Pivoting away from trying to make Zelda make sense to try to make TFs make sense
Sep. 2nd, 2025 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raisedbymooglesI keep seeing art of Optimus sans mask with facial scars these days, implying that's why he wears it (because it can't be just That's His Face, how else are he and Megatron supposed to smooch! ;P). It's a fairly common headcanon, and I thiiink the resurgence is due to TF One? But it's not always One!OP in the art. Half the time it's G1 Op and of course that's what I gravitate to.
I've played with that headcanon myself but I honestly don't think it fits for G1 Optimus. Firstly, because I feel like for a species made of metal 'scarring' isn't really a thing so much? There's no reason you can't patch/paint over a cut or a dent so it looks like nothing ever happened, so if a visible scar persists it's probably the wearer's choice to keep it. Secondly, I don't think Optimus would be embarrassed about that kind of thing. If it's about hiding his connection to Orion Pax, it'd be easy to explain away like 'yeah I got this before the war' (technically true!); and Megatron just kinda blew Orion up and flew away so I doubt he'd recognize this one particular scar on this one particular face that isn't even the same face anymore. (Assuming Alpha Trion left the scar there on purpose I guess?)
My slowly-coming-together headcanon: it's a religious thing. Covering your face denotes "being set apart" in a sense, and Optimus is set apart from the other Cybertronians by Primacy as an explicitly religious role as well as by his leadership role. I don't think there are other masked Primes in Rodimus's big long 'history of Cybertron' vision but I'm handwaving that and saying that at some point Primes did the face-covering thing as a religious observance. Also, Optimus's mask in particular is a protective piece, literal armor; lots of rich symbolism there.
I kind of like the image of Optimus having sworn a vow to Primus, that he won't set aside his mask until Cybertron has peace and freedom again. ...and then the symbolism of him taking it off for smooching. :D (Or having it taken off for him, cough >_>)
I've played with that headcanon myself but I honestly don't think it fits for G1 Optimus. Firstly, because I feel like for a species made of metal 'scarring' isn't really a thing so much? There's no reason you can't patch/paint over a cut or a dent so it looks like nothing ever happened, so if a visible scar persists it's probably the wearer's choice to keep it. Secondly, I don't think Optimus would be embarrassed about that kind of thing. If it's about hiding his connection to Orion Pax, it'd be easy to explain away like 'yeah I got this before the war' (technically true!); and Megatron just kinda blew Orion up and flew away so I doubt he'd recognize this one particular scar on this one particular face that isn't even the same face anymore. (Assuming Alpha Trion left the scar there on purpose I guess?)
My slowly-coming-together headcanon: it's a religious thing. Covering your face denotes "being set apart" in a sense, and Optimus is set apart from the other Cybertronians by Primacy as an explicitly religious role as well as by his leadership role. I don't think there are other masked Primes in Rodimus's big long 'history of Cybertron' vision but I'm handwaving that and saying that at some point Primes did the face-covering thing as a religious observance. Also, Optimus's mask in particular is a protective piece, literal armor; lots of rich symbolism there.
I kind of like the image of Optimus having sworn a vow to Primus, that he won't set aside his mask until Cybertron has peace and freedom again. ...and then the symbolism of him taking it off for smooching. :D (Or having it taken off for him, cough >_>)
