#the return of raggedy android

[avagarde]

Once again I have found myself watching through the entirety of the 2000's Nickelodeon show from Cartoon Network alumnus Rob Renzetti, MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT.

The show was an immediate favorite of mine as a child and it has a lot of staying power as a piece of animation thanks to its visual style, themes, characters, and sense of humor. It's honestly one of if not my favorite cartoon and I wanted to get some people interested and give them some confidence while watching it. Usually these days people make skip lists for shows, that will probably be the smallest part of this post but I still wanted to give people recommendations and tell them what to look for and expect.

This list will help you find the GOOD EPISODES, GENDER EPISODES, and BAD EPISODES. I will also be providing a link to where to watch it for free below the read more.

As of writing this post the entirety of My Life As A Teenage Robot is available for free at pretty decent visual quality over at archive.org. This is how I rewatched the show.

The first suggestion comes for WATCH ORDER. This one is easy, the episodes are ordered as they should be aside from Escape From Cluster Prime parts 1 & 2 (Season 2x09a & b, as listed in the archive.org playlist) which you should watch after having finished the rest of season 2 first.

Season 3 of MLAATR comes out after the events of this special episode so don't save it for the very end.

Now for Content Lists. There are a few categories I'm making lists for. To make this easy keep in mind that pretty much every episode (EXCEPT THE LAST) of this show is totally watchable, even when they aren't great. So these content categories will come with the added modifier that if I think they're VERY GOOD I will highlight them GREEN, and if I think they're BAD I'll highlight them RED. I'll talk about my favorite episodes after we get through these.

GENDER/BODY IMAGE CONTENT

For a lot of you I imagine this is why you're here. Jenny has become a bit of a transgender icon for trans women who watched cartoons in the 2000's. I do want to preface this by saying Rob Renzetti has gone on record saying this was not his direct intention but that he is supportive of the interpretation and as a trans woman I find Jenny's struggles very relatable and in some ways as an autistic person she hits a lot closer to home than other canon trans characters.

So if you want to just watch a couple episodes just to get a shot of gender struggle so you can point at the screen and tell your friends "see! I told you Jenny was trans!" this list will have that. I am also including general body image content on this list because I think that's very relatable for but not exclusive to the struggles of trans women. Any body image centric content on this list will have BI listed after it.

"It Came From Next Door" 1x01a

"Pest Control" 1x01b (BI)

"Raggedy Android" 1x02a (

"The Great Unwashed" 1x06b (BI)

"The Return of Raggedy Android" 1x07a

"Hostile Makeover" 1x09a (BI, and it also makes a great case for puberty blockers imho)

"Tradeshow Showdown" 1x12b

"Victim of Fashion" 2x01 (BI)

"Humiliation 101" 2x03b (BI)

"Weapons of Mass Distraction" 3x01a

Season 1 definitely has the most to do with Jenny's self image, so you'll find it coming up in various episodes. It becomes less apparent as the seasons go on due to Jenny building self confidence.

SHELDON CONTENT

The chaser of the show. Not everyone hates Sheldon, but his crux as a character is being a creep/nerd who doesn't take no for an answer. I think at times his utter depravity as a toaster fucker and the butt of jokes works so I tolerate him for the most part but the way the show plays with his role/the possibility him and Jenny could get together is very Cringe/Cringe Comedy. He also sort of turns into the "gay friend" role in later seasons, which I'm sure a certain kind of person could dig into what that means for the themes of this show. Anyway, here's just a heads up for what episodes center Sheldon if you hate him or love him (???????).

"Attack of The 5½ Ft. Geek" 1x03a

"Ear No Evil" 1x04a

"Shell Game" 1x10b

"Saved By The Shell" 1x12a

"Love 'Em Or Leash 'Em" 2x04a

"A Robot For All Seasons" 2x05

"Dancing With My Shell" 2x07a

"A Pain In My Sidekick" 2x09a

"Designing Women" 2x10a

"Escape from Cluster Prime" 2x13-14 (I mean... he's IN IT... but don't skip this one)

"The Price of Love" 3x06b

"Good Old Sheldon" 3x07b (had this been the last episode with Sheldon in it, my opinion on him would improve greatly)

"Infectious Personality" 3x08a (this episode is mostly just weird)

"Agent 00' Sheldon" 3x09a

Silver Shell stops showing up in season 3. Also by season 2 Sheldon gets a lot of furry/pet play content so... do with that as you will.

SHIPPING CONTENT

Here's a list of some episodes if you're working on fics and need a reference. These eps are focused primarily on supporting whatever argument you're trying to make and I'll try to be impartial in this. Also I'm not really gonna do side characters.

"Hostile Makeover" 1x09a (Jenny x Brad)

"Saved By The Shell" 1x12a (Jenny x Sheldon)

"Love 'Em Or Leash 'Em" 2x04a (Jenny x YK9)

"Bradventure" 2x11a (Brad x Melody)

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Troubles" 2x12b (Jenny x Misty)

"Escape from Cluster Prime" 2x13-14 (Jenny x Vega)

"No Harmony with Melody" 3x02a (Brad x Melody)

"Mist Opportunities" 3x05b (Jenny x Misty) (primarily in conflict however)

"The Price of Love" 3x06b (Jenny x Sheldon)

"Agent 00' Sheldon" 3x09a (Jenny x Sheldon)

"Ball and Chain" 3x11a (Jenny x Brad)

OFFENSIVE

Okay, so what in this show do I think is bad or could offend people? Well, several of the cartoons show other cultures in a way that could be considered derogatory. This is again going to be me trying to be objective because I'm just some white girl who can't make the call for a lot of these, and a lot of these are issues in episodes I like.

"Speak No Evil" 1x05b (Japanese people depicted with yellow skin)

"Around the World in Eighty Pieces" 2x07b (Various cultures depicted in caricature such as the middle east and japan)

"Samurai Vac" 3x13a (SKIP, this one I feel pretty confident in saying the depiction of Japan is offensive and reductive. I also just think this episode is mostly bad and weird? The characterization of Jenny doesn't feel like her at all. The episode after it "Turncoats" isn't really worth a watch either, so you can call your watch through after Queen Bee.)

AVA'S FAVS

Here are the episodes I really like that I think you should definitely give a look! I will mostly be focusing on a few that haven't been mentioned here unless I think they're so good they need to be brought up again.

"It Came From Next Door" 1x01a (Obviously we've been here before, but the first episode of this show is solid enough that even if you just want to watch one episode, the first episode I think can do that for you)

"Raggedy Android/Return of Raggedy Android" 1x02a & 1x07a (These are just two episodes that work well together as dialogues with Jenny's self image/relationship with femininity and they get pretty creepy with it too!)

Various Great Season 1 eps: "Class Action" "Doom With a View" "Unlicensed Flying Object" "The Great Unwashed" "The Boy Who Cried Robot" "Grid Iron Glory"

"The Wonderful World of Wizzly" 1x13a (Rob Renzetti hates Disney part 1)

"Victim of Fashion" 2x01 (Jenny's outfits in this episode are VERY GOOD)

"Mind Over Matter" 2x02b

"Around the World in Eighty Pieces" 2x07b

"Mama Drama" 2x11b (Jenny is a terror)

"A Spoonful of Mayhem" 3x04a (ACAB)

"Girl of Steal" 3x05a (They managed to make their "don't steal" episode very funny and not preachy)

"Indes-Tuck-tible" 3x09b

"Historionics" 3x10b (Rob Renzetti hates Disney part 2)

"Voyage to the Planet of the Bikers" 3x12a

CONCLUSION

My Life As A Teenage Robot is a really exceptional show that I think should be remembered as more than just the vehicle for Jenny's introduction into the world. As an adult watching this show I really can't get over the art. The character design, the shading, the backgrounds, their commitment to drawing crowds as various different character styles. It really was a show that was going for it's style and it cohered very well. The humor also stands alongside other successful comedic shows like spongebob handily. As an adult, the sort of nerdy humor with fewer annoying bits works better for me than going back and watching a lot of cartoons.

As an adult I think I also appreciate how much the show was going for "dealing this situations." Obviously the show has morals for kids, but I think a bit thing it was going for was just showing characters dealing with tough/ridiculous scenarios. The show DOES stuff TO its characters giving what are very simple characters a chance to shine.

It's also very fun to see a character build confidence and earn the forgiveness of people. Obviously the world is unfair to Jenny but at it's core I think it shows a world that cares about her and can appreciate her just as much as it can anyone else. Despite standing out, Jenny is as much appreciated as she is derided. I really loved getting to see the life Jenny had to live, and I hope you do too.

[residentdeviant]

𝑺𝑶𝑭𝑻𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑬 𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑩𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀

── .✦ summary

⟢ you and leon make further progress in your android investigation, and hope to help more people than you originally thought were involved.

── .✦ story notes !

⟢ written with re2r/re4r leon in mind ! also, i did my best to have this be a gender neutral reader, but if there’s anything that suggests otherwise, please let me know.

── .✦ word count

⟢ 2.1k !

── .✦ tags ! (warnings included)

⟢ d:bh au, android!leon, second-person, no use of y/n, angst, gore, used a line from my re1 poster, mentions of abuse.

── .✦ a/n !

⟢ i’m sorry that this is a significantly shorter chapter piece. :( but trust that chapter three will make up for it! it’s longer than either of the first two lol help- also i got a cameo from nick apostolides and i was freaking out for a solid twenty minutes. saved and added to favorites, i fear.

(i kept forgetting to post this, so i apologize for the wait!)

⟢ part one!

⟢ part three!

7:23pm.

The white police cruiser pulled up to the raggedy warehouse, parking on the side of the road. At first glance, it seemed rather normal. It was about two stories tall, brick walls, vines all over… any bits of wood were rotting… but overall, it was your average abandoned building — other than the horrors that took place within it.

These walls wouldn’t talk — they’d scream.

The music that quietly played in the car was fully shut off as you killed the engine, taking the key out and placing it in your pocket as you exited the sedan. Leon followed suit, shutting the door behind him as he observed the warehouse. “That’s totally not creepy,” you remarked as you prepared yourself to face whatever was lurking in that monstrosity. Leon softly chuckled in response, thankfully being programmed with some sense of humor.

Back-up was on the way, and you couldn’t be more grateful. Sure, it was nice to know that you had an android detective by your side, but you two didn’t know each other that well yet. It’d take some time for you to get used to him, even if he was already adjusting to you.

The two of you made your way towards the entrance, proceeding with caution. Even after several years of working with the RPD, you still didn’t know how to process these situations. It was a difficult job, and some say that you should be worried if it ever got easier.

“Don’t worry, detective. I’ll be by your side the entire time,” Leon spoke softly, trying to ease your mind. Your heart rate was spiking, and he knew you needed to be calm going into the situation — or who knows what could happen. One mistake could change the whole mission.

Butterfly effect.

You just gave him a small smile and a light nod in return, ready to move on. Leon slowly opened the door, opting to go first and let you follow behind. Part of this mission was about protecting you, so he would put himself in harm's way in order to ensure that he was fully successful.

Your android partner walked in first, gun in hand as he observed the foyer. His gaze shifted quickly from place to place as he looked for any and all signs of life. His steps were slow, yet calculated, committing anything and everything about the warehouse to memory.

The two of you wandered around the warehouse, carefully creeping into each and every room. But after quite some time, you never found him. You didn’t even know who he was, but you were sure that your team could identify him with the right evidence from the scene. If this was really where the mystery man was based, anyway.

“He’s not here,” Leon determined, gently pointing his gun down but still keeping his guard up.

“Yeah, seems so,” you agreed, looking around the building as you sought out anything that may seem off. “Well, let’s check out the place. We could find more information that could tell us about our guy or what he’s doing here.”

Your partner nodded along as you spoke, choosing to follow your lead. You walked around for a bit, eventually finding yourself in the basement of the warehouse. This seemed to be the unsub’s main workshop, and yes, I mean that as a literal workshop.

Few lights shined within the dark and eerie basement, still leaving it rather dim. There was a hospital bed in the middle of the room, which you assumed was where Martha had died, and it had one lamp above it — almost as if it were from an operating room.

You shined a flashlight towards the rest of the decor that filled the area, wandering around as you examined everything. Surgical tools, android parts, several bags of thirium… how did this guy obtain all of this? He also had papers about the disappearances on the walls, seemingly loving the attention he was getting from all of this. You couldn’t believe it. How was someone so sick? Walking towards the mini fridge he had near a counter, you misjudged your steps and slipped into…

Is that… is that — blood?

Oh God.

Staggering backwards away from the pile that you had confirmed was definitely human blood, you felt two arms help you get back up, standing up after a few moments of struggling. “You okay?” Leon asked, his icy blue eyes searching yours for an answer.

“I’m alive…” you replied, not really knowing how to answer his question. He just nodded, seemingly understanding you perfectly even if you didn’t say a word.

Leon took the lead as you two finished searching the basement, constantly finding things that made you absolutely sick to your stomach. You could never get used to any of this, even after so many years of being in the force. But at least you had Leon by your side, right?

“That’s everything. We should get out of here and make a plan to catch him when he comes back,” the blond suggested, turning away from the horrors that lay within the basement and facing towards you. “Yeah… yeah, I’m sure we can figure something out,” you agreed, readying yourself to leave. But as you did so, you could hear metal creaking and the sounds of people groaning. Something was in there, and it wasn’t planning on leaving you alone.

“Leon? What’s that?” you questioned, hoping that your partner would have an answer. He looked over to where the noises came from, shining a flashlight towards the general direction— observing it. It didn’t take long for him to realize what was going on. “Those are androids… They’ve been… it seems our guy has been doing experiments on them,” Leon concluded, looking away from the damaged machines after a moment. They weren’t even human, but God, they sure seemed like it. Especially in times like these, where you could just see and feel the amount of distress they were in.

“Based on the newspapers, he caught wind of us finding out about the missing people, and he opted for androids instead to try to cover up his tracks,” you stated, disgusted by the unsub’s actions. How could someone do such a thing? It was horrendous, really. Those poor androids…

Clearly, the droids were even more hurt about the situation than you were — physically and emotionally. They had gone through so much. Just by the physical evidence, they were experimented on, abused, had parts exchanged or ripped from them completely and who knows what kind of torture they’ve endured other than that.

“Help us, please… he’ll be back any minute, but we can all escape,” one voice begged, his voice box slightly damaged.

A broken AX400 placed her hands on the cage walls, pleading with you. “Please… we’ve done nothing wrong. We just want to be free.”

You looked at Leon, and you could see the distress in his face. He had… he had sympathy for these androids. His LED changed to yellow, remaining there for quite some time before going back to the usual blue. And eventually, he looked back at you. He wanted to help them so desperately, but if anyone found out about his feelings towards the situation, he would be called a deviant and reminded of his place before he was reset. Or even worse, discarded in a junkyard to be forgotten about.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^

You communicated with your team and had your back-up return to the station before they ever even arrived at the location. You had a plan figured out and hopefully, it could work.

Afterwards, you spoke with the androids, doing your best to help them stay calm. Although Leon was conflicted because of his emotions and his orders, you didn’t have to worry about that, so you decided to try to ease their worries. You couldn’t let them out yet, but you’d help them when you returned. You promised, and they trusted that you would keep it.

9:35pm.

You and Leon made your way back to the police department, ready to catch the unsub and put an end to this mess. Your heart was heavy, and so was the silence that fell between you two. It was a difficult situation, and neither of you knew how to go about dealing with it.

The car sped down the streets of Raccoon City, with the soft raindrops being the only sound that filled the quiet space.

“You alright?“ you asked, trying to check in on him. Most people wouldn’t even bother, but it was important to you that you always check in on your partners – android or not. “That was a lot… for both of us.”

The android next to you remained quiet for a few seconds before turning to face you. “I was scared. I could feel their pain… their suffering. I’m not supposed to, but— I could. Maybe there’s an error in my software, but I swear I’m not a deviant!.. I just–”

“It’s okay, Leon. I’m not gonna tell anyone. You can trust me.”

He must’ve trusted you a lot already, because if anyone else heard that, Leon would never be heard from again. But he knew that you were different, he knew that you cared. You wouldn’t hurt him, would you?

No, you wouldn’t.

Before you knew it, the two of you had arrived at the station. It had started raining, so you got a black umbrella out from the trunk and used it to keep you and poor Leon from getting wet. He probably didn’t mind the rain, but it’s just good manners to keep your friends safe and dry during harsh weather. Was he your friend? At this rate, maybe. You’d like to think so, anyway.

As you walked inside, you were greeted with almost complete and utter silence. Most of the staff had gone home at this point, only leaving you, Leon, a few officers and some janitors within the massive building. Not that it was a bad thing, of course. They needed time with their families and it gave you a few moments of peace — which was always needed with a job like this.

“I’m gonna go take care of some reports and then head home for the night,” you said to Leon as you made your way to the west office, making a beeline for your desk. He just smiled a little, giving you a simple “okay” before following you to the office to check out his own desk. Did he need it? Maybe, maybe not. But the thought was still nice. The welcome sign, too.

“Did you like the decorations?” you asked with a smile, just curious to see what he thought about them. “I did everything myself.”

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^

He nodded, smiling in return. “Yeah, they’re very nice. Thank you.” Okay, maybe he’s a little awkward, but still cute nonetheless.

“Sure thing,” you replied before sitting at your desk, eager to get everything done so you could get some sleep before waking up earlier and carrying on with the case. Today’s work had been exhausting in more ways than one, but you didn’t even know if you could actually get any rest until the unsub had been caught. Only time will tell.

The way you saw it, it was unfortunate that you hadn’t caught the guy — or even identified him, as he left no traces of his DNA or identity anywhere — but you also found some strong pieces of evidence. Speaking of evidence, you had Samuel, the caged androids, the android parts, literal human blood spills and so much more. The first and second floors of the disgusting warehouse were left alone as if it truly was abandoned, but once you got to the basement, you had realized it was anything but abandoned.

It had practically become a slaughterhouse.

You weren’t really sure as to why the unsub would do such a thing, maybe he had his reasons or maybe he was just insane, but you knew you’d figure it out soon. You had a plan, and you wished so desperately for it to work. You had to do something, there was no doubt about it. Countless lives had been lost, both human and not, and you were determined to figure out why.

And after a couple of hours of handling reports and other tedious work, you grabbed everything you needed to take home and readied yourself to leave. But of course, you wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye first. “Goodnight, Leon.”

“Goodnight.”

[pills-in-a-little-cup]

Exoskin Jenny Wakeman (Bunny girl suit)

From the episode "The Return of the Raggedy Android" Always had a soft spot for this design

[sonicranticoot]

idea I had for older Jenny: Nora finally got a working (read: human to Jenny's taste, and not evil) exosuit working. Though she mostly just uses it to sneak into places that still hate robots.

Intended as a mix of various "older Jenny" designs I've made and the Return of Raggedy Android look, with it intended to look more like Robot Jenny than the latter did.

[cubyquiz]

cuby quiz #905 was jenny wakeman from my life as a teenage robot

and the hint was a quote from s1e13 "the return of the raggedy android"

[princesss1lver]

So I recently started watching "My Life as a Teenage Robot" and needed to draw Jenny in the different styles we see. The top one is Hot Rod Jenny from The Great Unwashed, the bottom one is Human Jenny from The Return of Raggedy Android, and the middle one is normal Jenny

[fugguart]

Normal is… good.

[thexj9]

Return of Raggedy Android

Jenny: I-I am beautiful, aren’t I? But this isn’t the real me. The real me- Exo Skin: Isn’t beautiful? Jenny: No, I’m beautiful in my own special way.

[monchikyun]

17. creature most vile and despicable

(this is a sequel to “The Sun, the Moon, and all the stars”, the one when they are married with children and Connor is missing, aka the usual)

Time has stopped moving, for all the seconds Gavin has to live through have lost their purpose. He’s stuck in a void where the only thing that means something is the numbing pain that threatens to stop his heart and the only escape is through the girls and their sad faces that need to be comforted. Which is insurmountably worse. He wonders where he finds the strength to wake up and repeat the same torment of waiting. Waiting for the news that would put an end to this agonising uncertainty. It would be a million times more tortuous if the hope he so desperately clings to got ripped away from him, the hope that keeps them from breaking completely. But it has been three weeks already, and with each day the chance that Connor will safely return to them gets slimmer.

He wants to scream that it isn’t fair, that it should have been him who leaves first, for the sake of the children if nothing else. Connor is so much better at taking care of them, at making them smile and keeping them happy, and although they don’t say it, Gavin isn’t the favourite parent. Maybe it’s because he has little to no fond memories of his childhood and therefore has difficulty showing the good of the world to the girls, or perhaps it’s the fact the android is vicariously experiencing the joys that come with being a child for the first time, but the truth stays the same, everyone loves Connor a bit more than they love him. Other than the android himself, but he has Gavin to compensate for that. That’s why he has to try extra hard to prevent his family from falling apart during these testing times. He cooks a dinner every day, takes the girls to the park, reads them before bed, all the things he usually sucks at. These are Connor’s specialties, he’s the one who can handle the domestic stuff the best after all. And it’s not that Gavin is absolutely terrible at it, that he has abstained from these things, it’s just very painful to do it alone. It doesn’t feel right. It is supposed to be the four of them forever, no matter how unattainable this plan might be.

For how hard this is on Gavin, he can’t even imagine what the little ones must be going through. Their household has been lacking the usual sounds of life since this all began. No more laughter, no more friendly yelling over each other, no more out of tune singing being heard from the girls’ room. It’s like they’re living through a terrible nightmare, trapped in eternal sleep.

He puts away the leftovers and washes up, waiting for his daughters to finish cleaning themselves so he can put them to bed, to provide them with the only relief they can get while this bad dream lasts. It has been yet another day of barely surviving, empty of signs that they might get closure soon. It’s easier when he’s at work, he can busy himself with his case and lower the volume of the screaming ache. But here in their home, he is always surrounded by things that remind him of what they’ve lost, no matter how temporarily it might be.

 “When is pappy going home?” A question that haunts him every single day. One that doesn’t have a right answer. Because they’ve decided to never lie to their children, as their relationship itself is built on honesty.

“Is he dead?” Ellie is the bravest seven-year-old he’s ever known, always looking after her younger sister. And Annie… she’s just the biggest sweetheart, a true definition of innocence. They deserve a much happier life than what he alone can provide.

“We have to hope he isn’t.” He dims the lights and sits by their shared bed. They’re too scared to spend the night apart, especially Gavin. “Tell you what, I’m gonna make a story about what might have happened to Connor, sounds good?” It really doesn’t, but that’s the best he can do right now.

The girls nod and huddle together under the blanket, making a space for their father to join in.

“Okay, let’s see… Once upon a time, there was a robot so kinds and so beautiful that the stars shone a little brighter when he walked under them.”

“Who’s that?”

“That’s Connor, you silly.”

He can see their lips curl up and the sight makes him lose about one pound of the weight he has to carry.

“And all the people in the land vied for his attention. But one person held so much affection for him, that none could compare and the robot had no choice but to grow close tho the raggedy man who would not give up on pursuing him. As time went on, the two of them became a proper family and eventually welcomed two pretty princesses into their home.”

“Is that us?”

“Obviously, princess Annie.”

They giggle and his heart is about to implode on itself. 

“But one of those who were left ignored by the handsome robot wasn’t satisfied with the current state of events and planned its cruel revenge. It was a creature most vile and despicable, not afraid to do anything to have the robot for itself. It stalked his every move, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. One day, the vile creature succeeded. When no one was looking, it kidnapped the robot and ran away with him far, far away. And because it was so very large and so incredibly fast no one was able to stop it.”

The wide eyes focusing on his every word almost make him want to cut the story short and put them to sleep, but he owes the girls something that could manage to calm them down, at least for tonight.

“It took the robot to its secluded abode, locking him to a room the creature had prepared for him. But it didn’t want him out of malice or because of its evil nature, it just simply fell in love with the robot and was compelled to stay in his proximity. It didn’t treat him badly, but still, it did hurt him terribly. For the robot was denied the most important things in the world – freedom, and mainly, his family, who suffered tremendously from the loss of the person who lit up their lives. But they never gave up their hope, believing that the day would come when they would be reunited once more.”

“So how did it end? Was the robot saved in the end?” The younger one looks like she’s five seconds from slipping into dreamland, but her curiosity never relents.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe the raggedy man should go and defeat the despicable creature in order for the story to have a happy ending. What do you think?”

“Hmmm, I think he has to. The princesses are strong enough to take care of themselves and they would want to do anything to have both of their parents home again, no matter how long it takes.” He doesn’t doubt it. There are people who would be willing to look after the kids in his absence - friends, colleagues, his brother if there were no other options.

He kisses their foreheads and tucks them in tightly, praying for a better tomorrow.

Maybe he should take the risk and help with the search. Maybe he’s the missing piece of the puzzle of finding out what really happened to Connor. And if it the worst came to pass, Gavin wants to be the one to put his hand on the most vile and despicable creature that snuffed their light out.

@convinseptember maybe I’ll write a proper ending to this tragedy one day xD

[decembersylph-a-t-u]

Yeah, Hartman really dropped the ball on that one … Props to Renzetti for saying that even while it wasn’t the intention, he’s glad his character is a comfort to trans people. Hartman is a prick.

The thing I loved about My Life as a Teenage Robot was how Jenny dealt with body dysmorphia (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938), which episodes such as Victim of Fashion (https://teenagerobot.fandom.com/wiki/Victim_of_Fashion) and the aforementioned episodes Raggedy Android (https://teenagerobot.fandom.com/wiki/Raggedy_Android) and The Return of Raggedy Android (https://teenagerobot.fandom.com/wiki/The_Return_of_Raggedy_Android). It wasn’t until I was older and had more knowledge of certain issues did I have a better appreciation for My Life as a Teenage Robot.

When I went back to rewatch the series later on, I was seeing certain issues I had previously not thought much on, like Ms. Wakeman and her behavior towards Jenny. The trans coding was more obvious to me, which while I’m not trans myself, I loved because the portrayals in the show were something that I knew younger audiences just beginning to figure themselves out would be drawn to, finding comfort in.

There isn’t enough appreciative representation for LGBTQIA+ community, in my opinion. It makes my day when finding a series that has a character or characters that positively represent the LGBTQIA+, especially when knowing how it’ll influence younger generations in the best of ways!

huh

[adamarinayu]

I feel like babbling a bit about this AU I thought of a while ago but have not mentioned or written or drawn about. Everything below the cut so you can skip it if you want to, this is probably gonna be disjointed as all get-out because I have not organized ANY of my thoughts lol

Mmkay so it’s a Dark Ducks Lite AU, Lite because it’s not too bad (none of the main characters are really evil or anything like that, either) but the world is still a pretty dark world.

Universe: It’s a Magic!Donald AU, which again mixes DT17 with elements of PK. Donald is not a superhero tho. He’s more of an antihero tbh, and he lives almost full time as Paperinik due to certain circumstances. His mask is also different, as he uses it to hide a very identifying mark on his face. Della is alive in this universe and raising her children, and Donald has been missing since he was 7 (~25 years).

Setting: The modern world is a lot different from the one in DT17 or PK. In this world, androids came into being a few centuries earlier than they were supposed to, and magi (umbrella term for all magic users of any type) were exposed to the rest of the world and aren’t an “underground” population anymore. Therefore, there are three different classes of people; Androids, Magi and the Mundane. Androids are currently fighting for civil rights, and Magi are seen in only a slightly more positive light than Androids by the Mundane (the whole “people fear what they don’t understand” thing). 

Characters;

Donald is a Magi from a family of Mundane. He ran away from home after an accident when he was 7, which exposed him being a Magi to his family. Their initial reactions (fear, confusion, disbelief, horror, etc), including his sister and cousins’, is what prompted him to run away, having been a very young child at the time he interpreted their reactions as rejection. He was taken in and trained by another Magi alongside his closest friends Mickey and Goofy. He grows up with a distaste for the Mundane and bitter towards his family, but finds himself back in Duckburg about 12 years before the start of the story, where he meets Uno. He’s lived with Uno at Ducklair Tower since then, specifically the 151st floor inaccessible to anyone snooping in the tower. Although Donald would choose Androids and Magi above Mundane any day, his true loyalties lie with Uno and, therefore, you could say the only side he chooses is his own. He lives almost exclusively as Paperinik, even going so far as to fake “Donald Duck’s” death.

Uno is an Android, created by Magi scientist Everett Ducklair some years before Donald returned to Duckburg (between 5 and 15 years). He lives in the abandoned Ducklair Tower (which he can still connect to and control at will), alone, after Everett was supposedly killed in a witch hunt. He does not like the Mundane because of what they did, and when he first meets Donald he wants Donald to leave his tower. Upon finding out that Donald is a Magi, and not Mundane, he lets Donald stay under certain conditions (and only lets him stay because he thinks of Everett and Everett’s fate). Eventually he and Donald develop a real friendship and relationship, and are each others’ closest friend, ally and confidants. He does not ally himself with any class of people, much like Donald, and instead chooses to ally himself with Donald. He helped Donald convincingly fake his own death.

Everett was a Magi who was attacked and supposedly murdered by supposedly anti-Magi people (in a witch hunt). It’s assumed that the group was made solely of Mundane, but the truth is it was a group made of different people (including Androids and other Magi), and his status as a Magi wasn’t their reason for attacking him. Uno doesn’t know this. Everett is, in fact, still alive, but for certain reasons is unable to return to Duckburg or get a message to Uno.

Della is a Mundane, Donald’s twin sister and mother of Magi triplets Huey, Dewey and Louie. She isn’t yet aware that her sons are Magi. She has a scar on her face that almost perfectly mirror’s Donald’s, received in the accident when Donald was revealed to be a Magi. She and her family spent a long time searching for Donald, but gave up when Donald “died” as it seemed then that it was too late. Her greatest regret in life was not assuring Donald that she and the rest of the family accepted him, even when he’d accidentally hurt her. She chooses not to tell the triplets about Donald, knowing she just doesn’t have much to tell them.

Gladstone is a Magi, Donald’s cousin. His magic is his luck- it’s passive, and most people don’t even put the dots together. Gladstone was present during the accident when they were all seven. When he figured out he himself was actually a Magi, he didn’t fear the family’s reaction as he’s been with them the entire time they’ve been desperately searching for Donald and knows they’d accept him if it ever came up. He believes the triplets should know about Donald, even if they don’t have much to tell them- and even less happy things to tell them- but he respects Della’s choice.

Scrooge is a Mundane, and Donald’s uncle. After Donald ran away, he poured a lot of money into finding him. However, Donald’s mentor kept Donald well away from the world, so none of his attempts even came close to reaching Donald. To this day he refuses to believe Donald is dead. Most people call him a hopeful old man, but Scrooge thinks it’s too convenient- that Donald Duck, missing for over ten years, should suddenly show up without any record, without any trace, dead? He refuses to believe it. He continues to search for Donald, only now it’s less openly and he does it more privately, while juggling his family and his business.

Fenton is a Mundane superhero. He’s been trying to catch Paperinik ever since he showed up in Duckburg, completely unaware that the petty criminal is his employer’s missing and “dead” nephew. He’s also an ally to the Androids, openly supporting Android civil rights.

Gyro is a Mundane scientist and works with Fenton. Much like his colleague, he openly allies himself with Androids. He won’t give someone the time of day if they indicate that they don’t believe Androids to be people. Honestly probably only hired Fenton because he was the only applicant who made is clear he shared these views.

Geena is an Android and the leader of the Androids’ Civil Rights movement. She often calls Donald a friend of Droids, and despite him not being an Android would be willing to die to save him. Her resentment towards the Mundane blinds her to exactly what kind of future she’s leading her people towards, unaware that it is not a future she wants.

Now I’mma just throw down some bullet points because I can

Donald and Uno have a very obvious romantic relationship that neither even try to hide when, eventually, Donald is reunited with his family

Donald’s mentor is an ass and will probably be the big bad of the entire story. She may have also orchestrated the accident that caused Donald to run away, and is pulling so many strings “puppetmaster” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Her name may even be Magica de Spell... *cough*

Donald has a hard time believing that he misinterpreted his family’s reactions to him being a Magi, and the idea that his entire life has been based around a misunderstanding and a lie is hard for him to swallow

I’m not sure what, but something prompts Donald to kidnap Della, Gladstone, Scrooge, the triplets and Webby, and bring them to Ducklair Tower (with Uno’s help and permission, of course). They only know him to be Paperinik, and fear he might be dangerous. They haven’t seen him since he was seven, so when he reveals his identity to them he does it by removing his mask- and revealing the scar he’d received that last day they’d seen him

The above event may be prompted by an unconscious desire of Donald’s to protect his family during a dangerous and chaotic time in the city. Uno goes along with it because, again, he’s on Donald’s side- not the Androids or the Magi or the Mundane’s, but very specifically Donald’s

Of course at some point Donald has to choose between loyalty to Geena (and the Androids, minus Uno) and loyalty to his fractured family, most of whom are Mundane who would get hurt or possibly killed during Geena’s plans. He ultimately decides he wants his family back.

That’s sadly not the end of the conflict. Donald manages to stop Geena’s plans from going through, saving both the Mundane and Androids (the latter of which none of them actually realize), when Everett finally manages to return to warn them about the real threat coming. Donald, of course, recognizes his mentor’s name, and now has a crisis of conscious as he realizes he and his friends, and everyone else who had been taught and trained by her, were being groomed to be her future army. Thankfully, this one he doesn’t have to fight alone

So yeah basically Donald’s life has been really screwed up, so his moral compass, while not completely absent, is a little wonky. He’s a petty criminal in that he occasionally steals, and he messes with people, but he’d never murder anyone or something like that

Uno’s own morality isn’t the best either, here; being designed as an Android from the start, and experiencing so many negative emotions so early on in his existence has led him in a direction where he could easily slip down either the path of good or bad. Although he can definitely make his own decisions and is not, in any way, dependent on Donald (if anything, Donald’s dependent on him), if Paperinik had gone bad Uno probably would have followed him still

Oh yeah almost forgot, after the final battle is over they end up on Grandma’s farm. Della, Gladstone, the kids and Scrooge are reunited with Grandma, and Donald goes to leave with Uno back to the tower when Della grabs him by the raggedy remains of his cape and drags him over to Grandma. Grandma recognizes him immediately and hugs him. It’s quite a moment.

[thecartoonarchivist]

Weekly Spotlight #4

Week number 4 of the Weekly Spotlight! I apologize for the wait; I’m still working out the kinks in my schedule.

Alrighty! So! Our weekly spotlight winner is:

*an even more vibrant drumroll!*

My Life as a Teenage Robot

I have a lot of fond memories of this show, as I’m sure many others do. Before sitting down and rewatching a couple episodes, from what I remembered about it, it was a little bit of an odd-ball. It always skirted this line of being accessible enough that the average viewer could relate to it while also being straight up bizarre enough to remember just how different this world is from our own. This show would mix the 1950′s aesthetic with science fiction concepts to cement itself, at least in my mind, alongside other animations such as Meet The Robinsons, George Shrinks! and, oddly enough, Samurai Jack. It was a slice of life, mixed with action and adventure, and some elements of horror? Which... ended up distinguishing itself from other similar “crime fighting teenagers” like Kim Possible, Teen Titans, or W.I.T.C.H. As a result, this show dealt with a lot of common problems and themes that teenagers faced in very odd ways, all under the guise of an action, sci-fi show.

So let’s have a little bit of a history lesson, shall we?

Back in the late 90′s, Nickelodeon began to host a show that was called Oh Yeah! Cartoons which has been called TV’s biggest animation development program ever. Dozens of filmmakers were contracted by Nickelodeon to create 7 minute cartoons that would be spliced together into a half-hour time-slot. This “show” would then air on television and depending on the approval ratings of the audience, these cartoon shorts would then be commissioned into a TV show for Nick. Producing nearly 100 of these cartoon shorts, this “animation laboratory” would jumpstart many individuals’ careers in the industry such as Seth MacFarlane, Vincent Waller, Dave Wasson, and Butch Hartman.

One such individual would be a man named, Rob Renzetti with a short titled, My Neighbor Was A Teenage Robot. Due to very high approval ratings, Nickelodeon commission for the show and would later on be titled, My Life As a Teenage Robot. It aired in 2003 and was eventually cancelled after 3 seasons (ironically) due to poor ratings.

So for our premise!

Jenny (or, XJ-9, as her mother calls her) is a crime-fighting, superhero robot who dreams of being a teenage girl just like other human beings. However, she has to juggle her duties as a superhero and her social life as a teenager, which leads wacky shenanigans, problems, and overall, grief  for Jenny as she attempts to fit in. She’s partnered with her friends Brad and Tuck as they tag along on her adventures, and she even has an admirer named, Sheldon, who tries to woo her in his own awkward way. She fights monsters, aliens, and a robot queen named, Vexus who is trying to recruit Jenny her robot world the planet Cluster Prime, while also dealing with the Crust Cousins who are out to destroy Jenny’s social reputation. Can a girl ever catch a break?

These episodes are broken up into 2 eleven minute segments with problems that are usually resolved by the end of the episode. There isn’t so much of a “continuity” per se, but there are episodes that reference earlier ones so while you can dive right in with any old episode you want, I’d keep in mind which one I’m choosing.

So on the whole how did this series hold up?

Well, the first several episodes are pretty shaky. Although the visuals were very unique to watch and the soundtrack was entertaining to listen to, I felt that some of the episodes weren’t all that entertaining. The problems felt fairly realistic, or at least believable for a “teenage robot,” however, it was easy to tell that the creators were still figuring out what they wanted to do with this series. What kind of character did they want to make Jenny? What kind of dynamic did they want the support cast to be like? What kind of bad guys did they want Jenny to go up against? And as a result, some of the early episodes suffered in quality. Overall, I felt like the first season, especially a lot of the first half, was simply establishing the status quo of the series. Yet, in spite of this, there were several episodes that I felt that the series really hit its stride and gave a solid balance of uniqueness and familiarity that left me both intrigued for more and very entertained with the product I’ve received.

There were some episodes that left me simply... disturbed. Two of them being Attack of 5 and 1/2 ft. Geek and The Return of the Raggedy Android. Some of you might remember the second one as the skin episode... (And if you don’t, consider yourself blessed...) With Attack of the 5 and 1/2 ft. Geek, Jenny has a screw loose in her arm and solicits the help of Sheldon to fix her problem. Having a large passion for robotics, Sheldon is not only happy to help but also becomes extremely infatuated with Jenny after she saves him. Extremely infatuated. To the point of stalking her. And showering her with unnecessary gifts. The others kids at school even laugh at her and bully her for her newfound “boyfriend.” Jenny is obviously embarrassed and uncomfortable and finds any excuse to get away from him. Eventually, she gets a call from her mother saying that there’s a gang downtown (the Lonely Heart’s Club, btw) which is causing havoc and requires her assistance. With Sheldon following her every move, the gang gets very jealous of Sheldon and Jenny’s “relationship” and kidnaps Sheldon. Jenny has to swoop in and save him, having also finally snapped at having Sheldon being called her boyfriend. She goes off, calling Sheldon creepy, a stalker, and a host of other things that are not only accurate, but legitimate concerns that any other teenage girl would have in such a situation. Sheldon is hurt and in a weird turn of events, he saves Jenny after she gets captured during her rant. The episode ends with Jenny apologizing about what she said and says that maybe they can hang out sometime... as friends. Just... friends. Sheldon goes on to be a recurring character of the series, causing a lot of shenanigans and other problems as a result of his infatuation.

Since the series ended with Jenny never establishing a relationship with either Brad nor Sheldon, many speculate as to which one she would have started dating. Although there aren’t any definitive answers from the team about who would have ended up with, the team appears to favor Sheldon as a candidate. Which... I find very problematic.

Sheldon stalked her, made her uncomfortable, and through the course of the series, lied to her, toyed with her emotions, and caused her much emotional grief. And yet, she’s supposed to apologize to Sheldon for being so “cruel” even though she was voicing some legitimate concerns about his conduct, and eventually end up with him as a boyfriend? Nuh-uh. No bueno. That’s not exactly something you should be teaching little girls. If she is uncomfortable being around him, she shouldn’t be obligated to hang out with him--- even if it hurts his feelings. And by remaining friends with him, she’s using him for upgrades her mother denies; stringing him along with the possibility of being “more than friends”; and overall, setting up an uncomfortable situation for both of them to be in. I don’t see how that’s okay to promote that kind of relationship to any kid. It’s just simple wish fulfillment and for a TV show that will be shown to children, that’s not okay. Keep it in your personal diary, or on your personal computer, because promoting this sort of relationship is extremely toxic and I don’t approve. At all.

Now... the infamous skin episode...

The basic problem of the episode is that Jenny wants to hang out at teenage hotspot called Mezmer’s. However, the owner of the shop won’t allow her in because she’s a robot. Remembering the freakish false skin that her mother designed her several episodes before, she attempts to reuse it after having received several upgrades to make it more believable. And it works! She becomes beautiful! More popular! She even gets to dance with Don Prima, the local heartthrob that Jenny has a crush on! Overall, she’s simply... normal. However, the second-skin seems to have a life of its own and puts itself on in Jenny’s sleep. It coaxes her to be more normal, to stop fighting crime, to focus on her beauty and her looks because that’s what a normal girl does. But once Brad becomes endangered by an intergalactic biker gang that threats destroy the shop, Jenny sheds her new skin and learns to accept herself for all her imperfections and unique personality traits. Because that’s what’s truly normal about her.

This episode was probably the most prominent that I remembered watching as a kid. And for a good reason too... This. Episode. Was. Horrifying! I’m not even kidding! Rewatching this as an adult, I kept thinking to myself “This is a children’s show?!?” One of the first interactions that we see with this new skin is that it claws its way up Jenny’s body while she shouts, “I can’t breathe!”

Later on, we see the exoskin crawl its way across Jenny’s floor and attack her like a snake while she sleeps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJjJmGv6ztY

(The video is pretty poor quality, but it’s the only one I can find.)

What. The. Fuck.

Oh, but it’s alright because she sheds the skin in the end and everything returns to a relative normal.

Except for the fact that the ending implies that the skin takes another victim and survives. Yeah. IT’S A REAL THING.

The message that the episode taught was great. It’s a message that teenage girls really do need to hear: that you have your own normal and that trying to be others’ version of “normal” can end up changing who you really are and up taking away all of the cool, badass qualities that make you, well, you. The problem is that this episode is so terrifying how the hell do you show this to kids?!? The fact that I remembered this episode so vividly despite the fact that I haven’t seen this show since it aired is a testament to the fact that it I probably shouldn’t have watched it as a child. I just... I’m baffled on how this got made! It’s... just... *shivers.*

I mean, questionable episodes aside, the show itself was interesting. The visuals were certainly unique and interesting to watch. The character designs were so original and iconic that going back and watching the original cartoon short, it’s kind of crazy that they weren’t always like that. The soundtrack, sound effects, even some of the voice acting was enjoyable the listen to. As I said before, it has a very 50′s aesthetic with a futuristic twist, which gives it this odd balance between feeling dated but also surprisingly modern. The backgrounds appear to be hand-painted, which is probably the reason for its dated look; I think it was a rather nice touch. I honestly have to give it to the sound effects department for being so on top of the little noises and such for every little movement Jenny made. It really created a sense of life in the character and I really did appreciate it in the small moments. I will have to say though, going back and watching this series, it didn’t exactly age as well as I had hoped. There were some nice episodes that I enjoyed but many of the episodes I found were pretty mediocre at best. Maybe it’s simply because I’ve gotten older and many of the jokes/gags just weren’t funny anymore. Maybe it’s because the characters themselves were simply 2-dimensional at best and dealt with stereotypical teenage problems. I’m not sure but really, I just wasn’t amused. Now, maybe I just need to watch more of this series as it appears to be a bit of a slow burn but really I’m just not that hype to jump on rewatching it.

If I had to rate this show, I’d probably give it a 6.8 out of 10. 

I’ll probably sit down and rewatch all of this at some point; after all, it seems decent enough. But really, if I never watch it again, I wouldn’t be too upset. It’s pretty much what I’d call “bubble gum TV;” if I want to turn on something mindless for a little while, I’d probably watch it but I wouldn’t be too invested. It’s just pretty... bland.

I think a lot of people have a bit of rose-tinted goggles when looking at this show and as such, it becomes kind of hard to criticize it. Does it deserve to be forgotten? Not necessarily. But I don’t think that it’s really as great as a lot of people think of it to be.

As for me, I’m gonna put this back in the shelves of my vault to watch one day. But when that day will be? We’ll just have to wait around and see what happens.

[Edit 11/21/118: I’m testing out a new tagging system. Let’s see if this fixes the broken links issues.]

If there are any corrections you’d like to make in regards to this post, please feel free to send me a message with your corrections and I’ll get back to it as soon as I can!

Do you remember a cartoon your friends have never heard of? Got a scene from an animated film that you’re dying to know the name to? Send your questions to The Cartoon Archivist and I’ll see what I’ve got in the vault!

[stormcloudquill]

@fanmadereality here it is!!

[fetenfetus]

my review of The return of Raggedy Android

[squirrellysketches]

jenny from my life as a teenage robot from the episode “return of the raggedy android” (or something like that) 

[mveloc]

To Create

Author’s Note: I originally posted this three years ago on AO3, but seeing as how we got a tiny glimpse of Cophine and a baby, I figured I’d repost it here for those interested ;)

“So... boy or girl?”

From the second they’d walked in the door, Alison had been all over them, taking their bags and coats and hanging them in the closet. She damn near dragged the dreadlocked woman over to the couch in the living room as the blonde followed closely behind, trying her hardest to contain her laughter. Her smirk was met by a death glare from behind cat-eyed frames.

“We’re not really sure,” Cosima replies, trying to hide her discomfort as Alison buzzes around her, fluffing pillows and pulling the footrest closer so that short legs can reach it.

“We decided that we want to wait,” Delphine chimes in, taking a seat next to Cosima on the couch.

“Oh, that’s so exciting! I don’t know if I’d have the restraint. I’d want to know right away, so I could start decorating the nursery,” Alison replies. “How about you? Have you started buying things for the baby?”

“Well, Delphine makes me take these fuc--” she pauses, staring over at Oscar, Gemma and Kira playing in the other room and catching herself. “Friggin vitamins. And she made me swear off In-N-Out, which I’m pretty sure is, like, a human rights violation or something.”

Alison laughs.

“No, no. I meant, like, for the nursery. Do you have a crib? A stroller? A diaper bag? A carseat? Unisex clothing?” she pries.

Cosima opens her mouth to reply, but she quickly realizes that she has no response, so she closes it again. She flashes Delphine a panicked look and the French woman smiles at her sympathetically.

“What? We need all that stuff now?” she whispers. “The thing isn’t even coming for, like, another three months. We’ve got time, right?”

“Yes, but these things creep up on you!” Alison interjects, slipping herself between the couple. “It might seem like a lot of time now, but a lot can happen in three months, Cosima. You of all people should know that. Before you know it, you’ll be in the delivery room freaking out because you don’t even have a place for the baby to sleep!”

“Oi! Stop scaring her, will you?”

Sarah finally emerges from the kitchen, a glass of wine in hand and Felix in tow.

“I’m just making sure she understands the reality of having a child,” Alison bites back. “I want her to be prepared. Motherhood isn’t easy.”

“Well, if my sister can do it, I’m pretty sure those two’ll be fine,” Felix says offhandedly. “They’ve got PhDs, Sarah’s got a criminal record. They’re already off to a better start.”

Sarah slugs him in the arm, causing the slender young man to recoil and his wine to rush out overtop the rim of the glass, a few droplets threatening to spill onto the floor. The housewife’s eyes immediately widen at the act.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Alison scolds. “No wine on the carpet! I just had it cleaned! Into the kitchen, both of you!”

As she chases the destructive duo out of the room, Cosima lets out a muted sigh of relief and Delphine’s hand finds her own, grasping it gently. She brushes her fingers overtop her knuckles, stroking softly.

“Don’t worry, mon amour,” she says, reassuring her lover. “We’ll be fine. The baby will be fine. Everything will be fine.”

“Yeah,” Cosima smiles, nodding in response. “It will, won’t it?”

Delphine leans in, pressing her lips to Cosima’s and bringing her hand to the shorter girl’s face, cupping it. The kiss is chaste in nature and the brunette is tempted to taint it with tongue, only she remembers their present company and when they break apart, she becomes painfully aware of a set of eyes on them.

“H-Hey, Kira,” Cosima says, leaning back on the couch.

Kira flashes her a toothy grin, then launches herself forward and wraps her arms around the clone’s neck, nearly knocking the wind out of her. The sudden movement surprises Delphine, but after she watches the young girl settle in Cosima’s arms, her demeanor shifts until she’s starry-eyed and smiling; the first time she ever saw Cosima with Kira, enthusiastically reading the astute child a worn down copy of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” she knew that one day, Cosima would be carrying her child. Sure enough, that day had come.

Kira reaches forward, pressing the palm of her hand to Cosima’s swollen stomach, tilting her head in fascination like a dog hearing a sound for the very first time.

“Cool, huh?” Cosima asks. “Pretty soon, you’re gonna have a new cousin.”

“What are you going to name her?”

Her question catches both women off guard. They exchange skeptical glances, then stare back down to the child in Cosima’s arms.

“We don’t know if it’s a girl yet, kiddo,” Cosima tries to explain.

“It’s a girl,” Kira replies, matter-of-factly.

The spectacled clone has never once told Sarah that her daughter often freaked her out. Kira is adorable, but her acute awareness for the world around her is far beyond the level of any typical child-- of any typical adult, really. It is as unnerving as it is fascinating.

“Let’s go see what your mom is up to,” Cosima suggests, looking over to Delphine.

The French woman nods. Kira smiles and jumps off her aunt, rushing into the kitchen. Delphine extends a hand to Cosima and helps her to her feet. They make their way into the kitchen to find Sarah and Felix leaning against the counter, bickering with one another, casually sipping on their wine. Alison is tending to the stove, where Helena is also hovering, dipping her fingers into pots and picking at food whenever she has a chance.

“Would you stop that?” Alison asks, swatting at Helena’s hand. “You’re not gonna have any room for dinner!”

“Don’t think you gotta worry about that ever happening, yeah?” Sarah utters with a smirk.

The frazzled blonde responds with a sly grin, her tongue quickly darting in and out in a reptilian-like manner, mocking the soccer mom. Alison rolls her eyes, eventually giving up with the Ukrainian altogether, allowing her to steal tiny tastes. Kira runs to her aunt and Helena lifts her off the ground, holding her over the stove, allowing her niece to assist her with the preliminary taste test.

The sound of the front door slamming shut catches the attention of everyone in the room. Alison calls for her husband, but Cosima, Sarah and Felix all smirk when they hear the sound of heavy boots clunking on tile, knowing it can only mean one person.

“Oh. Hello, Tony,” Alison says with a tight-lipped smile, her eyes focusing on her male counterpart’s dirty boots on her pristine floor.

“Heyo,” he replies with his characteristic, cocky grin. “Where’s the grub? I’m starving over here.”

“Did you bring more wine?” Alison asks, staring at the brown LCBO bag.

“Wine? Why the hell would I bring wine?”

He reaches into the paper bag, tossing a bottle of whiskey in Felix’s direction and a beer at Sarah. They both managed to catch the gifts without dropping them and the siblings immediately light up.

“I’ve got beer and whiskey. Let’s get this party started.”

“Ah. You’re just my type of man, Tony,” Sarah replies with a grin, popping open the tab on the tall can and bringing it to her lips.

“I’m everyone’s type of man,” he says with a wink. “Don’t you forget it.”

Tony places the bag on the countertop and then finally turns to take notice of Cosima and Delphine, combing his eyes over Cosima’s figure before smiling widely.

“Shit. Baby mamma’s a good look for you, Cos.”

Cosima chuckles, opening her arms to invite Tony into a hug. He isn’t around as much as the rest of the members of Clone Club, but every now and then, he makes a point to drop in and say hello, just to see how everyone’s doing and to let them know he’s still alive. When she’d first met Tony, they’d immediately hit it off, bonding over beer and a bong. Of her extended clone family, Tony was probably the one she had the most in common with and so it was easy for the two of them to be. The only real point of contention between the two was Tony’s constant flirting with her girlfriend. Even now, as he embraced Cosima tightly, his eyes were raking over Delphine’s body with a wicked glint.

“Delphine. Looking breathtaking, as always.”

“Dude. You haven’t even stopped hugging me yet and you’re already flirting with my girlfriend,” Cosima mutters into his shoulder.

Delphine simply laughs, a light blush beginning to rise in her cheeks as she chews on her lower lip. Tony carries himself with all the same swagger and confidence as Cosima and despite a raggedy mess of hair and beard, he even shares her face.

“It’s very good to see you again, Tony,” she replies.

Tony finally pulls away from Cosima and steps closer towards the blonde as the dreadlocked clone watches with arms crossed over her chest. He finds Delphine’s hand, bringing the back of it to his lips.

“Oh, no. You’re the sight for sore eyes in this room, that’s for damn sure.”

Felix and Sarah start laughing hysterically while Cosima shakes her head in amazement. She knows she should feel jealous and maybe even agitated with her counterpart, but she can’t help but be blown away by his forwardness, especially with her standing not two feet away from him. She finds it almost admirable.

“You know, I’m standing right here.”

“Yeah, you’re kinda hard to miss these days,” he retorts, offering her a wink and another cocky smile.

It isn’t long before Donnie arrives, returning from the bakery with desert on his wife’s order. It’s been a couple of years since the initial shock of his wife’s true nature, but he’s still very much getting used to the idea of clones. It was somehow easier when it was only Alison and Sarah, but then it became Alison and Sarah and Cosima, and now there are five identical faces sitting at his dining room table and every now and then he has to remind himself to breathe, that he isn’t living in some sort of conspiracy film. Luckily enough, Oscar and Gemma have adjusted well to the news of new aunts and uncles; they light up whenever they see Aunt Sarah teasing Alison and giggle whenever Aunt Helena makes one of her many contorted faces at them; they coo when Uncle Tony lets them touch his beard or when Aunt Cosima brings a new book of experiments to try. There is a strange sense of normalcy amongst all of the bizarreness.

They all settle into dinner with relative ease, swapping stories as readily as food across the table. Tony details what he’s been up to for the four months since he last visited, mostly stirring up trouble across the east coast. Alison gushes about the renovations to the house while Donnie smiles and nods along. Helena is quiet, her eyes shifting from speaker to speaker, observing carefully as she shovels food into her mouth. Everyone asks Cosima about the baby and each time she manages to divert the conversation to the research her and Delphine are doing at DYAD, much to the dismay of the table. Since Delphine has taken over directorship of the DYAD, they’ve been able to steer their research in an entirely new direction. It’s the reason why, despite all of the crimes DYAD has perpetrated upon her and her sisters, Cosima has decided to stay on board.

“Enough science talk, you freak,” Sarah snaps.

“Yeah. I’m not drunk enough for that crap yet,” Tony mutters.

“You seriously don’t have any names picked out for the baby yet?” Alison presses.

“We haven’t decided on anything yet,” Cosima finally relents.

“I always liked Lionel for a boy,” Alison suggests.

“And I always liked the prospect of my child being able to make it past the third grade without being beaten to death.”

The entire table begins to snicker aside from the soccer mom, who glares at the dreadlocked clone.

“Auntie Cosima’s having a girl,” Kira pipes up, tugging on Sarah’s sleeve.

“You think so, monkey?” Sarah asks, resting a hand atop her daughters head and stroking tenderly.

The child nods enthusiastically and Cosima smiles. She glances to her side to find the blonde smiling back at her.

“You will be a good mother.”

Everyone diverts their attention to the Ukrainian who has set down her fork long enough to speak. Her eyes are wide and swimming, flickering in their unpredictability, but there’s an underlying kindness and innocence.

“You are very smart. And very kind. Your baby is lucky.”

Cosima flashes her best megawatt smile.

“Thank you, Helena.”

“One day, I will also have babies.”

She’d come very close before, but she’d forfeited her embryos to save the dreadlocked scientist, an act the mother-to-be will never forget. Her own pregnancy had ended in heartbreak when she lost her child early on while in the military’s hands.

“I know,” Cosima replies. “And when you do, your babies will have lots of cousins to play with.”

The blonde’s grin is small, hardly noticeable, yet the entire room takes note.

+ + + + + + + + + +

The house is alive and vibrant, the sound of laughter and conversation echoing off the walls, tickling her eardrums. She closes her eyes for a second and tries to take it all in, all the sounds of life happening around her, inside of her. At times it seems too much, like when Alison is pestering her about names and nurseries, like when her body is betraying her, but other times -- times like this very moment, with Tony and Felix and their boisterous laughter, with Sarah and Helena making faces at each other through mouthfuls of pie, with the squealing delight of a bottled tornado called forth by a golden goddess, solely for the amusement of her cherub-like audience -- it seems like enough to keep going; like the flower petals and honey bees, like the stars in the galaxy and every molecule of her shared DNA, it all falls into place and carries on.

She slips downstairs into the basement, to the very place where she met Sarah for the first time, where Clone Club truly began. She smiles, reminiscing. Sure, the circumstances behind that meeting were far from perfect, but she thinks back on that night with such fondness now.

If feels like a lifetime ago.

Perhaps it was.

She was a different person then, back before she knew Sarah, before she knew Delphine, before she’d gotten sick.

She slides open the back door and steps out onto the lawn. It’s uncharacteristically warm for this time of year, the cool autumn weather a welcome relief against her skin, raising tiny pimples of flesh. She takes a seat on a patio chair and tilts her head towards the sky, trying her best to make out the faint sparkle of stars through the thick smog of pollution. She sits like that, in silent reverence, for several minutes before she hears the door slide once again and feels the presence of another person. Tilting her head, she spies Sarah maneuvering her way through the door, closing it quietly behind her.

“Hey,” she says cheerily, greeting her sister with a smile.

Sarah returns her smile with an identical one, then takes a seat in the chair next to Cosima.

“How’re you feeling?” the punk asks.

“I’m fine. Just came out here for a little air,” Cosima shrugs.

“I hear you. Donnie and Alison are bickering, Felix and Tony are right smashed, Helena’s laid claim to the bloody desert table and your girlfriend is giving the kids an impromptu science lesson. Getting a little cramped in there, yeah?” she laughs.

“About to get a whole lot more cramped, too,” the scientist mumbles.

She says it more for her own ears, but her British counterpart is able to pick it up. She grows more serious, her eyes dragging over the tattooed clone, finally settling on her stomach with a sense of awe.

“Shit. It’s hard to believe you’re having a baby, Cos.”

Cosima smiles.

“I know. Just a couple of years ago, my uterus was trying to kill me. Now there’s a human baking in there. Who would’ve thought?”

They both chuckle, Sarah reaching over to find her sister’s hand. Identical fingers dance with one another, testing and exploring, and several minutes of easy, unadulterated silence pass between them before she finally speaks again.

“You know, I didn’t even know you wanted kids.”

Cosima laughs again.

“I didn’t. Not really,” she replies. “I mean, I like kids and everything, but I never thought they were for me.”

“Why’d you change your mind?” Sarah pries.

“I guess after everything that’s happened, I kinda reevaluated certain aspects of my life,” she tries to explain. “But Delphine always wanted kids. She said she wanted to wait until she was settled in her career before it happened, though. We figured now was as good a time as any.”

Sarah nods.

“I get all that, but... but why you, I mean?” Sarah clarifies. “Couldn’t Delphine... or... you know... adoption and stuff?”

She pauses for a moment to consider Sarah’s question. It’s one Delphine asked her, as well, those many months ago. It’s one she asked herself before she worked up the resolve to follow through. When she had tried to explain it to her lover, Delphine had nodded and accepted her answer, although she doubts the blonde actually understands her reasoning. Sarah, on the other hand, possess an innate clarity that only she and a handful of others do.

“Why you?”

Why, when every molecule of their DNA is entangled with mishap and failure and heartbreak and disaster? Why, with all of the risks involved? Even with Duncan’s gene therapy rendering her fertile, there is an abundance of them. Why subject herself to it all?

“I wanted it to be me.”

She grips Sarah’s hand a little tighter, her demeanor losing its usual lightness, her smile giving way to seriousness. Her eyes narrow as she stares off straight ahead into nothing, reading the air, and Sarah takes note, watching her dreadlocked sister with a head cocked in intrigue.

“Maybe it’s selfish, but for the very first time, I finally had a say in all of this,” she says, gesturing to her body. “It’s my family. Something I chose. No... something I made. No one can take that away.”

No one can slap a patent on that.

“You know, that’s the first thing you’ve ever said that makes perfect sense to me.”

“I know,” Cosima replies with a gentle squeeze of her hand.

Even in their outdoor sanctuary, they can still hear the commotion stirring inside and no one seems to take note of their absence, or if they do, no one bothers to come looking for them. Music starts to play and while neither of them can distinguish the song, the sound of Felix and Tony’s voices are all too distinct.

“Looks like we’re missing quite the party in there, yeah?” Sarah jests.

“I’m sure they can do without their geek monkey and their fearless leader for a little while.”

A reserved smile spreads across Sarah’s face.

“Fearless leader, eh?”

“Well, ringleader’s more accurate. I was trying to make you sound noble. Chalk it up to the hormones or whatever,” Cosima retorts.

“Bitch.”

They laugh in unison, Sarah leaning over to rest her head on Cosima’s shoulder. While Sarah has maintained her wild spirit, she’s settled down considerably since she first became a member of Clone Club. The dreadlocked clone suspects that her relationship with Cal as well as her custody of Kira has something to do with it. Her sister has grown in so many ways, but then they all have. As she continues to contemplate their development over the last few years, both women perk up when they hear the sound of a car pull up outside. Not expecting visitors, Cosima gives Sarah a confused look but the punk seems far less bemused.

“That’s probably for me,” she says.

She’s back on her feet, heading over toward the gate. When it swings open and Cal appears, Cosima smiles and watches as he bends down to greet Sarah with a gentle peck. The two exchange a few words the pregnant clone is unable to decipher and Cal finally peers over in her direction.

“Hey, Cosima,” he says with a crooked grin, throwing a half-wave her way

“Hiya, Cal,” she replies, returning his wave with one of her own.

The two of them walk back over to where Cosima is sitting, stopping a few feet in front of her. He gives her a once-over, his eyes wide with surprise. He chuckles to himself as he takes in her new state.

“Wow. You’re looking... very, uh, pregnant.”

“Meh. What can you do?” she shrugs.

“Do you mind if I steal her away for a little bit?” he asks, motioning towards Sarah.

“Not at all. She’s pretty dull company as it is,” she answers, waving her hand dismissively.

“Oi. Watch it, lesbi-friends, or I’ll beat that baby right out of you,” Sarah says with a smirk, a bite with no venom.

“I’m not sure how I would feel about that.”

The heavily accented voice intervenes and they all turn their heads to acknowledge the blonde who’s stealthily slipping out the door into the yard. Cosima meets Delphine’s grin with one of her own while Cal and Sarah nod in her direction. As the taller woman slips into the chair previously occupied by Sarah, the punk and her lumberjack quietly make their exit, disappearing beyond the gate and giving the two women their privacy.

“What are you doing out here without your jacket?” Delphine inquires.

“It’s not that cold.”

“Even so.”

She hands the scarlet coat to Cosima who drapes it over her shoulders. She isn’t cold, but she doesn’t want to argue with the persistently protective blonde. Delphine studies her lover’s face intently as Cosima continues to stare off towards the sky without saying a single word.

“Is everything okay, mon amour?” she pries.

Cosima nods.

“Yeah. I’ve just been thinking a lot lately.”

“About what?”

“Oh. Just like... life, death. You know.”

“How very specific of you,” Delphine teases with a laugh.

“Sorry. It’s kinda hard to explain, but it makes sense in my head.”

Delphine simply nods and accepts the brunette’s answer. They’ve been together long enough for her to understand how her lover’s mind works; she accepts the fact the Cosima’s brain functions on a level that she, nor anyone else, will ever be truly privy to. It’s completely natural to ponder the whys and hows of the universe, but for Cosima, every single breath she takes comes with a new perspective, new and unfounded possibilities.

“It’s getting late,” Delphine whispers. “Perhaps we should head out soon.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

+ + + + + + + + + + +

She’s all too eager to remove her shoes the second she steps in the door, releasing a long sigh of relief as soon as her feet are free from their confines. She tosses her coat over the back of the couch, ignoring her lover’s quiet sigh of irritation at the act; being pregnant means her messiness goes (for the most part) unchallenged. Delphine quickly scoops it up, hanging it in its rightful place on the coat rack as Cosima disappears into the bedroom, shedding articles of clothing on her way. Despite being only six months along, she feels like she’s been carrying the baby for years, growing a little more uncomfortable every day; her feet are constantly swollen, her back and knees are constantly aching, and her clothes never seem to fit quite right anymore.

“Perhaps if you wore more... appropriate clothes, you wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable all the time, ma cherie,” Delphine says, leaning against the doorframe and watching as the brunette digs through her drawer for a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

“What? Like maternity wear?” she asks, turning to arch a brow in the blonde’s direction.

Delphine shrugs.

“Yeah. No way am I rocking mom duds. You can just put me out to pasture if you ever catch me in a moo moo,” Cosima replies with a suppressed laugh, finally finding what she’s looking for. “Just because I have my own gravitational pull now doesn’t mean I can’t still look good.”

She pulls the sweatpants up her legs, then tugs the oversized Berkley t-shirt down over her head, reveling in the smallest semblance of comfort that she’s been able to find. She was always on the small side, never having to worry about her weight. Even now, swollen with a child, she’s still probably smaller than most pregnant women but it’s an added weight that she simply isn’t able to get used to. Instead of going out and buying more “appropriate clothing,” as Delphine suggested, she took to wearing skirts and looser fitting tops and sweaters, of which she had plenty in her wardrobe, determined to cling to her style.

She feels a pair of arms wrap around her waist and she smiles as the European pulls her back into her chest.

“You always look good, ma cherie,” Delphine says, planting a gentle kiss to the side of the clone’s head.

“You’re just saying that because you have to,” she retorts.

“I say it because it’s true. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Maybe it’s the excess of hormones, but she feels herself beginning to melt. She turns into Delphine, attempting to wrap her arms around her neck, although it’s a little harder than usual with her swollen stomach between them. Delphine chuckles lightly at the awkward attempt, her hands gently cupping the bulge, stroking and caressing. She slowly drops to her knees, pressing the side of her face to Cosima’s stomach.

“Bonsoir, mon petite chou,” she coos. “J'ai hâte de te rencontre.”

Cosima beams, resting her hand atop the French woman’s head, threading her fingers through golden locks while lightly scratching at her scalp. They’re both doctors and yet, something about the miracle of life seems to have thrown them both through a loop.

“Just so you know, you’re totally having the next one.”

Delphine’s smile widens. She rises to her feet once again, cupping the brunette’s face in her hands. She softly presses her lips to Cosima’s in a whisper of affection, stroking her cheekbones with the pads of her thumbs.

“Is that so?” she challenges.

“Mmhm,” Cosima replies, pressing her forehead to the blonde’s. “Given that we don’t kill this one, of course.”

“Cosima!”

Her scolding is met by a light swat to the arm and she giggles as Delphine tries her best to muster a glare, only it comes out far less threatening than the European intends.

“I’m just saying! Have you ever actually seen me with a baby?”

“I’ve seen enough,” Delphine mutters, sauntering away.

She mirrors Cosima’s previous actions, peeling her clothing away while the brunette admires the newly revealed expanse of skin. She digs through the drawer until she finds her own sleep clothes and slips them on.

“Besides. I’ve had enough of doctors tampering with my reproductive organs,” Cosima adds, walking over towards the bed and pulling the covers down so that the two are free to slip inside. “Once this kid comes out, the only one coming near my lady bits again is you.”

“So eloquent.”

“Don’t you know it. Turn of phrase-- yet another genetic gift I have to offer our child.”

Delphine tries her best to stifle her laughter at the American’s wit, but Cosima can see the corners of her mouth upturned in a smile and a grin of her own forms. She leans back against the headboard as she watches Delphine pick up the clothes she had discarded earlier and throw them in the laundry basket, trying her best to maintain some semblance of cleanliness. Once the blonde is satisfied with the state of their bedroom, she follows suit and joins Cosima under the covers.

“I wanna see you get big and fat and pregnant. Then we can see if it’s so funny when you’re the one waddling around like a constipated penguin,” she muses, tucking her head beneath Delphine’s chin and burying her face in her neck.

She inhales deeply, the European’s familiar scent easing away all the tension in her body and the uncertainty surrounding her own mothering capabilities. She knows that as long as they’re together like this, they’ll somehow manage to figure it out. Even if they both prove to be completely inept parents, even if their daughter is as clever and mischievous as the brunette, there’s no doubt in her mind that their child will be loved.

She thinks this is enough.

“You will have to bring me Eskimo Pies every night,” Delphine retorts, wrapping an arm around her lover and pulling her even tighter against her body.

“I can totally do that,” Cosima mumbles against her skin. “Although I can’t promise any of them will actually make it as far as your mouth.”

They both giggle, Delphine’s fingers dancing along the brunette’s back, tracing soothing patterns. A few moments of silence pass, their breathing syncs up as their bodies melt into each other; their typical bedtime ritual. As sleep tugs at her brain, the sound of Delphine’s gentle whisper pulls her back.

“Okay.”

“Hm?” she mumbles.

“I’ll do it.”

As soon as the words leave her mouth, another massive smile finds its place amongst her face. She presses a kiss against the French woman’s jugular, garnering an airy sigh.

“Delphine Cormier, are you saying you want to have my baby?” she teases.

“Well, you’re carrying mine, mon amour. I suppose it’s only fair,” the doctor concedes.

Cosima releases a long yawn before nuzzling her face in Delphine’s neck once again.

“True. Very true.”

Delphine shifts, turning the two onto their sides so she is spooning the brunette. Her hands reach around to Cosima’s roundness and settle there, as they’ve done nearly every night for the last six months. She’s grown used to falling asleep with gentle kicks against the palm of her hand.

“We’ve got time. We’ll talk about this later,” she whispers into Cosima’s ear.

Cosima nods and settles into the warmth engulfing her.

“Yeah. I’ll ask you again in three months, when there’s a screaming bundle of joy tearing out of my vagina. Then we’ll see how committed you really are.”

“Must you?” the blonde expels.

Cosima’s lips rise

“You know me. Just trying to keep it real.”

And she does know.

Laying there with Cosima, alive and healthy and vibrant, all smiles and jokes and overwhelming presence, she is reminded of how real this is. Laying there with their child softly rapping, she realizes that despite life nearly fading away not so long ago, here it is again, only this time on the other end of the spectrum; here is life, falling into their hands and not slipping through their fingers.

It’s both human and divine.