NixaLynn

I saw this while scrolling through Instagram. It was a post on profile jojo.nick_wilde. Not sure if they’re the original artist or who is, but know that I think it’s amazing work! This crossover was too cute not to share. I love how Judy and Carmelita are super serious about finding their counterparts while Maid Marian and Diane are like, “Yeah, I know where you are, and I still love you, babe.”

Makes me think of a couple of posts I did a few years ago discussing what I think a crossover among these characters would look like:

1. Dancing Parallels

2. Interactions they’d have

Part 1: Long masc hairstyles + playing with fades

it may take me a month to put out a chapter but at least im not using ai to write it.

it may take me a month to put out a chapter but at least im not using ai to write it.

it may take me a month to put out a chapter but at least im not using ai to write it.

it may take me a month to put out a chapter but at least im not using ai to write it.

I Never use Ai in my writing.

Asking for ideas with minor few words to help spark ideas when stuck on a scene is a reference. Anything searching and / or made for helping writers to get an idea when having writers block is refernce to as a Helping Tool.

Helping tools are what AI in these cases Should be used for.

The Moment you Copy and Paste its AI written. You didn’t write that you took it, that is a fact!

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.

I cant deal with this man, this is now a solid headcannon of mine, it just explains too much.

We’ve seen it with Bee’s T-cog, we’ve seen it with the Scraplet episode, Optimus even called him out that time but Ratchet just brushed it off. We’ve heard him say it multiple times, Ratchet just simply does not believe he does enough. He believes he is not worth nearly as much as any of the others, and it breaks my heart.

He often says or imply’s things like, “I am no soldier, I’m just a medic.” or, “They need it more than I do. This shouldn’t be wasted on me.” And its AWFUL!!

It make so much sense, and it matches up so well with his character and his behavior that I’m questioning what about makes it seem so not cannon. I mean, we saw presumably his Energon levels on the screen thing he had, maybe this is more than just a fan theory? 

It would explain nearly everything about his character. Like @adhesivesandscrap said, Ratchet moves slowly, and carefully, he’s always grumpy and irritable. Those are likely behaviors that someone purposely starving themselves would experience. He’s probably sore and tired and I bet everything aches. Can you really blame him for his attitude if he constantly feels like this? 

And you know what? I bet you Ratchet 100% knows, more than anybody actually, how bad this is for him physically and mentally. That’s why he hides it from everyone. He knows this is destroying him, but he still believes that this is good, that he is protecting his team this way and the only one getting hurt is him, so it doesn’t. matter.

I kept trying to think of ways that the others could’ve found out about this, and although it doesn’t seem likely, I considered this. 

Imagine the Autobots keep a log of their Energon supply. How much Energon they have is counted and logged, and whenever someone takes some they punch into the computer what time they took some and exactly how much they took. This way, they always know how much they have and how much everyone is taking without having to go to the back room and count or having to do checkups all the time. All the Autobots, including Ratchet use this system.

Normally Ratchet is the one manning the log and there isn’t really a reason for anyone else to check them. But what if, for one reason or another, Optimus checked them.

Now I don’t know how often Transformers need to refill their Energon, but lets pretend every like.. I don’t know, every 7-9 Earth days or so depending on the bot, would need another full refill because they’re getting a bit low right? So Optimus could’ve checked the log, without Ratchet’s knowledge, and discovered that the last time Ratchet took some Energon was about two weeks ago, and it was barley a drop.

A pit probably formed in Optimus’s tanks when he saw that, Ratchet is very punctual, he is a perfectionist after all. So there’s no way Ratchet could’ve.. well maybe he just forgot to log in that one time.. right?

But then Optimus could piece it together. Ratchet’s slow movements, his constantly irritated state, his refusal to talk about his Energon levels or current physical state, simply brushing it off with a cold, “I’m fine.” It would explain too much. And Ratchet would do that, he would absolutely starve himself if it meant more security for his team.

What would Optimus even do? Would he confront him? Or would he leave it knowing that Ratchet’s mind couldn’t be changed? If he did confront Ratchet, what would Ratchet do? What would he say?

Would he lie? And say he had no idea? Or that it was just a one time thing? Or that he forgot? Or would he just admit to it because he trusts Optimus? Would he say, “I know this is hurting me, but you must understand Optimus, I need to do this. The others need me to do this. Its not fair to them if I take more than I need.” I don’t know how likely this is, but if Optimus was like, ‘no, this isn’t cool man, you need to take more Energon, that’s an order.’, would Ratchet do as ordered? Or would he refuse to listen?

Ratchet has the utmost respect for Optimus, that much is very clear. So would he really listen if Optimus told him to take more? Maybe he would fight it by saying, “Don’t make me take it! The others need it more than I. I can function just fine like this, why would I take more? I’d just waste it! W-What if one of them returns to base bleeding out? And we don’t have enough Energon?? I cant let that be my fault!” He wouldn’t be angry, at Optimus or himself, he would be scared. Not being able to bear the grief and guilt of loosing another team mate and having it be his fault.

Or maybe even!– Something I haven’t even considered is if Ratchet doesn’t know how bad it is for him. Maybe he’s lied to himself for so long saying that he doesn’t need a full tank of Energon that he’s begun to believe it himself!

Ratchet could be 100% convinced that what he’s doing is very good, so he doesn’t even recognize it as a problem or the reason why he feels so awful all the time. I like to consider myself a rather rational person, but I have so been there and done that. I used to do things that were destroying my mental health and believed that it was okay and healthy. I mean, I’m still doing those things but at least I know its bad now- MY POINT IS, Ratchet could probably believe that what he’s doing is completely rational and okay. It’s protecting his team so its automatically is a good thing right?

And all of this aside, Ratchet being aware of how bad this is for him or not, just take a second to imagine how bad Optimus would feel if he found out about this.

To find out that his dear friend has resorted to self inflicted starvation to protect and provide Energon for his team mates. How long has Ratchet been doing this? How long has his old friend been suffering like this? How much pain is he really in because of this? What other bots are suffering in complete silence? If he couldn’t see this pain and self destruction in one of his closest and oldest friends, then whats to say the others aren’t suffering as well? Ratchet doesn’t have to do that, but he does anyway. And can Optimus really deny that it isn’t helping? He could say its not worth it, but its helping isn’t it?

He’d probably be so conflicted and upset. Ratchet would probably tell him its okay that he’s not worth the worry.

Ratchet would justify his voluntary starvation by saying, “I’m put to best use here, at the base. This is where I am needed. I don’t move much at all, and I don’t fight. And when I do, its few and far in between, and normally its not for very long at all. I simply do not need the extra Energon. The others need it so much more than I. I can survive on the bare minimum, they cannot.” 

And despite how bad it sounds, Ratchet is right. He doesn’t need to have a full tank 100% of the time because he isn’t a fighter. But Ratchet is still a big bot, he’s much larger than the others and most certainly requires more than he’s taking.. but he’s not a fighter. he’s just a medic. He technically doesn’t absolutely have to have the extra Energon, but this all exposes just how lowly Ratchet thinks of himself none the less. And it just- I- it makes me- it makes me wanna-

This was meant to be just a doodle but it got out of hand?

OOOH, I'm free to post this now!! Here's my two pieces for the @jndzine , which came out beautifully in the final physical product. As an added bonus, I'll thrown in the background on its own too! Imagine the mysteries of the world looking down on you through inhuman eyes, judging you and your worth.

I can finally post this! 8D I think I started working on it in, like...July? But now the zine is out and it is full of art by so many incredible people! I didn't get to hang out in the Discord with everyone as much as I would have liked, but I am so honored to have gotten to work with all of these wonderfully talented people! You can see more of the art and join an auction for the last physical copies of the zine (which are amazing btw) below:

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/jndzine

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jndzine.bsky.social