Rafael Esquivel - Tumblr Posts
wow haha guys guess what i got into haha
slight redesigns for the tfp kids <3
the quiet ones.
part one of drawing the tfp bots human-sized so they can hold their respective children in their arms.
I couldn't left Cliffjumper behind. He suffered enough. And him and Arcee were very funny, wish we'd see them more.
Super decepticon practice dump.
And humans. Not fond of how adults came out.
1/2
**TRANSFORMERS PRIME ||AUTOBOT EDITION**
Bulkhead: Which one of you was going to tell me tea taste different if you put it in hot water?
Optimus: You were putting it in cold water?
Bumblebee: Bulkhead. Answer the question, Bulkhead...
Bulkhead: Yeah??? I thought for like 5 years that people just put it in hot water to speed up the tea-ification process, I didn't realize there was an actual reason.
Miko: You don't have the patience to microwave water for three minutes???
Jack: Why are you putting it in the microwave to BOIL IT???
Miko: Do you think I have the patience to boil water on a stove?
Jack: IT TAKES LESS THAN A MINUTE!!!!
Miko: BESTIE IS YOUR STOVE POWERED BY THE FRAGGING SUN???
Jack: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO BOIL A CUP OF WATER ON A STOVE?!
Miko: LIKE SEVEN MINUTES!!!
Raf: Just stick the mug on top of the stove on medium heat and it boils in like two minutes... less than that is you use a saucepan...
Miko: YOU’RE PUTTING THE WHOLE MUG ON A STOVE??? ON MEDUIM HEAT??? Your stove is enchanted.
Arcee: Every single person in this post is a fragging lunatic.
Ratchet: DO NONE OF YOU OWN A FRAGGING KEETLE?
what if optimus was a human teacher?
Well here is an interesting concept I am 100% going to go crazy with. This is a long one though so I'm going to break this up with a read more and a warning that this isn't going to go the way you might think.
Not So Normal Teacher
The Archivist in Optimus was bored.
Megatron had been quiet for over a year and not a spark had a thing to do until the Decepticons made a move. He had already reorganized the Autobot database three times and he couldn't exactly go wandering off with how much energon he used. He was stuck at base handling communications and mission assignment, and Primus, even the Matrix was antsy. He wanted something to do, anything really. And so after months of sitting around being driven half mad by lack of stimuli, he came up with an idea.
The Archivist in him wanted to teach, to preserve history, and to collect data. What better way to do all of that than by taking up a position as an educator? It was rather outlandish considering he was a Prime and from another world, but there was a school in the nearby human settlement hiring. He had no need for human currency nor was it particularly wise to go sign up as a teacher when the Decepticons could resurge at any moment. However he reasoned that if nothing else he would gain greater insight into human capability through his endeavors.
Ratchet was against his idea from the get-go but allowed Optimus to go through with it after he gave his reasoning and pointed out that he would actually use less energon if he kept his frame at base and worked elsewhere. Thus with Ratchet's begrudging assent, Optimus made himself a whole forged identity for his human holoform, plopped his real frame down in his berth, and got to work.
Orion Pax turned up to the interview looking his best, but despite his efforts there were still a few little things that set him apart. He was indeed professional in wearing a simple turtleneck sweater and jeans with a belt. However that was not what made the interviewer a little concerned, no it was fact that Optimus's hair looked like the American flag with the mixed red white and blue alongside the little markings on his face just under his eyes along with scars that had also transferred over. There was also the fact that his eyes were a little too bright, his movements a tad too stiff, and the way his voice seemed nearly melodic in nature.
However since Orion Pax managed to answer the interview questions perfectly, had a clean record, and was the embodiment of politeness and patience, he was accepted in short order. Thus Optimus got himself a job at Jasper Nevada Memorial High School as history teacher.
Orion Pax befriended the entirety of the teaching staff by the end of week one with his kind disposition, patience, and wisdom beyond his years. He assisted the math teacher in grading papers and even taught him a thing or two with all the patience in the world when the teacher began to struggle. He aided the English teacher by bringing her a cup of coffee and pointing out a small error in her class prep work. He helped the gym teacher get the court set up for the lesson that day and helped him organize the various equipment in record time. He stopped the science teacher from accidentally creating a deadly gas when the teacher passed out from exhaustion halfway through an experiment, leaving Pax to carefully clean up and then grade the teacher's papers for him. Then to top it all off, he assisted the music and arts teacher in her efforts to decorate her classroom for the school year.
The staff loved him, especially the school cleaners since Pax would always stay up late to help them clean despite their protests. He was the perfect co-worker, and quickly found himself as the most loved teacher once the school year started. His students were skeptical of the teacher who looked like he crawled out some sort of cosplaying event and had an American flag for hair, but they swiftly warmed up to him due to his manner of teaching.
Optimus hadn't actually done any real research on human methods of teaching, instead relying on his own experience. In a school as out of the way as Jasper Nevada High School, the regulations were not as strict and so long as students passed their exams, he was allowed to teach as he wished. He did have to adapt a few of his methods to account for human biological limits, but he quickly garnered the students interest with how he went about his teaching.
Using a holoprojector he adjusted to look more like a human one, Optimus, or rather Pax gave the children a more interactive experience. He was passionate as he showed them history in simulations and introduced them to old battles in complicated holographic maps. His classroom was covered in star charts and old documents, studies, and artwork. Every student was urged to find something historical that interested them and dive into it with all their passion and enthusiasm. No students were left unheeded and all their issues were accounted for. The social students were grouped together and given specific historical figures to study in a manner similar to what the archivists of Cybertron did. The less social were given special homework, being required to study a specific event and bring in all they had gathered.
Students with disabilities such as dyslexia and other reading or information processing impediments were personally tutored and grouped. Those who had issues reading were given a partner who would do the reading while they took notes and sectioned out data. Those who had trouble paying attention to certain subjects were given work in areas that had their interest. A child who found warfare to be of interest would be given to mission to look into the Art of War and compile an alternate battle plan for the assault on Rome. A child who preferred the more domestic texts was to come up with a whole biography that was time period accurate for a fictional character living in their chosen era.
Every student had their education specialized to suit them best alongside the general education Orion had them listen to.
Orion was not harsh, he didn't give homework in the manner of other teachers and instead gave the students one big project to complete over the year and smaller personal research projects to complete once a month. A good archivist doesn't rush his research, no, instead time and dedication is given to ensure everything is correct and proper. He did everything in his power to instill this into his students, never putting stern deadlines on anything and instead focusing on fostering interest and a desire for truth.
He wanted his students to love history, not despise it. He wanted them to learn from the mistakes of their ancestors and move forward. And most importantly he made sure to remind them to not be angry at the past and instead see it as an example of another time. For his efforts his students loved him.
It certainly helped that he tended to tell his students altered stories of Cybertron's history, changing bits and pieces to make it seem like a legitimate but long dead human civilization. His students were enraptured with his tales and the battles he made come to life with his projector. Even other teachers would come to listen if they had free time. However to keep his students on task, he only told them stories when the completed their other class's homework before his, thus leading to other teachers finding more success in their lessons too.
After particularly good performances from his students, he would quietly teach them pieces of his culture. He told himself it was just because it was something for them to do, but deep down he knew the real reason why he did this. He didn't want everything of his people to be lost if he were to lose the war. He didn't want everything his people did to be forgotten and washed away by the tests of time. If he was to fail... he wanted something to remain with his students.
Thus he taught them everything he could. He told the other teachers that it was from an ancient culture long forgotten that he was personally studying and come up with some forged documents to prove it. Then his students were introduced to the Ancient Cybertronian language and received extra credit for every work they submitted written in it. He altered the manner in which the glyphs could be processed and spoken while still keeping it as true as possible so that his students could speak it and read it. Then he offered them even more extra credit if they spoke the language in class.
It brought him no end of joy when one Rafael Esquivel made it his mission in life to learn and speak Ancient Cybertronian. If he wasn't long used to having to remain on task even while under increadible stress he would have devoted a great deal of his time to ensuring the boy understood everything perfectly. However he abstained and kept his focus, teaching all his students equally and making sure they were still learning their own history. If Rafael came to him after school to learn more, Optimus never rejected him and taught him happily, more than a little pleased when the boy's glyphs came out as perfectly as they could considering his biology when he spoke.
He also showed his students old dances from all across Cybertron. He altered them as much as he could and gave students different dances based on personality. Students got extra credit if they could perform a dance perfectly by the end of the school year. He never really expected any of them to do it, but by Primus he was surprised when Miko Nakadai turned up guns blazing and performed three different dances from different castes as perfectly as she could considering her biological restraints. She was a terrible study, but evidently her interest in dancing was increadible. Optimus may or may not have taught her a few more dances a little later just to see if she could do it, only to be shocked beyond words when she could indeed do it.
Lastly he introduced his students to Cybertronian art which had a heavy reliance on story telling. It was an end of the year project since his students managed to burn through the curriculum in less than six months and get mostly through the next year's work before the Principle asked Pax to slow down and teach them something else for a while. Optimus thought slowing his student's growth was ridiculous, but he complied and taught them how to engrave and paint in the manner of Cybertronians. It was shortly after he began teaching this that he was yet again surprised to find Jack Darby of all his students to be the one to perform best.
The boy was an excellent engraver, to the point where if Optimus were the kind of mech he might have even let Jack engrave his outer plating. He could get the glyphs nearly perfect every time and had a gift for painting that surpassed more than a few artists from Cybertron during the golden age. It shocked and awed Optimus more than he cared to admit, and much like with his two other exemplary students, he may have slid Jack over a printed copy of some other examples of Cybertronian art from the Autobot database.
He was a proud teacher, and a fragging good one too by any standard. But that was not all, he also cared deeply for his students and got to know all of them. Bonds were a serious thing on Cybertron, especially the ones found between mentor and student. Optimus took the time to understand every student he taught, to learn their likes, their dislikes, and what their situations were. By the end of his first year teaching he already saw his students as his little archivists. He stayed out of their personal lives as much as he could considering his place, but when needed he would answer a call for help.
A student who came in hurt would find their cast covered in loving little glyphs that spoke of wishes and prayers from Cybertron. A student who had a mental illness would be given plenty of small gifts and attention to help them look on the bright side. Students with body image problems were welcomed with love, always receiving a compliment when they entered. Every student was seen to and cared for, especially in the odd case where they came to him for help.
He said he wouldn't get involved, but he was a Prime, he couldn't leave anyone in need of aid. During the singular instance where a student called him in tears at the end of the school day weeping because of their abusive parent, Optimus didn't even hesitate. His holoform was reabsorbed and his real frame moved out. He transformed and drove as fast as he could until he reached the student's residence, at which point he remade his holoform, called authorities, and may or may not have busted down the door to get his student out of there before they could be hurt further.
Not a spark touched one of his little archivists. And while he did get a fine for trespassing and property damage, Optimus had no regrets. It certainly made him feel like his actions were justified when he found a small bundle of flowers on his desk a few days later from the student he saved.
The team slowly began to get a little worried for him when he began gushing about his students around base and keeping their little gifts. When questioned he had nothing but praise for his students and in the end the team just let him be. Optimus still did the work that was needed of him around base, so why argue with him when he was far happier than any of the team had seen him in centuries. Ratchet did warn Optimus not to get attached, but by that point it was far too late if the small pile of thank you gifts and other assorted thing piled on Optimus's workstation was any indicator.
His students didn't know, but he adored their gifts. Gifts were special on Cybertron, and so for every gift he received, he returned. His little archivists were in his own mind, the best. As such when Megatron made his reappearance two years later just as his first batch of students were graduating, Optimus was actually angry.
How dare the fragger turn up and put his little archivists in danger!? It was unforgivable, especially when because of Megatron's actions, three of his students turned up at base and Optimus had to try not to sputter. Jack, Miko, and Rafael, his three most invested students when it came to Cybertronian culture. What started as a harmless little subject quickly had the children connecting the dots when it came to the team.
They thought what Mr. Pax was teaching them was rooted from Cybertronian influence, perhaps from him unearthing something from Cybertron long ago. They didn't know that Optimus was the one teaching them and still turning up to classes part time every other day after Megatron returned. How was he supposed to not get attached even more when he lived two lives, one as Mr. Pax the history teacher and one as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, both of which interacted with the children?
Optimus: Jack, have you turned in your school work for the week yet?
Jack: No... I've been having some trouble with glyphs.
Optimus: Oh? What are you learning?
Jack: My history teacher Mr. Pax has been teaching up about a long dead civilization that seems to have been influenced by you bots. He's been teaching us the language they used.
Ratchet: *glaring at Optimus* Oh really? I would love to hear more about it.
Miko: Yeah! The glyphs are boring, but Mr. Pax also taught us dances! See, look! *proceeds to perform a dance from central Iacon*
Bulkhead: Wait, isn't that a dance used by the-
Optimus: *holding a servo over Bulkhead's mouth* The ancient civilization I assume?
Miko: Yep! Its super fun!
Rafael: Mr. Pax also taught us how to speak the old language. I think I am fairly proficient. *proceeds to speak fluent ancient cybertronian*
Arcee: What the frag!?
Ratchet: I do believe we need to have a talk Optimus.
A MECH Soldier, calling Ratchet: We have your kid.
Ratchet: I don’t have a kid.
MECH Soldier: Then who just asked for warm milk and made us cut the crust off his sandwich?
Ratchet, muttering: Oh Primus, they have Rafael...
Not me imagining the bots freaking out when one of the kids fall asleep suddenly. Like Jack working the night shift and falling asleep on top of Acree at a red light or Miko getting into Bulk sluggishly after staying up all night doing something and she just curls up on his seat and falls asleep without a word. I can so see both Bumblebee and Raf having troubles sleeping/recharging so they have both probably passed out when they are parked on the side of the road or behind some rock. Have probably freaked out Optimus and Ratchet before once doing this. But if Bee wakes up before Raf he will silently freak out because he’s pretty sure his seats aren’t that comfortable or that a human should stay in that pose for long
(We’re not going to talk about me disappearing)
I couldn’t find a better template
I have been seeing lots of transformers and I really wanted Ratchet content so I made grandpa Ratchet content :>
OH MY GOD FINALLY
I NEED MORE MEGATRON AND HUMAN CHILDREN FROM TFP
i really like thinking about their relationship. let's just admit that if megatron had discovered HOW useful these kids were to the autobots, he wouldn't have hesitated to have his own humans (No Silas, go away) or kidnap ours. Just imagine the face of this bucket if he found out that Jack(!) destroyed Arachnid's(!) ship and almost killed(!) her(!). Or how easily Raf copes with Cybertron technology and I'm not even talking about Miko.
And if their relationship with Miko is quite simple, but no less funny, then with Jack it would be more difficult. Especially from Megatron's side.
I can't shake the thought that in one of the episodes they said that Jack similar to Orion Pax. And Megatron sees it too, maybe even more than everyone else and he doesn't know what to do about it, so he just chooses not to interact with Jack as much as the other two, but that doesn't mean he doesn't watch Jack. Sometimes Jack starts talking like Orion Pax and Megatron is a hard trigger. This relationship is very difficult to describe, the past already haunts Megatron very often, and now a second Orion Pax has appeared on the horizon. Sometimes, watching the children interact, he sees the past in them. Miko is Megatronus. Raph is Soundwave. Jack is Orion.
Jack is simply afraid of him and doesn’t trust Megs. But he really tries. Sometimes when he and Megatron are alone they can talk about something philosophical, though then they may not talk for months, because each such conversation is an emotional destruction for both.
With Raf, they have something in between. It's definitely not as easy as with Miko, but not as hard as with Jack. As I said, Raph has some of Soundwave's traits. He's just as quiet and also good with technology. Megatron doesn't admit it, but he enjoys Raph's company. Raph asks a lot of questions, and Megatron seems reluctant to answer. Megatron finds Raph's curiosity very amusing. (I'll just close my eyes that Megs almost killed Raph with dark energon, in my world that didn't happen)
But seriously, if we talk about the events after the series where everything ended peacefully and Optimus did not die, and they all remained on Earth, then Raph would at first simply be afraid of Megatron and would avoid meeting him. But over time, he would overcome this and they would begin to get closer, sometimes talking about science and history.
In June Darby, Megatron sees a kind of mix between Ratchet and Alpha Trion, but a little more cheerful.
Agent Fowler just irritates him.
And Silas...well...nobody likes Silas....
Anyway, I want more fanfics about them, among all the platforms I found only a pitiful couple of works...
I love the idea of Megatron and Miko being frenemies!
To my knowledge she's the only human to have killed a transformer in this series. (Megatron's horrified but impressed look was amazing lmao) From what I have seen she's also done some other pretty impressive things.
I read those fics where Megatron and Miko got stuck in a cave-in together and I love them so much! I need more stuff written about them getting along.
TFP HC: Family Ties
Was just listening to the Robots soundtrack and was reminded of the train station scene. Immediately thought of Ratchet, for some reason, particularly his attachment to Rafael in TFP.
Ratchet’s connection to Raf was built on the kid’s ability to exceed all of his expectations. Ratchet had well founded pride in his species for their accomplishments and strength, but very little of the same pride in humans. In fact, he downright hated them in the beginning. But Rafael’s talent and meekness cut right through his rough exterior. While the old bot is quick to a temper and preferred to be alone, he still looked to Rafael when he needed help and would even keep him around a lot to assist him. Eventually, Raf became like a son to him, with whom he passed on some of his knowledge to make him smarter and wiser.
And speaking of family, I have to bring up Bumblebee. Rafael is the youngest in his family and has constant pressure to ace school to the point where he doesn’t have many friends aside from Jack and Miko. He gets talked over and most likely doesn’t get the chance to express himself much, if at all. Then he met Bumblebee who, like him, is the youngest on his squad and has pressure to be a good scout/warrior while standing in the shadow of someone like Optimus Prime. But also like him, he has a limited voice, figuratively and very literally. Despite being so physically different, they became kindred spirits to one another, finally being heard for once.
Just to be clear, we can all agree that Raf is absolutely going to go through Gifted Kid Burnout Syndrome in the next 2 years, right? Like- Potentially neurodivergent, super smart kid who wants attention from his family. PRIME (pun intended) EXAMPLE OF A KID WHO GOES THROUGHT GIFTED KID BURNOUT.
I'm going to hunt down fics of this
I know it's not entirely accurate, but...
Can we get Raf acting like demon spawn sometimes? The dude's twelve, he's probably not that mature, right? I imagine there are rare occasions where he will actively encourage Miko's less dangerous stunts (jumping from concerning high places, eating ungodly food combinations, etc.) simply because he can.
I mean really, he's Miko's second Voice of Reason™? Nuh uh. He will absolutely encourage her to try and bug out a brand new video game.
Usually he's chill, but sometimes.
Sometimes.
Not to mention, he's got a lot of siblings, and you know they absolutely do that to each other. If anything, Raf fueling the chaos should be seen as a sign of respect. He trusts you enough to act as a harbinger of chaos.
He's an almost teenage boy, he's allowed to be a chaos bringer every once and a while, no?
Maybe that's just me
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
Transformers: Prime headcanon
Spoilers ahead!
I headcanon that after that one episode where he almost dies from Energon poisoning, Raf is almost always exhausted. He also has a ton of health issues and an irregular heartbeat.
I never liked how he was just fine after getting poisoned and nearly dying. I feel like he would have some sort of problem after that, especially with how young he is.
Chibi versions of Jack, Miko, and Raf from Transformers Prime.
A short crack-fic
A short crack-fic I made based on @lets-try-some-writing
and their Unicron is a Dad AU. Enjoy. Or don't. I don't give a shit.
Basically: Unicron learns about that one time Megatron almost killed Raf with a blast of Dark Energon. Let's just say, don't try and kill a favorite child of a God of Chaos.
~
Unicron has been watching over the children for some time now. Always as Chitters. A small squirrel that Raf has brought on. He loaths to admit it, but the three children have very much become his favorites. Esspessially Miko. A child of his own spark.
Unfortunitly, this is not about Miko. It's about the youngest of his favorites. Rafael.
Of course the day started as normal. Chitters would chew some wires, Ratchet would try and cut him down; Chitters would remain victorious. 27:0 to be precise. But who's counting? Certanly not Unicron, definatly.
Then something...odd happened. Bulkhead shot at something on the wall. Whatever it was, Unicron couldn't give two shits, as Raf immediately hit the deck. Raf covered his head with his hands and started shaking. Violently.
"Raf! Are you ok? Hey hey hey. Breath." Jack soothed. Miko rubbed Raf's back as Chitters slowly crawled his way to Raf's face. Rubbing his head against Raf's tear-stained cheek.
It took every ounce of self-restraint for Unicron to not smite Bulkhead right then and there. It was only what Jack said next that stopped Unicron in his, metaphorical, tracks. "It's alright Raf. Megatron can't hurt you here." He said it so quietly that Unicron almost couldn't hear it. He decided to wait on any smiting until after he got more information.
That turned out to be a very wise decision. As, that night, Unicron paid Raf a special visit. It was not uncommon for Unicron to visit his little ones. Especially his Special Three. NEver telling them who he actually was, out of respect for their fears. What? He may care for them but he is a God of Chaos and they know it. He doesn't exactly have a reputation for being super caring. This visit was different form his previous ones. He was not just here to comfort Raf after his day. He needed to know what happened.
As Unicron sang an ancient song to bring comfort and safety. He did a bit of exploring in Raf’s memory. Nothing invasive mind you. Just enough to get the information he needed. What he found sent fire through his very spark.
Megatron had nearly killed Raf. Deliberately. Firing a blast of Dark Energon at Bumblebee with Raf inside. A little more investigation was required. The next night he went to Jack. Then the next, Miko. He found memories of Raf’s near corpse. The felt the panic. The fear. The pain. The anger.
In his search, Unicron gained something other then just a new-found anger at Megatron. His opinion of the Special Three have changed as well. Not in a negative way. Each night just further proved why they were each the favorite.
Raf stayed alive for over an hour out of sheer force of will after the blast. Jack tried to be level headed and came up with practical solutions to help Raf survive. Miko, once again showing their similarities, made so many detailed plans to make Megatron suffer it was almost concerning. Each one got a special song those nights. Unicron had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed singing.
Unicron was furious. His once chosen champion, had tried to kill one of his favorite Children. This would not stand. The good thing about his brothers children is that they didn’t sleep, not like his superior children at least. So it was incredibly easy to torment Megatron.
For days Unicron tormented Megatron. Visions of Optimus ripping his face off. Of dying in the endless vacuum of space. Of rusting at the bottom of the ocean. Of getting his still beating spark ripped out. That last one was straight from Miko.
Unicron watched in amusement as Megatron became more and more paranoid. Praying to him, asking what all the visions mean.
While this was happening, Things were slow back at base. Chitters was still winning. 30:0. Things had quieted down. As since Megatron was being plagued by visions of his demise, the Decepticons have had little activity.
As much as Unicron loved tormenting Megatron. His focus would always be his children. His Special Three.
I wrote this instead of doing my math homework lmao.
Well-deserved shuteye for our fearless, gentle leader of the Autobots. Please make sure he gets his rest, heroes!
-
My piece for the To Be Gentle: an Optimus Prime Fanzine by @allsparkzines can now be viewed! Totally check out the fresh and funky zine about the hero of Cybertron! I had a whole lot of fun making it!