Optimus Prime (TFP) Matrix HC:
Even though the Matrix of Leadership does allow him to be much wiser and have a lore more insight, due to the combined wisdom of the original thirteen Primes being contained within, it also is somewhat of a burden for him mentally.
Due to the fact it does possess so much knowledge and wisdom, it surely has so know just as much about the terrible and gut-wrenching things as anything else. So I think that Optimus would sometimes have dissociative flashbacks to events he never was present for, or have overwhelming intrusive thoughts about violence. Not in the “what if I hurt somthing” (the traditional type) but more of a “here’s an extremely graphic and nauseating thought you won’t be able to escape”.
He sometimes has episodes where he just goes completely silent, and nobody but Ratchet knows. It’s something he keeps secret so the others don’t worry about him, but sometimes he has to go on recon or other things during these episodes, and he goes nonverbal. The rest of Team Prime just wave it off as him being angsty and moody, but Ratchet tries his best to give Optimus space and to lighten his load.
He usually gets hazy visions of different awful scenes, sometimes real, sometimes a memory from the era of the primes, sometimes a graphic hypothetical. But he can’t really fight it, and any time he tries not to think of it, his mind just leads him back to these uncomfortable and unwanted thoughts.
everything here is so classically g1. jokes that arent sure if theyre jokes. starscream declaring himself leader because megatron mispronounced a word. [takes off and immediately crashes]. the awful lip sync. optimus putting ravage in the trash. megatron and starscream bitching match. "i never miss at this range" [misses]. megatrons dance and flail. im so serious g1 is awful and one of the funniest shows ive ever seen
I dunno if anyone ever noticed this or commented on it but
The way Optimus' eyes are rendered and textured in TFP, always reminded me of tear tracks? The etchings underneath.
Like this gentle man, who so badly wanted peace above all else, had cried so many tears till he had none, that they were now marked forever on his face.
I had the wonderful experience of being part of the Peace Through Tyranny & To Be Gentle Zines put together by @allsparkzines! Here's my Piece for To Be Gentle!