#not to mention it also sucks when a character is deeply traumatized and psychologically scarred

[lord-squiggletits]

The thing about the fandom headcanon that calls Pharma Ratchet's crazy ex and treats him like some sort of stalker or intrusion on Ratchet's love life (usually with Drift) is that

On one level, it's already annoying when a perfectly fine/interesting character is reduced to nothing but "bitter ex getting in the way of The Actual OTP" because it simplifies the character to only exist as a satellite to someone's ship (the bitter loser who can't let go/doesn't deserve person A/etc) instead of having their own life going on.

But when it comes to Pharma it's particularly annoying because it reduces Pharma to "the crazy stalker/bitter ex", framing Pharma as if he's the villain ruining Ratchet's life with his inability to just let go,

When in actual canon it was Ratchet who was best friends with Pharma their whole life (they're even shown together in the Functionist Universe). Ratchet who ditched Pharma with barely a word of goodbye (before Delphi, and ironically the same conversation where Pharma asked Ratchet if he should accept the station at Delphi). And it was Ratchet who asked Drift if he was scared of going into DJD territory as an ex-Decepticon, but treated Pharma like scum for killing patients under threat of being murdered by the DJD. And Ratchet who stole Pharma's hands. And Ratchet who tried to manipulate Pharma by using his deepest insecurities against him on Luna-1.

It's not like Pharma is some rando who Ratchet barely knew. They were BEST FRIENDS whose friendship was severed on a really messy note. Pharma has every right to be invested in a relationship/friendship that almost literally lasted he and Ratchet's entire life. It sucks when people implicitly treat Pharma as if he's obsessed and should just move on when the reality is that it was Ratchet who first terminated their relationship with no explanation or even a goodbye (pre Delphi) and then with leaving Pharma to die and then stealing his hands (post-Delphi). So is Pharma really "obsessed" or is he just understandably upset about being betrayed by the person who should've known and cared about him the most?

So like, it's really annoying when Ratchet has so many flaws in canon and questionable ways he treated Pharma, but the fandom just calls Pharma a crazy stalker ex as if Pharma is the freak who's overreacting and mentally insane while Ratchet is just some guy who was only minding his own business. To me it's not even a matter of shipping, it's just the fact that Ratchet DID handle his relationship with Pharma super fucking poorly. And I really wish more people in the fandom acknowledged that instead of framing Pharma as the evil/crazy/overly attached one for being upset about being ditched. Pharma has reasons to be pissed off and driven to get revenge on Ratchet, and even if his romantic feelings towards Ratchet might play somewhat of a role, Pharma is way more than just some stalker ex who's evil because he's crazy and wants Ratchet to be his boyfriend.

I mean Pharma literally says on the page that the reasons he's angry at Ratchet are for ruining his plans at Delphi and for stealing his hands. Even though Pharma-as-Adaptus orders Drift shot later in LL, it's not explicitly framed as some romantic jealousy and could also just as easily be construed as Pharma getting revenge for Drift cutting his hands off. I don't think Pharma ever even talks about or mentions Drift in the entire story. It's very clear that Pharma's beef/obsession with Ratchet is entirely between him and Ratchet and Drift is only a footnote in all of the reasons Pharma is pissed off.

[fiendishfyre]

@seriousbrat You're right on corporal punishment, while it is a form of abuse, I was separating it from the kind we see Wally inflict on Sirius with the curse or like hitting him enough to bleed and leave scars. I like the tag where you mentioned Orion using it for disciplinary and that it's controlled. Unlike the unhinged depiction we get of him and mainly Wally using curses to get their points across. But I wasn't equating them to being progressive for not doing physical abuse, they are morally superior and why sully their hands and do that? Plus I think they'd not want to mark a body. That is only for muggles,muggleborns/etc, people they don't care for, *if* the occasion arouse to actually do that. They weren't DE's so I don't see them as pro needless violence. Now that isn't to say I am also taking away them not using magic on the kids but never such extreme length. Me personally I am in murky water, i can see them using a lifting spell to get like Sirius up and into his room if he refuses. Or use a silencing charm to ignore him. (RIP Sirius, still sucks again.) But as Artemis said, I think you don't *need* to have physical abuse to justify a character having been abused, it can often be written in a way that showed they took the lazy route. No nuance or anything. And also I think it can disregard the trauma of verbal/emotional/psychological trauma. They pick physical abuse because that's the face of abuse when in reality it's not and you can be scarred deeply without every having a hand raised at you. Wow, sorry if I sound like I am arguing, I liked your points and taking it into consideration and how to phrase things better. I am bad at it. I am a #moron. Can dm me! If ya want to explain things better or your hcs/views, would love to hear.

Editing: adding in just a general gripe I have is this need to make a characters life more crappy, Sirius already had it rough and I'm not saying don't write him going through it. But I see they make it worst for the sake of it and it added nothing or to make him extremely ooc (out of character) and this traumatized small, sad boi. The man, even after Azzy tried his damn best and was def more kept together than we give him credit for considering what he's been through and would continue to go through. I'll stop, I really can go on about Sirius. But also again, seeing others reblogs, love the mention of complex family. The Blacks really are! It is interesting when they are given time to be shown that way and not *evil mum* and *horrid father*.

it is the year of our lord 2024 and people are still out there claiming that sirius black was abused with the cruciatus curse as fact.