Why I Think Miko Nakadai Is Arguably The Best Human Character In TFP

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!"

Cyber!Earth AU TFP Headcanons

[Please Note, this was written before TF Earthspark was a thing, This has been sitting on my computer for forever.]

What if Earth was cyberformed but instead all life being destroyed, it hybridized with cybernetic biology. A Techno-Organic ecosystem in a primeval Earth envionment. Cyber!Earth AU

Or… Let's create a cybertronian death world that will make Magatron wish there was a few phase six'ers still online.

Environment ->

Most things are upscaled to cybertronian size: fauna, flora, and everything in between

Except humans, they stayed comparatively the same, adults ranging between 5-10ft on average, children being smaller than that

Most of Earths lifeforms would mirror its organic counterparts, poisons, diseases, bacteria all have to potential to harm both organic and non-organic life to varying degrees (For example, there are new viruses that Cybertronians have to deal now or animals like the jellyfish can sting a Bot' as much as it can a Terran)

Though the physiology of cyberformed organisms look like eldrich abominations of flesh and metal (which they absolutely are) in actually, all the components are hybridized at a molecular level, creating a truly unique class of lifeform

Energon is integrated into the ecosystem, in every aspect of life. On one hand, Cybertronians have options for renewable sources of energon, on the other, the same Cybertronians are now a part of the food chain

Imagine the horror of landing on Cyberformed Earth, only to realize anything can and will try to eat you (and they thought scaplets were bad)

Life cycles continue as it was, organism will die eventually through natural means (Without technological intervention, Terrans will still pass in as many years as their human counterparts)

Cyberformed Humans ->

Officially cyberformed humans call themselves Terrans

When spiteful, they call themselves the Children of Choas (After the horror of a civilization ending event, complete and involuntary body restructuring, and learning that their alien overlords equivalent to space-Saten is you planets core: people are going to wear that title with pride)

Terrans DON'T have T-Cogs, inbuilt blaster weapons, or sharp talons (Cybertronians make the mistake that these "new" humans are just as squishy and defenseless)

Nope! All of our natural survival adaptations are just dialed to 11: insane pain tolerance, robust immune system, high endurance, excellent mimicry skills, and the ability to consume nearly anything

Sure a Terrans' skin (really, it is more akin to a fine mesh) is just as sensitive and fragile as a cybertronians protoform and all of our major organs are still organic-like (in other words, we're still going to be little meat bags)

That will not stop a group of Terran's from hunting the local mega-fauna or giving some bot's a bad day

Humans of old were persistant hunters, our major advantage being that our bodies did not overheat compared to the game that we hunted. So how would that translate for a techno-organic? Temperature Regulation and Energy Conservation - what if a Terran's body had a better temperature to fuel ratio? We would be able to run for far longer with minimal energy loss

In this scenario, a Terran could keep pace with a cybertronian in its root mode, and outlast said cybertronian on fuel (the assumption that the hotter a cybertronian burns, the greater amount of fuel that it needs)

Unlike Bots', Terrans have the capacity of consuming anything remotely organic or living metal (tree bark, leather shoes, loose wires, raw minerals, semi-organic cabling, all of it, yes. And if not, boiled in a stew)

I imagine some cyberformed plants would become something poisonous to cybertronians and the the Terrans are like, "Nah man, that's just a mango, only the skin is toxic.." and the bot's are once again mortified by the cybertronian equivalent to chili peppers

Terrans have their own form of adrenalin too, in the form of red energon (cyberformed humans can convert the energon in their semi-organic frames into red energon, overclocking their systems to hyperspeed)

Like a adrenaline rush for a human, a Terran could over extend themselves in such a state, even if their bones are as durable as armor plating

107 notes View Post

sany-wave

3 weeks ago

Messaging people for the first time is so hard. What am I supposed to say? Like, "You seem really odd and your blog intrigues me. Do you want to have philosophical conversations or perhaps talk about fictional characters?" What! Whatever. I will just follow you back and stare at your blog with my big beautiful brown eyes.

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sany-wave

2 months ago

A touching story

@creepysmlile

"Oh have you try the seekers claustrophobia? I love all the lore the fandom created for the seekers"

"Caged Sky"

The pirate vessel never stood a chance.

Megatron had ripped through it like a storm, scattering its pathetic crew to the void. The Decepticons had moved with precision, cutting down every mercenary that dared raise a weapon against them. It had been an execution, not a battle.

Because no one—absolutely no one—stole from him.

And Starscream?

They found him in a dimly lit cargo hold, curled into himself, optics dim, frame battered. He hadn’t spoken much when they pulled him out—just muttered something weakly sarcastic about Megatron taking his time. But even that had lacked its usual venom.

Megatron hadn’t dwelled on it at the time.

They had won. The Seeker was back. Everything should have gone back to normal.

Except it hadn’t.

---

Starscream refused to leave the landing pad.

At first, it had been easy to dismiss. Maybe he was just sulking, milking the situation for sympathy or attention. It was Starscream, after all.

But then a cycle passed.

Then another.

And he was still there.

Sitting on the edge, wings twitching, staring out into space.

Megatron had ignored it as long as he could.

Now, he had had enough.

---

The Nemesis was a warship, not a Seeker’s personal perch. Megatron stormed onto the landing pad, optics burning with frustration.

“Starscream,” he growled. “This ends now.”

Starscream barely turned. “Oh? What ends?”

Megatron’s patience frayed. “Your pathetic stalling. Get back inside the ship.”

Starscream shifted, still not looking at him. “I will, Megatron. I just need a little more time. The—ah—the atmospheric recalibration is—”

Megatron’s optic twitched. “Enough.”

He grabbed Starscream’s arm.

And then—

Starscream panicked.

The Seeker shrieked, thrusters kicking in as he fought, wings flaring wildly. His talons scrambled for purchase, yanking his arm away with a desperation Megatron never expected.

“Let go!” Starscream’s voice was sharp, nearly frantic.

Megatron did.

Starscream stumbled back, vents heaving, optics wide—too wide. His claws gripped his own arms, shoulders hunched. His wings trembled, betraying tension, fear.

Megatron frowned. “What is this?”

Starscream ex-vented sharply. “Nothing.”

Megatron narrowed his optics. “You—”

“I just need more time,” Starscream snapped, though his voice wavered. “That’s all.”

Megatron studied him.

The way he avoided looking at the entrance.

The way his frame coiled like a cornered animal.

The way his optics flickered—not at Megatron, but at the walls of the ship.

Understanding dawned.

“…The pirates,” Megatron said slowly, testing his theory. “They confined you.”

Starscream stiffened.

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

---

Megatron dragged the truth out in fragments, each one like shattered metal pried from a wound.

The pirates had beaten him, sure. That was expected. But they hadn’t known what to do with him. He was valuable—too valuable to kill outright.

So they had caged him.

Not a brig, not a cell.

A crate.

A shipping crate, small, cold, dark.

They had folded his wings to shove him inside, forced him down, locked him in. No room to stand. No room to move. Just metal walls pressing in on all sides.

He had screamed—at first. Kicked, cursed, threatened. But no one had answered.

The air had grown stale.

His vents had struggled against the thick, unmoving atmosphere.

And for the first time in a long, long time—Starscream had believed he was going to die.

Alone. In the dark. Crushed in a box.

No sky. No escape.

Just metal, choking the life out of him.

And now?

Even Nemesis’ walls felt like a cage.

---

Megatron listened.

He said nothing.

When Starscream finished—when he finally ran out of words, voice tight and fragile—there was silence.

Then—

“…If I could,” Megatron said, voice low, dangerous, “I would kill those wretched parasites again.”

Starscream’s optics flickered toward him.

Megatron’s gaze burned.

“But this time, it would be slow. Painful.” His claws curled into a fist. “I would ensure they felt every agonizing second of their pitiful existence slipping away.”

Starscream stared at him.

Megatron met his gaze evenly.

A long moment passed.

Then, softly—softer than Megatron had ever heard from him—Starscream ex-vented.

“…I would like that.”

Megatron nodded once.

Then he turned toward the ship.

“Come,” he said, without demand or force.

For a moment, Starscream hesitated.

Then, slowly, he stepped forward.

And, step by step, he followed Megatron inside.

184 notes View Post

sany-wave

4 years ago

There are a lot of little lines in TFA that sort of tip you off that something isnt quite right with the "heroic autobots" and it just gets more pronounced once you've noticed it. Like everything about Optimus's speech in the first episode. "We're all cogs in the great big autobot machine." Emphasizing the needs of the collective over everything else (and notice that this is apparently something he says a lot. Something he's internalized). "Don't try to be a hero, it's not in your programming." Idk bro sounds like functionism to me. But probably the most unsettling line is Ratchet's implication that they can just.. delete emotions. Just run a program and bam! That feeling of dissatisfaction with your lot in life? Gone. Thats a big old red flag if Ive ever seen one.

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sany-wave

2 months ago

Tfw you find out your gay best friend/coworker is secretly a car and now the government is after you

This… AU? has been sitting in my head since I saw the Bumblebee movie. Me wondering “huh what if Knockout were in a live action TF movie except one of the good ones” led down a rabbit hole that ended up in “Knockout’s been hiding out on earth working as a doctor in his holoform and ends up being good friends with June Darby who later gets caught up in the whole mess when his actual identity is inevitably exposed”. Not really an AU of anything in regard to TFP other than that’s the series Knockout and June come from, more of a “Knightverse what-if”.

Bonus:

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sany-wave

9 months ago

A Series Of 'cartoons' I Did For School Last Semester. Only Just Got Around To Translating Them All.

A series of 'cartoons' I did for school last semester. Only just got around to translating them all.

Thoughts on death, taxidermy, and the like.

Social commentary was required as part of the assignment. Don't take it too seriously.

-----

The one with the starving dog was inspired by a Reddit post about pets eating their deceased owners' faces to survive. Many comments said "I would rather my dog ate me than starve." or "I'd just be happy to feed my cat after death."

The one with the hyena is based off of a very old drawing of mine involving holding on to those who hurt you because you're too lonely otherwise.

749 notes View Post

sany-wave

2 months ago