#the Cygate person

[novafire-is-thinking]

Joining a fandom late/during a dry spell is a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, things are pretty chill and there isn’t much of a hurry to consume the newest show or comic.

On the other hand, the chance of establishing oneself as the expert on certain characters is slim to none.

[primal-con]

More fairy tale AU! This time featuring Cygate and Jazzwave because I’m predictable

[litaviee]

More panel-posting! Today’s issue is

🪩 Robot Disco Time 🎉

Chromedome and rewind should win dance couple of the year for all the funky moves theyre doing

Also if you block out the music playing throughout the issue, you can hear all the cygate fans crying and wailing in the background! (Its me I’m crying and wailing)

Was a very fun read. I personally think robots should dance more

[noxer]

"Getaway - from hero to zero"

DISCLAIMER: Everything expressed is a subjective opinion that does not claim to be true or significant, I am not justifying anyone, and all this is necessary to simply examine one character under a magnifying glass.

I really love Getaway as a character because you can endlessly interpret him and his actions, even though he only appears in MTMTE and LL, which I remember were written by the same writing team. Getaway is interesting as an antagonist, especially since at first he is presented as a rather likeable character, and at the time of the events of MTMTE his motivation is still quite understandable. And the fact that it's getting such a negative reaction shows how well it's written (or how much people like Cygate). And he’s so pathetic that I want to tenderly bite his head off. So I want to put together what we have on this special agent and see what he’s like. After all, despite the fact that he is revealed to us in comics, we can only guess about many details, since the writers could not show everything as it is, so as not to disrupt the intrigue.

First steps

The only thing we know about Getaway's past is his telling Tailgate about his first battle, from which the newly activated Getaway escaped. I don’t want to analyze specifically the act itself, because it is quite difficult to judge whether this escape was justified or not (pro - what else did the Autobots expect from a newborn?; con - the other MTO, it seems, remained to fight). I want to talk more about the impact of this act on Getaway's personality. Because Getaway is definitely ashamed of what happened, since it doesn’t fit into the image he wants to create. The only reason he shares this story with Tailgate is to a) make Tailgate feel sorry for him; b) instill in Tailgate an even greater sense of hostility towards Decepticons; c) a kind of therapy - he needs to share this with someone, and he doesn’t feel an emotional attachment to Tailgate, that is, he doesn’t care what he thinks about him, plus, Tailgate still has to die according to the plan, which means he’s already won't tell anyone anything.

Shame in most cases leads to anger, either at oneself or at others. Getaway chooses the second, and begins to slowly accumulate resentment and anger towards both the Autobots and the Decepticons, that is, towards those who started this war and thus forced him to be born as a soldier. In addition, the feeling that he is now forever branded a coward lays the first bricks of Getaway's exorbitant ambitions, as a way to make amends for his initial transgression. Let's add to this the very status of Getaway as literally a consumable item - the fact that he could die in the first minutes of his life was quite expected. Then attempts to become something big become a matter not only of ambition, but also of banal survival, because a specialist is less likely to be sent directly under fire than an ordinary soldier.

Diplomatic corps

We know almost nothing about Getaway’s work in the special unit. What I want to highlight here is Getaway's attitude towards Prowl. He clearly has a certain respect for him, and we have no reason to believe that this respect is feigned, if only because Getaway's behavior is in many ways a copy of Prowl's, only a little more inept. Getaway tries to manipulate like Prowl, tries to scheme like Prowl, but since he has less experience being the one who plans the operations rather than the one who executes them, things do not go entirely smoothly. Honestly, I can't get out of my head the image of Prowl berating Getaway not for attempted mutiny, but for how clumsy it was.

I mean, his entire plan rested on one Tailgate, and if something happened (and it did), all, literally all the threads would lead to Getaway. Getaway tries to be smart and accurate, but in the end his actions still amount to brutal blows to the head (sometimes literally), simply because that's how Getaway is used to acting. He is an operative, not a tactician or strategist. He acts here and now, with small goals like “kill X”, “successfully escape”, “survive”, and when fate confronts him with the need for long-term planning, Getaway simply cannot cope. No matter how manipulative the scriptwriters make him out to be, for the most part Getaway behaves almost instinctively. I highlight this this way because a similar pattern of “a small person (bot) trying to seem like something big” is clearly visible in Getaway’s behavior almost always. He tries to be an Autobot, but escapes from his first battle. He tries to be an "evil genius", but in the end, all his plans fail and he gets through only through luck and evil chaotic throwing, in the hope that something will work. He wants to become Prime, but does everything to ensure that his name is associated with this title as little as possible. Getaway may be a villain, but he's primarily a failed villain, not a villain with a plan.

"Primus apotheosis" - or similar symptoms?

I'm actually very wary of the whole "primus apotheosis" situation, because it was only added in LL, and therefore there are some doubts and inconsistencies with MTMTE, but more on that a little later. What do we know at all: there are certain signs that distinguish Prime from among ordinary bots, and Getaway, having discovered them in himself, becomes fixated on this. Why is that? Back to the “I’m-more-than-I-seem” pattern. For Getaway, it is important to be more significant than he is, so much so that he is ready to cling to semi-mythical descriptions just to feel better. In fact, these signs are no better than some “aryan standards” - they are just an easy way to gain superiority over others. For Getaway, “primus apotheosis” is only a consequence of his ambitions and inferiority complex, which took this form due to the war surrounding him and a certain “cult of Prime” that reigned among the Autobots. Since 1) i am a doctor not in the field of psychology, 2) we have no information about the Cybertronian psyche, 3) Freud’s diagnoses is not the most reliable, in principle, it is difficult to say whether Getaway actually has such a disorder, but if yes, it fits perfectly into his image.

Also, the “primus apotheosis” fits into another aspect of Getaway’s personality – his rather contradictory relationship with their god. The Autobots, unlike the Decepticons, in some places still retain a somewhat functional attitude, as well as faith in Primus. From this point of view, Getaway is in a rather unenviable position - he is a MTO who ran away from his battle, that is, in some sense, did not fulfill his function, he is constructed cold, that have long been considered second-class, he is a murderer, no matter what he said. And Getaway simultaneously hates Primus for who he created him, who he forced him to be, and longs for recognition and forgiveness from him. Becoming a Prime was about affirming that he was worthy, that he was forgiven, that everything he had done was right. Because if sinners like Optimus and Rodimus could become Primes, then so could Getaway.

Mutiny

We already know that Getaway hates his origins, and this anger is constantly projected onto others, but especially Megatron. The logical chain is as follows: “if you had not started the war, I would not have been created as MTO, I would not have had to become what I became, I would not have had to prove my right to life, I could have been like others.” For Getaway, Megatron is another obstacle to being as valuable as the others. He dared to start this war, and made Getaway's life like this. I also wonder if Getaway might see killing Megatron as some kind of “redemption”? "I killed the greatest monster in our history, something previous Primes couldn't do, I'm not that hopeless, right?" However, even if you remove the specific reasons, Getaway will still have the motivation to get rid of Megatron, because of whom many, many cybertronians died. Removing the one who started and supported the most destructive war of your species away sounds like a good reason. And Getaway does everything for this purpose, at least until the ill-fated events of LL.

Crucial moment

The difference between Getaway MTMTE and Getaway LL is quite noticeable. In MTMTE, Getaway is motivated precisely by his hatred of Megatron as a military leader; his “primus apotheosis” was only added into LL. In MTMTE, Getaway really was a mini-Prowl - he had a completely understandable and even justified motivation - to get rid of an objectively dangerous crew member - which he solves in a not the most humane way, using Tailgate. Getaway in MTMTE has a lot of likeable traits until we are gradually introduced to his slightly less pleasant sides, making it difficult for us to know how to feel about him. Yes, he put one of the beloved characters in danger, but he did it for a reason we can understand. We get asked a pretty tough question, which is great, right?

Now forget all this. Because in LL, Getaway does terrible things for terrible reasons, and his “primus apotheosis” is revealed, and it just becomes difficult for us to respect him at least as a villain.

But why is this even the case?

Doylist explanation

It was vital to the writers that the core cast was Always Right™. In MTMTE, it was quite easy to sympathize with Getaway (unless you are a fierce fan of Tailgate and Cygate). And since the main goal was the redemption of Megatron, Getaway had to be removed. Because Getaway's character asked this question: "Maybe Megatron can redeem himself. Maybe he deserves it. But what if we, who suffered from his decisions, are physically unable to forgive him after all? Don't we deserve our good ending?" And the writers didn't have an answer to that question (because there's no right answer). And they had to make Getaway much worse so that readers would not have the slightest desire to understand and and accept his ideas.

Watsonian explanation

Getaway has really, truly gone crazy. He has currently spent some time in a cell, unable to move or speak, having previously been held captive by Tyrest for an undetermined amount of time. Yes, Getaway is an operative, his psyche must be prepared, but everyone has their own limit of strength. Getaway later leaves the team at the mercy of DJD because they were the ones who threw him into the cell, even though he was doing them a favor by getting rid of Megatron. Thus, he allows his partner and friend to die, which is also unlikely to contribute to mental health. And as time goes on, Getaway's actions become increasingly desperate and insane in an attempt to survive and reach Cyberutopia, where he hopes he can find forgiveness for all the terrible things he has done. In the end, his last actions are, in order, 1) an attempt to blow up the ship along with himself; 2) unsuccessful suicide attempt; 3) an absolutely senseless attack on Cyclonus, either out of desperation or in the hope that he would kill him; 4) he lost his sense of reality so much that he believed the illusion created by the scraplet colony. By the end of LL, Getaway is more of a hunted animal than the calculating saboteur he was in MTMTE.

Bottom line

So what do we get in the bottom line? Getaway was destined from birth to become a bargaining chip in a conflict to which he had nothing to do. His unsuccessful "debut" began his quest to become something significant, in the hopes that others would forget who he was. Prowl gives him this opportunity, which is why Getaway begins to see him as a role model, adopting his worldview, ways of acting and attitude towards others. At the same time, Getaway “grows up” in an environment where some stereotypes and prejudices, including religious ones, still persist, and there is also an idealized figure of Prime. Since his promotion to special agent has hardly changed anything for Getaway about himself, he becomes fixated on the supposed signs (perhaps with the occasional intervention from Skids), although most of the time he "keeps it under control" until something serious happens. Getaway has loyalties and principles, he can have feelings towards others, and I don't believe his attempts to kill Megatron were always purely selfish. But Getaway puts these feelings aside in favor of “more important things,” because the fear of being a nobody again, of being just MTO running away from battle, is stronger than all his attachments. Getaway is a terrible (and rather unhappy) bot, not because he has always been like this, as they tried to present it in LL, but because between real significance - being important to someone - he chooses false significance - being important to everyone, which the same as being important to no one. It is still easier for Getaway to run away, chasing something illusory, than to fight for something important. And no one is to blame for this but him.

[transformersbrainrot]

"Monster" from Distant Lands: Obsidian works so well as a Cygate theme

It works especially well for my headcanoned version of Cyclonus—who is the one singing if it wasn't obvious.

In my version of events, he was a cybertronian from the golden age, a crew member of Nova Prime's ship, the Proudstar. When the Proudstar was sucked into the Dead Universe, Nova Prime sent Cyclonus to bring the Matrix back to Cybertron because he was the fastest person on board. Unfortunately, one of the Proudstar's engines was damaged as it got sucked in, and the resulting explosion badly damaged Cyclonus and sent him and the Matrix hurdling through space in different directions. A search party would eventually find the Matrix and return it to Cybertron, but Cyclonus's body was already long gone. His floating corpse eventually crossed paths with Unicron, who restored Cyclonus's spark and upgraded his body in return for becoming his herald.

Eons later, Rodimus Prime uses the Matrix of Leadership to destroy Unicron to save Earth and Cybertron. As a side effect, the heralds of Unicron (including but not limited to Nemesis Prime, Galvatron, and Cyclonus) are all freed from his dominion. Cyclonus begins to try to reintegrate into Cybertronian society after so many years. The Great War is newly over, and Cybertron is still rebuilding. The details of what goes on next are yet to be worked out, I'm not sure if Rodimus Prime will stay on Cybertron or set out on the Lost Light, but in any case, I know that Cyclonus and Tailgate will meet soon after Unicron's destruction and their relationship will play out from there broadly the same as it did in IDW.

[in1-nutshell]

MTMTE/LL Request Masterlist

Rodimus and Drift accidentally crash land and meet 10-year-old Human Buddy

Tall Bot Buddy doing the hand against the wall thing to their Conjux Rodimus

Megatron 'accidentally' adopting Human Buddy who fears nothing

Human Buddy records out of context sounds and sics them on unsuspecting bots (Tailgate, Rewind, and Swerve)

Megatron and Fearless Buddy who gets seriously hurt

Tailgate, Rodimus Prime, and Brainstorm react to Human Buddy throwing up on them on accident

Human Buddy and the Allspark

Brainstorm and Human Buddy who loves explosives

Fearless Buddy reaction to Megatron coming back from the other dimension

Bot Buddy from the TFP universe meeting MTMTE Rodimus Prime

Pregnant Human Buddy trying to explain Human Life to Rung, Nautica, Ambulon, Cyclonus, and Skids

Human Buddy who like goth style with Swerve, Tailgate, Rewind, Cyclonus, and Drift

Rodimus dating Tall Bot Buddy who's shy

Bot Buddy who is Megatron's sparkmate (its complicated) who was a former gladiator with Rodimus Prime, Nautica, and Ravage

Perceptor's younger sibling having a crush on Rodimus

Bot Buddy the Ex-con who comes off as quiet but is chatty with other Ex-con with Ultra Magnus, Rodimus Prime, and Nautica

Bot Buddy who has a fascination with Dino's with the Scavengers

Ratchet's daughter with the opposite personality meeting MTMTE Ratchet

Fearless Buddy meeting Old Predacon Buddy

Perceptor's younger sibling get kidnaped by the DJD

Bot Buddy with a fox alt mode with Ratchet, Drift, and Rodimus

Human Buddy who communicates in grunts, noises and likes to climb with Rodimus Prime, Cyclonus, Nautica, and First Aid

Bot Buddy the sparkling on the Lost Light with Skids, Rewind, and Ravage

Fearless Buddy gets a visit from TFP Bots

Bot Buddy Perceptor's younger sibling recovering from the DJD Kidnapping

Drift's twin the Con who was left behind on accident

What if... TFP Megatron's daughter with the opposite personality agreed to stay on the Lost Light?

Human Buddy in the custody battle of the Lost Light (Ratchet and Drift are the winners)

Fearless Buddy doing martial arts with Megatron and Drift

Steel Mauler meeting Rodimus Prime, Megatron and Ultra Magnus

Human Buddy (Dratchet's kid) meeting their bio parents again

Moonstreaker and Swerve pinning and Rodimus not noticing

Moonstreaker goes to Swearth

Rally Racer Buddy videos with Swerve, Rodimus, Whirl, and Ultra Magnus

Juno having a panic attack/ breakdown with Cygate, Whirl, and First Aid

Fearless Buddy meeting Ophelia and Ironhold

Bot Buddy the singer and being Swerve's Conjunx

3 Things that have happened on the Lost Light while Steel Mauler was visiting

Fearless turns Cybertronain

Moonstreaker snaps

Dratchet's kid meeting Fearless

Rung, Perceptor, and Moonstreaker react to Juno and Rodimus having a big fight

Bot Buddy from SG! and being Starscream's Conjunx

Bot Buddy trying to be Ratchet's apprentice

Fearless having an online crush and the Lost Light crew being the last to know

3 Times Moonstreaker and Swerve nearly kissed

IDW Ophelia

Perceptor and Brainstorm's adopted sparkling and the Scavengers

Rapidfire on the Lost Light

Bot Buddy being Conjunx with Whirl and taking care of scraplets

Maxima on the Lost Light

Wobbles and the Bullies

IDW Ophelia: Megatron's POV

Fearless and MTMTE Megatron meets TFA/TFE Silver Aid and their Megatron's

Moonstreaker realizing she is an outlier

MTMTE Steve meets MTMTE Ophelia

Ophelia's identity reveal?

Fearless VS Tarn

Fearless meeting their crush in person

Simpatico's encounter with the DJD

[arceespinkgun]

Just finished MTMTE issue #48 in my reread and this feeling has been building up in me from pretty much the beginning... I think Tailgate and Swerve would've been a way better and more obvious couple than Cyclonus and Tailgate.

I mean, Tailgate's happiest memory was movie night, specifically when Swerve was inelegantly stuffing his face?! It was even drawn like Tailgate was gazing fondly at Swerve—this feels like the very definition of love!

And when Tailgate was dying, he renounced his dreams of being a hero and instead longed for Swerve's and movie night! And speaking of Tailgate's illness, Swerve cured cybercrosis for Tailgate—it felt so contrived that it just had to be too late so Cyclonus could save Tailgate with a magic phallic sword instead. None of this is even getting into Swerve's desperate desire to be someone's number one for once... and how in his moment of crisis, Tailgate made a reference to the same moment pictured above in this post. I also felt bad for Swerve when he asked to room with Tailgate and got turned down for Cyclonus, who is someone who killed Swerve's comrades in the past.

A lot of the growing feelings in Cygate feel abrupt or like they've grown out of contrived situations that have forced the characters together, to the point that I don't really see how their desires and personalities and interpersonal history are supposed to be conducive to a relationship, whereas the friendship between Tailgate and Swerve has felt natural this whole time and their chemistry is great.

[withoutalice]

fandom ask game: transformers!

The first character I first fell in love with: 

literally Bayverse Optimus Prime 😩 I got into the fandom bc of his fat tits ahahha

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: 

Rodimus, believe it or not. I thought he was going to be annoying and hard to like...he still is annoying and stubborn but he's hot soooo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: 

Oof probably Cyclonus idk his personality just didn't mesh with me when I was reading aha. I love Cygate though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The character I love that everyone else hates: 

Overlord.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

Starscream 😔 I love him he slays but he's a *little* too hard to like as a character bc of fandom

The character I would totally smooch: 

Soundwave! He's so 🥰

The character I’d want to be like: 

I wish I was as cool as Knockout he literally slays so hard also body goals smhhh (if you know what fic i'm referring to no you dont) But in all seriousness probably Ratchet bc he's just so strong and kind and I'm already the parent of the friend group oughhghg.

The character I’d slap:

probably Arachnid just bc she murdered my comfort character (not her fault but yknow)

A pairing that I love:

Overpan 😭

A pairing that I despise:

DriftRod ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[healix17]

Not to request twice but I see Cygates also an option so how about a bit of a silly old fashioned fanfic trope?

Cygate fic where Cyclonus and Tailgate swap bodies. Could be pre or post relationship. Up to you.

Omg I'm so SORRY FOR THE LATE REPLY, I WAS SOOO BUSY WITH A MATH TEST!!!!!

But here's the fanfiction—I wrote it in a rush.

Swapped Circuits

In the quiet corners of the Lost Light, strange things always seemed to happen. Cyclonus and Tailgate had seen their fair share of adventures, but this was new, even for them.

It started with a harmless exploration of a newly discovered chamber deep within the ship. Tailgate, ever the enthusiastic explorer, had urged Cyclonus to join him. The chamber was filled with ancient Cybertronian artifacts, one of which was a peculiar device that glowed faintly when they approached.

“Tailgate, be careful,” Cyclonus warned, his optics narrowing as Tailgate reached out to touch the device.

“I just want to see what it does,” Tailgate replied, curiosity getting the better of him. The moment his fingers brushed the device, a bright light engulfed both of them.

When the light faded, Cyclonus felt... different. He looked down at his hands – smaller, white and blue hands that definitely weren’t his own. He turned to see his own body standing awkwardly beside him, looking just as confused.

“Cyclonus? Is that you?” came Tailgate’s voice from his own mouth.

Cyclonus, now in Tailgate’s body, frowned. “It appears we’ve swapped bodies.”

Tailgate, in Cyclonus’ body, blinked. “This is weird. Really weird. What do we do?”

“We need to find a way to reverse this,” Cyclonus said, trying to maintain his usual calm despite the strange circumstances. “First, let’s see if the device can undo what it did.”

They approached the device again, but this time, it remained inert, as if it had exhausted its power.

“No luck,” Tailgate said, crossing his arms. It was strange to see Cyclonus’ usually stern face displaying such an expressive pout.

“We should seek assistance from the others,” Cyclonus suggested. “Perhaps Perceptor or Brainstorm can help us.”

As they walked through the corridors, they garnered more than a few confused stares. Cyclonus’ imposing frame and Tailgate’s small stature made for an odd visual when their personalities didn’t match their bodies.

When they finally reached the lab, Brainstorm looked up from his workbench. “What happened to you two?”

“We’ve swapped bodies,” Cyclonus explained tersely.

Brainstorm grinned. “Fascinating! I’ve read about such phenomena but never seen it firsthand. Come, let’s see what we can do.”

Hours passed as Brainstorm tinkered and theorized. Throughout the process, Cyclonus found himself growing more impatient in Tailgate’s body. His partner, on the other hand, seemed to be having an unexpected amount of fun experiencing Cyclonus’ strength and abilities.

“You know, it’s kind of cool being as tall as you for a change,” Tailgate said, flexing Cyclonus’ muscles. “I can see why you’re always so stoic. It’s hard to be scared when you’re this strong.”

Cyclonus couldn’t help but smile at Tailgate’s enthusiasm. “And I see why you’re always so full of energy. Your smaller form is quite agile.”

Finally, Brainstorm clapped his hands. “Got it! I think I’ve figured out how to reverse the swap.”

With a few adjustments to the device and some recalibrations, another flash of light enveloped them. When it faded, Cyclonus looked down at his own hands once more, feeling a sense of relief.

“It worked,” Tailgate said, now back in his own body.

“Thank you, Brainstorm,” Cyclonus said, inclining his head slightly in gratitude.

“No problem! This was an exciting challenge,” Brainstorm replied, waving them off.

As they left the lab, Tailgate looked up at Cyclonus with a grin. “That was quite an adventure. But I’m glad to be me again.”

“Indeed,” Cyclonus agreed, resting a hand on Tailgate’s shoulder. “Though it was... enlightening to experience life from your perspective.”

Tailgate beamed, leaning into Cyclonus’ touch. “Maybe next time, we can find a less dramatic way to see things from each other’s point of view.”

Cyclonus chuckled softly. “I would prefer that.”

Together, they walked back to their quarters, grateful to be themselves again but also more appreciative of each other’s unique strengths and perspectives.

---

I hope you enjoyed this short Cygate fic! Let me know if there's anything you'd like to add or change.

[valve3nthusiast]

About the wifeframes...

What do you think of a mech who refuses to take part in the training? They get so good at ignoring the vibrations, and the trainer is completely stumped. They scratch and bite and even tore the arm off of someone who didn't respect their space. The trainer is almost ready to give up, but then comes a mech who's absolutely enamored with this feral wife. They don't want to mold the wife into their perfect partner. They want them as-is. Through mutual respect and many (very many) med-bay visits, the wife relents to the worship being offered and allows the bonded-to-be the opportunity to love them, and the wife ends up loving them in return. The relationship is intense but full of devotion.

I was thinking this would fit simpatico with a wife!perceptor or cygate with a wife!cyclonus the most, but it could also be a wife!drift and ratchet thing with wing as the trainer.

WIFEY CYCLONUS. GENIUS

Now my brain is running away with the concept of Cyclonus getting captured and sold by a jealous military rival to be trained as a wife, and of course he fucking hates it. They might have stripped him of his weapons and armor, but nothing will make him a pathetic, placid, empty fragdoll...

But he is weak in one way, to kindness. After the trainers leave, the janitors come through... in particular, a little blue and white minibot. After months of "training," this bot is the only one to treat him like a person, and Tailgate is so genuinely kind and sympathetic to him... Cyclonus is certainly angry at the world, yes, but not at Tailgate

I'm not sure where this would go next but. Idk cygate cute 😭 (I'm not even usually in to cygate on its own I'm a whirliegirlie... but this. like. stole my brainspace and refused to leave)

[novafire-is-thinking]

Cywhirl vs. Cygate: it’s about the aesthetics too

I’m about to make my ship opinion way more complicated than it needs to be :]

Abstract representation of how I see Cywhirl:

Abstract representation of how I see Cygate:

These take into account the colors, frame sizes, shapes, and relational dynamic of each. (And yes, I used the eye dropper tool for this, so the colors are definitely accurate.)

The Cygate image isn’t objectively ugly; in fact, I can see why some might like how it looks and feels.

However, I have a strong personal preference for everything about the Cywhirl image.

One character’s colors don’t dominate or drown out the other’s with their intensity. Neither side draws the eye away from the other. There’s balance in color and form.

Meanwhile, the contrast in Tailgate’s colors makes them seem stronger than Cyclonus.’ Tailgate is the focal point. There’s a clear imbalance in both color and form.

So, while Cygate is fun to look at with its pretty colors and contrast, Cywhirl feels more solid. More significant.

Aesthetic harmony isn’t everything, of course. This isn’t some kind of hard-and-fast rule for me.

There are ships I like that don’t adhere to any “rule” of aesthetics. Simpatico is one such case. Nautistorm is aesthetically superior to me, but something else more significant keeps me coming back to Simpatico.

However, in the case of Cywhirl vs. Cygate, because of my dislike for the latter, the aesthetic juxtaposition of the two relationships stands out to me way more.

[cosmics-beings]

Thoughts on cygate (cyclonus x tailgate) ?

Cygate is one i love but i have complicated feelings toward.

tw somewhat unpopular opinion and these are myyy opinions so if it's not yours that's fine !!r

I really like it but i think the way the fandom portrays it, specifically the portrayal of tailgate makes me hella uncomfortable. it's like a lot of his personality is wiped to make him seem incompetent.

another thing i don't like both fandom wise and somewhat canon is that there is a huge emphasis on cyclonus having to change and be better for tailgate, while his own trauma isn't really addressed and focused on. he never actually gets to heal for himself, a lot of it is about tailgate. like cyclonus was a victim of years of abuse, grooming and manipulation and that isn't focused on during his redemption, a lot of it is tied to tailgate.

there's always this, he's dangerous, or he's not good enough idea pushed in the narrative and he has to prove himself in many ways. and i don't really see him getting to i guess, be cared for and loved the same way tailgate is. there is a huge emphasis on him being the one to care for and protect tailgate and it's hard to see it the other way around. no, i don't mean tailgate protecting cyclonus, but to ME a lot of it seemed somewhat one-sided and that tailgate isn't really meant to or supposed to put in the same work cyclonus is. the whole relationships is concurrent around cyclonus wanting and pining after tailgate and not really getting that admiration back until much later.

i also hate it because cyclonus himself is a victim of abuse and grooming, and his insecurities in fandom aren't really focused on as much as tailgates to me. a lot of his insecurities outside tailgate aren't really ever explored in depth but the last person he was close to abused and controlled him. and groomed him. tailgate is often times, rightfully pointed out as a victim of grooming from getaway, but you know i realized cyclonus's own history of grooming isn't brought up.

I like the ship overall, i just haven't really seen it ever portrayed as being equal emotionally if that makes sense! i feel that a lot of depth and characterization for cyclonus isn't him focused, it's more tailgate focused. and i don't feel like tailgate is ever seen or even has to have the responsibility of emotionally being there for cyclonus, helping him through his trauma or being there to validate him. it's always the other way around.

on one hand that's because tailgate himself is also going through forms of trauma, insecurity and a lot of self discovery. but at the same time so is cyclonus, he just got out of a very abusive relationship, and i wish that as a victim that was focused on,.

again these are my opinions, and just some personal gripes with the ship. cygate is one of my otps i just am picky about how i portray it. i don't really read many cygate fics because i haven't really seen any difference in portrayals.

[transingthoseformers]

Oh yeeees. Thinking about these relationships.

Megatron feels "familiar" to them. He's got "good vibes." Megatron is just bluscreening at something so small and fragile, trusting him entirely.

I think caretaking would actually be good for Rodimus, given how he improves when pushed and for caring about others. He would be thrilled by the kids' first colors.

Co-Captain Co-Parent Bonding.

I feel like Cygate would be the ones bonding with Jawbreaker, and I see Whirl having a soft spot for all of them, but maybe being the one taking Twitch flying. The relationship helps ease tension between him and Megatron.

Rewind and Swerve would be Hashtag's favorite people. I can see her getting dragged into (very willingly) investigations with Nightbeat.

Nightshade would have so much fun with the Science Crew (Simpatico + Nautica). They have like half a dozen science dad/moms by the time this is done. Because then we get adventurers Anode and Lug and Wheeljack calling and seeing a whole baby behind Perceptor.

Thunderclash is there, and I see them being delighted by each other.

Ravage has grandchildren know and is going to make sure they are raised right.

Minimus, meanwhile, is one of the two people on the ship who has a sibling and is actually able to navigate this unique relationship with them, making him a pretty big important person for them for advice and dealing with any tensions.

Rung is never forgotten by the kids who see him.

Exactly and everyone's just got "???????" vibes going on because this is Megatron these newbuilds are cuddling up to. I'm imagining the hilarious image of one or so of the kids sleeping on Megs and he dares not to move lest he wake them up (probably a very young Twitch), and that works both for here and for regular earthspark

I'm just getting the vibe these kids feel younger than most hotspot newbuilds do, juuuust a hunch

Co-captain co-parenting indeed

Dare I say it pushes them closer

Oooo on JB and cygate, especially since full on cygate doesn't teeeechnically enter the picture until later in canon, giving me the hilarious image of Jawbreaker calling Cyclonus mom and Taily dad (Swerve lets the kids watch earth cartoons) and somewhat awkward but wholesome consequences ensue

Awwww on Whirl bonding with Twitch yes yes, perhaps foreshadowing can occur regarding future scraplet baby Sparky

Also ssuddhfh on Whirl and Megatron /trying/ to play nice for Twitch. Glaring will occur.

Yessss on # having fun with Rewind, Swerve, and Nightbeat. I in general see a lot of Hashtag tapping in on movie night, and the idea of Nightbeat doing his detective thing and Hashtag trailing behind him is hilarious

Nightshade over here is playing collect a parent: advanced edition because they're seriously loving just how much companionship they can find among the Lost Light scientists.

I in general feel like Anode will take quite an interesting in the kids' story

I'm getting the image of the kids absolutely getting along with Thunderclash and all Roddie can think is "damn it, them too?!?"

Ravage will exactly raise them right if it's the last thing he does. Which it may or may not be.

Oooo on Mins helping inform them on the whole sibling thing!

They remember him.

They remember that little orange therapist with glasses and kindness, and they always will.

[altraviolet]

Has any member of the crew started catching on to the romantic tension between their captain and the local cryptid? Is Rodimus gonna admit he wants to kiss Soundwave and everyone around him just says “We know”

Nope :) I know that probably sounds unbelievable to readers, but pretend you're a random LL crew member. SW is someone you *maybe* see every once in a while, and when you do, he's looming and silent. Rodimus is someone you probably have neutral to positive feelings about, but you know he's prone to bouts of nonsense. There's no reason to pair them up based on what you see of them.

Okay, but what if you're not a random crew member? What if you're a friend of SW's?

If you're Nautica, the last thing you heard about Rodimus is he used Mirage to spy on SW. You're not too thrilled about that. No reason to suspect anything romantic.

If you're in the Movie Night club, sure you've spent a bit of time with SW, but he's never once talked about Rodimus. You know SW helped with the Stardrive thing, but you don't know about any of the ensuing drama.

Okay, but what if you're a friend of Rodimus's?

If you're Drift, you can absolutely attribute Rodimus's recent sullen moods to various ship goings-ons. You know Rodimus takes the well-being of his ship and crew VERY seriously. Rodimus is embarrassed the last person he tried to bring aboard could've killed everyone. And the person before that did try to kill everyone. Sure, SW's making progress. Rodimus has never once given an indication that he has anything but captainly, ego-driven feelings for SW.

If you're Ultra Magnus, you have been fastidiously tallying every rule the two break, and would never see any kind of romantic connection xD

See what I mean? :3

Recall in MTMTE the only person who knew about or cared about Cygate was Whirl, and he only became invested when Cyclonus came to him to ask about Tailgate.

SW is as emotionally distant as Cyclonus and Rodimus isn't going to broadcast anything. It's a big ship and everyone has their own lives, chores, and problems. No one suspects anything :D

[robotclownindulgence]

Don't get me wrong I still love cygate but there are certain types of fanworks that just don't let tailgate be his own character? Like, when he's depicted as just a too tiny, too cute, too innocent accessory to make cyclonus look better and basically all aspects of his personality are erased i wanna just

[dayacakrawala]

Why I don't like MTMTE Tailgate

At first I liked his character arc due to its fridge horror. See, a young bot with a freshly ignited spark, ready to hop on a big adventure and see the world with wide-open eyes... and he just trips, and he falls, and he wakes up to find himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin into a fossil who missed all of the world-shuttering events. History is made, the world is now full of heroes of all sorts: Optimus, Ultra Magnus, Rodimus, even Whirl's made a name for himself. And in this realm of heroes Tailgate is nobody. Senior Shit Manager.

James Roberts dangled the carrot with the "Tailgate learning about the factions" plot, I was so ready for him to learn about the complexity of war, its causes and effects. And what I got? Autobots good, Decepticons bad, my ass. And even this gets thrown outta the window when it's Megatron's time to be the good guy. Yeah, it's just a minor plot in the complex narrative, I wouldn't complain if Tailgate himself was likeable.

He's not. Tailgate lacks qualities that I personally find endearing or charismatic, both in real and fictional personalities. He's just annoying, his naivety ends up merged into narrow-mindedness.

And holy shit, how MANIPULATIVE he is. He shamelessly manipulates Cyclonus into a romantic relationship with him. Cyclonus, whose traumatic experience includes being mind-controlled and made to, by his own words, hurt Cybertron. Keep in mind, Cyclonus is the biggest patriot their civilization has ever know, I can't imagine how much pain it caused him, all because of being manipulated. 

Tailgate causes an enormous clusterfuck of problems by letting himself be drawn into Getaway's scheme. Because of what? Because Cyclonus refused to date him and share his innermost energon! And what happens after Getaways's mutiny when Tailgate somehow gets away (lol)? Cyclonus shares his innermost energon so the damned fool can get his fill and STOP screwing it up. And what does Tailgate do? He wears it like a fucking bibelot and BRAGS about Cyclonus now being his boyfriend like it's his thesis defense in pickupology and nothing more. That's gross, man.

Yeah, Cyclonus may have a neglected case of emotional constipation and a fear of intimacy. So what? Does it mean he must be forced to open up and be dragged into an exclusive relationship when he's not ready? He clearly has a thing for Tailgate, he's in love, but what Tailgate does is abuse it. 

James Roberts, too, loves Tailgate. He gives him new superpowers, some spotlights even though what I found interesting to explore about Tailgate is lost. Characters that I find more likeable got killed off, their arcs aborted, and this "fandom marshmallow" stays to annoy me. Thank you very much.

I can't deny how important Tailgate is for Cyclonus, both story and character wise. Cyclonus loves him more than anything, and he gets better through this love. It's Cyclonus' side that works a miracle, so I don't find Cygate a complete waste of comic book ink, even though it makes me cringe. So, outside of the comic, Cygate is my NOTP, I prefer to avoid it in my reading and, since I write, my writing. It's a little sad how much fan content is not for me because of it, but there's still plenty that amuses and pleases me.