#tfp hardshell

They go into battle not seeing the “little squishes’ as threats- in fact as canon fodder. Suddenly then something happens; a human gets a weapon, or one becomes just a little too determined then just like that they kill a Cybertronian, or at least injure them greatly. A prime (pun intended) example of this is with Megatron's reaction to Hardshell’s death.

I mean just look at Megatron's face right here and tell me it isn't immensely satisfying/funny to look at.

Megatron just looks so confused and maybe a little uneasy- as remember from his perspective this is like the equivalent of a chinchilla killing a grown adult man.

Then afterwards he gives this sort of insightful look.

Personally I like to interpret this scene as him thinking whether to consider Miko as a real threat or not. While Megatron definitely has the mindset of looking down at those being beaten by “weaker enemies” even he knows or well recognizes that yes Hardshell was indeed very powerful but…. yet he was defeated by something smaller than his servo.

Also dear God I love your writing, I read all of the day's posts before bed as a part of my routine X3

Sure! I’m struggling a bit today lol

Soft

TFP Hardshell x Reader

• Sucking in a breath, your fingers tighten on your cart as you drag it into the stall with a fake smile in place. That wavers when you don’t see nightmare fuel waiting for you. Skin crawling, you tug the cart further inside and your breath catches at a soft chittering from the wall. Behind and above you. Instincts screaming to run, you make yourself move slowly. Turning and looking up as he hisses from his perch. And it’s a small miracle that he’s in his bot form not a giant bug. Not that his bot mode looks any less predatory.

1) She Has Close to Zero Character Development and Never Learns Her Lesson

In every season of the show, Miko always sneaks off to places she shouldn’t go without anyone’s knowledge.

Season 1:

Followed Bulkhead to the Nemesis, almost getting her, Jack, and Raf killed.

Sneaked after the Autobots to see a zombie robot, getting herself and the boys trapped in an alternate dimension with said zombie robot.

Pulled up a ground bridge to a literal active battle zone, resulting in Bulkhead having information uploaded into his processor that ate away at his memory.

In the same episode, took him away from the safety of the base, putting him in a vulnerable position that nearly got him beheaded.

Season 2:

Sneaked aboard Wheeljack’s ship to go after Hardshell.

Season 3:

Stowed away on the Wrecker’s mission with Wheeljack’s help. You could argue her asking to come is character development, but I believe it’s because she knew Wheeljack, who did not inform his team about this, wouldn’t say no. And also because he wanted to spite Ultra Magnus.

And in each case, Miko never faces consequences for her actions. The only one to call her out is Jack, but only in one of the early episodes. None of the Autobots reprimand her for her mistakes, even though they nearly get herself and others killed. But, by the end of the episode, things either work out for Miko, or her actions and behavior are rewarded or validated in some way. While, yes, she does acknowledge her mistakes, it doesn’t mean anything if she keeps making them over and over again.

Also, I just never got the feeling she truly learned to take the war as seriously as she should have. Throughout most of the show, her recklessness came off more as just wanting to be part of the action, or because she thinks it’s fun, instead of doing it for the sake of being helpful.

While Miko seems to have calmed down somewhat in season three, she’s still basically the same by the end of the show. She doesn’t really learn or grow in anyway in episodes where she’s the main focus. While there were some moments that showed potential depth and development to her character, the writers never truly expanded or followed through on it.

2) There’s No True Depth to Her:

Throughout the series, we never learn anything about Miko’s life, except the very little she mentions in one of the early episodes. The only things she says is that her parents are loving, she has two cats, took piano lessons since she was three, and went to the best schools.

Since we don’t see or hear from her parents at all in anyway, it’s hard to gauge what their dynamic is really like. Instead of the show hinting that her parents could actually be overbearing, neglectful, or really strict (which would help to explain her rebellious behavior), we get nothing. Miko basically says she was just bored of her life in Tokyo and wanted something more fun.

Her relationship with her host parents is also a mystery as they are only mentioned in passing and they never interact once with one another. The closest thing we have is Miko actively ignoring a call from them in the very first episode. It also seems she thinks pretty poorly of them, but we never know why.

Because of this lack of information and interaction, Miko’s character is actually more flat compared to the other’s.

There is no real explanation behind Miko’s recklessness. Nothing that indicates why she’s against following orders or staying out of trouble. The only thing we have is speculation with no concrete evidence. Instead of having a reason or some thought process that makes sense to her on why she does what she does, Miko comes off as a girl who just doesn’t like being bored and wants to do whatever she wants regardless of the danger she puts herself and others in.

There are even moments where she acts unpleasant for no reason. She just says or does whatever with no clarification as to why, and it’s never brought up again.

We do see some moments in the show where Miko is rather smart, but only when the plot calls for it. Most of the time, she was portrayed as being unable to think things through before charging into dangerous situations.

When she isn’t being used as a plot device, she’s reduced to a background character who makes unnecessary jokes. It would make sense if this is because she’s trying to dissolve tension, but it came off more as her never taking things seriously or truly comprehending the magnitude of what’s happening.

There are some attempts at adding depth to her character, but those basically stop as soon as they start. The best example of this is in Tunnel Vision, where we’re supposed to get the idea that Miko feels like she doesn’t do enough to help the team. While it’s a nice idea, the problem is it’s very poor execution.

Jack, who basically did all the talking before they were interrupted, was the one who said that she felt like she wasn’t contributing enough, not Miko herself. She didn’t even confirm what he was saying was true, and her attitude towards him was more akin to jealousy that he went to Cybertron. This makes it feel like she wanted to be the hero who does cool things instead of Jack. And the issue isn’t even resolved by the end of the episode, and she offers no apology to him for her behavior.

While an in-depth backstory is not always required for characters, it definitely would have helped for there to be an explanation as to why Miko is the way she is. Instead of someone who has a level of complexity, the writers came up with a spoiled girl whose basically a rebel wannabe thrill seeker wanting to do whatever she wants regardless of the consequences.

3) She’s Overhyped and Glazed By Fans and Even The Show:

One main issue is how the show, in one way or another, frames Miko’s recklessness in a positive light. Even though she nearly gets herself and others killed, her actions aren’t seen as bad because something good came out of them. None of the Autobots get mad at her, even saying things that would make her feel better or assuage her guilt. There’s really no forethought when it comes to most of Miko’s actions, things only work out because of pure dumb luck and plot armor.

Another instance is Miko killing Hardshell. The moment gets more hyped than necessary as she only fired a missile. But, at the end of the episode, the show frames it as if she’s now some menace to the Decepticons. Wheeljack calls her a “natural”, and Megatron looks “scared” when he hears what happened to Hardshell, almost as if she killed him with her bare hands instead of pushing a button.

And some fans make it sound like she’s the only one of the kids who’s done in a bad guy. Jack killed an Insecticon himself by using scraplets to eat away at it when he was on Cybertron. And, if you want to count the scraplet episode, Raf is technically the first human to kill something in the show.

There are even fans who have said Miko could defeat Megatron if she was in the Apex Armor. While it is indestructible and strong, she is a complete novice compared to the Decepticon leader who has been fighting for centuries in a war and honed his skills as a champion gladiator. She couldn’t even hold off Predaking, who Megatron was able to get the upper hand on because of his own strength and cunning.

Miko also has no real skills that are of any help to the Autobots. The show tries to make the audience think she’s an important member of the team, like in Tunnel Vision where Jack says she helped take down the Decepticon ship in Flying Mind. But she literally did nothing that contributed any use to the situation.

And the accomplishments she does have are pretty much meaningless as any other character could have done what she did. Unlike Jack and Raf, who have moments where their talents were essential and applied to them, the same can’t be said for Miko. You could remove her from the show entirely and practically nothing would change.

Lastly, some fans make it sound like she has zero flaws, and they can get very defensive if you criticize Miko, even if it’s valid. They even accuse others of being racist or misogynistic. While that is the case for some people, there are those that aren’t fond of Miko because her writing and character are genuinely bad. And, because she’s overhyped, new fans of the show can become disappointed if and when she doesn’t meet their expectations.

Conclusion:

I want to end this post by saying I’m not trying to bash or disrespect anyone who likes Miko regardless of how she is. As long as it’s in a reasonable manner, you do you. This is just basically me venting my issues with how she was portrayed throughout the series.

guhhhhhhh i never thought of this, but it's so good...

i just got the most visceral image of starscream relaxing in the insecticons' chamber, belly full of eggs, being fed mouth to mouth by a very jealous hardshell, who isn't letting the other insecticons come near starscream until he's been fed... hardshell dragging his claws possessively over starscream's distended belly, making the seeker squirm and whine...

Wheeljack is one of the most popular characters in Transformers: Prime, with the episodes focusing on him always bringing some form of emotional release or suspense to the audience and the main cast. However, as the series progressed, Wheeljack's introduction as a laidback, untethered former Wrecker was largely forgotten by the writers in favor of exploring heretofore unseen "flaws" of his - namely his sudden renegade behavior and rebellion against authority, this last becoming strange when his status as a Wrecker is taken into account since, to survive, you have to be ready to follow your leader's orders.

Allow me to deconstruct Wheeljack's purported status as the "maverick" of Transformers: Prime.

As I said above, Wheeljack was introduced as a laidback fellow. Yes, he was spiteful in the face of his captors and more than a little violently inclined from the beginning. However, he had a head on his shoulders that let him escape the Nemesis in his debut and deal a blow to the Decepticons shortly before he left to search for other survivors. This made him memorable and gave Wheeljack a degree of nuance on its own: he was a free spirit, but loyal to his side and hoping to reconnect with other Autobots who had fled Cybertron.

However, this went out the window upon his return to Earth in season two's episode "Loose Cannons". In this installment, upon his fellow former Wrecker Seaspray's death at the hands of a vengeful Dreadwing, Wheeljack decides to avenge his comrade's death. Thanks to the implied fondness for his fellow Autobots in his debut, Wheeljack's desire to kill Dreadwing makes sense. However, what makes this hard to swallow is the sudden strictness with which Optimus treats Wheeljack. Yes, the fury that fuels Wheeljack in this episode is clearly going to end badly for him, and as an Autobot, Wheeljack is technically under the jurisdiction of Optimus' now stern orders....

....Except for the fact that Wheeljack was explicitly stated/shown in his debut, and which he verbally made clear to Agent Fowler in this same episode, to not be Optimus' subordinate, and thus negates the grounds for Optimus to enforce the "ground rules" with Wheeljack - which itself becomes a more glaring problem with how Arcee broke ranks repeatedly and ignored Optimus' orders, with Optimus never even confining her to base. Rather, he ends up justifying her actions by the end of her arcs by saying what amounts to "you rose above your base desires", or so some such speech that even gets recited to the other, original team members throughout the various episodes that have no meaning, because the stories are both retreaded later on and never actually resolved at the end of an episode.

From "Loose Cannons" onward, while his grudge against Dreadwing mysteriously disappears after he and Optimus save Bulkhead from the flier, Wheeljack's "rogue" behavior is erroneously fixated upon by the show. It is erroneous because the team persistently paints his attitude as a problem when Arcee, Bulkhead, and even Bumblebee's truly maverick tendencies - disobeying direct orders, satisfying their own needs by protesting so greatly as to spur Optimus to acquiesce to their demands, or leaving the base to get something they personally wanted back from the villains - are far worse than anything Wheeljack ever did, and serves as nothing but a series of out-of-character moments for Optimus and Wheeljack.

That is not to say that Wheeljack did not have issues beneath the surface, mind you. However, it is not a strictly vindictive streak that plagues Wheeljack, or a "problem with authority" that shadows him.

Something that I have noticed over the years about Prime's Wheeljack is his preference for being alone. This, coupled with the repeatedly stated death tolls of the Wreckers, leads me to the conclusion that Wheeljack is what TV Tropes calls a Death Seeker - someone who has suffered so much that he or she pursues a lifestyle where the person in question can be killed in combat because they still won't commit suicide. Until season three, Wheeljack had always stayed in his own lane, forming brief friendships of one kind or another with the main cast, but ultimately keeping to himself, even from his supposed best friend Bulkhead. But when he goes on a mission - whether it be against Soundwave, Dreadwing, or Hardshell - Wheeljack, while giving it his all, seems oddly content with the prospective outcome of his death. In the case of Hardshell, it's almost as if he doesn't want to survive, because from what I recall of that fight, there was virtually no plan aside from "kill the Insecticon and maybe die with him" that I could discern from the battle.

This is furthered by how Wheeljack stays away from the Autobots both before and after his duel with Hardshell as, until his forced "learning experience" at the hands of Arcee, Wheeljack keeps an emotional and physical distance from the others, most clearly with Bulkhead. Again, Bulkhead is his best friend, yet there couldn't be a greater gap between them aside from the occasional jokes and handshakes they share. The show tries to explain it as him "pushing others away" so he won't have to deal with loss, but we saw that treatment from Arcee. She pushed Cliffjumper and almost everyone else away, even though it was a surprisingly tame version for the others as opposed to how she all but abused Cliffjumper in the flashback episode to Cybertron in season two. Additionally, the way Arcee pushes others away is through snark, spite, fury, and "leave me alone" speeches that make her come across as a petulant child who wants to wallow in her misery or otherwise drag others down into the pit of despair that she herself has made her home.

Directly opposite this attitude is Wheeljack. As opposed to lashing out and abusing others as Arcee does, Wheeljack puts on a facade of casual indifference to the Autobot way of life, but consistently removes himself from the others. He does not take out his pain on them, he does not snark about loss to others while naval gazing, he does not even furiously bat the hand of compassion away from him. True, he might not take it, but he does not so vehemently reject it either. This is not the behavior of a man who wants to wallow in self-pity for his personal losses, or use to others to make himself feel better.

This is the behavior of a man who sees no point in living anymore, and is desperately avoiding connection lest he finally snap and commit himself to a suicide run that will finally put himself out of his misery at no expense to others.

And yet, rather than exploring this psychological dilemma of Wheeljack's, rather than give him the chance to find a reason to live, Wheeljack becomes the engine through which the reckless, maverick, and life-threatening actions of Optimus' original subordinates are shifted to in order that they might avoid the blame and consequences of their behavior, and may be addressed in another character as opposed to the "family" that the creatives of the show were so fond of. This is a waste and an insult: it's a waste because showing Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee facing the consequences of their actions would have been fruitful and given them more than just recycled plotlines that are never resolved or meaningful, while it's an insult because those who suffer from a variation of the Death Seeker mentality that hounds Wheeljack are forced into maintaining that mentality due to the perceived "error" of what their psyche is, in addition to spreading a message that Death Seekers aren't what the name suggests, but individuals throwing pity parties for themselves who "need" to get out of themselves and become a part of society again.

Arcee is a professional pity party girl who should have faced the reality that she is an entitled brat in need of seeing outside of herself. Wheeljack is a man barely clinging to life by the tips of his fingers, practically breaking apart at the seams when an old friend dies or is nearly killed and prepared to die right after hearing the news.

The two attitudes could not be more different, yet Wheeljack and the audience are respectively told and led to believe that they are the same without ever addressing the deeper concerns lying underneath the surface.

That's my two cents on Wheeljack in TFP. I hope you enjoyed this, and that it gets some thoughts turning in people's heads. Until next time -