#tf prime raf

[twigs-sprigs]

raf shoulve fucking BEEN THERE

[heraxic]

sketch redesigns of the tf prime humans

notes/rambling:

i wanted Miko to look more like a scene kid cause her original design weirdly makes her look like she lives at the arcade, not someone who’s aesthetic is centered around music/metalcore(?). Added heavier looking clothes and more greenish tones to match Bulkhead. also, personally i really dont like her hair so i just made it more spikey.

Raf my perfect angel. I like his original design, but for the fun of it i tried making an outfit that communicated more of his interest in RC cars and racing games with more athletic looking clothes (still with a nerdy little polo shirt underneath, so it doesnt look like he does any actual physical activity regularly). Yellow shorts to match Bumblebee.

Jack. jackyboy. i have never seen such boring character design. his outfit says Nothing about who he is. ok anyway- so he’s the more responsible/mature one of the kids, but kind of a loner outside team prime. i gave him more layers —ie the hoodie, bulkier pants and a beanie— to put some distance between him and the rest of the world, and to give him a stronger silhouette so he looks more like the default leader. The beanie is blue to match Arcee and Optimus, with an official looking grey patch on the front (again to give him more authority).

[felis-rach]

The prime and those three bugs in his shoulders

[vitecetf]

Watching cartoons together :⁠-⁠)

(I think they are watching Sonic X)

[blade-liger-4ever]

Why I think Miko Nakadai is arguably the best human character in TFP

Don't misunderstand, I know Miko was handled haphazardly throughout the series' run. That said, aside from her skipping off into the battlefield, she was actually a great character - and, in my personal opinion, the actual audience surrogate character in TFP.

Now, let me explain.

Although Miko's backstory is told and not shown - a rich daughter who had everything she could ever want, up to and including two pure-breed cats and piano lessons from age three onwards (which, coincidentally, tells us she's brainy despite her antics) - much can be inferred from what snippets of her past we get, along with her interactions with the Autobots. For one, she obviously can't stand most adult supervision, which is likely because of a few things. For one, back home in Japan, Miko would have had to be proper and polite, always restrained, and had to do what she was told. While this is normal (to an extent) in the West, in the East this is etiquette that needs to be obeyed, especially if you're as well off as she is; her actions, specifically in Japan, will reflect on her parents, but to a far lesser extent in America. Thus, when presented with the freedoms of the USA, Miko not only jumps at the chance for an exchange program that will give her the mobility she craves, she also chooses the place that has the least amount of glamor. By extension of choosing to settle in Jasper, Miko's also displaying two other traits: she's not afraid of going to a place vastly different from her home, and she isn't disgusted by a small town with very little monetary value to it.

Secondly, Miko's disregard for authority from adults but deference to the 'Bots teases us with an insecurity - namely, an insecurity that no adult ever gives her a chance to make her own decisions.

Just think about it: All the times Miko's blown off the human adults, it's when they've tried to decide her life for her. Miko has, from what we can see, had her whole life dictated, up to and including those piano lessons. She may be a prodigy at almost everything, but her preferred instrument is the guitar - and yet, she wasn't given lessons in that from the time she was a toddler. Therefore, she feels confined and controlled by the authority of her elders. And so, while Miko may be able to sway Bulkhead into getting her out of detention and consistently slip past the watchful eyes of the 'Bots, it's out of a desperate motivation to control her own life. Now, she does hold too much interest in the battles and getting to watch them, but wouldn't you have that same eagerness if Gundams or Jaegers came to life before your eyes? Yes, she knows their lives are in danger, that they couldn't come home, but there's still a fantastical element to all of this about the Autobots. And it remains so because while she loves them all, Bulkhead is the only one who, while giving her life advice and trying to keep her in check/alive, lets her make her own decisions and take control of her life and her actions.

And that's why she keeps going to the field. That's why she only listens to the reprimands with half an ear and why she recovers so fast from Optimus' near death experiences, as well as Raf's close call with death.

And that's why Miko's world shatters when Bulkhead is left in a half-dead coma from his fight with Hardshell. Because the one person in the universe who gave her freedom and care without deciding her life for her was not just seriously injured, but possibly on death's door.

That's why Miko runs around without a care until the S2 episode "Hurt": because she wants autonomy to decide her life, even if it's stupid choices that could get her killed.

And after "Hurt", we see a new Miko. Yes, she remains gung-ho and fierce, but she stops running onto the battlefield. She takes less enjoyment from the War. Because now, with the reality of war fresh in her mind, she knows the risks and the stakes involved, and she will never take that or her friends for granted anymore. This is further proved when Miko 'sneaks' along for "Chain of Command", but with a twist: she asks Wheeljack if she can come along - and if memory serves, this is the first mission Bulkhead's been on with herself present since the events before "Hurt". Clearly, Miko is still worried about losing Bulkhead - only, this time, she values the words of the 'Bots, and now seeks permission to join a mission, though she wisely asks Wheeljack for this blessing.

This is the beautiful part of her arc, crowned by her battle with Starscream and his Seekers (which is also just straight up awesome.) When she's kicked the afts of everyone, and Starscream tries to intimidate her with his usual "I killed Cliffjumper" speech, Miko's response is this calm, slightly rough, retort:

"Big whoop. I snuffed Hardshell."

In this moment, Miko Nakadai is shown to have grown from an excitable child into an unyielding, but mature, adult warrior. She no longer treats the War and the 'Bots like a game, or a release. She treats them as her friends who she will gladly risk her own life for.

And that, in my opinion, makes her the best human protagonist in all of Transformers: Prime, and Transformers media in general.

As for what I said earlier about her being the true audience surrogate, be honest with yourselves: If any of us were given the chance to meet the Autobots, wouldn't you be just as irrepressible as Miko, as eager to help as she was, and tempted to go to the battlefield to see the action/make sure your 'Bot wasn't going to die? That's what I mean when I say she's the audience surrogate - Miko acts like we would, and learns as we would about the War and the 'Bots if we suddenly came across them.

That's my two cents on Miko, and why she's the human character I respect the most in Transformers...probably of all time. If you liked it, I'm glad; Miko deserves better, and I hope I explained why well.

Til next time, folks!

"Autobots, transform!"

[witchofthesouls]

I really love the thought that cyberformed humans still have human biological hangups, so-

Imagine the Autobots panicking over the sparklings "excessive" levels of sleep because humans run on a far shorter time shift (aka 24-hour days). The kids are cranky as hell because they need their Earth daily naps, but the Autobots are poking them awake since the 'bots are still running on Cybertronian time.

No one is surprised by Miko or even Raf biting hands, but it gets to the point where the sparklings start hiding for uninterrupted naptime in tight, dark spaces where 'bots can't easily reach. Like inside a seal vent shaft, behind the shelves of berths, and a really deep, well-dug hole under the main computer.

Unfortunately, that freaks out the Autobots further since that behavior is seen as a bitlet stress response. Made worse since the kids are Seekers or close to it as Miko is a Seeker sparkling, Jack is capable of flight, and there's a theory that modern Seekers are descendants of Predacons. Basically, Seekerkin sparklings have innate drivers to stay with their flocks and units, to consistently touch their guardians/parental bonds, so for the kids to ignore the Autobots can be taken as a major sign of abuse or something really wrong as Seekerkin are a very social frame-types.

Cue Agent Fowler to the rescue as he has to use plain English to explain that the kids just want uninterrupted naps because, well, they're babies. It's good for them. A necessity. No one wants to be sleep-deprived.

Because Agent Fowler has a gut feeling that if June Darby gets a word about this, then she'll raise hell and give Ratchet so much grief as the medic is taking it so personally. She'll move in and become a domestic menace.

[cynthiadasorceress]

Random TFP headcanons Part 1 (mostly humans)

Raf is deaf in one ear and has a cochlear implant

Jack is transmasc

Miko is ADHD

Raf is Autistic

Miko at one point tried to cut her own hair

Needless to say, it did not turn out well

Jack has a genetic mutation that causes naturally sharper canines

Yes, several vampire jokes were made about this

Raf has dirt on EVERYBODY at school, and is not afraid to use it

Along with the guitar, Miko is pretty good on a drum set

Jack is frequently called emo

Miko used to bite kids in kindergarten

Raf has skipped several grades and is currently a sophomore in duel enrollment

Jack's parents had split custody until Jack's dad just didn't come to pick him up and stopped paying child support

June tried to track down her ex-husband, but to no evail

The kids see Optimus as a father figure, and he is not going to tell them otherwise

Bumblebee is Ratchet and Optimus's unofficially adopted son

Raf will behave like a creature from the pits of the underworld if he feels safe

[nova--spark]

So I am infamous now for the time I pointed out Op and Meg's eyes both are tears of sadness and of rage.

But @seraphim-seeker commented on my Megatron one with this in the tags

So yeah, what about Ratchet?

Ratchet has been described, in the Art of Prime to have soft eyes

Which, when looking at Ratchet, does in fact come across in his design but I wanna point out one very vital factor in his eyes.

These almost teardrop like additions to them.

And, knowing how rare to see them it is , believe me, I had to go through a lot of clips to find shots where it showed these tears I once again cannot help but be reminded of tears, of a medic in mourning.

Mourning what? The loss of his world, of his allies, his loved ones, his patients.

And it is so rare to see these tears, just as rare as it is to see Ratchet be vulnerable, because he puts on the armor and shields that hide his emotions from others.

With the kids for example, he immediately rejects the idea, but grows so close to Raf

one of my favorite gifs that shows how gentle and soft Ratchet once was is this

How he is quick to use both hands to catch Raf, and makes sure he has a hold of him with both, before making sure to shift to one carefully.

And keeping his eyes ON Raf, all times as he carries him.

And as always I mention RID15 for the rare good thing it did in design

It showed how tired he is. He was a war medic, making sure everyone made it back in one piece and made it out alive, and RID15 shows it in a way that makes it also feel so tragic

Ratchet bears the tears, ever eternal, of a doctor who couldn't save many, but saved those that mattered most.

Grumpy he may be, but there is a gentleness to him, no matter what he says to all.

[asimp4bee]

have you seen the new tiktok trend where people are wrapping their cars in christmas lights? would bee do that?

He would! But then the moment he tries to transform he just goes: family guy death pose

Also Merry Christmas and happy holidays y'all!🎄

[insert-the-4thwall-entity]

i found out that people like making robots into merfolk and one thing lead to another -

I'm actually making up a merformers au -

[bibliophilesince2003]

Transformers

Ok, don't ask me why, but...

Optimus dances like they did in the 50s. Classy and simple. He doesn't dance unless he knows (or thinks) no one is watching. I would like to believe, though, that he wouldn't mind dancing in front of Elita.

Imagine, in Transformers Prime...

*Miko blasts music at full volume; Bumblebee is the first to jump in and rock some epic dance moves*

*Optimus observes from a distance, then excuses himself*

*Ratchet rolls his eyes and gets back to work*

*Ultra Magnus watches in confusion*

*Arcee, Bulkhead, Jack, Raf, and Smokescreen (a terrible dancer, but he does his best) join Miko and Bumblebee*

Later, the group goes out to scout; Ratchet and Optimus hang back. Ratchet is weary from working and tells Optimus that he needs to take a quick break. He leaves the base. Optimus considers the speakers a minute. He surveys the base and double checks the cameras. Finally, he gets the speakers to work, but it switches to a different album Miko rarely plays, as she prefers rock over older music. 50s music comes on. Optimus nods his head and taps his feet. Again, he surveys the base. Then, he starts dancing the way they did in the 50s. Well, the way humans do. He's good at it. He smiles a little bit.

Meanwhile, the others get back to the base. Jack hears the music playing and throws his hand out to stop Miko before she can sprint into the room. Arcee cocks her head and wordlessly tells the others to be quiet. Ratchet peers around the corner and stares in shock. Eventually, they all stare in shock. They whisper to each other.

Smokescreen: Our leader is more impressive than we thought.

Miko: I am never deleting that album.

Not wanting to embarrass Optimus, they hang back and wait until the music stops, then casually enter. Optimus awkwardly stands to the side. The others get back to work, and Optimus gradually relaxes and asks them whether they saw anything out of the ordinary. They shake their head and converse for a bit. Miko turns the speakers on, and 50s music comes back on.

Miko: Huh. I forgot I had this album.

Optimus: It is good to extend your knowledge on a variety of... musical tastes.

Miko: You know, Optimus, if you ever did dance, I think this would fit you well.

Optimus: Hm.

Still, he smiles. The others have to hide their smiles.

Not only that, but Peter Cullen probably grew up with this kind of music.

[chip-dip6]

What happened in the 7 years between tfp and my Prime Bee AU?

A new government agency was formed after the war ended; Recovery of Extraterrestrial Lost Items of Cybertron; or R.E.L.I.C. This was made to protect all cybertronian tech and energon deposits until someone comes to pick them up or told otherwise. Agent Fowler is the head of RELIC with the jasper kids all working for the sect by the time this AU takes place.

Miko: had a falling out with her parents in Japan due to her not being the daughter they had imagined her being, but they quickly learned how happy she was the way she was living and let her continue living in America.

After she finished high school, miko started special OPS training for RELIC as a field agent, then a permanent team with Jack and Raf and becomes one of their best agents. She technically outranks most agents but she enjoys being a field agent the most

Jack: after he finishes high school he goes into engineering and receives a master’s degree in robotics. While still in high school and college, he researches cybertronian history- at least what he can find while on earth, and trains to be part of RELIC with miko after college.

It was his idea to form the specialized strike team with Miko, Raf, and himself; and they have a lot of adventures together over the years as part of this strike team

Raf: he graduates both high school and college before Jack does, and becomes fluent in the cybertronian coding language which becomes his specialty and he becomes an essential asset to RELIC. Becoming successful and working so hard does take its toll though, and he has had a lot of burnout to work through, as well as working though his mental health since he had to grow up so fast.

He went through the same training as Jack, and becomes part of their strike team, but he still prefers to stay in the back as support

Raf redesign made by @mythical-amusing

Infodumping partner: @scourgeofmyownbrain

[starry-skies-116]

There's side effects to Jack hosting a fragment of the AllSpark in his heart and essentially becoming a new breed of techno-organic superhuman. One of them, of course, is getting the zoomies.

He already did so before the events of the series, back when he was still a normal human- but now it's multiplied by, like, a bajillion. And at two in the morning he just gets a BURST of energy that feel like they're from all the Primes combined and he's just all like

"gotta RUN gotta JUMP gotta CLIMB gotta HOIST STUFF gotta eat a ROCK gotta FLY gotta PUNCH THE SUN-"

and all they see is

[ashlovesrescuebots]

@orions-hound

Quite literally coudnt miss out on this , here's my submission !

[lovinglonerhybrid]

So I love tfp it’s one of the best transformers shows out there in my opinion. There is one thing that bugs me about the show tho. I wish we got more Soundwave and I wish he had more of his cassettes. I would have loved if we had ravage who was Soundwave voice after he took the vow of silence. Rumble and frenzy being trouble makers and going after the kids in battles. Ratbat braking into military bases and stealing their info about the auto bots. I think the biggest thing I would want to see is the parallel between the cassette and the kids Jack ,miko ,and raf. There being and episode where Jack and ravage are trapped together and they realize that they both don’t really fight for an ideal but just to keep there family safe. Miko and the twins bonding in an episode over getting in trouble and people worrying about there boldness. Raf helping an injured ratbat with the medical knowledge he picked up from ratchet. The kids and the cassettes banning together to save Soundwave or maybe all the bots from either the military or MECH. The bots and cons seeing how well they all get along and that inspires them to begin having peace talks and to start repairing cybertron.

[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!"