#Tfrb Graham

[blade-liger-4ever]

Why Cody Burns succeeded where Rafael Esquivel failed

Honestly, Raf is one of those characters I never thought much of, in part because he was so forgettable. More often than not in Prime, Raf was just the sweet baby who everybody thought the world of and wanted to keep out of harm's way, even though the most he ever did in the show was provide technical help with Earth machinery or play the part of innocent child. This was not helped by the fact that he was buddy-ed up with the mute Bumblebee, who's sole contributions up until his two part arc and the series finale was additional man power and adorable mimic. While this was good for background humor, it ultimately did nothing to the overall storyline in the series, both for Raf and for Bee, and for the series itself.

By contrast, Cody Burns - the resident team baby, beloved by all and unwaveringly helpful in rescue missions - stood out far more than Raf. And what's more, is that he never had "his own" Autobot/Cybertronian partner, when literally his whole family had one of their own.

Allow me to delve into this, hopefully, final observatory post regarding the TFP kids.

Of all the humans, we quite frankly get the least out of Raf. We know he's a prodigy, given that he's twelve (and a quarter) and jumped straight into the same classes as Miko and Jack, the former of whom is no slouch as I've already covered. We're shown that his family allows him free reign of Jasper, as he's playing by himself near the road, although he's alone. That tells us that his family is either extremely lax in their attention for their youngest child, or that Jasper is an actually safe location for a kid who's barely filling out his shoes to be on his own. Whether or not either option is true, that's dangerous and shows that Raf goes unnoticed by his family. I'm not saying they're abusive or willfully neglectful of him, but this points us to the conclusion that Raf has a very lonely home life, and we already know that he's got zero friends until he meets the Autobots.

This could have been a great plot-point for the series: by giving Team Prime a small child with no one for company, the writers could have more clearly given the Autobots hope for the future of the War/after the War, while Raf could have gained confidence and security from having people who actually cared and listened to him. It could have been fun, having him be the human cycling through the Autobots for various needs. Imagine Raf going to Optimus for comfort after another day of feeling ignored, talking to Arcee for ideas on how to stand up to Vince (being the sole child in class makes you a target, after all), or coming to Bulkhead for how to struggle through the physical aspects of his school regimen (i.e. the time he brought up the rope climbing to Ratchet.) The possibilities were endless.

But instead, he's specifically handed over to Bee. Bee, who is the disabled child that is also largely forgotten, and who, while he does bond with Raf and provide him with much needed company, offers nothing else in the way of development or storylines. We got something marginally better when Raf started spending time with the grumpy grandpa that is Ratchet, which was great to highlight Ratchet's soft side that nurtures his own character progression, but it's not enough for Raf's development. I greatly prefer the company of the Autobots to the human characters in virtually every series, but there needs to be a noticable human presence to ground the Autobots' protective instincts toward Earth and to push along the story. Raf ended up being a token character not even halfway through the first season, which is a shame given his potential, especially since he and Bee ended up being background décor.

Now, as a counterpoint, we come to Cody Burns.

Like Raf, Cody is the youngest child of the Burns clan - and I say clan because his family has been the one providing Griffin Rock's safety and protection for about...roughly three hundred years? (Correct me if I'm wrong, but his family were the ones in-universe to discover the island. Thus, there's a large claim and respect to his family's name.) His father Charlie is the chief of police; his oldest brother Kade is the chief firefighter; his older sister Dani is the helicopter pilot and primary search and rescue operator; and his brother Graham, who's about eight years older than ten year old Cody, is already a chief engineer and inventor himself. Clearly, Cody has an impressive family. Clearly, they're the best of the best, and he couldn't be prouder of them.

And clearly, Cody feels the need to earn his stripes given their talents and the family's reputation.

A recurring subplot in Rescue Bots is how Cody is insecure about his role on the team, and that often leads him to attempt to provide help and find his place in life in the family. Sometimes, this works; although he's often left monitoring the situations across the island at home through the cameras, Cody finds ways of giving advice or pointing out a hazard that the others are oblivious to that would have likely killed them. And this is a noble occupation his fills, with his aid saving many lives and much trouble.

However, sitting around and merely being an observer wears on him. It makes him restless, and he often seeks aid from the 'Bots to figure out his problems before typical shenanigans ensue that rectify the current episode's dilemma.

This is an important part of Cody's characterization because while he does occasionally feel left out/ignored by his family, he understands it is because of their duties. Charlie has to daily wrangle different criminals and legal offenses while Graham is eagerly going to town on his latest project. Kade and Dani each have their own lives that are beginning and that they're pursuing, but additionally maintain an intense sibling rivalry due to them being not even three years apart. Thus, while they're seeing they're respective girlfriend and boyfriend, they're also competing in various childish ways that, sometimes, result in massive fights. It's no small wonder Cody rarely goes to them for advice.

For this, he's left with the 'Bots, and because they view him as their darling little brother who inspires them every day to give the humans of Griffin Rock and Earth a chance, they listen and advise him. Heatwave is the oldest of the 'Bots, and thus more experienced; additionally, Heatwave more than once nearly threw in the towel in the early days, but only relented due to Cody's convictions and virtues. Therefore, while they have a special bond without it being the sole focus, Cody tends to run to Heatwave the most when emotionally unwell and Charlie is unavailable. Heatwave in turn gives him comfort and advice, and backs him up in most situations. Chase is one he less often seeks help from, mostly due to Chase's nature of being a rigid rulebook. Most times Cody helps Chase understand human expressions and terms when Charlie is busy or otherwise engaged, with both their efforts helping the police 'Bot to loosen up. There are times when he needs Chase's input, as strange as that aid might be, and Cody doesn't hesitate to seek it.

Boulder he goes to almost as regularly as Heatwave, and the two get along fantastically. Boulder provides him with loving company he's hungry for, and sound advice without being overbearing. Blades sometimes needs more encouragement than anything, and thus Cody plays the rare part of helping guide someone through their numerous fears. Because of that, the 'copter 'Bot is extremely loyal and protective of Cody, and when Cody does ask for his help or companionship, Blades readily gives it. Sometimes, Blades will even go above and beyond what is asked, and never asks for anything in return.

These are healthy, constantly growing relationships that Cody develops with the 'Bots, as well as magnificent characterizations that are always expanding. While the focus tends to be shown through Cody's eyes or centered around him, it never fixates on him more than is necessary. Rather, by setting him up as the show's heart, the writing team is able to stretch out towards arcs related to other characters, both the 'Bots and their specific partners, and the other human cast members who interact with the 'Bots on a less frequent basis.

This is how Cody takes the potential of Raf from Prime and not only runs with it, but builds up countless heartwarming moments and strong characterizations over the course of Rescue Bots' run. Cody is positively and rightly shown as the glue of the family element of the show, and is given the autonomy to maintain his own personality and growth without being forgotten like Raf consistently was. That's why Cody stands out, and poor Raf is left hanging.

Well, that's my thoughts on the matter. I felt I should tackle Raf, given I covered his two peers, and Cody is a cute, fun, and constantly evolving counterpart to Raf that explains much of why I feel the poor baby of Team Prime was ultimately misused and unnecessary. I hope you enjoyed this, and that it got some gears turning in your heads.

I'll be seeing you guys!

"Rescue Bots, roll to the rescue!"

[ashlovesrescuebots]

Hear me out...

Give the Burns siblings a monopoly board and watch the insanity unfold.

This was a test I believe . I think I passed

I dont even think I need to show the base

[the-derpy-duck]

I fucking love this show

Clip describes like half of the TF fandom

[fishleeks]

rescue bots humans

[cayennesugar]

How did the rest of the team (and OP) react to the news of them expecting a baby?? They probably told everyone at one of their Sunday reunion thingys.

Jazz and Prowl are granddaddys now, YIPPEEE🎉🎉🎉🎉

Quickshadow is REALLY nervous about her sires’ reactions because the last time they heard from her, she was the same old quiet, and closed off femme, but SUDDENLY SHE’S ON AN ISLAND FULL OF MECHS AND SHE GOT PREGNANT 💀💀💀💀💀😦😦😦😦😦

Boy are they gonna have chat with Heatwave

Everyone was initially shocked, but immediately screaming and chaos replaced the silence, and while Blurr was posting this on his story, everyone was scrambling to get the firehouse set up for Quickshadow. Blades and Dani are already planning her baby shower and brainstorming names (obviously not officially thinking of names, as that’s up to Heatwave and Quickshadow) and the burns kids are frantically telling the Greene’s everything

[frosty-tian]

Actually, since it’s been so long, might as well post some doodles through various time-frames (which could hopefully bring a little life to the tag).

But without context.

[ajtheram]

Sooooo I made a little something-

[thatturtleleon]

More Rescue Bot HCs

Note: i am half asleep as i am writing this and my neighbors are doing construction at 10pm at night so forgive any grammar mistakes ty

doing a rescue bots rewatch and I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHH

Heatwave and Blades love the fast and furious franchise

Chase does not

Boulder's interested in a lot of earth stuff, but some of his main fixations include art history and invasive species

their human partners made key chains based on their bot (Dani having a orange/white keychain pattern with a little helicopter charm, Graham having a green pattern with a construction hat charm or something)

i think thatd be so cute and sweet :(

Blades knows like every good film pirating sight EVER

they know how to cheer up each other and their human partners after a rough day, and if everyone is having a rough day then they have a big sleepover and watch movies until 90% of them conk out

Cody develops insomnia

mainly because he's usually pretty worried about his family and the bots, and stressed because this island cannot give this boy rest

that being said, i think the most anxious of the team is Blades and Graham

monopoly is also banned at the Burns household. no elaboration.

doesn't matter what board game or video game, if Dani and Kade are against each other, they WILL fight

honestly they'll fight even on the same team but its ok because it provides excellent entertainment

[lovinglonerhybrid]

Y’all wanna hear somthing cool. Rescue bots is the longest running transformers tv show. It has 104 episodes.

[presidentofthelipglossclub]

GUESS WHO'S BIRTHDAY IT IS!!

in honor of my birthday here are some more rescue bots headcanons!!

they (as in constructed rescue bots) have extra color receptors which allows them to see more types of light than other bots, as well as advanced hearing (they’re also the only bots with noses so they have an extra sense)

all of them have outliers (its a requirement to be a rescue bot)

blurr changed his paint job (post s4, before he showed up in rid15) because heatwave and blades basically bullied him into it

the academy where they studied was on a moon of cybertron’s, and they actually spent very little time on cybertron itself. it was sorta like a field trip spot, and they went very infrequently

quickshadow was the academy's champion shot, and she won a bunch of competitions

the rescue bots all had specialties outside of what they actually did (heatwave was a history nerd, boulder studied xenobiology, blades took journalism, chase did psychology, quickshadow was a data analyst, hightide took astronomy)

hightide was actually friends with both orion pax and megatronus separately before they realized they all knew each other

in that same vein, servo and lazerbeak were longtime friends because they grew up together

optimus is so ridiculously tolerant towards whatever the rescue bots do that they actually have a running bet on how much they can get away with before optimus gets angry (he never once has)

blurr's reputation as most annoying bot ever has been intact since way before the war when he was a racer

blades got his name through an awkward mishap at an armory that heatwave never let him live down

related to that, all the rescue bots' "names" are really more of nicknames. their names are listed on documents but their primary identification is through serial numbers because they're cold constructs

boulder had a practically bullet proof reputation at the academy as the perfect student so whenever the others wanted to get away with something they always involved him

when salvage heard about DIY's he got super into them and started making tons of pointless stuff. he never even followed the good channels, only stuff like troom troom

chase succumbs to peer pressure ridiculously easy

heatwave gives really good advice but only on accident

quickshadow and hightide like to hang out and trash talk optimus whenever he does something they don't like

blades only has field medicine training, he's not cleared for any actual treatment outside of an emergency (he can do first aid and EMT stuff but can't, like, prescribe things or do surgery). this has not stopped him from trying things though.

salvage is actually from one of cybertron's colony worlds, but he grew up on cybertron

ok here's a fun little surprise in honor of my birthday: the humans are also included in headcanons!!

kade was actually very good at gymnastics, he just got bored of it

chief burns needs glasses but he prefers to wear contacts

dani had a very extreme scene core phase, and her hairstyle is a remnant of that

frankie has super high government security clearance as a super genius and daughter of one of the world's best scientists, so she knows all kinds of military secrets

doc greene and chief burns met in childhood, doc's family moved away, and then when he got older he moved back to griffin rock and reunited with the chief

graham is the biggest night owl because of college. sometimes, when he has trouble falling asleep, the bots invite him to movie night and they all watch reruns of old movies or shows

building off that, there are two kinds of movie night: the first is with the whole burns family, rescue team, and sometimes others such as optimus or the greenes. the second is less of a movie night and more of a "we need something to do while the humans are sleeping, let's watch trashy tv all night." this kind of movie night is really just the bots (minus whoever has night shift)

professor baranova actually used to be pretty upbeat, although she was a bit misunderstood because she's neurodivergent (i also headcanon that after the whole living underwater for 28 years thing she developed DID and multiple alters to cope with the loneliness, so she's now a system)

woodrow and optimus are in a qpr. optimus refers to him as his amica, and also privately thinks of him as his human partner

doc greene at some point developed a working synthetic energon formula completely independently. when ratchet first met him (post war, probably right before he was hired to work at the rescue academy) and learned about this he lost his shit

bumblebee and dani race together all the time when he visits

this is where i'm gonna stop this post, because it's pretty late for me lol. it was my birthday today, so happy birthday to me!!

also y'all PLEASE talk to me abt any of these headcanons i will be thrilled to elaborate!

[cheekycheesecake01]

⚠️NSFW warning under the cut. Just a random realization I had.⚠️

So since Griffin Rock is like.... known for its advanced technology... imagine the sex toys? Freaky ass thought, I know, but the thought occurred. I've been watching this show since I was a little kid, and now, as an 18 yr old, the thought came to mind.

Like, the rose toy vibrator and the hitachi wand were already a staple in the sex toy industry. Then we invented a showerhead SPECIALLY made for female masturbation, which was a game changer. Imagine what kinda shit Griffin Rock has?

Do what you will with that food for thought, yall.

[daretwobestupid]

remake of an line up of the burns i did back in may ;w;

[ashlovesrescuebots]

Poc "flores" burns family

@gelu-the-babosa-multiversal original post here I have a few hcs of my own for these desgins I added

[elendiliel]

Wishing everyone a very happy and blessed Christmas, along with the whole Burns, Rescue Bot and Greene-Baranova family (and, no doubt, the rest of Griffin Rock).

(Edited versions of this may appear, as and when I have time to add other 'bots.)

[Design notes: mostly traced from an assortment of Googled pictures and screenshots, several of which came from @/rescuebotsoutofcontext, which also helped me get the scaling roughly right; the extra details are mine, along with any expressions that didn't come out right. By the way, Woodrow's wearing a Scandinavian nisse's (elf's) hat (no Danish Christmas is complete without a number of nisser around the place), and Anna's wreath comes from the Swedish Sankta Lucia procession. (The candles are electric and have been thoroughly safety-tested by Chase.) And Doc's badge was meant to be the chemical structure of cinnamaldehyde, which is responsible for the scent of cinnamon.]

[tf-cyberaligned]

The Burns Family work designs!

Close ups

Some little things that have happened to our family of heros.

First off, Cody became a Game Warden, a type of law enforcement that deals with rules and regulations on game related sport. This includes fishing, hunting, boating, and other outdoor related activities. They work to protect wildlife and the environment that they live in. A lot of Game Wardens themselves love game sports, and with Cody being seen enjoying fishing with Charlie, I felt this was a good choice for him. Heres some more info on Game Wardens if y'all want that. The scar on his cheek comes from when he was training for the job.

Charlie is still on the job, 300 years later. With his body in stasis, and the world constantly changing around them, he decided to not retire and instead take more protective measures for himself. His uniform now consists of armor that helps protect him to keep him around for his kids.

Now Dani, she actually has two prosthetic legs under her uniform, her casual outfit will show that off better. How did she lose her legs? Within Cyberaligned a human war will happen, and she joined the Top Gun academy. This branched off of the plot point in season 4 where she tests new military aircraft. Not to spoil much of this plot, she loses her legs in a crash across seas and is M.I.A. for a while until she returns back to Griffin Rock with a Purple Heart. Her lower jaw was also reconstructed with metal.

Graham received some upgrades to his engineering kit. A heavy duty construction exoskeleton, which also replaced his original tablet. He can do his calibration and calculations on the exoskeleton, which is then able to transmit to Boulder what his plans for a build are.

Kade was badly burned in a terrible fire. As he got everyone out of the building, his old uniform broke after years of not being replaced due to "town funds" issues. The oxygen mask he had on broke, creating a sudden vacuum in the oxygen deprived burning building that led a flame straight to his face. Heatwave was able to get him out from the building, but not before he was burned on his left side of the face, which would later be revealed that he was also legally blind in his left eye.

More of their story will be explored in their character profiles! Their casual clothes will also be revealed then (aka I have not finished those designs yet)

[frosty-tian]

Day 3 of @heartsandsparksshipweek!

Picnic/Shattered Glass

Using this as an opportunity to update about Graham.:

Reason for emphasis on pen is because of it being changed into an injection which contains a type of medication (or I guess some sort of stimulant). What does the medication do?

Remember the Magic Meat episode? Let’s just say instead of letting it wear off/leave his system, he found a way to use it to his advantage.

(Being somewhat vague about it on purpose.)