Tf Headcanons - Blog Posts

I have this little headcanon that sometimes some of Starscream's limbs just randomly fall of cause there's only so much one can endure without their body completely failing. And due to the extensive damage he can't feel it so he doesn't realise.

Like he's trying to act cool posing and all and then clank he's arm is on the floor.

I headcanon that Armada Starscream can't read properly and even then the only words he can read are apart of battle strategies.

And then in Cybertron Starscream learns literally every language (speaking, writing, reading being absolutely perfect) that exists cause he remembers how he barely knew one and it's super humiliating.

crack that turned into a headcannon

Imagine Starscream learning about human behaviour and mostly the internet.

And not on the 'aww he secretly still has a heart of gold' (honestly hate that). I mean in a way he only did it cause he was bored and only had human internet available.

And also for new insults he can use on Megatron without being understood so he can get away with it (he still gets abused cause Meg knew what he said was an insult) and cause when he says Cybertronian insults to humans they don't understand. He's just stepping up his roast battle game.

And soon others join in because they can't let Starscream have all the fun. And then Autobots (I know they hang out with humans but I think that they didn't dig into the 'mean' stuff) join in cause the battlefield was starting to be dominated by the decepticons due to the enormous metal damage.

And that's how all Cybertronians started to use human insults. Yeah I headcanon this now

Gladiators of Kaon

Let's admit it, we like Kaon? I like that it is in this city of "vice and sin" that gladiator fights have been preserved. Regardless of the iteration of Transformers, it is known that the main "stage" of gladiators was Kaon. (Perhaps I will write about my view of this city later, because one of my OC characters directly works there).

I love the gladiator theme, but to be honest, I would like to somehow… Expand it? Classify it? Sorry, but the term "Gladiator" is so elastic and it seems to me that there is some limitation in what type of bots most often become it. So here are my ideas of what gladiators could be in Kaon. All this is very much a reference to Roman gladiators and is assumed by me for the features of certain frames.

Bestiary (bestiarius)

Bestiary (bestiarius) - gladiator bots of any weight category, who are trained to fight with various animals. In fact, this class of gladiators has no weight restrictions, since their battles can be with both medium and large animals. The opponents can be both Cybertronian representatives of the fauna like turbofoxes, and alien specimens brought from other planets. All gladiators can perform in this class, but if the animal is medium in size, this is not considered very honorable. Very often, Bestiary can perform at the beginning or in the middle of gladiator shows, so that the audience does not lose interest in what is happening. They also traditionally do not have very many weapons, it can be a spear or a sword. Shields are also rejected for the sake of spectacle.

One of the more difficult opponents were considered to be warrior insecticons, who possess intelligence and are capable of giving a worthy rebuff. (Insecticons were not considered full-fledged bots and were treated as available game for baiting, since there were many hives under the surface of Cybertron. At some point, this was even encouraged by the government, since it helped reduce the number of insecticons).

There is a separate class of Bestiaries (Venators?), who fight with the help of their cyberbeasts, as a rule, they are engaged in baiting insecticons and large representatives of alien and Cybertronian fauna (in such cases, they have several opponents).

Representatives: I think Soundwave could be a gladiator who, at the beginning of his career, belonged to the Bestiary class (and the presence of Ravage, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw positioned him as a professional).

Essedarius

Essedarius - Lightweight bots, mostly racing altforms (racing cars, motorcycles, sometimes small seekers). Essedarius are gladiators who fight using a combination of speed, agility, and precision. Fights usually resemble races, where opponents can circle each other. Essedarius are usually more about showing off their reaction and cunning. Fights can be short but spectacular, or they can last for hours, where both opponents prove themselves not only as skilled fighters with a tactical mindset, but also as hardy athletes. The main weapons are spears, energy bows, combat staffs, or blasters. Swords can also be used, but light options like needles (like nails from Hollow Knight) or rapiers are preferable. This class rejects the presence of a shield, as it slows down too much.

Essedarius are one of the few gladiator classes that are allowed to use blasters (blasters are not used in regular fights because the whole point of the fight is lost and spectators may not have time to enjoy the spectacle).

Essedarius are a class of gladiators for whom the arena is changed (gentle slopes, sharp turns, labyrinths). They are also quite popular with racers and aristocrats, as they are considered less bloody due to pinpoint and preemptive attacks.

There is a certain type of fight when Essedarius consume fuel for other types of bots instead of the usual racing energon. To avoid overloads and premature failure of fuel systems, the arena is grounded, which helps gladiators fight (think of it as a pill that gives various effects).

Representatives: Stunticons (Breakdown, Dead End, Wildrider, Drag Strip), etc.

Laquearius

Laquearius - gladiators of flying altforms fighting in the air. Laquearius - seekers, helicopters and reconnaissance air bots. The fights of these gladiators most often resemble complex acrobatic performances. The arena is specially redesigned for them so that they do not step on the ground. If one of the fighters steps on the ground, he is considered a loser, so the fights are about balance, good orientation in space and flying skills. The main weapons of the laquearius are an energy lasso, daggers, sharp swords or sabers. Despite no less ferocity in battles than other gladiators, no laquearius injures the wings of his opponent. This is a kind of taboo. Anyone who covets the wings (blades) of another can simply lose respect and reputation among other fighters (a demotion in status is also guaranteed).

The second type of fighters for whom the arena is specially changed. Gladiators practically do not touch the ground during the fight and use the walls of the arena, ropes and beams in order not to fall.

Sometimes the arena is deliberately limited, which makes it resemble a bird cage, this is done to deliberately bring the opponents closer together. This makes the Laquearius act more quickly, decisively and provocatively. (If you watched the classic Mad Max "Under the Thunderdome", then you can imagine how the arena chants "Thunderdome!" during the fight of the Laquearius)

Representatives: Starsream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Vortex, etc.

Myrmillo

Myrmillo - all non-specialized standard gladiators, they can be either light or medium weight (anything from a regular machine to some highly specialized bot). These are the most standard gladiators. In fact, most fighters who do not have any type or have just stepped into the arena are myrmillo. They are agile, fast and usually hardy. If a myrmillo has some outstanding features, then after several fights he will most likely be given a type. However, if the fighter is satisfied with everything, then he can stay at this rank, which frees him from a narrow choice of weapons and performance time. The weapons are very diverse - electric batons, tridents, nets, swords, shields, etc. Myrmillo tend to use dirty tricks in battle to gain a tactical advantage (they do not stoop very low, but they are quite insidious).

The most famous myrmillo was Arcee, who fought in a duet with Galvatron (he belonged to the type of gladiators called Crupelaris). She was famous for her ferocity and mastery of two swords.

Myrmillo perform last during days of mourning, as a kind of symbol of a new beginning (it was a symbol that although life was suspended, it was not frozen forever. Young fighters were a symbol of the flourishing culture of gladiatorialism and in the best days there were quite a lot of them)

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are the only myrmillos who performed in a duet.

Bots who already had a main profession could become myrmillos. Among the police of Kaon, this was a good option to relieve tension and show their strength, so that gladiators would know that they should not be messed with again.

Representatives: Barricade, Arcee, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, etc.

Provocator

Provocator - gladiators of small altforms, various minicons. This class of fighters is extremely small (phphph, sorry) in terms of its numbers, since not many minicons have a strong enough body and good load capacity for full-fledged battles. Provocators often act as a duet, where one fighter acts as a distraction and the second as the main attacking force. Especially experienced provocators act solo using weapons like hammers in order to increase the damage inflicted on the enemy. Despite the fact that at first glance they may not seem like the most terrible opponents, they should not be underestimated. This type of gladiators does not have a primary weapon, many prefer to fight with the built-in modifications they have, such as enhanced hydraulics in the servo. Many consider fights with these fighters to be the most brutal due to the "tearing" of the enemy into pieces.

Sometimes provocateurs can act as support for other types of gladiators in team fights or two-on-two fights.

The name of this type of gladiators, historically, came from their daring behavior characteristic of them, it was in response to their not very impressive appearance for other opponents.

The threat of being bitten on the "ankles" is not a threat but a real attack in which the enemy will most likely be left without peds and the medic will have to weld them back.

Representatives: Rumble and Frenzy ("Terror Twins"/"Nightmare Twins")

Crupelarius

Crupelarius - heavyweight gladiators (armored trucks, tanks, shuttles, etc.). Some conventionally call these big guys the real "kings" of the arena, but only smart enough fighters reach the heights of their careers. Tactical mind and cruel nature put many of them at the top among other gladiators (Galvatron and Megatron). Due to their large size, strength and dense armor, they are difficult opponents, but can be slow or clumsy. These are most often close combat fighters, the fight between two crupellarius is like a clash of titans. The main weapons are swords, hammers, maces and shields. In fact, anything that can get under the servo can eventually turn into a weapon, so the fighters are not limited in how exactly to deal with each other (it can be a beam from a broken arena, torn out reinforcement or even a piece that comes to hand). Often, for greater spectacle, the Crupelarius during a fight tries to disarm his opponent in order to test his ability to regain control of the weapon or to fight back without a weapon.

Among the Crupelarius, there are fighters who engage in pure unarmed combat. This can be quite spectacular and mostly resembles fights without rules or a lucha libre show (in the second case, it requires a bit of acting skills from the gladiator).

The Crupelarius is not the most numerous class, so they often participate in inter-type battles. They work well in a duet with other types of gladiators in two-on-two fights.

The Crupelarius do not like to use guns and blasters, although this is not prohibited for them. Many believe that this will simply make the fight insufficiently spectacular (it is more interesting to see an armored one torn apart with the help of other weapons).

The Impactor was the only Crupelarius who used a harpoon-like weapon in combat.

Representatives: Megatron, Impactor, Overlord, Motormaster, Brawl, etc.

I just realized that I will probably do a part 2, because there is a lot of information and my personal ideas for the gladiatorial culture in Kaon. Some kind of my second magnum opus, to be honest. I will try to post a part 2 as soon as possible, in which I will talk about other things concerning the gladiatorial arenas, like traditions and festivals.

The leadership structure of the Seekers

The Winglord theme is actually so interesting in itself. I like that most people in the fandom somehow unanimously decided that such a position exists, and it makes sense since the cities on Cybertron are city-states, meaning they have a local ruler/government and other structures.

On the other hand, it seems to me that Winglord should not only be a position of power, but also full of obligations. What is Winglord for? (Obviously, for governance, but its position cannot be just a privilege). What obligations can this position bear for the one who occupies this position. Here are my couple of ideas.

It seems to me that the Seekers' leadership structure is actually arranged like that of birds. Birds in nature do not actually have a leader. This concept simply goes to the oldest and most experienced birds, who stand at the head of the wedge. It is no secret that humanity, in its desire to conquer the skies, focused on birds, but what if Cybertronians do it differently? What if, in fact, Winglord is not a title earned by birth or inheritance like the same kings, but a title given to the most experienced flyer among all? Sounds good, plus it would explain why Starscream takes this place.

A Winglord is not a title that can be inherited, it is a calling that a true ace of his craft receives, anyone, be it forged or constructed, can receive it, age also plays no role. There is no luck or fortune in the sky, only cold calculation and the risk that the pilot is willing to take. In the process, you either succeed or die, there is no other way from it. A Winglord is a master of his craft, any noble king or general he will displace from their position with his skill. His task is to teach young seekers to reach their level of skill, as well as to provide weaker brothers with safety. If you give a Winglord a choice between his brothers and an imaginary leader (usually a bot, not necessarily having a flying altform), then he will choose his brothers. The duty of a Winglord is to care for the well-being of everyone, regardless of social status or work. If the previous Winglord dies, his fellow triads must take it upon themselves to finish his work, keeping the Seeker community safe and in order until a new bot can be chosen to take his place. Like birds in a flock, the Winglord and his fellow triads must lead their charges to a better future. (They do not have to be ready for this, as leadership can never be. Experience in leading others always comes with experience.)

I would compare Winglord to a person who received the flame of Prometheus for the first time. It is not only a blessing, but also the greatest duty to distribute this flame to everyone. An obligation that does not allow you to chicken out and retreat. I think Winglord's obligations consist mainly of preserving the number of seekers, he cannot allow even the weak to die, since this is a risk of losing the chance for the development of their society, losing the much-needed and vital primacy in the sky (flight is life). It can also be a vision of treaties, about better supplies, in exchange for the energon they found, they could set their own conditions (perhaps one of these conditions once became the city of Vos, because having your own city/settlement, you could avoid discrimination). The amount of obligations may vary depending on the political situation of Cybertron (I think during the golden age or pre-war period, Winglord was a status similar to King and was inherited because it greatly limited the seeker society, focusing them not on mastery but on the "military" path. This was a guarantee of stability, although it could cause unrest in the seeker society).

Many write that Starscream Winglord, probably during the war that we see in the comics, this is indeed true. Vos fell, the wonderful city in the "heavens" was destroyed, like other cities. There is a possibility that many senior Seekers who were there could have died. Starscream has always been ambitious, but as much as he craves leadership, he is also a master in flying (let's not deny it, after all, he hardly got his position only because of the "Beautiful Scarlet Optics"). Starscream not only could, but probably was a good leader for his comrades. He was definitely not ideal, but he learned this gradually gaining experience. Starscream has all the good qualities of a leader: charisma, intelligence, oratory skills. It probably also kept him in the position of Winglord for a long time, and also this management experience helped him become a good leader after the war (and although this is debatable, but I consider him a better leader than Windblade. He knew what problems Cybertronian society could face after such a long war. About those problems that preceded the war. He knew what he was managing, that he had the best potential… Honestly, this makes him even more tragic in my eyes)

Winglord is a duty to move society forward and take care of it, a guarantee of progress. Stagnation for this status means loss of independence for all seekers.

Cybertron Cybersphere

You know, we don't know much about the era of Cybertron when the tribes ruled, as well as about the worldbilding back then. We know about this period very vaguely, foggily, it seems like some bots should have been around during those times, but they don't really talk about them (we only have five really old mechs: Nova Prime, Cyclonus, Jhiaxus, Galvatron, and Dai Atlas ), not to mention the Thirteen, damn it, guys pulled Cybertron out of barbarian times, maybe you could throw in some info about what was before you? It's just that this time can't be nothing and emptiness, you know? Alpha Trion, am I looking at you? You were supposed to keep history like no? Okay, tribes, okay, but what about the world outside of this? A small conclusion I can make is that Cybertron was a pretty deserted place back then, but not devoid of life. I like to speculate a lot and although the organic approach doesn't really fit with metallic life forms, why not speculate a little on the topic.

Sometimes I think that in reality, before the industrialization we see in the comics and the unification of tribes in the past, Cybertron had a very unique biosphere (cybersphere? mechasphere? I don't know). My idea is based on such small things as the existence of acid rain, dust storms, "sorrow flowers". (I wanted to include crystals and Praxus gardens, but I couldn't find canon information about it).

Just imagine what kind of crystalline or metallic "plant" structures this world could have. It could be something familiar to us, like flowers and trees, or something completely unusual for people. Flowers made of crystals or metals useful for the developing culture of Cybertron. We know that there are flowers of sorrow that form from the remains of Cybertronian sparks, but imagine more complex cyber vegetation. Trees, flowers, bushes, vines, etc. Deserts, steppes… And although trees, for example, do not make much sense within the framework of Cybertron as a source of oxygen, like our Earth, could they have a structure with fruits full of energon? (Why not, that would be interesting). As for the "climate" zones, they generally would not exist, but given that Cybertron is Primus, it should also have zones with uneven heating, for example. Simply put, some zones may be warmer than others, but there are no sharp temperature drops on Cybertron. (I'm not a big fan of thinking that Cybertron is cold, maybe during the war it was like that because Primus almost kicked the bucket there. So probably during the war Cybertron was cold and a bit lifeless. Yes, my whole idea is based on the fact that Primus, a damn living giant and essentially the differences on the surface would be just what is needed to support his creations and himself. You know… As a single well-coordinated organism).

Incidentally, this would explain acid rain and dust storms, which would be the result of the disruption of the cybersphere and growing industrialization.

Because we don't know much about Cybertronian animals, sometimes I guess that Cybertronians were part of this system too (we know that there are turbofox, but if there are them, then we can speculate more about it). Each would occupy its natural "ecological" niche to maintain an equal balance for the work of Cybertron. From seekers in the sky like birds, to motorcycles (in my imagination they would look like cheetahs) or insecticons (in my imagination they are something like orderlies and protectors of the depths of Cybertron). Of course, with the development of Cybertronians, this faded into the background, industrialization absorbed the nature of Cybertron, leaving only a part in the wild areas. This would actually give unique interaction patterns for Cybertronians, between the bots' relationships with different altforms due to their past niche placement (Functionalists can go to hell, because their system is extremely industrial and denied the need for any given frame to exist for the well-being of their world. Thanks, no one likes extinction). It would also give more ideas for behavioral traits and cultures of different frames (thanks to the bird-like Seekers, I love them). I don't really have a precise diagram of what type of bot would do what in the "ecosystem", so I'll leave that up to you! Just remember that they are sentient and not animals, but Primus still needs them all to live a peaceful life.

In general, I have another idea related to this, concerning the Titans. In my opinion, the Titans are something like megafauna? These guys have such a large size and strength due to the fact that Cybertron does not have the same level of gravity as on Earth, they probably do not experience the feeling of being “heavy” (the same with other large bots like shuttles, etc.). Since their function is to preserve, distribute and found colonies, in essence, they would probably prefer “ecologically” clean places for their rest and the formation of settlements. Just imagine how the ancient Cybertronians see how Titan has calmly settled in a good place to rest and are like “Oh, since he settled there, this is a great place for prosperity and the founding of a settlement! Thanks a lot bro, we will take care of your comfortable rest! And the cybersphere will also flourish here. Primus will be happy”

Giaent cat found nice plase for rest

In short, the cycle of life and well-being, where everyone is needed. (I like the idea that everyone is connected to each other, it would solve all the problems with belittling and the system of damn functionalism.)

To hell with Functionalism and their caste system, that stuff doesn't work.

Cassette player from Cassette?

You know, I love cassettes in Transformers. (I love them so much that if you woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me what cassettes Soundwave and Blaster had, I could probably list them all by name.)

Many people underestimate them because of their size and the fact that they transform into cassettes and they are often reduced to the "children's" equivalent, but listen.. Just listen. In my mind, cassettes are not children at all, no, not at all, to go through such a war and stay alive, you know guys, they are definitely adults. Maybe teenagers close to becoming adults or this stupid period when you are kind of an adult, but you still need a "More adult adult". Moreover, in the comics, Rumble and Frenzy were actually miners, so let's keep that in mind, okay? In short, cassettes are quite adult and independent, this will be useful to us in my subsequent words.

In general, it seems like the show and comics have never said how strong this connection is between the cassette host and the cassette. What kind of connection is this? How do cassette host and cassettes work? Like… I don't remember it being said directly, but obviously there is a connection. (Remember how Soundwave feels pain from Ravage's death, or from Rumble's injury? Obviously the connection is strong, but what kind of connection is it?) How do cassette players and tapes work? HOW?

How the fuck does this work???

Well I have a couple of ideas about it actually, it may seem unusual, but here are a couple of my ideas.

It's pretty obvious that it's similar to symbiosis, where one species helps another in some way. While symbiosis can be parasitic in nature, I'm guessing that for Cybertronians it's more like a mutually beneficial phenomenon. Usually, creatures of different species enter into symbiosis, be it clownfish and sea anemones, or butterflies that feed on animal tears (they need it to get sodium). I think that cassette player and cassettes are more closely related. Aside from the obvious symbiotic relationship, where the one offers the cassette safety, care, and a secure life in exchange for some services from other side (like recording information, spying/intelligence activities, etc.), it seems to me that this could have a deeper evolutionary mechanism, for example for survival purposes?

Ever wonder why there are literally only two Cassette Host in the show and comics? It's literally just Soundwave and Blaster (Soundblaster doesn't count, he's a clone. Sorry, fans of that guy). It's also not really clear what niche they occupied in the caste system the Functionalists founded, but it's probably not a very high one since Soundwave was found on the street by Ravage. I think the fear here might be precisely because bots like them are capable of this type of symbiotic relationship. They don't need mods for it, they are designed to share their space and path with trusted Cassettes. This connection itself must imply that you understand each other on some deeper level. Maybe like Gestalts, a common type of internal connection that other bots can't recognize? I think that makes sense. You're basically slightly in each other's heads. The Cassette Host not only takes on the responsibility of providing the cassette, but also of regulating this internal connection, both emotional and physical. In return, the cassettes provide an unlimited ability to store and accumulate data (I think this is connected to their altform, that is, Rumble and Frenzy can be quite smart, they just don’t need it. A striking detail in this regard would be Rewind and how he helped Tailgate reduce the bomb’s radius, but there’s a lot that can be said about him). Understand? This increases the likelihood that the Cassette player and the cassettes act as a single, well-coordinated organism, it’s no wonder that the functionalists were afraid of this. This symbiosis can resemble from the outside both a family unit and a business gang, where there is a boss and cronies. In any case, here’s another thought of mine, what if…

What if, under certain conditions, a cassette tape could become a cassette player?

I know this might sound weird, but just hear me out. You know, I often come across the idea that cassette hosts can create cassettes, and that's a possibility, because my idea is based on that. Could a spark of such a bot be predisposed to create smaller sparks to provide security and support for those cassettes that don't have the ability to become cassette players? Look, we have a cassette host, it can have its own cassettes that it created, or those that were reformatted into this altform and taken under its wing. If the host is hurt or killed, cassettes can remain destitute and forgotten until they die, but what if, due to the symbiotic relationship of these Cybertronians, they have some kind of evolutionary mechanism? What if one host has enough cassettes that it realizes that it strains the internal communication and does not allow time for each? Then one or two cassettes created by the bot and having a predominantly humanoid form and also access to comfort and resources, begin to gain mass of the protoform, form a cassette deck and so on. They become new cassette players, provided that they have always been in this altform and have not been reformatted, I think the second type of cassettes is not capable of this mechanism. Why is this an evolutionary mechanism? Well, because perhaps earlier these two types of Cybertronians really belonged to different groups, but in the process of millennia and millions of years they were simply close for so long that they turned into one group. You know what, in essence, cassettes would be like an axolotl from our world (like… Have you seen an axolotl? They are actually not an adult version of an ambystoma)

This mechanism would essentially explain why we know only two cassette hosts and so many cassettes. Probably, before the war there were a sufficient and diverse number of them, but during the war many could have died and Soundwave and Blaster essentially picked up the destitute, deprived of communication and scared cassettes. None of the cassettes had the necessary level of comfort, fuel and other factors that would contribute to the evolution into a new host, you understand? In essence, this means that Soundwave and Blaster were loaded with an additional level during the war (that's why they look tired, taking care of so many charges is tiring…)

I can just see how after the war, with the improvement in the quality of life, one of the cassettes finally decided that the conditions are good enough, but there are too few hosts… It's time to evolve into an adult version and become a cassette player.

I hope Soundwave can rest and this won't be another world.

The language of miners.

A little thoughts. Some time ago, I was visited by the idea that some of the cybertronians might have developed a universal language because of a particular work. Just imagine that you have been spending almost your whole life on one or another job, this cannot but affect you. One way or another, the profession leaves its mark.

And that’s what I thought about. What if … the miners have developed their own language, which they practice from one generation to other generation? Just think the mines is a dark, dangerous place, you can also encounter Sparkeater (or any other monsters), even heavy noise or vibration can lead to a collapse or attract the attention of dangerous creatures. What language is best suited if even speak in unstable areas can be dangerous?

Bio light. Language from flashes of light, this is quiet and universal for a dark place. Just imagine, the miners spend most of the time developing the sleeves of the mines and I doubt very much that the lighting would be extended everywhere. Obviously, the furs of this profession has flashlights (if you look at the Terminus, they are part of its helmet), I think that the lines of the bio lights among the cybertronians can also be bright enough to illuminate a small space around themselves.

I think this language could resemble something like Morse code. Short or long flashes, just imagine how fast the miners must react to read each other's messages. It is also quite universal, in the sense that the language for this profession is single and does not have branches, like for example in the language of the Seeker wings (I suppose that the difference between Vos and other cities of flying bots can most likely be, the language is still common, but the accents and dialects can be different. Like the languages ​​of one group on Earth, for example, like among the Slavic peoples). This would suggest that they can probably flash biofires more strongly (well, in theory they are brighter than other Cybertronians), I also think that young miners probably remember it faster than normal speech. It would be funny to see a young miner trying to communicate in this way with a bot whose profession does not intersect with miners. Imagine police bots that depending on the city or state can often cross paths with miners and can speak this flash language fluently. There are so many applications for this and it would be really interesting.

I think by the way, in addition to the flashes, it would be logical to add body language and maybe touch. That miners can be quite tactile, you know, tap a comrade gently on the shoulder with their fingers to get attention (I think they can move quietly so as not to cause a lot of vibrations, so getting attention in this way would be logical) or point at something and only then the bio lights come into play. That's why groups of miners could be closely related. Their communication culture would simply imply close contact for communication.

If someone asks, imagine a young Megatron writing poetry and putting on a real light show for the rest of the miners, it's crazy haha. This language may not be understood by others, so it has advantages both in terms of romantic manifestations and in military affairs. Considering that many Decepticons were from lesser professions, the language of bio ligths would be common among their.

Mentorship in Cybertronian Culture.

You know the idea of ​​mentorship in Cybertronian culture has so much potential. I like to think about it and imagine different scenarios and features that could happen. It's like a spoonful of honey to imagine the structure of family units in Cybertronian culture. (Thanks to Skybound where they talk about it as "clans", you feed my favorite trope of the "found family").

I think mentorship differs depending on the class of the bot, the type of frame, the destiny (future job) they are assigned, and also the method of appearance (well, you know, there are only two in canon: forged and constructed. Sparklings are not included in this system due to the fact that they have creators). This creates an extremely wide variety in how someone was trained, looked after, this also shapes personality, character traits and habits (someone is more aware because he had a lot of time to learn, and vice versa, someone less because from the moment he appeared he only had to work). Of course, it is impossible to give all new bots a mentor, moreover, I think mentoring is a fairly voluntary matter that is monitored by certain bodies (analogous to child protection, only "Protection of Newbies", maybe there is some other name there, I don't know. The child protection system in different countries is different, so I can't compare it to anything specific). Although I think it does not protect against bad mentors or the absence of them at all (a whole portal to angst, for those who were unlucky. At such moments, I remember Soundwave, who was found by Ravage).

I also like to assume that the style and culture of Cybertronian city-states are different, that mentors absorb it themselves and pass it on to their wards. Imagine if a Cybertronian from Iacon moved to Kaon to work, took a newbie there and trained him. Of course, the new bot would absorb Iacon traits like a sponge, poor stupid baby. And considering the idea @lets-try-some-writing, about how young Cybertronians learn to speak… (sorry, I like it so much, I hope you don't mind if i mentioning it). Just imagine how many ridiculous, comedic situations would happen to newbies.

I'm convinced that Cybertronians most likely have equivalents to social networks. So mentors would exchange funny videos and photos of how the new bot is trying to learn about the world around them. You know, like that parent who remembers all your shame and when meeting your boyfriend/girlfriend tries to show them your most ridiculous moments because they think it's cute. Just imagine the funniest ridiculous ideas, the likelihood that they could happen increases. OOO OR BETTER! Imagine that the mentor bot has not one newbie, but several… The newbies would behave like that noisy childe pack that the adult bot would have to place in different corners.

I also like the ridiculous idea that new Cybertronians could try to imitate everything they see (this is their attempt to understand their own position, social aspects of behavior and generally how to fit into society and the world). Even, for example, Cybertronian fauna. For one of my characters, I literally created a scene where the mentor is walking with a newbie and his service cyberhound. When the Senior bot decides to throw something like a stick to the cyberhound, he naturally shouts "Fetch" and just watches as the newbie runs after the stick with his dog… Imagine the face of the newbie, who was then explained that he is not a cyberhound, he does not need to try to take the stick away or run after it. (This shame was not washed away, but the mentor is touched by this, as the newbie was small and stupid). What a mentor sees when a newbie awkwardly slips on level ground: