⚠️SPOILERS⚠️

“I will create desolation— and call it peace.”

I finally realised why this panel sticks out to me. 

For context: Everyone just arrived in the nightmare Functionist Universe, they’ve ended up somewhere they aren’t supposed to be, and the little drone is basically a cop who wants to search everyone. 

And this scene sticks out to me, this panel in particular, because Ratchet is the only one who challenges the cop-drone. 

Which is pretty significant, actually. 

How to Deal With Space Cops: Fucking Don’t! Unless You Can Get Away With It. 

Rodimus, Drift, Megatron, and Terminus all come from backgrounds where they were all harassed by authority figures on at least a fairly regular basis; They’re far more familiar with being pushed around by cops than Ratchet would be. 

Granted, Ratchet worked in the Dead End and undoubtedly got some degree of shit for it, but he still had the social class/caste status to dodge the more severe questioning, and had friends who were active duty cops himself. He got bothered by some authority figures, but for the most part, he could talk back without fear of suffering any of the more severe repercussions that most of the others here would be facing if they did anything similar. 

Authorities Aren’t That Scared of Authorities 

Chromedome, Rewind, Roller, and Minimus have all worked for or alongside bodies of authority themselves, and therefore likely aren’t as immediately resistant; They want to get through this without incident if they can, and in their minds, that means hearing out the cop-bot before they do anything. Their reactions are on hold. They’re listening, not talking– Because most of them have been the person questioning others before. 

Gutter Mechs Know The Unspoken Reality of Things 

But check out the looks on Rodimus and Terminus’ faces. They’re just like, alright, this shit again. They’re not letting their faces show anything that a cop-drone might interpret as resistance or aggression, or they know they’re fucked. 

Drift and Megatron actively look put off, because they’re taking more of a defensive approach. They’ve both been treated severely and with suspicion by authority figures before, especially representatives of law enforcement, so they’re not saying anything–But their expressions show that they’re already calling bullshit on whatever this little cop-drone wants with them. “What does this thing want with us, now?” And rightfully, they don’t say shit. They know better. 

It’s a brilliant little bit of visual storytelling. Their reactions–or lack thereof–in their faces is a nice touch. The group of bots present consists of a mix of people with very different experiences of dealing with (or working with) oppressive authorities in their pasts, and Ratchet is the only bot here who wasn’t either a gutter mech or low class/caste, and also wasn’t an authority figure himself (his authority is entirely within the role of CMO, which is still a position of authority within a medical context, but not beyond that). 

Ratchet Had a Cop Friend, So Now His Ingrained Perspective on Authority is Somewhat Fucked

So of course, Ratchet, who has been relatively protected from the worst outcomes of dealing with cops in the past, is the only one to speak up here and risk challenging the cop-drone with a question– Because why wouldn’t he push back? He’s never suffered at the hands of cops and was never a cop himself. He had cop friends. Surely the cop-drone has to provide a reason for a stop and search? And surely he knows that isn’t necessarily the case in reality, but he still asks, like he’s surprised or caught off guard to at least some degree. (Oh, Ratchet. I like to think that Drift talked to him about this shit afterwards…) 

Ratchet never worked for or alongside a police department before. He doesn’t grasp how fucked he is, if that little cop-drone decides he’s a non-person on a whim. He might understand that there’s risk in this interaction on an intellectual level, but on a personal risk level, he’s never really been at that much risk of being trashed by the cops. 

Even when working in the Dead End, his cop friend(s) clearly knew about it and never arrested him for it. Shit, we know at least one of his cop friends actively helped him out by dropping off potential patients at his clinic. 

So everyone else present has some level of experience, good or bad, with dealing with actual cop bullshit. But the majority of Ratchet’s personal experience with cops has been entirely through the lens of being a respected mid or high class/caste bot with a profession that benefits pretty much everyone, including the cops. He’s largely been “safe”, even when doing unsafe/illegal shit like running his Dead End clinic.  

So of course, his immediate reaction to being stopped and searched is essentially total bewilderment. 

Privilege: Legacy of Cybertron’s Past  

It’s entirely possible that Ratchet, even when working in the Dead End, has never really been all that bothered by cops/authorities before, despite the risks involved in running his clinic there. 

This might be the first time that he’s being stopped and searched like this. He’s never really been profiled or viewed by authorities in this way before, at least not so directly. He’s now dealing with a cop-drone that is treating him the way they treat most people, not the way they treat Ratchet the Medic and Trusted Friend of a Police Captain Equivalent, because the authorities in this universe are ones that he has no personal connection or familiarity with. 

His profile isn’t automatically popping up with all his credentials next to his name. He’s just some bot, with a bunch of other bots, and he’s now suspect. And that seems to have caught him off guard, a little bit. 

Nobody else is saying shit, because they understand this situation more personally. They’ve either been treated like shit by cops before, or they’ve BEEN cops before. 

But Ratchet is the odd one out, and he’s the only one with the particular social status of being a medical doctor, and so he pushes back, because what, exactly, did this little cop-drone say to him? And he feels secure enough to actually ask the drone for clarification. The authority figure bots know to stay quiet and let the cop-drone lead, and the gutter mechs/low class bots know that whatever they say, they’re about to get arrested anyway. 

Nobody but Ratchet is surprised, and it really feels like Ratchet is showing some of his pre-war social privilege here, totally by accident. It’s not his fault, it’s just how he experienced pre-war life compared to the others. Cybertron was a shitty place, and Ratchet was only aware of how shitty it was because of his personal drive to engage with those of lower classes/castes in order to try to assist them; If he hadn’t actively desired to open his own clinic in the Dead End, he would have stayed in Iacon, surrounded by other mid or high class bots. The same people he had spent most of his time interacting with, up until that point. 

We see how he handles Drift in the flashback to when they had first met; His advice comes from good intentions and genuine desire to help Drift, but the advice is ultimately hollow and impossible for Drift to commit to. Ratchet is shown as not really grasping how dire things are, that it’s not possible for Drift or other bots like him to simply walk into a job centre and pick up a paying gig. It took some time for Ratchet to understand this, because it wasn’t his lived experience; As a medic top of his class, he’s always been in high demand. But that isn’t the reality for Drift. 

It’s a realistic approach to exploring class/caste differences, and I really appreciate it. 

This panel is a genius quick and subtle way to emphasise the class/caste differences between all of the characters here, and highlight how vastly differently these bots would all be treated– Both in their actual past, and in this alternate Functionist universe. 

Anyway it’s 3 AM so I’m going to bed now, just wanted to write this out before I forgot about it LMAO <3 

I can’t recall the exact issue this panel is from at the moment, but when I remember or get the time to look it up again, I’ll edit this to let y’all know! :) 

Megatron’s secret head panels appreciation post

I love his helm panels so much, and I wish we got to see more of them, but the fact that we never did makes this reveal more powerful

A frame built for hard, manual labour, with such beautiful and delicate components, designed to be folded up and hidden in favour of his assigned function

But in one of his first moments in which he feels any sense of power or the hope of freedom, he removes what protects him, he takes off this heavy thing that dampens his audio sensors and curtails his peripheral vision

And allows himself a moment in which he can be himself instead of his assigned and heavily regulated identity

These thin panels on delicate hinges unfurl like a crown, the yellow detailing like the rare rays of light which filter down through the mines and gladiatorial rings

In this moment, he is comfortable enough to risk removing his helmet— Something that no doubt is hammered into him as being a last-line defence against falling crystal shards and adit collapses and blows across the temple, never remove it, this is your safety and marks who and what you are

But he removes it here, and reveals what is truly natural to him and his frame, what is underneath the heavy grey helm that weighs him down and dims his senses

The panels are likely extremely sensitive, and what was it like, to fully hear and see and feel a cheering crowd, surrounded by comrades? To experience it in full, for the first and only time?

if you think about it, every time we tranquilize animals to transport them safely to another place, we are the sleep paralysis demon

i have decided to rise from the dead with some fun completely random headcanons for my fav companions

nick valentine:

- nick's favorite music genre is jazz. ESPECIALLY 1950's - 1970's jazz. he also dabbles in a bit of opera from time to time, but he's gotta be in the right mood for it.

- he's the opposite of claustrophobic. he actually really likes tight, confined spaces and sole often finds him hiding in a little cubby under his desk reading case files.

- despite being a synth he still yawns??? when sole questioned him about this he looked at them wide eyed because he didn't even realize he did it until they pointed it out. some habits from pre-war nick never died

- he collects pre-war stamps. ellie has never understood the fascination with something as seemingly menial as stamps, but she supports him nonetheless.

- nick LOVES the smell of peppermint and gets overly excited when he smells it because it's so rare to find in the commonwealth

- he brings ellie fun trinkets he finds while on his adventures

- the reason his bedroom is under the stairs and ellie's is upstairs is mostly because he wanted to give back to her for all her hard work by giving her the bigger room. however, he will insist it's actually because he just "doesn't actually need a bedroom."

john hancock:

- BITES. HIS. NAILS.

- he once found a pre-war shopping cart while high and cruised around goodneighbor while making farenheit push him. she was not amused but obliged anyway

- hancock is surprisingly cat-like. he stretches weirdly over all furniture, kneads things with his hands idly, makes soft, purring-like noises when you pet him, and sleeps a lot. it's no shocker that he's a major cat person

- this man cannot sit normally for the life of him. he takes every opportunity to sit like a fucking gremlin

- he's actually a really good cook. he makes a MEAN deathclaw steak

- hancock and daisy are gossip FIENDS. it's very common to hear them both giggling together

deacon:

- deacon is a really good knitter. like really good. they have knitted sole and desdemona many scarves over the years. of course, it goes without saying that they've made many ridiculous items throughout the years. he has a knitted penis collection that he is VERY proud of

- they have a SERIOUS biting problem. if you get too close, he's going to bite you

- he always has his nails painted. different colors for different disguises. where the hell they get nail polish in the wasteland is a mystery to all

- extremely lactose intolerant and makes it everyone else's problem. he refuses to just NOT have dairy and instead chooses to suffer the consequences. unfortunately, everyone else also has to suffer the consequences along with him

- they get cold really easily, but they always play it off. sole eventually catches on and starts hugging them whenever they start shaking

maccready

- also a nail biter

- his favorite pastime other than reading comic books is cleaning his guns. he'll put on the radio, hum along, and get to work

- maccready snores. like insanely loud. it's incredibly annoying but also kind of cute in a way

- he hides a stash of nudie mags under his mattress like a hormonal teenager

- he has dyslexia and has to make sole read things for him

- maccready is a major baby when he's sick. he begs sole to take care of him and hold him when he's sick. he makes them spoonfeed him soup

The origins of Optimus Prime’s voice

Whoever put the transformers theme in the background is doing God’s work

The last post I reblogged about folk songs made me wonder what Cybertronian folk songs would be like and I have some proposals:

ALL of them, yes!!

Cybertron has a rich and diverse culture, whether they like it or not.

Which characters would be the most likely to know folk songs and sing them?

Any characters who were from lower castes likely know the most, as it's more of a common folk thing. Mirage being a tower mech for example likely wouldn't know much.

I also like to think Megatron, Impactor, and other Miners did a lot of singing either to help pass the time while they worked or to enjoy their time off.

Miners for sure! And other laborers, construction workers etc.

It reminds me of that time in G1 when the Decepticons got drunk and Megatron started rambling about the good old times. That would have been the perfect moment for a folk song.

Skywarp I can imagine knows every single dirty song ever written.

Autobots don’t really feel like folk song people. Who would be the exceptions?

Omg I love all of these! 💚

As for who would sing them from the non-Deception (or ex-Deception) side of things in IDW—may I nominate Cyclonus, Impactor, Terminus, Drift, Rodimus, Pipes, Swerve, Brainstorm, Rewind, Riptide, The Scavengers, and Thuderclash? :D

Also, I feel like Megatron would know the all the folk songs from the mines/gladiatorial pits as well, but is too reserved to sing. However, a passerby might hear him humming their tunes under his breath…

I’d like to hear y’all takes on this too!

Hancock and Nick Valentine headcanons...

Got sucked into the Fallout 4 vortex, so here are some headcanons for non-feral ghouls and 2.5 gen synths, specifically Hancock and Nick!

Hancock will sometimes crave raw meat: Feral ghouls like to prey on humans and other animals to feed on fresh meat, and that urge manifests to some extent on non-ferals as well: they feel a strong desire for raw red meat sometimes (although it doesn’t have to be fresh and definitely not human). Imagine finding Hancock eating little strips of raw Brahmin meat at 2am.

Hancock has night-vision*: Well, maybe not full night-vision, but certainly better than a human’s! He still cannot see in pitch black rooms or anything, but he will see much more clearly in the woods at night than a human would. Applies to all ghouls, in fact.

Nick has the sense of touch on his metal parts: I suppose it would be rather hard for him to interact with objects with his metal hand if his sense of touch was limited to skin-covered parts, so I headcanon his uncovered metal parts would also experience tactile sensations somehow. So if you hold his tiny metal hand, he will feel it!

Hancock is much faster than a human: Feral ghouls will just sprint at you at unimaginable speeds, besides moving their limbs pretty fast and dodging attacks very efficiently, so I can’t help but imagine non-ferals would also have this enhanced speed, both in terms of reflexes and movement speed. Hancock may not show, because of how chill he is most of the time, but he could move really fast if he wanted to, besides being so damn good at dodgeball!

Nick is pretty stronger than a human*: Probably due to having a metal skeleton? That man is stronger than he looks! He can easily carry another person in his shoulders, even if it’s an adult man. Not gonna say he could carry you in your power armor, because he wouldn’t be able to hold it firmly enough and with enough balance to do so, but a smaller object with the same weight would be OK to lift for him!

Hancock has relatively bad hearing: Actually all ghouls do. My take is that ghoulification increases your senses of sight and smell, but your hearing will deteriorate, after all, you do lose your external ear cartilage. If you say something to Hancock and he goes “huh?”, don’t worry! It’s not because he’s stoned, he simply didn’t hear you. (He is also stoned, of course, but that’s not the point).

Nick doesn’t have a heartbeat, but a purr: Instead of a beating heart, Nick has a motor and a coolant pump, so if you lean your head on his chest you won’t hear that “tu-dum, tu-dum…” sound, but instead, a constant low-pitched vibration, very similar to a cat’s purr! Yes, you read that right: detective Nick Valentine from Fallout 4 purrs like a kitty. :)

Although Nick doesn’t require sleep, food or water, he can sleep, eat and drink: This is actually supported by the fact that Nick has animations eating noodles, drinking from a cup while idle and has a bed in his office (there are two beds at the agency, one is Ellie’s and the other has gotta be his own). Falling asleep, for Nick, is similar to entering a hibernation period for a computer. Also, his eyes may remain open, but won’t glow in yellow like when he’s awake. When he wakes up, his eyes will slowly light up and his motor will start making a louder noise.

Hancock has suicidal tendencies: Actually supported by the bug(?) that if you leave Hancock alone in a settlement, he may die randomly upon your arrival to said settlement, saying “one… last… trip…” right before falling down dead on the floor. I interpret that as Hancock committing suicide via overdose if unattended for too long. Other things that support this headcanon for me are: his past history of drug abuse when in difficult moments of life, his choice to ghoulify himself as a destructive response to self-hatred and the fact that in my game at least he asks to get back traveling together every time I walk near him - much more frequently than my other companions.

Nick may overheat if he can’t cool down properly: Just like any machine, if Nick’s coolant system is malfunctioning, or if he’s working harder than his coolant system can handle cooling down, he will overheat. Besides becoming hot to the touch, this may also result on: 1- trouble processing thoughts and speech, 2- delay in movements and responses, 3- headache, 4- eventual shutdown (passing out).

The only reason Nick still remembers Jennifer Lands’ death and human Nick’s rivalry with Eddie Winters is trauma: We know from the holotapes that human Nick was traumatized and went after treatment for his trauma, resulting on the brain scan that was later on loaded into synth Nick’s body. So we may as well deduce that the scan was of Nick’s brain before healing from trauma. We also know from the Far Harbor DLC that Nick’s memory cannot keep long-term information, which is why he forgot his interactions with DiMA from over 100 years before. If he can’t remember 100 year old memories, he shouldn’t remember anything from human Nick’s life… The reason he does is because it’s a literal trauma, so it’s imprinted on him even after everything else has been forgotten and even thought Nick’s sense of self and identity is no longer tied to human Nick and his experiences. He has flashbacks and nightmares about these memories.

Hancock loves cuddling more than he loves his own life: Maybe not more than he loves drugs, though. But really, he loves cuddling so so so much! This is partially inspired by how romantic he is. I’d say he’s one of the most romantic companions I’ve dated, he says really sweet things when you sleep with him and when you ask him about his thoughts or your relationship… So I thought it suited him to be very fond of physical contact, specially cuddling!

I guess this is what I have for now!

I love Nick and I love Hancock so fucking much! I guess I love Hancock even MORE than Nick, which is impressive considering how much I love Nick! ^^ Anyway, hope you guys liked these?

*contradict lore suggested by game quotes / mechanics.

best tf scene ever

Not peepaw 🤣🤣🤣

King & Queen, Serengeti

shaazjung

Comic by PetFoolery

Isabella Tabacchi

[ID: Artwork of Optimus Prime from Transformers. He is looking down at a human girl he's holding in his hand. The girl smiles at Optimus. The background consists of a blue sky with some thin looking clouds, some tall trees in the corner of the picture, and a few birds. End ID]

Optimus and Alice, by Okha

(Source)

Art is reposted with the approval of the artist.