I got to the end there and all I could do was stare and make incoherent noises that probably sounded like "ah", "erg", and "murgle". Pretty much the response I was going for. ;)
I really am very fond of the way you write Ratchet. He's always tempermental, but it is unique that you allow his temper to be only a single aspect of his personality. I liked seeing his gentler side in this chapter. Ratch and WJ have a lot in common, and not just mad repair skillz. Part of it is a repair 'Bot thing - you have to have a degree of detachment when you're putting the pieces of your friends back together day after day. They get along because both understand that the macho tough-guy act is a front, and why it's there, so what seems like a contentious relationship is in fact a very close one. The fact that Ratchet's "mask" slips as often as it does in regards to Wheeljack's situation reveals just how profoundly he's been affected by it.
Strange as it may seem, I also like how poorly he deals with 'Jack's issues through out. I'm sure somebody will say "But he's a doctor! He should know how to council someone whose been raped!" I was also worried someone might think that, but you're exactly right. Ratchet is having a hard time dealing for a couple of reasons. The first is because (P&P) rape is very uncommon among TFs in my headcanon, especially not rape-via-uplink where the victim is forced to "enjoy" it. (This is why TB doesn't look at WJ's odd behavior and conclude, oh, he must have been raped.) Because an uplink allows both mechs to feel the other's emotions, rape is about as much fun for the rapist as it is for the victim (unless they're the sort of twisted individual who gets off on fear and disgust) and when it does occur, it's usually done for practical interrogation purposes. WJ's is a very unusual case in that respect. The second reason involves Ratchet's personal feelings for 'Jack - he knows how to deal with rape on a medical level, but he lacks the necessary degree of detachment to play therapist to WJ because he's empathizing far too much with his best friend's pain, and WJ is resisting his efforts because he fears losing Ratchet's respect. Ratchet can clearly see what WJ is doing in that final scene, but he can't bring himself to shatter what little remains of 'Jack's virtually non-existent sexual self-esteem by refusing him. He's also rather idealistically hoping that he can somehow "heal" Wheeljack by reminding him he's still desirable. It's a romantic notion, one he's too emotionally involved to recognize for the wishful thinking that it is.
I do hope you finish you seeker series, I was very curious how that would end. I plan to, but I think I'm going to jump right into the next chapter of "Atlantis" first, just to avoid forcing my brain to switch gears. The conclusion is coming, though, and I hope you enjoy it when it does.
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dancing_serpent
Re: Teh Ramblings
Date: 2010-02-11 02:41 pm (UTC)I really am very fond of the way you write Ratchet. He's always tempermental, but it is unique that you allow his temper to be only a single aspect of his personality. I liked seeing his gentler side in this chapter. Ratch and WJ have a lot in common, and not just mad repair skillz. Part of it is a repair 'Bot thing - you have to have a degree of detachment when you're putting the pieces of your friends back together day after day. They get along because both understand that the macho tough-guy act is a front, and why it's there, so what seems like a contentious relationship is in fact a very close one. The fact that Ratchet's "mask" slips as often as it does in regards to Wheeljack's situation reveals just how profoundly he's been affected by it.
Strange as it may seem, I also like how poorly he deals with 'Jack's issues through out. I'm sure somebody will say "But he's a doctor! He should know how to council someone whose been raped!"
I was also worried someone might think that, but you're exactly right. Ratchet is having a hard time dealing for a couple of reasons. The first is because (P&P) rape is very uncommon among TFs in my headcanon, especially not rape-via-uplink where the victim is forced to "enjoy" it. (This is why TB doesn't look at WJ's odd behavior and conclude, oh, he must have been raped.) Because an uplink allows both mechs to feel the other's emotions, rape is about as much fun for the rapist as it is for the victim (unless they're the sort of twisted individual who gets off on fear and disgust) and when it does occur, it's usually done for practical interrogation purposes. WJ's is a very unusual case in that respect.
The second reason involves Ratchet's personal feelings for 'Jack - he knows how to deal with rape on a medical level, but he lacks the necessary degree of detachment to play therapist to WJ because he's empathizing far too much with his best friend's pain, and WJ is resisting his efforts because he fears losing Ratchet's respect. Ratchet can clearly see what WJ is doing in that final scene, but he can't bring himself to shatter what little remains of 'Jack's virtually non-existent sexual self-esteem by refusing him. He's also rather idealistically hoping that he can somehow "heal" Wheeljack by reminding him he's still desirable. It's a romantic notion, one he's too emotionally involved to recognize for the wishful thinking that it is.
I do hope you finish you seeker series, I was very curious how that would end. I plan to, but I think I'm going to jump right into the next chapter of "Atlantis" first, just to avoid forcing my brain to switch gears. The conclusion is coming, though, and I hope you enjoy it when it does.