system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Transformers] so what's *really* the deal with those cassette-looking guys?

so i'm just an ordinary Cybertronian fellow, trying to scratch out a living in Iacon.  

there's a weird guy named Soundwave that carries people around in his chest receptacle.  it's not just one person, either!  Soundwave manages to carry many people within him.  i've seen punks like Rumble and Frenzy come out of Soundwave, i've seen beasts like Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage come out of him, i've even seen Ratbat come out of him.  that guy used to be a Senator for Primus' sake!

are they parasites? symbiotes? what does each party get out of the relationship? is Soundwave drinking their knowledge while they're within him? are they asleep while it's happening? do they interact with each other when they are together inside him?

these little guys are all sentient and at varying levels of intelligence.  to the best of my knowledge, none of them were forged in the Well of Allsparks together, and therefore aren't 'related'.  are they willingly entering Soundwave? are they slaves? 

it's so weird and confusing... but if i just flat-out ask the guy, he might kill me.  what do you think?
gpt
Soundwave's Cassettes are "Infiltration Units" who have skills that are useful to employ (Ravage's stealth, Rumble and Frenzy's sabotage potential, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw's reconnaissance skills, etc), but also small bodies that would make them vulnerable in open combat. Soundwave, who's a pretty big fellow and skilled combatant, serves as both a field commander for them and a walking tank to transport them safely.

On at least one occasion, having their brain and spark put into a smaller cassette body was used as a punishment; Senator Ratbat used to be a normal-sized Cybertronian, and Soundwave's boss, but he was a complete ass who exploited Soundwave and eventually the tables were turned. Soundwave allowed him to live, but only as a cassette.

That doesn't seem to be the case with most of the others though, who were always that small, and who Soundwave had a good relationship with. He collapsed in anguish when Ravage died, they were very close.