#in my fanfic either Miko or Bronwen is getting the key

[self-shipper-snowdrop]

would you be willing to drop your key to vector sigma rant? i'm curious about your thoughts. personally i get both the in universe and out of universe reasons why op gave the key to jack but ngl it always kinda annoyed me. i do actually like him but at the same time i think he's the least interesting character they could've picked for that job

OHOHOHOHO PREPARE FOR THE RANT OF THE CENTURY BABEY I HAVE SO MANY OPINIONS;;;; I apologize in advance for the length of this complete disaster hjbvfbhjfdvbhjvfdbhjvdfjbhvdfbhjvdfbjhfvbjhdvf

I will also admit in advance I'm very Miko-biased, I absolutely ADORE Miko, she's my bestie in my soul and I've always loved her. So this will be super Miko-biased and not very organized. It's more word vomit I'm sorry bhjvfhbvfbhjdvfbj

Miko deserved the key because, full fucking stop, she had the most character development of any of the humans in S1. Full stop. Jack did NOT have as much development as Miko did in comparison to the amount of screentime, and also he HESITATES. CONSTANTLY.

In the first episodes that we see of the kids, Miko's all in, to her own detriment. She doesn't take seriously the amount of danger she's in because she's so excited to be part of something fun for once. She said that she's spent her entire childhood being "the perfect kid". Perfect grades, piano lessons, extracurriculars, etc. Girl was neck deep in her parent's expectations- she tells this to Jack when she talks about why she came to Jasper in the first episodes [and jokes that the brochure lied]. When she's persuading him to come back, by the by, when SHE never left even in the face of danger.

Miko does consistently go into danger, yeah, but she also develops from that AND show's she's willing to be brave and take risks. She's the reason they get the picture of the equations on the Nemesis when they get on it in the start of the series, and she NEVER backs down from it. She's the only one of the humans willing to face it, head-on, and try and figure out their problems. She's also the one that is the most willing to come and help- even asking what she can do in early episodes not just so she can be there and see cool things, but so she can actually contribute to them.

Jack, in those same early episodes, is turning away from everything. He tries to avoid the bots when they summon him to meet Optimus, he tries to leave once things get dicey in the first episodes, and he tries to stay out of most things. He handles things when he's forced into it most of the time, on top of Dumbass Teenage Boy Syndrome that makes me wanna slam my head into a wall repeatedly. His interactions with Sierra are indeed proper Teen Boy Behaviour and props to them for the writing but also I scream lmfao like BRO

But seriously. Jack isn't the one to usually dive in and help. Him getting the key was just because he's The Main Human Boy and it was the 2010s so. yeah. But he didn't change nearly as much as Miko did, he only started helping the bots because they became important to him- Miko was always willing to help no matter what, even before she had a deeper relationship with anyone. FFS, she was willing to fight off Soundwave's tentacle WITH AN AXE, and when that went sideways? JACK BLAMED HER FOR "GIVING IT AN AXE" WHEN SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE FIGHTING OFF SOUNDWAVE SO RAF COULD DO HIS THING. She also was COMPLETELY ready to fight off literal armed soldiers ON A MOVING TRAIN and even verbally warn them to back off.

Miko's also smart as fuck. We see that academically, she knows what's up in Deus Ex Machina, because the second she actually had to try she managed to talk to a security guard about her report on Greek history for LITERAL HOURS, and says she could repeat stuff that "she didn't know she knew". Miko also thinks on the fly on how to solve issues. When they saw the security camera in that episode? She right away took an upside-down pic to make it look like nothing was happening while they got the orb. Miko ALSO was willing to take point even when it meant security got her or that she was at risk of the Decepticons kidnapping her. She put HERSELF in the way of them getting to her friends instead. She also understands people, especially Bulkhead- like in Operation: Breakdown.

In that episode, not even OPTIMUS HIMSELF could convince Bulkhead to help them rescue Breakdown. Optimus even tried to spin it as "well, you know, he has a chance to change and also MECH sucks" which. You know. Doesn't work. She, instead, plays into what she KNOWS will convince Bulkhead- "no rescue, no rematch". And what happens? BULKHEAD SAVES BREAKDOWN. Without Miko, Breakdown would have literally died because Bulk wouldn't have gone to get him. SHE'S the reason MECH didn't get to do their full dissection and potentially go through their bastard plans even sooner than they could have!!! All because she knew Bulkhead wasn't buying the "he can change" route- instead, taking note of them being rivals, and urging him using what she KNEW would work. Miko's the entire reason he went at all.

You can also see that Jack is WAY too cautious compared to the others in Shadowzone. When Raf drops his glasses and says he can't see without them, Jack [like a dumbass] says they have to leave them because it's dangerous when, you know.... Raf needs to be able to see. Hard to see where you're going when you're functionally blind. But while he still insists [also not noting how Raf won't leave without them considering he's like, 12] what does Miko do? She dives out there, gets the glasses, and heads back like a BADASS and then they keep running away from Skyquake's reanimated corpse. She doesn't hesitate, she sees the problem and solves it so they can keep moving- instead of wasting time trying to convince Raf to run blind like Jack does.

He's also a dick to her at the end of the episode, as instead of... you know... being nice to her after they all survived A ZOMBIE ATTACK, he rubs in how she admits what she did was really reckless. When Miko is showing she's clearly willing to learn from her mistakes, he rubs it in like a jackass. Again- teen boy behaviour. But it DOES show immaturity, compared to Miko actually being really mature in that moment and showing she's willing to admit she shouldn't have done that. The bots also know how important it was to her to get pictures and apologize for it- so. You know. He could very easily not be a dick.

Jack also doesn't show he's any better than her with rushing into things [like charging into places] in Rock Bottom [which I just recently re-watched] where Miko runs into the mines and Jack acts like she's ~so stupid for it~ but what does he do?

HE FUCKIN LOOKS AT ARCEE LIKE 'uwu pwease can I go in also I'll be good owo' RIGHT AFTER INSULTING MIKO FOR WANTING TO CHECK IT OUT. So, hypocrisy.

Jack's only moment of having a "key moment" was when he refused to kill Megatron because "Optimus wouldn't, not like this" and he leaves. That's it. Meanwhile, Miko is willing to try and DIG OUT A WALL WITH HER BARE HANDS TO FREE BULKHEAD WHEN THEY'RE STUCK IN THERE. She's not willing to leave him, has to be convinced to bang a rock on his foot to make noise [because she doesn't want to hurt him]. Even when Starscream walks in and tries to fuckin grab her, Miko STILL REFUSES TO LEAVE BULKHEAD. She isn't willing to leave him behind, period, or ANYONE behind at all. She only barely agrees to leave with Jack with a LOT on persuading from Bulk, and she's crying when they do because she cares so much about him. The bond she's built with Bulkhead really shines in that episode, and it shows just how loyal she is to her loved ones. She would straight up rather be buried in rock with him rather than even consider abandoning him there.

So Miko is willing to admit when she fucks up, isn't a dick to others about it, knows how to read people and what they need to keep going, won't abandon her teammates, and is unflinchingly brave. She is a fighter through and through, more so than the other humans are. She doesn't have as much screentime as Jack, yet she STILL shows all these traits and shows character growth. Jack, meanwhile... well, he's still pretty boring. He doesn't change much. When he gets the key, it doesn't feel earned at all. It just feels like it was obligatory because he's The Main Human Boy™ and that's what Main Human Boys™ get.

But imagine if Miko got the key. It would be an acknowledgement of how she's helped and how she's always willing to as well. She never needs to be persuaded, she's never afraid to face danger- everything. It also would have been an epic chance for Jack's character as well, considering- again- he's got a few moments where he's kinda a dick to Miko.

If Miko got the key, it could seriously drill in the heavy feeling of responsibility. It would have been a GREAT addition to her arc, really able to emphasize that she has a ton of good traits and how with some refinement, she'd make an amazing leader. It also would have really defied expectations at the time and given Miko the spotlight she really deserved. There's a reason people like her! So Miko would have this great responsibility, Optimus would be openly acknowledging that she's great as she is [and doesn't have to be perfect, emphasizing how she is better off as herself rather than the perfection expected of her back at home] and it could further lead into Miko maturing even more.

Meanwhile, Jack NOT getting the key and instead knowing SHE got it could be a serious kick in the ass. He'd have to grapple with his feelings about that, confront how he responded to her and the times he'd belittled her attempts to help [ex; fighting off Soundwave with the axe] and such. He'd have to see and acknowledge her good traits [especially her incredible bravery] and how critical that's been to them. He'd have to acknowledge that she DOES help, and everyone would have to take her more seriously. Jack would have to step the fuck up and proactively choose to do more, meanwhile Miko- getting that responsibility- could learn to reel in her reckless tendencies and instead refine her bravery and leadership skills. It'd be better for them both as characters, and it also means Miko gets to go into space LIKE SHE FUCKING DESERVES.

Basically, Miko had so much going for her even with less screentime than Jack, meanwhile Jack didn't develop much at all and pretty much had to be yeeted into most situations- meanwhile Miko was proactive. Is she reckless at times? Yes, for sure, but this would have been the PERFECT way to help her curb that. Optimus telling her about this key, how important it is, and how she needs to guard it could really show how well Miko does under pressure... as she consistently has! It'd also feel pretty natural for Optimus to acknowledge her efforts and reward it, but Jack? It didn't feel like he earned it at all. Miko it would have felt earned and opened the doors to even MORE development for her, rather than Jack being more of the damn same.

Also. Again. Homegirl fucking rules. Even just from a simple standpoint, she's a far more interesting character and would have been more engaging for her to get the key [a less predictable outcome] instead of Jack [a very predictable outcome]. Especially when she has more consistently shown a willingness to face danger head-on, willingly, rather than handle it only when tossed into it like a sack of bleached potatoes. Miko would just have been SUCH a good choice, both for her personally and for everyone around her.

We also KNOW Miko can kick ass when she gets that armour later in the series, so on top of all the other epic stuff about homegirl, she is 1000% able to fuckin DESTROY the enemies if given the right tools. She has battle prowess.

Jack's just;;;; legit too cautious. He doesn't have the willingness to get in the weeds like Miko does, it's SO bullshit that he got the key. And Megatron's "I never forget a face" line is SUPER WASTED on him. Especially because, again, Miko gets that armour later. That line would have been SO much better with Miko, especially if she actually got to battle him in that armour later- because then he'd have a reason not to forget the human who's actually willing to stand against him. Because we ALL know she would.