>>104269053I’ve always seen Prowl as calm, practical, and extremely professional by nature. A determined hard worker, and a ‘no personal business on the job’ kind of person. Also, I usually give him a huge streak of stubborn pride, to go with the professionalism. No matter what it is –health problems, personal problems, what-have-you, Prowl does not like being seen as weak and does not like the implication that he is not fit to do something. He has an important job in the Autobot ranks –a tactician/commander/second-in-command (depending on the story). It’s a job that requires him to be rational and on top of it at all times –he doesn’t have the option of getting seriously hurt or “losing it”.
In my head, Prowl’s afraid of losing it. He’s from the same city as Bluestreak, and Bluestreak is obviously slightly cracked from all that he’s seen. Prowl’s probably seen more. So Prowl, instead of expressing all his pain and anger and feelings about the war, dives deep into his professionalism and stubbornness and ignores it all. He has a job to do, and personal business doesn’t mix with work.
Only, he overdoes it. Big time, and it turns into it’s own brand of crazy. He’s so professional that he gets a reputation for coldness, and people start taking shots at him because of it. He’s so afraid of manifesting his crazy for everyone to see, or cracking under pressure when he’s most needed, that he avoids personal relationships. Except, some people know him better than that.
Jazz is one of those people.
Jazz can (or has decided to) see past Prowl’s reputation. He digs his heels in and refuses to be turned off by Prowl’s professionalism. He learns to read Prowl’s body language for the things Prowl doesn’t (or won’t) say out loud, and in doing so discovers that Prowl is funnier and more expressive than he is at first glance. He’s just subtle about it. Jazz is a showman, sure, but as a spy he can dig subtle.
