#dratchee

[cutekittenlady]

Steeples fingers.

Okay.

Now what about Lockdown?

One of the best things tfa did was introduce Lockdown who is an insanely fun character with a history with Ratchet, Arcee, and even Prowl and the whole cyber-ninja academy thing.

Which makes any potential tie to Drift already insanely interesting given tfa drift is also associated with the cyber-ninja academy thing and, given my Dratchee throuple shipping, is also connected to Ratchet and Arcee.

Actually I just realized, literally as I'm typing this out, Drift and Lockdown are kinda... opposites in tfa. Like Lockdown was a student of yoketron, implied to have been an autobot, before turning bad and working for the decepticons (tho not explicitly being a member). While Drift used to be a decepticon before defecting and becoming an autobot. Even getting a full body frame change.

LIke, literally any potential conflict between them is made inherently interesting just due to that alone. And there's just so many number of ways for Drift and Lockdown to get into conflict with each other.

They could have a personal history, Drift could get involved in yet another cyber-ninja conflict with Lockdown, hell it could be as simple as Lockdown trying to capture Drift and turn him into the decepticons. And it would all tie in well with Lockdowns past with Ratchet and Arcee so so nicely.

I mean I don't imagine Ratchet would react well to Lockdown, the guy who caused the whole situation that resulted in Arcees memories getting erased, showing up to take Drift. I don't even think Ratchet would have to even really like Drift at that point for him to want to stop any of that nonsense.

And now I'm envisioning an Arcee, Ratchet, and Omega Supreme team up to rescue Drift from Lockdown. That would be so so cool.

[cutekittenlady]

Y'know if you think about it Drifts first meeting with Ratchet is similar to Ratchets first meeting with Arcee.

Both were short but tense experiences, both drift and Arcee were ratchets patients, and both ended with at least one party being deeply effected by the experience.

Hell in my take Ratchet doesn't even really remember his first meeting with Drift at first so there's even a memory element involved in both cases.

At this point I'm tempted to say Arcee starts liking Drift during a similarly short period of time purely to keep the throuple thematically consistent. This is a trio of older alien war vets who don't fall lightly or often but when they do they fall HARD.

[cutekittenlady]

Dai Atlas and Ratchet aren't really buddy friends or anything but they were both allies in the war and highly respect one another. Dai Atlas isn't initially aware that Drift has feelings for Ratchet (hence why hes gungho about getting Drift and Arcee together) but hes not exactly disappointed when he learns the truth.

"Wait so you're marrying not only one of the best intelligence officers of the great war and original candidate to be bonded to THE Omega Supreme, but also possibly one of the best most reliable medics on the planet!?"

"I... yes?"

"..... So if you don't have a venue the dojo is-"

"Primus dammit Atlas."

"WE NEED THE PR DRIFT!"

[cutekittenlady]

Another Dratchee idea.

Everybody thinks Drift is the youngest member of the throuple. Largely because Ratchet keeps calling him "kid" as do a number of other people.

Also I imagine Drift being a former Decepticon isn't exactly a fact that's advertised. So most people assume hes a younger bot simply because they just don't recognize him.

Which is why I think it'd be funny if he's actually the oldest member of the trio. Like, not by a lot. I think the three are pretty close in age relatively speaking. But like, I like the idea that Drift is secretly the oldest member of the throuple but everyone assumes he's the youngest.

I think Drift himself would play it up because he finds the whole thing halarious.

[cutekittenlady]

Drift would very much be the one in the stages of throuple development who thinks he's the third wheel when in fact he's the very reason the throuple happens AT ALL.

I like to think Arcee and Ratchet like each other but struggle to overcome their own hurdles. Ratchet thinks he's too old and feels it's be wrong to tie Arcee down when she JUST got her life back, and Arcee looks at the grizzled more experienced Ratchet and can't help but wonder how their short time together could possibly compare to the rest of his life.

What they really needed was a stepford smiling wet cat of a man who has only marginally better social skills than Ratchet (which is mostly acting), identity issues out the wazoo, insane fighting capabilities, and the kinda PTSD that would fit right in between these two to bring them all together.

[cutekittenlady]

I like to think Drift won over Arcee because she saw him vertically bisect a dangerous drone to protect her students.

She insists the latter point is why she finally accepted his defection to the autobots, but others can't help but notice the amount of detail she keeps putting into the former.

[cutekittenlady]

How does the Dratchet reunion go?

Not well?

I imagine Drift, somehow, winds up going to Earth for some reason. Maybe he volunteered because he knew Ratchet and crew were stationed there. Dunno. Regardless the important thing is that he goes there without Arcee or Dai Atlas or anyone who might influence Ratchets opinion on him.

Similar to Arcee, Ratchet recognizes Drift as the deadly Decepticon assassin Deadlock. However, while Arcee was able to be coldly professional due to being on Cybertron and having Dai Atlas right there vouching for him, Ratchet has no intention of being civil towards "Deadlock" no matter how much everyone tells him he's change.

As you can probably assume this is both upsetting and frustrating for Drift, and he winds up going out of his way to try and impress Ratchet. Leading to the impression that he's a showoff.

So far for most of this throuples story the consistent theme has largely been "I've known you for less than a day but I already feel a profound connection with you" That was true for Drift towards Ratchet (when he saved the life of D-R1-F7), it was true between Ratchet and Arcee during the war, and more recently it happened between Drift and Arcee on Cybertron. However as hard as I try I can't see the same thing happening for Ratchet towards Drift. There's just too much baggage.

Beyond the fact that Drift was one of the deadliest decepticon killers during the war; Ratchet attaches no special memory to treating D-R1-F7. He was just a warframe he treated for a single day back when he was a student medic. I gurantee he doesn't even attach any special meaning to any of the stuff he said to him that day because it was just the sorta thing he said to a lot of his struggling patients. I can not stress enough that to Ratchet, there was nothing memorable or meaningful about that interaction.

Deeper than that, though, Ratchet is perceptive enough to know that Drift is acting. He's playing up a role. Arcee was perceptive enough to catch that too but, again, she was on Cybertron surrounded by security. She could afford to give Drift a bit of leeway. Ratchet is on earth with way less security and in a bit more of an exposed position as far as the decepticons are concerned. To him it would be just like the decepticons to have a long time spy like Drift (I mean Longarm managed to go undetected for an INSANE amount of time) and pull strings to get him placed on Earth to try and sabotage the team. Especially Omega.

That's the other thing. Omega is on Earth now. There was a lot of back and forth on that with Cybertron I think, but ultimately I think Ratchet won out in letting Omega stay on Earth with him. On one level its because the decepticons have clearly showed that Earth is a target, but on another Ratchet wants to give Omega a chance to be himself away from Cybertrons expectations for him. And naturally he is very protective of the big guy and doesnt want him to come under any undue influence. Like, say, Drift.

So Drift stays on Earth. He slowly wins over the rest of the team, even if theres some hesitancy, with his feats against the decepticons and other threats, his eagerness to please, and, frankly, his acting skills. But Ratchet remains unmoved.

The irony is that the harder Drift tries the less likely Ratchet is to trust him because all he can see is a guy who is suspiciously obsessed with getting Ratchet to LIKE him. No one has ever wanted Ratchet to like them that bad. SUSPICIOUS.

At this point I think Drift would try to remind him of their first meeting out of sheer desperation. To try and rekindle that feeling he felt all those years ago that he desperately wants to be mutual. Thing is, he times it badly. Ratchet may be in a bit of a depressive mood. Maybe being recently reminded of his failures. Specifically that time he saved Oil Slick back during the war. So being told that he'd also saved the bot who would be the future Deadlock doesnt exactly make Ratchet react to the memory with fondness.

Ironically I think the thing that would get Ratchet to start seeing past all that baggage is getting to see Drift drop the act and be himself. Which included all the anger, aggression, and self loathing that he'd been trying to keep suppressed and under control. As well as a sarcastic tongue to match Ratchets own. It's only once he gets to see that, and Drift begins consistently dropping his guard around Ratchet that the two get ANYWHERE in terms of a friendship let alone relationship.

Unfortunately, Drift just can't forget how negatively Ratchet reacted to learning he'd saved his life...

[cutekittenlady]

After kinda discovering the ship last night I have been ruminating on TFA Dratchee (Drift/Ratchet/Arcee) and have officially sold myself on the subject.

LIke, I'll be honest I don't normally ship poly relationships in fiction. It just tends to take a lot for me to be sold on the idea that everyone involved would genuinely enjoy being together and having chemistry. Tfa Dratchee might have a bit of an angle there since Drift, while having a tfa design, was never really properly implemented into the series and so I can kinda go hog wild on adapting him to tfa's universe.

But, like, even with that I can't be the only one who sees it right!?

I mean they're literally a great trifecta!

Ratchets got healing, grit, and a lot of experience Arcee is personable and also intelligent (she was both a teacher and an intelligence officer), and Drifts a badass ninja assassin samurai.

Ratchet is a pessimist, Arcee could be the optimist, while Drifts a realist.

Hell even their personalities I think would be a decent fit. Ratchet is a grouch with an ultimately soft center, Arcee is personable but not really a doormat, while drift is outwardly smily while being kinda depressed inside.

I mean the dynamic is just THERE.

Not to mention if you throw tfa Omega Supreme into the mix it gets even better. Ratchet and Arcee already have a sort of relationship with Omega as his teachers and friends. Sliding Drift in there as a kind of unexpected kindered spirit to the big guys internalized dilemma (wanting to protect but seeming to only be able to destroy).

Hell all three of them are even, technically, similar ages only looking different for various reasons.

Ratchet looking older only because Arcee was in a kinda suspended animation while Drift got a full body frame change.

The only real grey area that isnt fully explored would be the relationship between Drift and Arcee, but I honestly think we'd be able to extrapolate enough info about both characters from various iterations across continuities to be able to think of a dynamic between them.

Like, while tfa Arcee is generally sweet I actually think she'd be VERY careful with Drift starting out. Especially if she knows hes a former decepticon from the start. There wouldn't be a lot of cruelty in it, and I think she'd remain relatively polite and cooperative but it'd be obvious to everyone, including Drift, that she was holding at arms length and treating him with a kind of distant professionalism she never displayed to people she actually trusted.

For Drifts part he would be outwardly very understanding of this while inwardly being intensely frustrated by it. Like, I imagine he has other people like Jazz, Rodimus, Kup, etc who have all accepted that his change to autobot is genuine and he might feel a bit miffed that this kindergarten teacher is giving him dirtier looks than actual members of the high guard.

Course then shit hits the fan and it turns out Arcee never actually dropped that war time training she received and Drift gets to see first hand what a reliable, responsive, and intelligent officer she really is, and in turn maybe Arcee gets more of an opportunity to see how genuine Drifts turn towards autobot is.

And all that is way before either of them realize they both have a history with Ratchet.

I dunno, I'm literally just musing about this idea at random because, again, I just couldn't find ANY content for it when I looked.