More Than Meets The Rye

If it's ro much I get it. Thank you and have a good day/night!!!!

Yeah, sure

Here you go

Reasons why I shouldn’t be allowed Photoshop. Bonus points if you hear his voice.

You have forced my hand…

He’s always grumpy and tired, moves slowly and carefully compared to the others. That’s what happens when you’re starving yourself. You’re sore, tired, everything aches and you CAN’T move fast without serious repercussions. You have no patience because your stomach is screaming at you and your head aches. TFP Ratchet is a grumpy old bastard and you gotta wonder how much of that is natural and how much is from deliberately shorting himself on fuel. He knows just how bad their situation is, knows probably to the second how long their fuel will last given current consumption rates and will starve himself to keep his teammates and patients alive.

Part of the reason the Synth-En episode broke my heart was seeing what Ratchet was like when he was feeling good. He was properly fuelled for what was probably the first time since they got to Earth and he realised just how dire their energon situation is. As well as the drug-like effects of that Synth-En formulation we were seeing Ratchet when he wasn’t hungry, wasn’t hurting, wasn’t suffering the effects of starvation. No wonder he was so damn happy when he started taking it, before the negative side-effects really took hold. He could finally carry out all his duties and have energy left to spare to take time to socialise and look after himself.

Add in to the fact, he IS starving himself and what extra energon he DOES have, he’s hoarding back for necessary repairs and surgeries. Because he knows someone’s going to get hurt, someone’s going to come in injured and they need it more than him. Ratchet isn’t just starving himself to feed others, he’s starving himself to take care of them. And even when he ISN’T fixing, he’s working and occasionally fighting. He is consistently on the move, no matter what. 

My headcanon is that he never actually fully recharges. He has a state of constant low-range idle that he stays in. It burns less fuel than dropping off, and coming online and he can be alert for any emergencies. Without a full medical crew, he has to be aware.

[Ratchet could marry you all for this. Finally people GET IT, get the shit he has little choice but to put himself through!

Ratchet isn’t mean on purpose, he doesn’t resort to morally grey tactics because he’s abusive, he isn’t prejudiced about humans simply because he can, and whatever other crap people have said about him over the years.

He is, pure and simple, E X H A U S T E D ; and just wants it all being over with as soon as possible so he can finally go home and rest; and basically wants any obstacle or roadblock preventing him from reaching that or slowing things down G O N E asap.

And, honestly? Can you BLAME him??

This all breaks my heart, but do you know WHAT is the saddest part about this? Aside people not realizing how much he’s sacrificed for the well-being of others on the expense of his own? 

He is a perfectionist, meaning he expects himself to still excel under the impossible conditions he’s under and when he fails, he simply thinks he isn’t doing ENOUGH.

And then he does this:

Never minding what might happen, so he could do this:

To end the war, but instead what ends up happening is this:

Granted, he wasn’t in perfect control anymore at this point; but regardless, he almost ended up giving up his life during his (poorly) planned mission to finally end the war.

People often portray, and perfectly rightfully so, Optimus Prime as the most self-sacrificing type in the series; but let’s not forget Ratchet, who is just as bad, if not worse, as him - at least from certain aspects.

This is especially relevant if you look it from the The Covenant of Primus’ point of view; where Optimus is supposedly some kind of a reincarnated semi-demi-deity-of-sorts-or-something-or-another, but Ratchet is a 100% mortal mech with no other deeper reasoning for his devotion but his own inner urge to do what is right.

And that if anything is something that fucking deserves all due recognition and respect. 

Ratchet is the king of all the underrated characters of TFP, hands down.

We NEED more Ratchet! 

Can’t wait till he comes to RID. He better be, or else I’m going to be HELLA mad.

You got it!

-When you started to ask him to pick you up from school a little later than usual,  he was confused, but for once, he kept his mouth shut. He wanted to find out for himself.

-He circled around the school, until he found the field/track/pool/whatever, and you having a blast!

-Naturally, he wants to try, and naturally he tells you all about it. 

-You bet he’s got a holoform, and damn straight he’s going to use it.

-He loves doing whatever it is almost as much as you, and is kind of sad when the season is over, but asks if you guys can do it anyway. “Like, all the time?” “Sure, we can!”

-He comes to all of your practices and games/matches/meets/whatever. When people ask who the hot guy is, you tell them he’s kind of like your big bro.

-This is him:

You’re very welcome! I have a lot of fun with these! My day was fantastic, thank you for asking! Just a lot of homework. I hope you’re day is going great, too! I cut off Wheeljack, because I cut off Knockout last time. If you want a reaction for him, just send in another ask for it! <3

Optimus Prime

-Optimus knows you work in a haunted house, he just has no idea what that entails. He comes to pick you up early one day, just to surprise you, and is a little *ahem* put off by your attire.

-He knows you’re obviously okay. You don’t look to be dying, anyway, so he seriously doubts you are.

-You tell him what it is, when he asks, and he’s fine with it, as long as you don’t get any fake blood on his seats.

Ratchet

-He comes to pick you up early one day, because why not? He sees you, and flips his lid. He knows you’re okay. You’re walking okay. You seem just fine. 

-S/O what the hell is that you’re covered in? Why do you want to look like you’re dying?

-Whatever, just watch the blood. It’s a pain to get anything out of fabric.

Smokescreen

-He came to pick you up early, and freaks when he sees you. S/O! Are you okay? Oh God, his S/O is dying! What do you mean you’re fine? You’re obviously not!

-You still don’t understand why he’s worried. It’s all fake. You eventually show him that it is, and he calms down. Don’t scare him like that!

-He doesn’t even think about the seats. He’s more worried about you lying to him. He’s still halfway unconvinced.

Arcee

-She comes to pick you up early. She’s got nothing better to do. She sees you, and knows your fine. If you were really dying, you wouldn’t be walking.

-S/O, that’s gross. No one wants to see your intestines. Put that away.

-Her seat is leather. Most things just wipe right off, so she’s not to concerned about it. Just don’t get the dangling parts of your costume too close to her wheels.

Bumblebee

-He comes to pick you up early, because he’s bored. He sees you, and thinks you’re okay??? but isn’t sure??? If you were okay you wouldn’t be bleeding like that, but at the same time if you were hurt that bad you wouldn’t be walking???

-You tell him you’re fine, and he’s relieved. You have no clue why he was so worried.

-His seats are leather. He’s not overly concerned, but still. Watch yourself, please.

Bulkhead

-S/O! What happened to you? Who does he have to kill? Was it Cons? He bets it was the cons.

-You’re a little confused. He’s seen horror movies. He knows it’s fake. Dude. Stop flipping out.

-He prefer you didn’t get any on his seats, but he doesn’t really care if you do.

Knockout

-S/O…What is this? Why are you like that? What are you covered in? What is going on?

-He doesn’t understand humans and their strange ways, but when you explain it to him, he understands why you’re covered in all that crap.

I’ve never had any experience with laughing gas, but I’m afraid. I hope I’m one of those rare cases where all my teeth grow in right.

Optimus Prime

-He’s not sure of the exact side effects of Nitrous Oxide on humans, but given your nonsense ramblings, he can take a pretty educated guess.

-He isn’t phased at all, even when you get all flirty.

-While you’re knocked out, he carries on with life as he normally would, checking on you from time to time.

-He’ll take care of you as best he can, when you’re awake. No promises he’ll always be able to be there, but he’ll let you know when he has to leave.

Bumblebee

-S/O, are you okay? You’re saying things in English that don’t really mean anything in English*.

-Even when you get all flirty, he stays pretty calm. He just wants to get back to base, so you can lay down.

-He worries about you when you sleep. What if the gas doesn’t wear off like you said it would? What if you’re permanently like this?

-Once you awaken, and he see’s you’re alright, he’ll continue on as normal, taking care of any needs you have.

Smokescreen

-WTF S/O? You need to chill. Seriously. You’re talking about stuff that doesn’t make any sense.

-He tries to talk with you, and laughs along to all of your “jokes”. When you et flirty, though, he starts to stutter.

-No one else will put up with this Chatty Cathy, and he’s bored. He wants his S/O back. Wake up!

-When you do wake up, he does his best to take care of you. He’s not entirely sure what that entails, so please help him.

Wheeljack

-Whatever, kid. Chatter all you like. He doesn’t care. He’ll tune in and out of your ramblings every once in awhile, but he knows none of it will make any sense.

-When you flirt with him, he flirts right back, twice as hard.

-While you’re out, he doesn’t forget about you, but it seems like he does. He doesn’t check on you. He figures if you need help, you’ll scream.

-Once you’re awake, he’s a little more attentive. He’ll stay close to the room, so he can be right there if you need anything.

Ratchet

-Shut. Up. He almost can’t take it anymore! Trying to decipher your words is like trying to understand human pop culture. It’s impossible, he swears!

-When you get flirty, he rolls his optics. You would say that.

-Once you’re asleep, he’s relieved. He becomes strict about everyone in the base keeping their damned mouths shut.

You sure can! I’m glad you liked the two second drawing, by the way. XD

Soundwave

-You’re babbling all the way home, and he just does not care. he’s not going to talk, so might as well.

-You get flirty, and he just keeps on keepin’ on. He ain’t going to stop.

-While you’re asleep, he’s got constant watch over you, albeit with Laserbeak, cameras, or his own optics.

-When you finally wake, he’s already there with everything you need for a full recovery.

Knockout

-You talk and he joins the conversation with a few “uh-huh”s and “really?”s. This is the most amusing shit ever.

-You get flirty, and he’s flattered, but he already knew he was great. He’s glad that you know it, too, though.

-You sleep, and he leaves you be. It was funny while it lasted, but he understands that you’re probably tired.

-When you wake up, it takes a minute for him to see that you’re up. He makes some sarcastic comment about you sleeping too long, and gives you something to ease the pain.

Breakdown

-You’re chattering on about God-knows-what, and poor Breakdown is just trying to drive you home. Stop distracting him, S/O!

-You say something that sounds like it could be a pick up line, and he has no idea how to respond. He stays silent, and keeps driving, while you move on to the next topic.

-You’re out cold, and he worries. He has no idea what’s going on. He checks on you too much.

-You’re awake, and the tension visibly drops from his shoulders. For the next few weeks, you won’t be alone for a second.

Starscream

-He’s about to blow a damn engine. Shut. The hell. Up.

-You get flirty, and suddenly, he’s okay with your chattiness. He’s flattered by all the compliments embedded in your crappy pick up lines.

-You’re asleep, and he doesn’t check on you at all. He remembers you exists, he just knows you’ll be fine.

-You wake, and he’s all about to kiss up to you for yelling at you on the ride home. Imagine his embarrassment when you don’t remember diddly squat.

Dreadwing

-He tries his best to pay no mind to your talking. It’s just mindless ramblings, and he has more important things to focus on than your meaningless hodgepodge of words.

-You start flirting, and he’s taken aback. That kind of language is hardly appropriate, S/O. Whatever, Captain America.

-While you’re knocked out, he keeps vigilant watch over you, ready and waiting for you to come back around.

This one is a little hard to do, since you pretty much wrote the whole thing for me, but I appreciate all the detail. <3

-You find him in the middle of the desert, while you were looking for a certain plant for a school project. 

-You are weary of this giant thing, at first, but he introduces himself, and informs you of his situation, and you take pity on him.

-You help him look by doing small tasks, moving that over there, bring him this, and looking for that.

-More often than not, you two will talk late into the night, either in person, or over the phone. He will work while you talk, trying to locate his lost t-cog. 

You guys are loving this rose thing! Prowl’s got kind of deep. Parts one and two.

TFP

Megatron

-You give him the rose, and he takes it without much expression.

-You tell him what it means as he carefully examines it, twisting the stem between his digits.

-He nods, and holds it in his hands, which are now behind his back. He goes back to doing what he was before.

-He thinks about the rose, and about you, a lot. He knew he shouldn’t have let an organic into his spark, but he can’t seem to push you out.

-Years later, he has the rose. No one knows where it is, but him.

Predaking

-You give it to him, and he thanks you, though he didn’t know today was a special day that warranted gifts. He apologizes.

-Before he goes off to remedy his lack of a gift, you tell him the purpose of the rose.

-He gruffly nods, and examines the rose with even more chariness.

-He holds it for quite some time, and thinks. He will miss you. He gets angry at the life span difference, but knows there’s nothing he can do.

-After you’ve moved on, he has the rose, and often powers down with it. It’s his greatest treasure.

TFA

Blitzwing

-You give him the gift, and Icy turns it over in his servos. Random laughs, and thanks you for the thought. He’s going to get you fired chicken as a thank you!

-You tell him no thanks, and what the rose is for.

-Icy glides his digits over each individual petal, as you finish your explanation.

-He keeps the rose in his subspace, and thinks of it often, but never pulls it out.

-He has the rose, but can’t look at it without Hothead snapping at everyone for the rest of the day. He misses you.

Prowl

-He’s a little put off by the thought of a plastic rose, but accepts graciously nonetheless.

-You tell him you know he would have preferred real roses, but this rose is special.

-He pulls out a vase as you tell him, and gingerly places it inside. He understands now. He will never scorn plastic roses again.

-He kneels down to face you, and smiles. He promises he’ll always love you.

-Unexpectedly, he dies before you. Jazz remembers Prowl telling him about the rose, and asks you if it’s okay if he’s buried with it. Of course, you agree.  The rose’s meaning still stands, and you think about it a lot. You think about the hurt, the irony, and most of all you think about the love.

Blackarachnia

-Uh, thanks, she guesses. 

-She holds the rose in her hand, which hangs limp at her side, while she listens to your explanation.

-She doesn’t say anything other than “hmn.” She doesn’t know what to say. Her S/O is thinking about her future without them for her.

-She thinks about it a lot. It eats at her, sometimes. She doesn’t realize she spent too much time thinking about the future, until it’s too late.

Hey, there! Thank you very much! It’s not to vague at all! Thank you!

-He likes to hold you. A lot. Heaven forbid you walk on the ground. If you ask, he’ll put you down, but like hell he’s going to leave you on a Decepticon warship by yourself.

-Once you explain to him that humans don’t operate the same way that Cybertronians do, he begins to reason that humans need different things. He begins watching television for research, and begins asking you weird questions like, “Is she born with it, or is it Maybelline?”

-He wants you to be happy and healthy above all. He makes it his goal to treasure you in a way that will make you feel like you are the center of his universe (which you are).

-He does his best to rely on human traditions, mostly because he doesn’t know any Cybertronian ones, but also because he wants to do right by you.