listen listen I 100% understand the appeal of characterizing Tailgate as a sweet little blueberry muffiny marshmallow sunshine child to contrast against Cyclonus’s more brooding, darker nature (like, from a writing standpoint, the Opposites Attract thing can be REALLY good)
but like, isn’t it even FUNNER when you write Tailgate how he is in canon? that is to say, a marshmallow that could probably hold a grudge for centuries if given the chance, who, much like a cat or a badger, is ready to throw down no questions asked at a moment’s notice
I guess that might be up to interpretation but, the way I see it it’s not decided at random at all.
it 100% depends on the way you treat him and the way he sees you act.
I mean yeah, Cyclonus dropped him on the floor and wasn’t very nice or personable but – he picked Tailgate up and helped get him to safety in their room when he really didn’t have to, no one would have blamed him for leaving him behind like basically everyone else.
He only attacks either people he’s told to attack (DecepticonsTyrest) or people who hurt him or people he cares about.
Yeah, he can be childish and naïve as a result of his lack of experience but it kind of annoys me when people take it as him being irrational…
So I’ve been re-reading MTMTE (because if I re-read my tradebacks the series isn’t over, right?) and I’m so mad I can’t believe Tailgate actually called Whirl ‘Nutjob’. I thought Getaway was making shit up…
it’s not his fault! that was what Swerve told him he was called:
I’m more amazed that in all the times Tailgate had been calling him that – and there were A LOT of times all throughout the comics – NO ONE EVER CORRECTS HIM
One of my absolute favorite things about lost light #25 is how almost everyone had a major shift in life – either lost a loved one, published their life work, fallen ill, etc…
And then you have Tailgate and Cyclonus, blissfully unaware of ANY of this, just dropping from off-world…
Like, you can’t convince me that they didn’t spend the last however many ages have passed on the world’s longest and sappiest honeymoon.
And then immediately upon their return to reunite with old friends at a funeral they repay the mess of a mech that got them together in the first place by basically adopting him as soon as they find out he isn’t coping very well.
Rewind: I think you’ve had more than enough high-grade for the night. C’mon buddy, let’s get you back to your hab suite.
Way to play yourself, Tailgate. I always thought the minibots’ interactions (esp. Tailgate’s and Rewind’s) were sweet. I love their friendship, and all the friendships in MTMTE! Someday I’ll write out the fic I had in mind for Tailgate and Rewind, but for now, a comic will have to do.
Anyways, happy Lost Light Fest! I knew I wouldn’t be able to participate in the traditional way (primarily since I’m still learning how to draw these darn bots) but I wanted to express my love of the series before it ended. Thanks for creating such a wonderful narrative, JRO. This comic’s done a lot for me, and my life is better from having read it. For people who haven’t had the pleasure of reading Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye yet, I heartily recommend it! It’s got a sweet, exciting, and heartfelt story with gorgeous artwork and characters I absolutely adore. It’s also got great representation with multiple canon gay / lesbian / trans characters, and it handles the topic of mental illness really well. It’s a pretty forgiving starting point for people who are new to Transformers too. MTMTE was my first TF comic, and it cemented my love of Transformers! If you want more info about the comic / where to start, lookhere.
I saw some people post about how it was Tailgate that realized the planet-sized flaw in the plan and that got me thinking because, despite what most people (including myself initially), Tailgate is actually incredibly smart:
In mtmte #5, after Tailgate decides to become an Autobot and starts learning the Autobot’s code, Ultra Magnus informs us of a couple of important details about what said learning would entail:
A ten thousand pages military manual.
which they’ll go through “word by word, line by line" while analyzing each and every one of them “subjecting them to a series of ethical stress tests of philological ambiguity”.
Now I’m no expert on the matter but I did a little googling and the estimated amount of pages a law school student reads in a year is between 7,500 – 8,000.
which means Tailgate should rightfully be terrified considering that Ultra Magnus then followed it up with this:
A FEW WEEKS.
Tailgate is expected to cover more than a year of law school’s worth of reading material in great detail and deep understanding in A FEW WEEKS.
And the crazy thing is?
HE DOES. he passes the test.
Now they are 2 things you might say to dismiss this incredible fit of his:
1. Every Autobot must have studied it, can’t be that hard, right?
OH NO.
Everybody who didn’t need UM personal approval to become an Autobot learned the abridged version. I mean look at the standard Autobot. they did not go to law school to get there. sorry.
2. He says himself it wasn’t a good grade.
that might be it if you don’t take into account a very important fact:
Tailgate is a terrible speller.
not surprising considering he’s a very low-class bot, with probably less advanced linguistic programs. (which I am personally headcanoning as robo-dyslexia).
now I defy you to tell me Ultra fragging Magnus won’t take away points for misspellings. I DARE you.
AND HE STILL PASSED.
so yeah. he might not be Perceptor or Brainstorm or Nautica but Tailgate of Rivets field is one brilliant little minibot.
I love how Cyclonus is jumping, ready for action with his great sword, while Tailgate is daintly being held and put gently on the ground.
Find someone that will look at you the way Cyclonus looks at Tailgate 😍
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