#medbay posting

[earthstellar]

famously, healthcare workers typically do not have time for food

this leads to bizarre things, for example: I just had "lunch" at 11 AM, which consisted of a dill herring sandwich and a chocolate pudding, both consumed simultaneously within about 5 minutes

what I'm saying is: you know Ratchet and the other medics eat the fucking weirdest energon types and additive combinations imaginable

maybe zinc is like, a tangy flavour for them, almost to the point of being sour, and most bots don't use it as a fuel additive too often

but medics want to save the more palatable, more easy-on-the-fuel-tanks blends and additives for their patients

and zinc might have some benefits for medical staff; maybe it provides a little energy boost, at the cost of requiring a shorter time in between refuellings or something --

--or perhaps the opposite and it congeals energon slightly, resulting in slower fuel processing at the cost of requiring fuel line cleaning (to prevent energon accumulation within the fuel lines) slightly more often, but that's something medics could likely carry out for each other

so medics always have the most zinc-loaded bullshit fuel imaginable, like nobody else would be able to consume it, it's so fucking sour by energon standards

but medics chug that shit back fast in between other tasks

maybe Drift is visiting Ratchet in the medbay towards the end of his shift, and Rodimus tags along because of course he does, and because they decided to race each other to the medbay, Rodimus needs a little fuel top-up

so he just grabs a cube that isn't sealed (the sealed cubes are for patients and may have medications mixed in with them, and Rodimus doesn't feel like playing accidental sedation roulette today lol), and he slams it back

only to start choking while First Aid pops in to let him know Ratchet will be ready to go in a minute (and also to laugh at the sputtering Rodimus a little, serves him right for taking a medic's energon, lol)

IDK my bizarre "lunch" just made me think about how fucked Cybertronian medic's schedules must be and how equally bizarre their refuelling habits probably are, lmao

[earthstellar]

“We all keep graveyards in our heads.” - One of the docs I work with 

You can’t save everybody.  In fact, there are days when, I think, you can’t save anyone. 

[earthstellar]

Medical Staff Superstitions and Cybertronian Medics

I was just thinking: What superstitions might Cybertronian medical staff have?

For some real world examples:

-Deaths come in threes

-Tying the corners of a bed's sheets "keeps the soul in" (helps prevents a patient from worsening/dying)

-Preparing for certain procedures ahead of time wards off certain incidents from happening (crash cart, some surgical setup, etc.)

-Full moon means a busy shift

-Some staff can be "unlucky"; For example, if a certain doc/nurse is working that shift, you can expect X to happen

-Nobody should ever say the word "quiet", or things are about to get real, real loud (busy)

Superstitions in healthcare vary from region to region, and from speciality to specialty.

For example, in a maternity/birthing ward, a well-prepared birth plan means everyone should prepare for emergency c-section or post partum haemorrhage.

One of my friends who is a nurse in Mexico said that a picture of an upside-down cat or upside-down dog pinned on the wall helps prevent poor outcomes! (This is apparently often done with pictures of staff member's pets, lmao.)

I'm sure that Ratchet wouldn't (at least knowingly) lean into any superstitions that might exist in Cybertronian healthcare, but I feel like other medics might.

Perhaps it varies regionally across Cybertron, too-- Tetrahexian medics may have different beliefs compared to Praxian medics, and so on.

I can see First Aid, with his collection of Autobot badges, potentially putting one upside-down on his work station. It would probably drive Ratchet up the wall, but Velocity might ask questions about it and share some Camien medical superstitions!

IDK It's just fun to think about.

Ratchet might even engage in some superstitions unconsciously, just out of habit from centuries of working with other medics in Iacon etc. who would probably get upset if the superstitions weren't taken into consideration, lmao.

First Aid might call this out in front of Drift, who would then be aaaaabsolutely fascinated, lmao.

I'm at work right now so I might elaborate a bit on this later, just thinkin' out loud lol

[everwalldigan]

You know what would be really funny. If Jason had the most normal/conventional food taste out of his siblings (still very far from regular people’s “normal”), he’s stuck in the manor because of an injury and therefore has to witness the culinary WAR CRIMES his siblings consume for sustenance. Since there’s no Alfred to stop them anymore, they have been running rampant.

Jason: What. The fuck. Is that.

Damian, pouring out a green sludge into two cups: father and I’s breakfast smoothie, or did you hit your head hard enough to forget the concept of a smoothie?

Jason, scooting his chair away clutching his water bottle to his chest: yeah I dont know what nuclear reactive, Gotham harbour concoction you so flagrantly bestow the title of “smoothie” on but keep that shit FAR away from me

Tim: *sits down next to Jason, cracks open a can of energy drink and pours it into a glass, pouring milk on top until it reaches the brim*

Jason, with tears in his eyes looking at Dick for help:

Dick: *shrugs, shoving a fistful of dry cheerios into his mouth*

Jason: *turns his horrified gaze to Cass*

Cass: *grins at him toothily with two heaping plates of a full English breakfast sitting in front of her. He has no idea where she got it from. She is using a set of utensils for each plate.*

Jason: *stands up calmly* maybe I should stop looking for the unstable bomb I lost in the manor the other week *walks out of the kitchen, a few moments later a shrill scream is heard*

[agentark]

everything we know about Red vs Blue means that there's a canonically supported reality in which every bit of the rvb timeline that happens post-Freelancer saga is actually just simulations Epsilon is running in WASH's head as he unravels

[earthstellar]

this is accurate, and could easily extend to people doing non-uni based STEM training etc. as well tbh 

also pro-tip fpr those who drink: you’re gonna wanna try the Jagermeister Winterkrauter edition, serve it over a cinnamon stick, just trust me on this. drink responsibly lmao 

Patron Saint of all drunk STEM university students 🙏

[earthstellar]

healthcare event day: new lanyards, new enemies -- Pharma would love this shit

had to go to a healthcare conference

they were giving out lavender gin and brie crackers, like astonishingly good snacks and booze (probably because a lot of consultants were present lmao)

everyone got drunk and the hepatologists got mad about it

anyway two docs got in a verbal fight in the hallway which got pretty loud (all I know is that it was an argument about a research project)

you can't tell me Ratchet and Pharma wouldn't be the two docs fighting at the professional event lmao

also they really gave everyone a lot of gin, the tonic seemed to be optional. like straight up shots. you'd think they wouldn't do this at a healthcare thing but I think the organisers were just excited about hosting something in London so they went overboard LOL

I can imagine some event in Iacon going roughly the same way, they want to schmooze with the big city medics so they accidentally-on-purpose get everyone wasted on unreasonably good engex in order to make sure everyone has a good time (this does not work, it only results in pettiness and/or arguing, lmao)

like usually they'll have Prosecco or something served moderately, but this was fucking shots of gin. which is hilarious.

maybe it's because it's Saturday so they felt bad about having everyone show up on a weekend, I have no idea. almost all of us work every weekend anyway lol.

nothing is funnier than watching med professionals get increasingly drunk and somewhat agitated with one another over the course of several hours while still having to pretend to be more or less professional

like you can't cause too much of a scene in the lecture hall, but as soon as everyone's mingling in the reception area, everyone groups into their various specialities and starts WILDLY SHIT TALKING

Pharma would be a shit-talker. Ratchet would be consistently agitated the entire time, and would get into arguments over health service logistics and solutions to staff retention problems, among other things.

First Aid would be the one trying to make sure that nobody from their institution embarrasses themselves too badly in front of anyone from any of the other institutions, in between trying to network with said other institutions.

Ambulon would be three shots of engex deep by the second speaker, but still taking some pretty good notes the whole time while actively avoiding having to speak with anyone else.

Velocity would be extremely nervous but ultimately would raise some good questions during the Q&A session. She would also immediately utilise any stickers in the swag bag to decorate her datapad, but then panic because now she has to shove all the blank sticker papers into her bag since there's no trash receptacle around, which makes it rustle really loudly.

anyway I'm going to take a nap now, I ate a whole fucking block of brie at this thing

[trans-leek-cookie]

listen I'm not gonna be a Curly apologist he did Fucked Up as captain but I genuinely recommend ppl watch a playthru that goes thru the game in chronological order. It kinda helps clear up the events and gaps between them, bc even tho u See the times, you still experience it out of order.

The stuff Anya says definitely sets off alarm bells but it doesn't seem like he Fully Understands what she means, and I'm going to be 100% honest I think she was trying to repress it herself. This isn't to say that she is AT ALL "at fault" for what happened after and she should've gotten help even if she wasn't ready to fully discuss the issue but I genuinely think she herself was still coming to terms with things, so she didn't necessarily process the full impact before talking to Curly, and a lot of what happens occurs after they're laid off- like this delves into personal interpretation but I genuinely think Anya only registered Jimmy as a serious danger after his outburst towards Curly. Ofc my interpretation is limited bc of the limited pov in game and not having gone through what she has, but it personally reads more akin to coercion over time than a singular Obviously Violent incident (like. Not to say that Sexual Assault isnt violent in nature, just that coercion often specifically works to obfuscate the fact it is a form of violence.) The layoff is a Massive catalyst for her bc of Jimmy, in that she now has a very clear understanding of his capacity for aggression.

To extrapolate a little from the "Dead Pixel" conversation, she starts by saying she Likes The Screen (even though it's fake). While Curly has his quotes about the pixel "not ruining the illusion" which. Y'know is Symbolic Of His Flaws. She doesn't say the pixel ruins it, just that she can't get it out of her mind.

If we take the pixel to represent her Or jimmy, either way the way she talks about it kind of downplays things, like it's a Minor Thing that's Slightly Upsetting, but she's still okay with the big picture. Idk I could be 100% wrong but that is my take

Besides that, Anya tells curly she's pregnant 2 days before the crash, and it isn't until she outright states it that he starts Putting The Pieces Together. I want to note, he says "I'd do anything" and "this doesn't have to go on our performance evals" 1. Before he knows shes pregnant 2. Under the assumption she might attempt suicide, and I doubt he even thought about her using the gun on anyone else before she brings that up. He says literally before the line where she tells him she's pregnant that "being laid off isnt a reason to hurt [herself]". Like I've seen ppl talk about the performance evaluation thing like it's about her and jimmy, but I think he's referring to (his belief) that she might attempt suicide or similar which might genuinely be a consistent thing he's seen her struggle with, given she's able to go through with it. Also just to note: assuming their society is like ours (hellish) reassuring her he won't blab Abt her mental health is like. Genuine reassurance- lots of mentally ill ppl will Not Open Up bc it could have long term consequences (like. For example. On employment) ANYWAYS I hope it doesn't come off like "Curly never failed Anya" but rather "Curly approached this specific situation without the context of why Anya is panicking and (possibly validly) assuming she's dealing with a very different issue"

Also let me say again the time frame is 2 days. We don't Really see what happens, but we know Anya tells Jimmy without Curly knowing. I genuinely believe he maybe didn't do a Great Job in those two days (the fact he says Anya should've talked to Him before telling Jimmy is uhhh. Mm. 1. Your job to create an environment where she comes to you my man 2. Weird to tell her what she should do with HER OWN PERSONAL INFORMATION) but like.

I get a lot of ppl want immediate consequences but consider that they can't really get rid of Jimmy (co pilot. Which is. Y'know it's Own Problems) but also like. Curly knows Jimmy, and we know that Jimmy tends to lash out. Curly should probably Not Confront Jimmy Unless He Knows Exactly How To Keep Him From Hurting Anya. Like I'm not an expert but this is something genuinely important- when confronting an abuser you NEED to take into account the impact it can have on their victim, and sometimes for the victims safety you need to wait until you have a Solid Plan. It sucks but it's important.

And theres discussion to be had about Curly kinda going along with Jimmy saying "well what if we all died" and like. I do believe he Didn't Realize What Jimmy Said. Like he was just processing/trying to keep the situation under control (and failing because he underestimated how willing Jimmy was to hurt everyone including himself).

Like he's definitely an enabler but I would say his problems are mostly before he understands the gravity of the situation, in that he's friends with Jimmy and assumes the best of a man with abusive tendencies, and fails to create an environment that can keep Anya and the others safe. Like, he definitely doesn't handle in game events perfectly (psych evaluation for one- he does do it instead of Anya which is actually helpful, but he still treats it like. Weirdly.)

Idk I have a lot of thoughts about this game and I don't necessarily want to defend Curly but more like. Anya's situation is very delicate (and light on details) so sometimes the way ppl talk Abt it feels like they aren't actually focused on what she wants and what it means to prioritize her safety y'know?

Edit bc I just now figured out kinda how I want to word it: curly is an enabler and making things worse bc he doesn't put a stop to Jimmy's BS, but in the specific scenario we see in game I think he's trying to use his Skillset of like, people pleasing not for Jimmy's sake but for the crews (like "if I nod my head and say I sympathize he won't lash out and hurt them") which like. There are situations which that is unfortunately the safest option (on an individual level yes, but sometimes it's also necessary to prevent abusers lashing out in response toward ppl who are more vulnerable) but it was the Wrong Choice.

It's like. I think Curly was trying and had good intentions, and understood that he needed to protect the crew, but he didn't have the toolset/experience to realize he can't Just go along with things and that he needs to be able to set hard limits, even for ppl he likes and trusts. Like he failed but the failure was "for want of a nail", where it began way before what we see (for want of an understanding of power dynamics I guess.) Again, don't think this makes curly more forgivable or whatever, I just think he's a good example of trying to make the right choices when you never realized you'd have to make these kinds of decisions and therefore are unprepared and/or unaware

Second edit: personally I don't think you can really incapacitate jimmy without there being serious risk (again he's the copilot) but curly should've given Anya the gun when she told him Abt the pregnancy

[agoddamn]

I am once more posting about how character refusing medical treatment for no raisin is possibly my most beloathed trope

There are so many very legitimate reasons a fictional character might not get treatment!

Allergies

Negative interaction with a medication character is already on

Negative reaction to the medication in general

Character is nonhuman/alien/mutant/etc and standard medical treatment won't work

Not registering injury due to shock/nerve damage

Not registering injury due to pre-existing chronic condition that made things suddenly, unexpectedly much worse

Not registering severity of injury because internal bleeding can (and often does!) look a lot like bad bruising

Hospital is haunted

Injury greatly exceeds current medical resources (ie it's a spinal fracture and all they have is a My Little Pony first aid kit)

Character believes that death is imminent

Character has something illegal/taboo/valuable attached to their body (from illegal body-mods in a sci-fi universe to curse in a fantasy universe)

C'mon, guys, I get it! I also love when characters get the ever-loving blue-eyed shit beat out of them! Just, give 'em some actual reason to suffer. A basic pretext. Please.

[earthstellar]

I love that they have the Ambus Test in IDW 1, specifically to help address this problem, but it’s also very interesting that it doesn’t actually work and may not have been intended to have ever actually worked, uh oh I feel a post coming on 

I still have issues with how Swerve fucked with 10 and wrote “I failed the Ambus Test” on him, as it has some nasty parallels to real world ableism against those who are non-verbal or otherwise express themselves primarily non-verbally. 

But the Ambus Test is specifically noted in universe to be poorly designed and not as widely applicable or accommodating/flexible as it needs to be. 

While 10 did indeed fail the Ambus Test, it is mentioned that Ravage would have also failed the Ambus Test by default, owing to his beast alt-mode-- Implying that it’s not just ableism as an inherent flaw of the test, but also blatant alt-mode (and therefore class/caste) discrimination. 

Swerve may not have fully grasped this or been fully aware of the issues with the Ambus Test, and likely genuinely believed 10 was not sentient, although I have issues with how this is portrayed if this is the case. He often comes across as mean to 10, and it could be argued that 10 performs tasks that may clearly hint at greater, sentient intelligence-- As we later see with Ratchet, when he finds 10′s artworks and sculptures/figures, although to be fair, Swerve was seemingly unaware of these artworks and he is not a medical professional; He may have simply seen no reason to question the results of the Ambus Test, seeing it as a kind of end-all-be-all regardless of anything else. (Poor 10!) 

The end result with the Ambus Test is that it fails entirely; It is burdened with flawed Functionist thinking, and cannot be relied upon to provide legitimate/accurate results. Any screening carried out with this test is doomed to be suspect at best. 

However, we still see people relying on it post-Revolution/post-war to try to identify mechanical sentience. 

Unfortunately, this is a real problem with many actual cognition tests, for various reasons, and it is an ongoing effort in multiple medical fields of research to identify and remove/resolve these kinds of biases and discriminatory/restrictive elements in real tests. 

But the concept at its core is interesting: There is absolutely a need to have a cognitive test for complex machines, in a species made up of sentient machines. 

The fact that the Ambus Test is still in use despite what seem to be glaring flaws is very interesting, too. Why is this the case? We don’t know; If it is named after Dominus Ambus (this is not actually confirmed in universe if I recall correctly, although I could be wrong), then it could be due to the reputation of the creator of the test. 

Sadly, this is also a problem in real life; Some tests that should honestly have been retired by now are still in use because they are institutionally grandfathered in, and revisions that were often intended to occur are never done for various reasons or are done poorly owing to direct influence from the original, thus leading to faulty screenings etc. continuing with outdated methodology etc. 

Notoriously, a lot of people (including professionals) have serious issues with the DSM (USA) and ICD (UK/WHO) diagnostic manuals/definitions for reasons along these lines, among other concerns. 

While these concerns are legitimate and serious, the process of making any revisions is ungodly arduous and lengthy, and there is a significant amount of influence in these types of diagnostic manuals, thus making the implementation of any potential improvements or possible corrections an extremely difficult thing to do. Not to mention the extensive proof of research etc. necessary to even suggest any potential changes or updates, which can be both good and bad.  

So it may very well be the case that the Ambus Test might be knowingly identified as faulty at least by medical bots for the most part in-universe (possibly hinted at by Ratchet’s attitude towards 10 although this is never outright stated in canon), but owing to the war and ongoing difficulty in re-establishing whatever panels/research systems/etc. would be necessary to revise the Ambus Test in a post-war Cybertronian medical system, it remains a faulty test in active use/application anyway. Even though this may obviously lead to harm being caused, or incorrect evaluation. :( 

I would be interested to know if Rung would accept the results of an Ambus Test, or if he may have had any preferred screening methods/processes/diagnostics... 

tl;dr I think the Ambus Test as we see it in IDW 1 is possibly genuinely intended to be a jab at outdated medical screening tests, particularly those used in psych and psych adjacent screenings of various types, which continue to be used despite their blatant inability to identify well (or correctly, or at all) what is actually being screened for-- In addition to being a jab at how people are often wrongly assumed to have X capability or X intelligence based purely on class, background, etc. in the real world. 

I just got off a long weekend shift so I am brain fried at the moment lmao, but I hope this is coherent!! 

I know they are overdone, but personally i'm a big fan of "fish out of water" scenarios with aliens and that's why nothing will be as funny to me as transformers confusing cars for people when they first arrive on earth

[builtlikeastickofcelery]

MOVIE NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:]

next: https://www.tumblr.com/builtlikeastickofcelery/711648534638772224/part-2-poor-little-guys-a-bit-confused-huh?source=share

[gelu-the-babosa-multiversal]

If I swapped Knocout's and Soundwave's jobs... would it be more chaotic, disastrous... or better?

Soundwave with his cassettes as a little medic team and Knockout as the second in command that listens to all the gossip in the Nemesis 😅😋

[myfckingnameisnuwanda]

The New Knife Game (Klance)

"There is an old tradition, a game we all can play You start by getting liquored up and sharpening your blade You take a shot of whiskey, you grab your knife and pray And spread apart your fingers, and this is what you say"

Keith turns around on a corner, half listening to Lance’s voice in the distance.

"'Oh, I have all my fingers, the knife goes chop, chop, chop If I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off And if I hit my fingers, the blood will soon come out But all the same, I play this game 'cause that's what it's all about'"

A rather creepy song, if you asked Keith. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had heard it somewhere before.

"No, you can't use a pencil, you cannot use a pen The only way is with a knife when danger is your friend And some may call it stupid, some may call it dumb But all the same, we play this game because it's so damn fun"

What even was that incessant tactactac sound?

"Oh, I have all my fingers, the knife goes chop, chop, chop If I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off And if I hit my fingers, the blood will soon come out But all the same, I play this game 'cause that's what it's all about"

There was Lance, in the sort-of-living-room they used at the Castle. He was doing something in the common table, but Keith couldn't see very well what it was...

"Oh, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, I'm picking up the speed And if I hit my fingers, then my hand will start to bleed"

Was that a fUCking knIFe?!

—

Keith screamed his lungs out, and now Lance has a scar all around the base of his ring finger.

[earthstellar]

First Aid coming through with that "junior doctor who is two days away from no longer being junior" attitude, damn lol

Careful there First Aid, if a medibot/medi-drone hears that shit, it's gonna write you up on Datix LMAO you don't have to roast him like this

(the joke is that clinicians/healthcare staff constantly abuse Datix, a reporting system found in a lot of clinics/hospitals, to basically be shitty and petty to and about one another. there is so much bitching and bullying in so many Datix forms. this is not how it is intended to be used, and it's actually a real fucking problem that people do this. SIGH but also kinda lol.)

[scarycranegame]

ALSO ALSO

My favorite part of ur theory is genuinelly that it gives Anya much more character, I find a woman that had sexual urges in a moment of weakness so interesting!

Based off the info we have received from the Devs she's a book worm who doesn't party or go out, an introvert that is probably unexperienced, and her mind wondered during one of those boring long nights in the Tulpar... She felt too intimidated to try anything with the other guys, and probably saw Daisuke as too young for her, so she levitated towards the other guy that seemed to be an even bigger loser and social outcast than her

Despite Jim's rough exterior, I do believe he has a huge soft interior, why else would he help with the birthday party and bake a cake for Curly's birthday on earth? (it was in the Q&A), he's human too after all

(Not to get too shippy here but can you imagine if it was after he got somehow hurt and she was patching him up that they had the moment of weakness? AAAAAA *EXPLODES*💥)

Oh AND a last complain about the fandom: I've even seen ppl claim that her feeling nauseous to give Curly the meds is SOMEHOW tied to her pregnancy like C'MON, LET THIS WOMAN HAVE 1 ☝️ CHARACTERISTIC THAT ISN'T TIED TO HER BEING A VICTIM IN UR EYES

YESSSS YOU GET IT. YOU UNDERSTAND. i think women in fiction should be allowed to have sex/be in sexual situations without being assumed a victim or having to be like. a super extroverted "party girl" archetype

also yeah it does make sense that jimmy would be anya's go-to, since like. curly is her superior, swansea is married, and daisuke is probably too young for her. so really the only option at that point is jimmy LMAO.. and ngl i loveeee the idea of like... anya noticing some of the little things jimmy does that hint towards his softer side and slowly gaining a little bit of a crush on him, but never actually acting on it or mentioning it at all until theyre alone in medbay and shes patching him up.. ksdjnfkjsdfsd my brain is melting i love them—

i mean. continuous & prolonged nausea is a symptom generally associated with pregnancy. and it could be argued that, if she was sexually assaulted, forcing something down someone else's throat while they're defenseless to fight back could bring up some specific memories, but i feel like people don't take into consideration enough that THIS WAS LIKELY NOT IN HER COMPANY-PROVIDED TRAINING AT ALL AND SHE'S NEVER BEEN TO MED SCHOOL. i would think that anyone with minimal training would be at least a little disturbed with having to literally shove pills down someones throat while knowing that they're incredibly uncomfortable and agonized and they're choking and crying the whole time. oh yeah and this guy also has no skin. so essentially being touched with anything will hurt him. so yknow. there's that too

[earthstellar]

A lot of mini-bots (and quite a few other bots) have what might be considered neurodivergent traits (or have been confirmed as such), and I wonder if certain frame types or classes --or Cybertronians in general-- might have physically type-specific processor structures which allow for greater diversity of thought, and if some frame types or spark types might be more or less likely to have or develop neurodivergent traits

We know the Quintessons fucked with the Well of All Sparks in the Aligned Continuity which had unknown effects, and in IDW 1 given the spark as the core of a person's individual spirit (for lack of any better phrasing), it would make sense for Cybertronian sparks to imbue individual personality etc. while the processors are physical hardware with software flexibility to permit and adapt to those unique aspects of self

For example, in the continuities where spark development influences protoform development and therefore what type of frame a bot might ultimately have, it is still simultaneously possible to alter a frame to some degree with armour changes, mass manipulation, etc. (and in most continuities, alt-modes can be altered as well, to at least some degree within the range of someone's core specs)

But the processor and spark are the two things that generally (although we have seen some exceptions to this) cannot be physically altered without incurring significant damage-- Making them some of the few constant components in a species designed to physically change

Sparks have significant individual variation in terms of the personality etc. that evolves from each unique spark, so perhaps processors have some physical elements designed to best accommodate a certain frame type, while also allowing for individual experiences and perception etc. to form unique thought pathways for each individual -- This would allow for any Quintesson or Functionism-related frame alterations or requirements, while also still enabling a spark to produce a unique person as it forms and as experiences accumulate

Sort of like genetics vs epigenetics in human beings; Some things are physical and structural, but some things are informed by environment, experience, etc.

It's interesting that we do seem to see a lot of mini-bots specifically who might fall into a neurodivergent category or exhibit behaviours or thought process that might reasonably fall under the category, but of course it's not universal so there is still greater variation

Although characterisation varies from series to series, here's a couple examples:

Cliffjumper tends to have impulse control problems that are sometimes similar to ADHD impulse control problems, and he sometimes has difficulty prioritising or hyperfixates on one aspect of a situation, leading him to reach the wrong conclusion or focusing on the slightly wrong thing; He also struggles to manage frustration. This could all be related to something similar to executive dysfunction, as it commonly manifests in humans with ADHD.

Bumblebee seems to be conflict-avoidant to some degree in most continuities, and aside from that being part of his friendly nature and kind disposition, it might also hint at something similar to rejection sensitive dysphoria, or a greater sensitivity and emotional response to perceived interpersonal conflict or perceived failure. Some versions of Bumblebee have particularly struggled when faced with high stakes/high risk of failure scenarios, and he has a tendency to internalise blame, directing it towards himself even when a failure is not necessarily his fault or even truly a failed mission. This is often comorbid with Autism and ADHD in humans, but it can also exist on its own.

It's not just mini-bots; Misfire canonically has ADHD in IDW 1, Geomotus in IDW 2 is Autistic and his neurodivergency is even highlighted by other characters, and so on.

So all of this (and how it might work) varies from continuity to continuity, but I just like thinking about how neurodivergent bots do exist, and how that happens and how it manifests and how it is perceived by others and by society at large is interesting

In IDW 2, neurodivergency seems to be viewed in a more understanding and positive light. But in IDW 1, neurodivergency may be viewed in a more ableist way under the Functionist system, and in the Aligned Continuity, perhaps neurodivergency is seen as a potential indication of Quintesson alteration of the Well or of the individual themselves (this would depend on a bot's age).

We don't have too many details on Cybertronian medicine in general, but it's interesting to think about!

It's 8 AM I'm gonna go have a tea now lol