I Believe Soundwave Licks Himself Like A Cat When No One Is Looking - Blog Posts

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: