take up to a week for Optimus to break from his memory loops as he finishes his recovery mentally. The team always breath a sigh of relief afterward, even though Optimus does not recall what he did.

rb and put in the tags your username without using the middle row of the keyboard

bro I would feel so bad if I was treating a disguised friend like shittt 💀

Hello! Been on your account for some time and I enjoy your headcanons! Now I have a question…

if Optimus ever got poisoned by his team but was somehow alive even after all these years with a new look and problems what would those headcanons be?

or if Optimus never met megatron or the Autobots or even became a prime, and the war broke out but he was a civilian like….sorry I really like headcanons since I do some occasionally

Hm. I don't see Optimus ever not being the Prime at some point. He was literally forged for it... however, the poisoning concept isn't completely out of the question. I can work with it. (And if you can't already tell, I am in love with secret identities)

The Swap

Orion Pax was the head Archivist in the Iacon Hall of Records with no master save Alpha Trion, the master Archivist. While he had some serious concerns with the state of Cybertron, he stayed his hand and worked quietly to better Cybertron. His role was more subtle in that he used his influence to spread awareness about the truth of Cybertronian society under an alias. He used his contacts to help further the efforts of activist groups and to quietly remove corrupt individuals from power. Not only that, but with the information from his close friends in Jazz and Ratchet, he was able to start making headway in gathering political power through them. His plan was long term and would take time, but Orion was patient.

His twin on the other hand, was not nearly as complacent.

Optronix was a law enforcer and did what Orion refused to do by going public with his grievances against the High Council. He was a charismatic mech but had no way with words, and so it was Orion who gave his brother speeches to read out and carefully constructed arguments to put forward. In the beginning Orion and Optronix were incredibly close, working together to achieve their shared dream. Orion worked quietly, using his political and rather underhanded influence to further his goals by giving Optronix more publicity. And Optronix used the influence he was given to inspire and bring others to their side. But eventually their relationship started to crumble as Optronix received all the glory for their shared work and stopped mentioning Orion at all.

Orion was not one to be obsessed with glory, and so he did not mention Optronix's growing greed. But as Optronix became harsher and less willing to listen to Orion, their relationship became strained. But as Orion loved his brother dearly and could not lose all the time and effort he had put into Optronix's campaign, he continued to provide his twin speeches to use. Despite the efforts of Ratchet and Jazz who warned Orion against his continued support, Orion did so nonetheless, hoping somewhat naively that his brother would straighten out. But Orion was no fool, and so even while he continued providing Optronix with content to use, he started quietly moving his investments elsewhere in preparation for the fallout he was nearly certain was coming.

Ratchet: You realize that he is using you right?

Orion: Yes. I know this.

Jazz: Then why help him? He is disrespecting you on nearly every level!

Orion: Because he is my brother, and as his twin, it is my duty to hold out hope for him.

Meanwhile through the use of Orion's work, Optronix met Megatronous and quickly bonded with him over their shared goal of changing Cybertron for the better. They worked well together and used their shared charisma to bring great numbers of Cybertronians to their side. However behind the scenes, Optronix and Megatronous were not exactly on the best of terms when off work. They never quite got along and tended to more often than not argue, with Megatronous always wondering how such a crass and simple minded mech managed to speak so eloquently for the press. While generally they remained on reasonable terms, eventually Soundwave uncovered just what Optronix had done to get so far politically, and Megatronous very nearly flipped a table in rage. And so after quite a few more arguments and threats of breaking off their political alliance, Optronix begrudgingly admitted where he got his speeches and introduced Orion to Megatronous.

To the surprise of no one, Orion and Megatronous got on like a house of fire. Both were passionate about civil rights, literature, truth, freedom, and a better future. Soon enough Megatronous stopped associating with Optronix outside of work at all and instead spent his time with Orion, the true mastermind behind the speeches he was so fond of. They bonded and quickly became brothers in all but CNA, filling a void in Orion's spark that he had refused to acknowledge since his relationship with his twin deteriorated. Before long Megatronous's friends became Orion's and vice versa. They became so closely knit that Optronix with his increasingly nasty personality found himself pushed to the side, unable to from any friendships with his co-workers.

Megatronous: What are you doing little Archivist?

Orion: I am preparing next week's press conference material.

Megatronous: Why not come and speak yourself? You need not give Optronix the rights to your work. I would vouch for you.

Orion: I am sure you would, but my place is here, working in the background away from the optics of the press and the Council.

Megatronous: Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stop supporting your slagging disgrace of a twin?

Orion: No I am afraid not, and I would ask you not to speak so harshly of him. He may be... less than pleasant at times, but he has good intentions.

Megatronous: Many mecha do, I just hope that your faith in him isn't misplaced.

Optronix grew increasingly bitter as time passed and his brother grew closer with Megatronous and his associates. He grew drunk on attention and wanted nothing more than to be seen. His desire for a better future faded under his rapidly growing lust for power and recondition. And so he started making deals, using his borrowed power to buy supporters and gain the favor of the Council. They promised him status, luxury, and respect for his loyalty and obedience. At this offer, Optronix did not hesitate to accept, making a dark deal with the Council that went against everything he fought for, becoming the perfect puppet. Megatronous and Orion had no clue as to what Optronix had done. And so the day they went to to speak with the high Council, with Megatron and Optronix representing the people while Orion watched on, everything came tumbling down. The Council named Optronix the Prime and refused to listen to what any other mech had to say.

Things swiftly deteriorated as Optronix cut all contact with Megatron and began flaunting his power, saying and doing everything the Council wanted. He had his way with whoever he pleased and took great joy in using his influence to force others to do as he wanted... especially his brother.

Optronix: I expect you to show me some proper respect now that I am the Prime, Orion.

Orion: I have no obligation to serve you! Not after you betrayed our cause!

Optronix: Are you sure Orion? You forget who holds the power here. It would be a shame if your little friends happened to die under mysterious circumstances or were found guilty of severe crimes.

Orion: You glitched slagger!

Optronix: Well Orion? Are you going to help your dear brother? Or allow your loved ones to suffer?

Orion: ...what is it you desire of me Prime?

Optronix had Orion serve him personally. He may not have been the most eloquent mech, but he was by no means totally foolish as to the danger of his situation. So to keep Orion from starting any revolutions and to ensure Megatron wouldn't dare act lest harm come to his friend, Optronix made Orion his right hand.

Orion was forced to watch as Optronix abused his power, making life worse for all of Cybertron. He could do nothing as he was blackmailed into producing speeches for Optronix to use and made to do all of his dirty work for him. He handled all of the internal affairs of the Primacy and regularly protected his wayward twin from assassination attempts. Orion was kept away from everyone he cared about, not being allowed to contact or see any of his friends and comrades as he served in silent agony. He tried to reinstate some form of equality among the masses, attempting to give Megatron and his followers opportunities to do something, anything. But every single time Orion made an effort to either reason with his brother or give information to outside parties in an attempt to aid them, he was met with brutal abuse from his twin.

As Optronix continued to abuse his power and his twin, the state of Cybertron rapidly fell, eventually leaving Megatron no choice but to fight back as Optronix pushed for him and his followers to be exterminated. Civil war broke out and Optronix couldn't care less, even appearing to enjoy the conflict as he fought and planned for war. Orion however, saw that his chance to reform his brother had passed, and with great sorrow, planned to take action after a particularly brutal beating from his twin.

Alpha Trion: You know what must be done Orion. He cannot be allowed to continue his reign.

Orion: I know what I need to do... but I do not know if I have the strength to do it.

Alpha Trion: You must take action Orion. For Cybertron, for your friends, for your own safety.

And so Orion began corresponding with Alpha Trion, planning to find someone truly worthy of being a Prime to replace Optronix. He spent years studying what a good Prime must be and what they must know as he hunted for a worthy mech. All the while Megatron slowly began to fall into his own maddened rage, the loss of so many good mecha and the tyranny of Optronix driving him further along the road of violence. Ratchet and Orion's other close friends were forced to pick sides, and while they hated Optronix, they couldn't stand to remain with Megatron as he grew more and more violent. And so most turned to the Autobots, not out of loyalty, but out of hope that they might find a way to remove Optronix from power from within.

War raged on in no time. Cities burned and Orion grew desperate, his plan seemingly more and more outlandish with every passing day. With no other choice, he led his brother away with promises of obtaining the Matrix, and then in front of Primus's heart, he drove a poisoned blade into his back. Optronix tried to fight back, screaming obscenities and flinging his weapons in rage, but he was too weak as the poison took effect to do any real damage. In the end Orion stood above his dying brother and made to give him the killing blow.

Optronix: Y-You ungrateful glitch

Orion: It's time Optronix. Your reign is over. I hope you find comfort in knowing that this world will be better off without you.

Orion's actions were hardly planned. He had grown desperate and his only thought at the time was to end the threat of Optronix, no matter how much his spark screamed in agony. But as he stood there with his blade coated in the energon of his kin, he found himself coming to a realization. Optronix was cruel but vital to the war effort. Megatron had fallen deep into rage filled madness and neither side would accept peace even with Optronix dead. And that left Orion only one real solution if he intended to keep the Autobots from crumbling and succumbing to the Decepticons. Feeling his conviction, Primus granted Orion the Matrix and reforged him into Optimus Prime, the last of his line. With his new frame, Orion disposed of Optronix and met with Alpha Trion.

Alpha Trion: You know what must be done.

Optimus: I do, but it does not rest easy with me... I will be loosing everything and taking on the sins of another mech.

Alpha Trion: That is true, but it is for a greater good.

Alpha Trion: From this day forward Orion Pax is dead. He died to bring you out of your madness and make you worthy of becoming a true Prime.

Optimus: ...So that is how it must be.

Optimus took on his brother's mantle, getting his frame remolded as necessary and pretending to be Optronix all while fostering the lie that Orion had perished so that he may return to sanity. It was not an easy thing for him to do. Every faction hated him and it took centuries for the Autobots to truly see him as an honorable and redeemed mech. Of course some still resented him, but most were willing to see how he had 'changed' and were willing to work alongside him for the greater good if for nothing else. Megatron never did learn to respect him, instead pinning the 'death' of Orion on him and fighting all the harder believing that his brother was dead and gone. Ratchet and Orion's other close friends hated him with a passion and only worked with him in order to keep him in line and get revenge. Jazz tried to kill him every other weekday and Ratchet regularly attempted to botch his medical procedures or give him altered energon. Other mecha also made frequent attempts on his life, but eventually Optimus created a fragile peace between himself and his old friends.

It hurt him deeply to have his loved ones treat him with so much distain and anger. In the early days he broke down multiple times, only able to force himself to keep going with the help of the Matrix. He eventually managed to secure a fragile peace with his old friends by speaking with them at length and proving his conviction through action. Jazz tolerated him and Ratchet was willing to accept his existence, although his anger still ran hot beneath the surface. Others were similar, but in the end Optimus was able to achieve some degree of happiness through this and by acquiring a son in Bumblebee.

No one knew the truth. Not even when he lost his memory of his time of Optimus after giving up the Matrix and was only able to recall driving a blade into his brother's back. He only had to look in the mirror and see his frame to assume that his half baked plan had succeeded, leading him to return to his Autobots and perform normally until his memories were returned.

No bot knew the truth... until Ratchet consumed synthetic energon. Optimus knew it was trouble, and he watched in fear as Ratchet grew angrier, more wild. He really should have expected it, but he vainly hoped it wouldn't come to pass. And so when Ratchet jabbed him with a vial of lethal poison, he could only gape and fall to the ground in agony as Ratchet cried out all his grievances, only kept from killing him by the rest of the team. Optimus was stabilized, but his armor had to be removed in order to drain the poison out of his system in time to save him... and that revealed the ugly truth. Ratchet could only stand in total shock, finally free of synth-en, as a familiar face was revealed to him without a mask to hide behind.

Ratchet: O-Orion?!

after 12 hours of dying i finished it. somebody save optimus

your icon punches you in the face do you survive