#which makes me wonder what even is the overall opinion on rattrap

[quetzalpapalotl]

So I was reading the TV tropes character page (something one is wise to never do) for exrid and lists adaptational villainy under Rattrap, says that he isn't a jerk with a heart of gold like in BW and the whole thing describes him as just a self-serving bastard. Which I don't agree with at all and I'm gonna rant about it

IDW Rattrap is actually a very good translation of Rattrap in the IDW world methinks. Because of the nature of the story, most good guys are far more morally questionable than their kids media counterparts, and Rattrap is no exception to this. So yeah, he is worse in that sense.

Now, Beast Wars Rattrap is often a jerk and someone who plays up his own cowardly nature, and certainly doesn't want to take risks if the odds don't look good to him. But he knows the extent of his skill and actually enjoys himself a lot when he's playing to his talents, and more importantly will end up taking those risk for the sake of his friends or the greater good.

Rattrap's skillset is not that of a straighforward hero, he's okay at figthing directly, but what he excells at is sneaking around, taking advantage of the terrain, figuring situations without a direct approach and he's actually pretty good at deception.

Now the tv tropes seems to believe Starscream when he says Rattrap is in it for the power. But this is Starscream who had just met Rattrap and thought the same of Windblade at first, he projects. Rattrap's actions althought scheming don't seem to indicate he wants to rule anything. What he does is to try to keep Starscream from getting too much power and ruin everything. Most obvious when he teams up with Prowl in combiners wars, despite that having no advantage to him, because he, like Prowl, fears Starscream will eventually try to get an intergalactic empire (which turned not so great because Prowl's plean meant letting all of Camien to die, but Rattrap does kinda seem to regret this if you ask me).

So Rattrap's goal is ultimately to keep Starscream in check for the greater good. But like in BW his methods are not straightforward. He sneaks around, he manipulates, he lies. He can play Starscream's game and lets Starscream believe this means they have the same character. And yes, he does do a lot of bad stuff for the sake of staying near Starscream, where he can keep an eye on him. But again, is not ´purely out of self interest.

#pls don't slander my boy like that #also something someone told me about having a bad impression of bw rattrap bc of idw rattrap in fic #which makes me wonder what even is the overall opinion on rattrap #everyone i know seems to like him?? #quetzal rambles tf