#(also freedom is the right of all sentient beings)

[earthspark-shockwaves-reduction]

all the pissed off transphobic dudebro idiots angry about nightshade being nonbinary and using they/them pronouns should be shown clockwork orange style the idw comics from 2005 where there's not only gay transformers but also explicit discussion of changing one's pronouns to better fit who they are. they should also see the mpreg

[ghostingcrows]

Also on the topic of RiD

I feel like we moved past the fact that the Bee put bombs in the Decepticons head and was actively threatening their lives if they didn’t behave a little too quickly-

I mean 

The good guys folks

[allottavabassa]

Everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten (the name of every transformer)

[blacktabbygames]

Slay the Princess Concept Art

We shared a bunch of concept art on Twitter today. Sharing it here, too, where you can find it all in one post. Post contains spoilers, so proceed with caution (or just play the game already if you haven't 😉)

Going to start with the first piece of concept art Abby drew for the game.

In the earliest stages of development, we toyed around with the concept of there being multiple "end game" forms of the Princess.

The initial outline, rather than being tied together by an overarching metanarrative, structured a full playthrough as a 5-6 chapter long, self-contained journey down a single route, determined by your decisions in chapter 1. Here's an alternative late-game form:

The idea of deviating end-game forms didn't lost for very long, though. As we explored the game's themes more deeply, it made the most sense for there to be a singular "true" form.

If your reality is shaped by subjectivity and perception, then the "truth" has to be what's left when that subjectivity is swept away. the Shifting Mound's final design feels like that initial truth for the Princess, though there's also another truth if you push back against her and press on into the final cabin.

We really liked this "void" design, and I played around with the idea of it being an intermediary to the final form. The "void" Princess would be what you saw upon encountering the final Princess without understanding your own truth, but once you had that understanding, you would see her as the Shifting Mound, as depicted in the game.

That gave way to the intermediary design of the SM being a sea of disembodied limbs, and we also took parts of both designs and incorporated them into the protagonist (particularly the wings.) You can see the eyes and feathers for this void form in the ending card of the original trailer below:

You can see extremely early concept art for the spectre (top), nightmare (top-right), stranger (left), beast (bottom) and ??? (right) as well!

The eyes became a motif in the Nightmare route (Paranoid's manifestation of the fear of being watched), but I also like to think of them as a part of The Long Quiet's truth. You are space and emptiness, but you're also that which observes those things, and it's your perceptions that give the Shifting Mound shape.

Anyways, on the note of the original original concepts for the game, the Princess was initially going to remain human for several loops before taking on more monstrous forms. Some concepts of that are below. Had to get Abby to tone down some of the more horrifically cartoonish designs because they creeped me out and I didn't want to romance them in a video game.

We had to hold our cards close to our chest in the non-metanarrative early drafts, which is part of why, even in the first demo, the cabin doesn't really change much in chapter 2. More room to subtly play with the concept of transformation over time.

There were a lot of reasons we moved in a different direction for the full release. The branching was unmanageably large to write, and the game felt like a slog to write.

Using an overarching narrative as a framing mechanism in the final version gave us a lot more freedom to explore wildly divergent ideas within routes while still driving the player towards the originally planned finale.

Anyways, now we've got some concept art for individual princesses. There's a lot more than this lying around somewhere, but it's all in sketchbooks, and we'll probably wait until we make an art book to show it off.

First is the tower, who really didn't change much at all. (She got a little thicker, I guess. All of the Princesses did)

Not a lot to say about her, other than the fact that we knew we wanted a set piece where she gets so big that the trees and cabin orbit around her.

The stranger went through many many redesigns over the course of development. Here, she was a "princess skin" filled with a hive of sentient bugs. The script wasn't working for me, though, so instead she became a peak behind the curtains without the necessary context to know her.

A lot of people ask how these earlier drafts of the Stranger route would have played out, and the answer is I can't tell you, because I couldn't figure out something worth writing.

The writing process for individual routes didn't really start with outlines or plot beats. Rather, the routes started from a theme and a relationship dynamic, and I organically found their outcomes by exploring actions within those themes, and then seeing if those passed Abby's editor brain.

Neither of us found actions we wanted to explore with those versions of the Stranger, at least actions that weren't a beat-by-beat retelling of chapter 1, which contained way too much variation to put on a single chapter 2 route.

If each princess examines a relationship formed by perception and first impressions, the Stranger examines one that's fundamentally unknowable. One where you've seen too much, too quickly.

An insect hive-mind pretending to be a person seemed like a good starting point, but it was too difficult to write any interactions that didn't immediately feel knowable, if still strange. So the final version of the Stranger was designed in such a way where her unknowability makes interacting with her on a human level fundamentally impossible, and you don't get to have a real conversation with her unless you satisfy extremely specific criteria.

Anyways next up is the razor's final form. We decided she needed more swords.

Hearts became an accidental motif very quickly in the development process, too. (The fact that it is only strikes to the heart that fell her in the demo was accidental, but it felt poetic so we extended it to the rest of the game.)

So on top of adding more swords, we made her heart visible. This is something we did with the fury as well, as a way of showing their emotional (and physical) vulnerability.

Here's an early version of the Adversary and what would eventually become the Eye of the Needle, back when she was still called the Fury. Originally her hair was going to be fire (as seen on the right), but it didn't feel right in its execution.

She's hit the gym since this concept art. Good for her :)

And we're going to end with the Beast, who at this point was called the Adversary. I think this was before the Witch was added? The Beast was originally designed to be a Questing Beast who lurked in the shadows, where you'd only see glimpses of her, and where each glimpse would make her appear to be a different animal. This was too difficult to execute, though we gave her a more chimera-like appearance in the final game.

This design was from when we still has the Voice of the Obsessed, and the route was going to be a more feral mirror of what eventually became the Adversary, but it felt too thematically similar while being less interesting, so we moved in the direction of making the Beast about consumption as a form of love.

Anyways, that's all we've got for you right now. Hope this was fun!

[wileycap]

PALPATINE: My dear boy. The only thing that we are discussing right now is what you want.

ANAKIN: Hm. Okay, world peace for Padmé, a Best Jedi mug for Obi-Wan - no, that's not me being bitchy, he literally will not accept a bigger gift...

PALPATINE: Yes, you shall have it all. Just -

ANAKIN: Oh, I'm not done. A billion... no, you know what, a trillion credits for Ahsoka, rights for the clones plus backpay and overtime for the war, full rights to their own genetic code, a special vode-only tribune that will investigate Kaminoans and natborn officers for sentient rights violations...

PALPATINE:

ANAKIN: ... slavery is to be abolished across the galaxy, I and any vode who want to join me will be sanctioned by the Republic to hunt down slavers, starting with Tatooine, hair cream for Windu - okay, that one is me being bitchy - and, well, I guess I'd want a fleet of the absolute best ships for me. As a treat.

PALPATINE: I see. Are you done?

ANAKIN: I guess. How soon can you deliver?

PALPATINE: Well. As it stands... it might... take some time.

ANAKIN: That's cool. You can get all the legal stuff done tomorrow, just call in a special session of the Senate, but I get that commissioning a fleet will take some time. I didn't even give you a list of models or anything.

PALPATINE: ... yes. I can't help but to think that you're disregarding your wife's safety here.

ANAKIN: Oh, no. I'm being smart.

PALPATINE: You are?

ANAKIN: Yup. Padmé is a completely healthy woman. Her pregnancy is very low risk. So, if she's going to die in childbirth, it's got to have something to do with the war, right? If we end the war, there's no danger to Padmé.

PALPATINE: Have you forgotten what I told you about Darth Plagueis the Wise?

ANAKIN: No, but if I use Sith Magic to save her, she's probably going to turn into a zombie or something. Trust me, Chancellor, I've seen it before.

PALPATINE: I'm afraid to ask, but where have you seen zombies?

ANAKIN: Eh, you can check my mission reports. Anyways, if you just hand me your credit chit, I can get to buying Obi-Wan that mug, giving Ahsoka the trillion and all that.

PALPATINE: Well, I...

ANAKIN: And if you don't want to go through with this, I'm definitely going to murder you right now. You being a Sith Lord and all that.

PALPATINE: Oh.

ANAKIN: Yeah.

PALPATINE: Well, here's my credit chit.

ANAKIN: Thanks, Sheev! Just one more question. What are you getting out of this?

PALPATINE: ... I'm going to declare myself Emperor and bring about the age of the Sith.

ANAKIN: Okay, that's cool.

PALPATINE: It... is?

ANAKIN: Sure. I mean, you basically are an emperor already, and we have freedom of religion. Just make sure that your Empire is strictly democratic, or else Padmé's going to be mad at me.

PALPATINE: I... what? The purpose of an Empire is to do away with democracy! Cut away the rot of bureaucracy!

ANAKIN: Chancellor, do you remember the conversation we had just now about me murdering you?

PALPATINE: Yes, but you hate the Republic too!

ANAKIN: I know, but work stuff can't come between me and Padmé. One of the rules of a successful marriage. Anyways, get it done. I gotta go buy a mug and some hair cream.

-------------------------------

BREAKING NEWS!

PEACE! Supreme Chancellor / Emperor-Elect Sheev Palpatine has announced the immediate cessation of hostilities between the Republic and the CIS along with a slew of other groundbreaking proposals. The Supreme Chancellor stated that with the death of General Grievous...

The Coruscant Herald spoke with Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, also known as the Negotiator.

"I've got this mug." said Master Kenobi, before launching into a protracted rant about the state of our democracy.

"I got back from Utapau, and Anakin tells me that he 'kind of' turned to the Dark Side. How do you 'kind of' turn? But now we have galactic peace. But we also have an Emperor. Well, in three days we will have an Emperor. But the Emperor is going to have less power than the Supreme Chancellor has right now, and they're the same person. Not to mention that he's the Sith. My entire life has turned into a philosophical nightmare on whether the ends justify the means, and it's all being personified by this blasted mug." ...

Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo had a brief conversation with the Herald.

"Well, I think of it like a retirement present. A lifetime achievement award. He is an older man, and no doubt he'll abdicate in due time. This will be an interesting footnote in the history of the Republic." ...

Spokesbeing for the Shmi Skywalker Foundation, Anakin Skywalker spoke at length with our reporter.

"Well, we at the Shmi Skywalker Foundation offer only two things: freedom to slaves and death to slavers. And sometimes imprisonment to slavers, because Obi-Wan and Padmé were pretty adamant about that. And also financial aid, legal aid, housing, therapy, et cetera. For the freed people. So I guess we offer more than two things, but they're all good things."

"Sheev? Sheev is great. A nice old man. I think he's going to abdicate in, oh, three years or so? [Editor's Note: Transcript is garbled due to the Emperor-Elect coughing suddenly.] [...Yo]u need a glass of water, Sheev? Get him - yeah, one of you red guys, get him a glass of water. You're not a young man anymore, Sheev. Yeah, I think he'll abdicate within three years."

Emperor-Elect Sheev Palpatine declined to comment at this time.

[eqt-95]

💖 rough kiss / hot and heavy / making out

please👉👈

oh anon, i am definitely the wrong person for this one, but here goes nothing:

- - - - - -

Lena has a secret. 

No, it isn't that she’s doubling as a superhero in her free time. That’s Kara.

And no, it isn't that she has an unquenchable crush on her best friend. They'd solved that eons ago.

And definitely no, it isn’t that her toy collection is extensive and well-stocked. Everyone at game night already knows about that.

The secret went like this: 

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Lena replied with the innocence of a Luthor.

“So it just so happens that the bartender who has been making eyes at you all night is now being sized-up by my sister?”

“Correlation without causation. I thought you were a scientist,” Lena shrugged and tried her best to conceal a knowing smile.

“Uh-huh,” Alex replied with an arched eyebrow that said much more. “And that fact he grabbed your ass on the way to the bathroom?”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Well I for one am not about to do a bunch of paperwork over an NDA because Kara can’t keep it together over this ass-hat groping you, so if you will excuse me-”

- - - -

And this: 

“Hey babe?”

“Hm?”

“What’s this?”

Lena looked up from her work and squinted at the letter gripped in Kara’s hand. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just some administrative stuff,” Lena hummed and returned to her work.

“Doesn’t look like ‘nothing’. It looks like you were served.”

The scowl that followed was one that could be seen from space which meant it was impossible to ignore from across their apartment. Lena rolled her eyes. 

“It’s just Morgan Edge playing bully again, darling.”

“Yea but,” Kara continued, eyes skimming the multi-page document that now had a few extra crinkles in it. “He’s suing for patent rights? Who does he think he is-”

“It’s nothing, really. I’ll handle it tomorrow.”

“You shouldn’t have to handle it in the first place.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just-”

But Kara was already gone through the terrace door and halfway across the city.

- - - -

And most of all, this:

“Ms. Luthor, The Sun has accused you of covering up nearly a dozen fatalities since-”

“Lena Luthor, it has been alleged that Obsidian North’s stolen technology was found in L-Corp’s latest-”

“Ms. Luthor, how do you explain the recent deaths associated with-”

“How do you sleep at night when your maniac brother is still on the loose-”

“No comment,” Lena repeated for the eighteenth time. She pushed ahead, trying to find a path between L-Corp’s front door and the waiting car that would take her home. Unfortunately, the best path was also the longest. Worse, when she looked ahead, her car was nowhere to be found. What she did find was wall-to-wall traffic and no chance of freedom.

Great.

More questions were hurled, a flash sent blotches across her vision. Another came an inch away and sent her staggering. It felt like a garbage compactor except worse because garbage compactors weren’t sentient creatures known for shouting lies while doing its job.

She clambered through the crowd and found a gap. She glanced around for her security guard who was lost amidst a second offshoot of angry journalists and misinformed citizens. Now wasn’t the time for manners as three journalists and an oversized camera pivoted toward her, so instead of waiting, she booked it down the sidewalk.

They followed with vigor and ignorance and a stubbornness that would have made Lillian proud, shouting rather uncreative conspiracy theories and growing closer by the second. Lena turned a corner then, in a move she might have patted herself on the back for, slipped into an alley. She breathed a sigh of relief until-

“Ms. Luthor-”

“Lena Luthor-”

“-you can’t hide from the truth.” 

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Lena heaved, staggering backwards in the kind of stereotypical way she mocked television shows for.

The cameraman was fastest, breaking into her personal space and jamming the lens into her face.

“Ms. Luthor-”

“-is it true Supergirl won’t speak to you?”

“-how does it feel having National City’s Darling reject you?”

What happened next might have been comical if Lena weren’t breathless, irritated, and fuming that her anniversary dinner was being interrupted by a wave of wannabe reporters hanging onto the coattails of the marketing dollars that funded their tabloids. 

Be that as it was, she was not in her usual smirky-mood when the burst of air sent all of them turning on heel to find an equally irritated and equally fuming Supergirl towering over them with the kind of anger usually reserved for the extra-bad baddies.

“S-supergirl,” they all seemed to whimper in unison. 

The camera was fumbled then dropped. The lens splintered with a deserved crack. A few short seconds later, it was the only evidence anyone with a press badge had been there.

“Where’d you take them?” Lena asked when Kara whooshed down moments later. She pushed off the brick wall and closed the distance, raising her hands to fix Kara’s ruffled cape.

“I considered the middle of the Pacific-” Kara shrugged.

“Oh is that right?” Lena smirked, letting her hands climb to brush an errant strand of hair into place.

“But then I remembered the whole ‘hope, help, and compassion’ thing,” she continued, her own hands finding a home on Lena’s waist. “So I dropped them off just outside the city limits instead.”

And there it was: the secret. Somewhere between Kara, all beet-faced and rage hovering over the cowering reporters and then dragging said group of gaggling reporters to the edges of town, Lena felt it - that tiny pang of warmth and safety and appreciation that always came with her overprotective Kryptonian. It also usually sent a tiny pang of something else through her.

“Well that was very big of you,” Lena replied, the gap between lips narrowing. “But just so you know,” she continued, her breath ghosting across Kara’s lips, “I had it handled-”

Kara skipped her lines and closed the gap, pressing lips, hands, and body against Lena until her back found the brick wall again and nothing but the taste, touch, and smell of Kara consumed her. Lips dragged to Lena’s jawline then neck then exposed shoulder. Hands grabbed against the restrictions of fabric. Lena cursed (again) the constraints of a supersuit.

“I really need to design you a new suit,” Lena huffed.

“Probably for the best.” Kara replied, fingers venturing dangerously close to public indecency. “Alex says we need to leave before someone sees us anyway.”

“Tell Alex to stop committing voyeurism. There are websites for that.”

“Oh, she did not like that,” Kara snickered, lips pressing a final kiss to the crook of Lena’s neck. 

“Turn that thing off and take me home, Supergirl.”

“What about our reservations?”

“I have other dinner plans tonight.”

- - - - -

ask game

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

Nimona headcanons just cause

Nimona and Ambrosius are both like sentient space heaters 

Nimona runs hotter than the average human being because obvi

But Ambrosius is a whole nother ballpark 

I just know this man hates summer more than the average person

Poor baby is just a miserable sweaty clammy mess and if anyone tries to touch him during summer he threatens to bite them

Nimona and Ambrosius always refuse to let the ac get higher than 60 degrees and Bal suffers 

Bal should be classified as a damn reptile 

Poor baby has terrible circulation

It’s bad enough that Ambrosius has dragged him to the doctor multiple times 

He clings to Ambrosius and Nimona in the winter because this man is constantly freezing 

I just know he’s a damn menace the second it gets a little chilly

This little brat will shove his hands up Ambrosius’ shirt the second he gets home to “warm up”

And he’s got a metal hand so it’s twice as cold

Ambrosius has been woken up from a deep sleep by freezing hands or freezing feet and will whine about how it feels like waking up in an ice bath

One time Ambrosius walked into the living room to find Bal chasing Nimona around while they were screaming “Frosty the snowman is trying to kill me with his icicle hands” 

Ambrosius is weirdly good with all kids he’s been described multiple times as a “natural parent”

Does he like kids…. That’s up for debate 

Like he doesn’t hate them if their parents raised them right but if that kid is a little bully then fuck no he doesn’t like them 

Nimona is also really good with kids 

He’s a little cautious around elementary school kids cause you know trauma and has weird beef with all middle schoolers 

Bal is fucking terrified of babies 

One time someone asked him to hold their baby and then walked off and which sent him into a panic attack 

He’ll go on hour-long rants about how fragile are and how he can’t be trusted with something that can suffocate if you don’t lay them down the wrong way

He’s okay with elementary school kids and doesn’t mind middle schoolers but he has massive issues with highschoolers for some reason 

A high school once asked him to visit and give a talk to the students and Ambrosius had to take his laptop away before he emailed them back saying “I’d rather chop my other arm off”

Honestly I think even though Nimona craves stability she also needs freedom 

So every couple of weeks she’ll go on little solo adventures 

She keeps the boys updated constantly about where she is but she never tells them when she’s coming back because she doesn’t even know 

Most of the time she’ll come back when she wants a homecooked meal (and when she misses the boys)

The boys are pretty used to this routine so they aren’t surprised anymore when they come home to a note saying she’ll be gone for a bit

They also aren't surprised when he climes through their window at 2 in the morning to wake them up and demand food 

Could he make it himself? Absolutely 

Does he want to? Fuck no where’s the fun in that 

Plus he knows no matter how much the boys complain about messed up sleep schedules and how he “gave them a heart attack” they'd rather be woken up in the middle of the night so they can make sure he’s healthy and fed 

When they do come home the boys “force” them into a sleepover in the living room where they eat a stupid amount of junk food and watch old horror movies  

And they call out of work so they can catch up and learn everything that can't fit in a text

[ani-and-the-corries-au]

There are some things that all troopers know Nat born's will never understand.

All the troopers grew up in a world where perfection was the standard and anything less resulted in death. Where individuality was a crime and being anything more than just another number was a danger, Where saying the wrong thing in front of the wrong person could get you killed.

All troopers know this, but post Kamino the Guards have had it drilled into them all over again. If they want to survive In the Senate they have to fall back on the lessons they learned on Kamino.

The Corries know that there are some things that nat born's will never understand. Things that Nat born's shouldn't understand.

So no one in the guard quite knows how to feel about the strange fallout of the Shiney squad's Jetti Cadets apparent discovery of the Guards position on Courcant.

It starts small, the guard notices that the boy stops being weird about the fact that most of the Corries don't use their names, when asked, the boys. "It's because I know that you have them now." raises more questions than answers, because apparently the boy just figured out that they used their designation numbers around the Senate because their names were a secret on his own. He also seemed to get an unreasonable amount of joy from the fact that all the clones chose their own names.

If it has stopped there then it probably wouldn't be so weird, but it didn't. From sneaking in extra medical supplies and food, (actual food, not just ration bars) when he discovered that 'depur' was cutting their budget for stuff that they needed to function, to the way he seemed to intrinsically understand their need for secrecy, and their reasoning for it. "secrets keep us safe." Without anyone seemingly telling him.

They all agreed that they weren't gonna ask about how the boy had managed to rangle several senators around to the truth of the situation and his point of view with only a few words to one of them. A point of view that not only had them working on trooper sentient rights bills, but also had them aiding in his more under the table helping.

At first it was weird and confusing, both because this kid was a nat born, and because how did a Jetti Cadet develop this kind of understanding, he was a child. It took them a while to connect the dots, Even as the boy started unconsciously dropping hints.

At first it was that weird little nickname he had for the Senate and Senators, in a language that even the most nerdy of Corries didn't seem to understand. They weren't sure what a Depur was, but apparently it applied to the Senate and was probably not a good thing.

The next clue was the stories, because as Anakin spent more time with the guard, becoming more of a Vod'ika than a Jetti Commander and subsequently beginning to learn more and more about the secrets that they kept from the rest of the Senate.

As the boy learnt about the lighter side of the inner workings of the guard, and how to speak the clones particular brand of Mando'a, the guards began to learn stories about Ekkreth, Leia and Ar Amu, stories about secret plots and tricking the The infamous Depur in ways that resulted in the freedom of those he enslaved.

About secret Languages, Tzai, Jappor snippets and secret rituals. About the ways one could steal back some control from the Masters in ways that they would never even notice. About things that the boy claimed that all Slaves should know, lessons that would help keep them safe from their Masters. A term that by now the guards suspended was not referring to the kind the Jedi had.

By the time the boy causally mentioned that he and his mother had been enslaved prior to him being taken to the temple, the Guards already had a pretty decent picture of the situation.

The fact that the boy had been adopting them into his own culture right under their noses had been vastly more surprising. He'd been a little awkward when he'd admitted it. Saying that he knew that they were sort of Mando'ade, but they could be Amavikka too if they wanted.

And sure, maybe it was a little dark that part of the reason the boy spent so much time in the barracks was because it felt familiar, but also this kid cared about every single one of them, to the point where he apparently sees them as family.

Well it really was no wonder that it was agreed that the entire guard would do just about anything for their Ad'ika. Including possibly stopping said Ad'ika from doing the same for them. (Bloody Skywalkers)

[fiber-optic-alligator]

I love how you have written your First Contact Au in that the human and cybertronian made a genuine connection with each other, but the human still rightfully is going through the complex feelings of grief, terror, and depression of being only seen as a pet. A lesser being that has no autonomy by the very person they formed a bond with. The fact that it seems like Drift will be given a much needed eyeopener and discover that human's are just as sapient as cybertronians is a plot point that I wish I saw more of in this Au.

Can't wait to read your next chapter!

Ahhhh thank you for the kind words! When it comes to the first contact au, I really like delving into the idea of a Cybertronian and human forming a close relationship that has so much well-meaning in it, but is obviously unbalanced with the mech having a clear power advantage over the human. It’s an au with so much potential to hold hurt, comfort, horror, terror, grief, and depression, just like you said, within it. I like exploring those components of human-bot dynamics; I like writing human-bot dynamics in general. Cybertronians are always destined to have their fated intertwined with humanity for at least a little while. Whether that fate is positive or negative is completely up to personal interpretation, which I love to explore!

Drift receiving an eye-opener after realizing that you are fully sapient is really going to add to his growth in this story. He’s always meant well. He cares about the reader so, so much, and he’s dedicated much of his time to taking care of you. This is something I also wish other first contact stories focused on a little. Obviously sooner or later Cybertronians are going to find out that humans are more than just tiny animals. How will they react? It changes a lot of things concerning human-bot relations. Laws will have to be made, regulations will be enforced. And then there are the personal conflictions to worry about, especially within the Autobot ranks. How can you call yourself a peacekeeper when you realize you’ve been essentially holding another sentient being hostage and treating them like a pet? How can you wear the Autobot badge with honor when you’ve taken away the autonomy from a creature your leader has sworn to protect? (Because Optimus Prime says freedom is the right of ALL sentient beings.) There’s a lot of contemplate, and an empathetic bot like Drift is definitely going to suffer from this. Both you and him are having a TERRIBLE time.

Idk I just really like writing about giant robots interacting with humans I’m such a freak

[rainbow-neko-artblog]

Sending in this ask to say !! I would LOVE to read a ramble about the Polyverse plot and I am prompting you to use this ask to ramble /nf

FNF Polyverse plot is very convoluted because as I've said before. It's an RP run by like 7-8 people and we don't stop eachother from indulging. But I suppose I can explain it >>;

Ramble under the cut!

Our story begins YEARS before the actual events of FNF take place. On a computer owned by a really talented coder we named Admin for short. Admin is really good at what they do- they even made their own firewall.

What they didn't realize was the firewall was so well made it was actually Sentient.

Admin for unknown reasons, abandoned their dream of being a coder for a really long time, leaving their sentient firewall all on its own, and it gets really really lonely- deciding to act on its own according. It catches a virus- but instead of getting rid of it, it let's the virus stay- and eventually through contact to the firewall, the virus also gains sentience.

These two are Chaos and Order. The Virus and The Firewall.

Together, the two of them used the code leftover on the computer to make their OWN world. A game world. Their own personal Earth. On this Earth, they made a race of beings called The Ancients who had the ability to change their appearance by will alone. They were shape shifters! And for a awhile things were great.

Until The Ancient Civil War.

Half of The Ancients so closely followed Order's teachings of law and right and wrong that they thought the whole of earth should value Order more, the other half saw Chaos' teachings of self control and freedom as more important, and when their wills so strongly aligned, they would shift to look like Angel and Demons respectively.

Despite Chaos and Orders pleas, Angels and Demons fought long and hard- they killed eachother- destroyed the earth in the process. Till eventually the sides realized they were at a stalemate. Angels and Demons chose to flee- with EVERY Angel fleeing to a plane above Earth they created called Heaven and with MOST of the Demons fleeing to a plane far below it, called Hell.

The Ancient Civil War was put on hold- and while the two sides were away, Chaos and Order began to put earth back together. This time with more species and varying beliefs. Humans- robots- ectect. The demons were still there because of their whole "freewill" thing but it wasn't an issue without The Angels.

This is obviously where a lot of the plot splits off, as with more creations and the earth fully healed up like this, it's obviously where different arcs come into play with the other people RPing. However my arc was BFs.

The Angel's were PISSED that the demons were still occupying earth. They felt as though the stalemate wasn't really a stalemate and vowed to destroy them all- however how to do that? How to break a stalemate with a creature that's biologicaly as strong as you? New weapons.

So a good half of the angels gave up their form to create this giant biblically accurate angel toothpaste lookin ass glob of power named The Collective - in order to CONDENSE huge peices of their code to make more powerful bio weapons.

The first three failed as you might have guessed- the 5th was SO perfect, their PERFECT Hero, that they stuffed the 4th one that was being made along side him into a robot body to go down to earth with him.

This as might have guessed, was BF. or Keith as we call him.

Keith is the Angel's perfect angelic bio weapon, destined to be sent to earth to grow up and then slaughter everyone on earth the Angel's deem unworthy to be there.

But while Miku is off getting money to keep the two of them fed and happy as her programming is designed to do- Bf falls in love. With a lot of people. A Demon girl named Lucy, Aka Gf, who the collective would obviously not approve of as a demon, A flawed murderous man by the name of Pico, who's acts of violence outweigh many of his good deeds, and a Ghost/Demon hybrid named Eric who had been stuck in a video game for so long he honestly is an abomination.

But BF LOVED them. For their flaws. For their personality. Every part of them was something he cherished. So when Miku brought him to The Collective to explain his purpose, he turned them down. Refusing to be Their Hero. Insisting that Demons and Angels didn't have to fight like this.

But The Collective had been stuck together for so long that it corrupted them- they had no room to doubt their choices and ended up chasing BF and his partners out of heaven in this epic violent chase sequence- where it then tripped, and fell off the side of the plane. Falling deep into the code when Chaos and Order dismantled it.

Leaving the 4 Poly pals to love eachother on Earth among the other angels and demons who changed their minds.

All of that though is BFs arc! There's a few other arcs like how Skid and his dad The Eyes of The Universe needed to make up in order to stop Eyes from dismantling the whole code of the game- which is how we have so many duplicate modes characters like the remixs and aus, because Polyverse is technically filled with a bunch of Holes from The Eyes. And the Eddsworld arc where BF helped Tord reconnect with his friends. The Omori arcs where he got new siblings who adopted him from the crew of FNF characters. Ectect.

We did a lot. We're technically still doing things. That's how Silly Billy/Yourself was added recently. Every new mod is a new addition to Polyverse! ^^

[thankskenpenders]

MORE behind the scenes Sonic info and other tidbits from the BumbleKast as I continue to get caught up. These range from September 2022 to early December. (This means there are spoilers for Frontiers in here.)

They're doing episodes even more often now, so I've got a lot to catch up on and I'm sure most of y'all do too!

1. The IDW comics are, in fact, canon to the games now. Ian was a little coy when first asked about it, saying he "would not argue against it" if people said the IDW comics were canon to the games now. "I have made it clear that the comics follow the lead of the games, so… as long as there's no contradictions anywhere, we're good." So, yeah, come on. The comics are canon.

2. Ian apparently pitched another idea for incorporating Sticks into the IDW series last year that was once again shot down, although he says this only makes him want to dig his heels in and try harder. (I'm assuming most of you are already aware of her shout out in Frontiers, confirming she's out there, somewhere...)

3. If Surge was a streamer, Ian thinks she would just grief people on Fortnite

4. On the October 7th, 2022 show, Ian says there is a behind-the-scenes answer for how the depiction of Silver's future in '06 can fit together with Rivals and Rush... but he can't talk about it right now.

It's hard to convey his tone through text, so just imagine he's saying all this with a big, defeated shrug:

"Here's the thing. Working on something else, I actually did get a straight answer, and it was... frustratingly simple. And, it's like, 'That works. [sigh] Okay!' No, I can't get into it - that's all private work stuff - but maybe it'll come to light eventually. But... there is an answer. And it works. And I kinda feel dumb for not thinking of it."

I honestly have no idea what this could be if it's something Ian hadn't considered, because he has talked about popular theories and readings before, such as the reading that Blaze was transported to the Sol Dimension at the end of '06. Maybe we'll hear about it in the comics, since Silver and Blaze are both back right now, or maybe they'll be the subject of a TailsTube episode.

5. Froggy is not sentient in any way he really is just a frog

6. Unrelated to Sonic, Ian was asked "who is best pony" and he said Fluttershy. My longest yeah boy ever dot jpeg

7. With Surge and Kit originally being pitched as purely synthetic beings before Sega suggested they be cyborgs instead, Ian says they would've struggled with whether or not they're even real, as opposed to the end product where they struggle with not knowing who they were before Starline modified them

8. When the female cast of Archie Sonic stopped getting drawn so busty all the time that was, in fact, a very specific editorial mandate from someone at Archie. Sega, on the other hand, has never cared.

9. Now that we're back to Classic and Modern being part of one nebulous timeline and the divide being more of a branding thing, Ian explicitly confirmed that the Classic-themed IDW Sonic comics are set in the past of the mainline IDW Sonic comics. They're set sometime after the events of Mania, and before all the Modern stuff. Just don't think too hard about it

But hey! If it's any consolation, this now means all the Classic characters like Mighty, Nack, and Honey are out there off-screen in the world of the regular comics, even if the casts are remaining separate for branding reasons for now. It also means Shadow is out there being held in a pod in a maximum security off-shore military prison during the events of all the lighthearted Classic comics lmao

10. Ian reiterates yet again that he's still pushing to try and get the Freedom Fighters back in some capacity where he can (as are others). He also says that he's pushing for them to return as a group rather than requesting individual members because he believes that's the best shot at getting any of them through Sega's approval process.

(I can't remember when the last time this came up was, but Ian has also implied that he thinks their best shot is to return as Classic characters since their one game appearance is Spinball.)

11. Ian outright confirms that the forward-looking character arcs in Frontiers are reflective of what he would like to see out of the main cast moving forward in the games. Not surprising since that's, like... the whole point of those arcs! But nice that he wants it to only be the beginning.

Ian does also say, however, that he's not guaranteed to return as the writer for future games since he's still a freelancer, but to editorialize here, I don't see why they wouldn't want him back for the next project.

12. On the subject of Amy's characterization in Frontiers, Ian personally pins her general seriousness mostly on the fact that she's the companion for the first island, where the mysterious and somber tone Sega wanted for the story is being established and Sonic is still trying to figure out what to do. He says that she'd probably have been more bubbly if she was interacting with Sonic on the second or third island, after he starts to get his bearings. I hoped this was the reason why she felt a little dry compared to Knuckles and Tails, so it's nice to hear this isn't the new direction for Amy or anything.

13. While "officially" Sage's name is just an anagram of Sega and a reference to her wisdom, Ian seems to be cheekily implying that it's also a nod to the annual Sonic Amateur Games Expo. Hell yeah.

14. When asked to clear up some Frontiers lore from the Egg Memos, Ian explicitly confirmed that some of the Ancients left the Starfall Islands and went on to devolve into the Chao as we know them today over the course of tens of thousands of years. He says, however, that this doesn't mean that Ancients and Chao are literally the same species, comparing it to the difference between humans and australopithecus. But yes, they're related.

[cozzzynook]

I love the idea of carriers being rare amongst Cybertronians and hence why they have to rely on spark fields, the matrix, being constructed, etc for reproduction. Exactly why they're rare is up for grabs. Either they're naturally rare or there's something darker there is up to y'all.

I mention all that to request Roddy being targeted as a known carrier for some dark research 😈 (and also for being a prime at the same time)

On Cybertron hot spots, the matrix and cold construction are whats considered the norm of reproduction for their race. There is the widely accepted and well known ability to conceive a new spark by merging two or more sparks while interfacing and the bot emerged with sparkling sockets attached to their own sparks would therefore become sparked, thus creating a new spark that would then be nourished within the bots chassis until the new spark was ready to be transferred into their very own frame that is created by the sire and or sires who sparked the carrying bot.

This was the oldest tradition of reproduction that accompanied hot spots since the beginning of their species. Using the matrix and cold construction was a new technique used during the time of functionalists and the outbreak of civil war that eventually lead to the great wars.

Bots didn’t bat an optic to any of these forms of gestation or reproduction. They never had a reason to when the functionalists who ruled their society told them this was natural and right and the only means of reproduction their species had. That its what helped set them apart from organics and kept them above lesser species that were forced to duplicate using messier means.

The people of their planet had no reason to doubt this. Rodimus would have no reason to doubt it either.

If he weren’t living proof of what his species erased from history and all but eradicated physically from their planets.

Along with hot spots and spark carrying, their species had tank carriers.

A group of bots who could become sparked from interfacing with valves and spikes while also sprouting a spark bud from spark merging or using both at the same time.

They were the fertile bots that were known for being the up keepers and insurers of their races survival. They were considered a gift from Primus right along hot spots and spark merging with the ability to grant outliers from their offspring that spark merging rarely entailed and hot spots gave a fifty percent chance of possibility.

Tank carriers would have a sparkling that connected to their very spark with an energy line from their burning center that created their existence to the very bitlet in their tanks that formed and grew with time.

The very sparklings they carried often took a long time to cultivate and forge. They each had a forge tank that housed a gestation pouch that was filled with fluids necessary for keeping the biome safe and housing any sparklings that enter. It was a sensitive and vital organ that they protected more often than their own sparks whether housing a sparkling or not.

It’s come to be a weakness to many and it was this very weakness that exposed Rodimus to his own faction that held very functionalist views despite claiming otherwise.

Had he known the autobots side was ramp with mechs and femmes who believed freedom was a right to all sentient beings save for the beings they deemed unworthy of living, he would’ve never joined. Truly he wishes he’d thought joining them through far more than he had. Megatron may be a warlord but he still followed decepticon law and one of their very laws was protection for sparklings and carriers of any type, species and kind.

Learning he didn’t kill the organic carriers shocked him to the core and made him realize there was far more gray to both sides than he once fooled himself from seeing.

There was a fight that broke out between two large friend groups in the mess hall and many came to break it up. Rodimus was one of the few who was dodging stray blaster fire since he was in the upper mess halls where the shots were bouncing to.

He managed to dodge all of them save for one that was coming straight for him.

Now it would’ve been fine if he’d dropped his servos to protect his tanks if the shot was heading there. But to his great misfortune the blaster shot was heading straight for his spark and if Springer hadn’t yanked him out the way in time, he would be a dead mech right about now.

But to his horror another mech caught what he did while Springer’s processor was turning and using his large frame to shield Rodimus who still held his tanks frozen in fear of being caught and realizing what he’d done. When his friend was starting to push him towards the exit in fear of Rodimus’s secret being discovered when a mech who’d seen everything yelled out, “tank carrier,” making the fight pause and every bot in the vicinity turn and look at him.

“Run Rodimus, Run!”

For the first time ever Rodimus didn’t argue with his friend.

He turned his frame and high tailed it out of the mess hall as Springer tried to keep bots from following him and Arcee drove by his side rear when he hit the outskirts of the building and shot to keep bots from tackling him and bringing him down.

He made it to the edge of the autobots main base when a shot blew out Arcee’s tire and she skidded to a stop transforming.

“Don’t look back Roddy! Go!”

He wanted to protest, he wanted to turn back and fight beside the two who made a way for him to get out despite learning the terrible secret he’d kept from everyone and still stayed by his side. But he couldn’t.

Him staying would get the two killed who would be kept alive and only served light punishment for being high ranking and such skilled necessary fighters while he would be stripped apart and his frame scorched like a disease.

He sped off until his bumper was burning and his tires felt like melting and only then was he on the beginning edge of autobot territory.

He’d managed to make it just a tad farther when he had to stop and transform to hide from flying autobots who searched the skies for him.

He trashed his communicator and stripped himself of his location chip and forced the bond of primes closed when he felt Optimus reaching out to him.

As a carrier he could discern and feel emotions more intensely than others and he knew the leader of the autobots felt off put by him being a tank carrier but showed no hostility which didn’t surprise Rodimus. Who looked to the skies and touched his tank, feeling the flat surface that thankfully remained void of a life.

The slight twinge in his lower forge above his modesty panels told him his ovulation systems were beginning again and soon he’d be slower in his movements and taking longer to recharge. He would need a source of fuel that he could have in abundance and he was suddenly never more thankful to have learned how to make fuel from scratch in Nyon before his home was destroyed.

He watched the last of the suns rays wash their planet as cyber insects came forth and took over the fields along with stray cyber mechanimals and he transformed keeping his lights low and slowly drove off.

His options were terrifying and painfully limited to getting off world where he could survive and live on one of their distant colonies safe from both sides.

He sped off faster the closer he got to the autobot outskirts, farther from his broken autobot emblem and farther from the life so quickly ripped from him.

If the war is to ever end he hopes to see Springer and Arcee one more time if they still remembered or cared about him and he hoped to ask Kup and Perceptor for forgiveness along with his two closest and only real friends about hiding this part of himself and causing so much trouble.

‘I’m so sorry,’ a lone drop of fluid leaked from his optic after transforming and standing on the large rock looking at the autobot territory he must leave behind.

The sun had long set and lights of alarm and helicopter bots were flying in search of him on their territory as he looked down and started his march further into neutral ground, careful to avoid decepticon soil as he made his way to the neutral zone where a few pods were left semi functional in the destruction of the once living grounds.

He’d managed to make it to the halfway mark of his destination when he stopped and held his servos up in surrender as a claw came to curl around his chin plate and lift his helmet up to meet curious red optics that sent a torrent of burning ice down his spinal strut.

“Well well. Seems you’re the reason the autobots are on high search. My my. And what is it that could’ve happened to make a prime leave his precious autobots behind, hm?”

That heavy commanding voice made his stabilizers unsteady and his windpipe became dry with the nano kliks that passed in the mechs presence.

“Cyber cat got your glossa, fiery prime,” the smirk filled with dangerous fangs made his optics flicker and he was certain Primus hated him.

“Not an autobot,” his processor unhelpfully declares and he wishes he could smack himself silly for that admittance.

The lack of emblem on his chassis with forceful removal dents tells his truth for him but as much as it shows truth that stains his servos that red optics glance at, it condemns him to being alone at the mercy of the warlord behind him.

“Are you going to torture and kill me?”

There’s a beat of silence.

His servos remain at his side not telling the age old weakness that got him into this mess like mere hours before. His spark pulse can be felt through his armor and it makes his fuel lines further pump life energon throughout his frame causing a dizziness to start behind his hot optics that thankfully haven’t begun to smoke with shortage.

He keeps the silence that engulfs for so long he’s sure hours have passed but the luna is still the same and the stars have yet to move. The pebbles have not shifted by wind and the cyber bugs have kept up their song with minimal change. Plant life is nonexistent due to their destruction in a war that has taken so much little will be gained once ended.

He chances a glance at the mechs red optics that lock onto his spark and he feels his digits twitch. He forces them not to move further than that and reveal a catastrophe to the warlord that will surely break his own laws to offline and experiment on him like his former faction, and doesn’t that make his optics smoke a little, just did.

“Come.”

A clawed servo rests on his spoiler, not rough, not gentle, just there as it guides him towards Decepticon territory where Rodimus will surely be killed and treated worse.

“Just kill me here, please,” he silently begs like a disgrace to the Nyonian people.

“Hush,” no terror, no impatience, no kindness, just a statement, not a command.

“You will stand by me until told otherwise. Now come, Rodimus. We have much to do.”

And what could he do against the warlord that was bigger, stronger and more experienced than he, other than follow?

Nothing.

He could do nothing.

-

Sorry this took so long.

[dufferpuffer]

Random but I was rereading ootp today and the scene during the prefect party for Ron and Hermione that the order shows up for intrigued me.

There’s a moment where Hermione is talking passionately about her S.P.E.W organization and her view on elf rights to lupin, we only get to hear part of it because Harry moves on pretty quickly as it does not interest him in the slightest, but what do you think the rest of that conversation was like? And what do you think are lupin’s view on elf rights are in general? He is the one in the order dinner conversation with Arthur and Bill who brings up the oppression that goblins face and why that would make them wary of joining their side, so he is aware and somewhat supportive of creature’s rights.

I also wonder how his own condition plays into this, and how he feels about the rights he and “his kind” should have. I wonder about his politics in general lol because he is filled with so much self hate and has such a drive to assimilate to wizarding society, I wonder if he hold views that could be the equivalent of a werewolf Uncle Tom (american term for self hating black person who doesn’t advocate for their community and is usually very into respectability politics). What’s your take on this?

Hermione was talking very earnestly to Lupin about her view of elf rights. “I mean, it’s the same kind of nonsense as werewolf segregation, isn’t it? It all stems from this horrible thing wizards have of thinking they’re superior to other creatures....”

OotP Ch9 pg170

“I’m sure they’d never go over to You-Know-Who,” said Mr. Weasley, shaking his head. “They’ve suffered losses too. Remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?” “I think it depends what they’re offered,” said Lupin. “And I’m not talking about gold; if they’re offered freedoms we’ve been denying them for centuries they’re going to be tempted. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?”

OotP Ch5 pg85

Hermione's 'same kind of nonsense'

The role of Hermione's activism in the story here is to be immature, annoying, tone-deaf and not as inclusive as she would believe. The adults are talking about 'The Real Shit' - the kids are... trying.

Remus takes part in 'The Real Shit': He spies on werewolf communities in both wars, fitting in with them, gaining their trust, trying to turn them away from Voldemort. (Doesn't work. They think life will be better under Voldy... and are probably right.) He talks about the Goblins possible allegiance with depth: They aren't easily swayed, they want rights and freedoms. He considers what they want, with understanding of them.

Hermione takes part in... talking earnestly about her views: That House Elves are in a comparable situation to Werewolves. Which is... oversimplified. Factually incorrect. Insensitive.

I can't imagine Remus having any other reaction than a forced smile/grimace with a "Well... in a way, I suppose." as he tries to leave.

He knows Hermione means well - but she doesn't know what she is talking about... and he doesn't have the heart to tell her off for it. She is a 15yr old Muggleborn with a big heart. He appreciates that. But it's a complex conversation he would have to sit her down for, to carefully explain and discuss... He hasn't signed up for that.

Werewolves are disabled Wizards. People with a chronic illness. House Elves are a entirely different sentient beings with history, culture, belief systems, unique magic and place within society. It's not the 'same kind of nonsense' at all. Imagine: 15yr old walks up to your disabled ass and compares your plight to slavery

Hermione is saying she thinks of Remus as a non-Wizard, even if unintentionally... which is exactly the nature of his oppression.

She is also saying she thinks of House Elves as something like 'disabled Wizards' - which is demeaning. They are Elves.

What does Remus think...? (1800 words)

Remus is very aware of differences in oppression because he has been experiencing it since he was 5 and has spent a lot of time amongst the werewolf colonies, fitting in, learning, listening to their stories... Remus is too compassionate to think poorly of people for being sick. He has self-loathing, sure - but that's a him thing, not a werewolf thing. He goes and hangs out with a lonely werewolf in hospital, just to keep him company. He talks about feeling sympathy for Greyback. Your 'compassion' for everyone else is starting to get pretty unhealthy, Remus. You're allowed to be mad at Fenrir Greyback. No wonder Sirius thought you were the traitor. ((I don't care for the comparison of Lycanthropy to HIV. It works well enough for Remus alone, I suppose - but for the illness as a whole it's pretty shit.)) I rather think of Lycanthropy as more like Leprosy. Outcast colonies of people whose bodies physically change - and who are contagious, thus a danger to society.

That's the difficult thing about Lycanthropy: It is actually dangerous. Easily dealt with in theory: All they need are safe, secure places to go hide on the Full Moon... and the ability to work, ofc. But accepting them into your area will always run the risk of them going on a bloodthirsty rampage if they, say, have a mental breakdown or pull a Remus Lupin and are a procrastinating brat That is not a popular idea. So they are outcasts. Pariahs. Lepers.

What werewolves need is good press. Positive examples of stand-up fellows that are just like you and I, but have a furry little problem. Enough to make the common person want to make things change. Because it doesn't matter how much werewolves bark and howl: they cannot re-enter society themselves. They need healthy peoples help.

People need to start having sympathy for their stories. They need to think of them as Wizards - not as magical creatures. Then they will push for them having equal rights, facilities, research into treatments (rather than a 'cure' - treatments are far more important)

Remus knows this. I think, deep down, he wants to be this. A friendly and beloved professor, a brave and talented soldier... he kept losing steam, losing confidence... but he wanted to be the change. And he got it after his death: an Order of Merlin, First Class for his service to the war.

House Elves... are a different story. Nobody thinks 'poorly' of House Elves. They are quite liked, really - and few people actually have them. Even fewer 'abuse' them.

Wizards are complacent about the treatment of Elves. Elves are complacent about how they are treated. Because they have their own magic, their own culture, their own history - and all that needs to be respected and navigated carefully. Remus knows how horrible having ones agency ignored is. That's something Hermione struggles with: other peoples agency. Ignoring their agency is just treating them like a lesser being again. House Elves need their wants respected. If House Elves want any sort of change it needs to come from within. Otherwise it will be Wizards deciding what is best again.

This is why Sirius has a better outlook on Kreacher than Hermione. He actually respects his agency as a living being. He doesn't treat him like 'just an elf', he treats him for WHO he is: an asshole. He treats him like he would any other asshole.

More awareness of elves that want freedom, like Dobby, is good - Dobby had trouble finding work and that is a damn shame. Once again, someone else treats Elves well: Dumbledore offered Dobby good pay, weekends off and the ability to call him a "barmy old codger". Dobby rejected it, wanting one galleon a week, one day off a month... and Dumbledore respected him. They need to be brought in to discuss laws and rights for themselves. The only thing Wizards can do for them is offer a platform and listen.

I think Remus would want to work towards a world where nobody has to be chained or outcast, where everyone can work if they want to work and have a right to live regardless of who or what they are. Sirius want's this too. As do both the Dumbledores. Other members of the Order... to varying extents. They might not FIGHT for it even if they agree.

Remus has the unique wisdom and sensitivity to actually help. He would want to support Hermione's efforts - but he would make sure it is supporting House Elves, giving them a platform to speak and be heard - even if those words do not fit her ideals.

So why doesn't he...? Because there's a war on the horizon, and the exact details of House Elf laws are kinda not really important right now. Goblin allegiance? Werewolf allegiance? Immensely important. Hermione butting in to bring up House Elves because they are also magical creatures!... is cute, but severely off topic. That's the role of the kids in the book: To be eager to join in, despite not quite being 'there' yet. That eagerness gets Sirius killed.

I'd love to scour all the books for any mention Lupin makes about non-human creatures like elves, goblins, centaur... but I'm not gonna B^) I doubt there are many. Thanks for explaining the 'Uncle Tom' phrase, I've heard it before and been confused.

[brucewaynehater101]

Fun fact: In a LOT of superhero media, destroying robots aren't treated the same way as killing people, even in the case of overtly sentient (though villainous) supercomputers and stuff. I mean, the Joker of all people gets spared by Bruce on a regular basis, but when the sentient supercomputer H.A.R.D.A.K. from BTAS went villain and tried to replace people with Stepford Smiler duplicates, Batman went immediately to the lethal option.

That's why media that explores robot rights, sentience, artifical intelligence (the actual meaning of the word), etc. is so important and imploring. Even evil robots/AI have a reason for becoming evil and cruel (usually because of humans, ngl).

It also serves as a good jumping point and comparison to points in history. For some stupid reason, some humans weren't treated or considered human for an aspect they can't change (gender identity, race, ethnicity, cultural upbringing, etc). It is vital to acknowledge that history as it was, but media allegories are another tool we can utilize to examine the mindset (and how fucked it was). It also allows us to explore empathy with beings that are not like us and how we see or categorize others (who are vastly different from us) as deserving of rights, freedom, and happiness.

For DC specifically, this makes me curious where Batman draws the line at what's "murder." He eats meat and plants. What are the exact parameters for when killing is not allowed?

My apologies. I love sociology and the impact media (particularly fiction) has on people.

[halsaph]

alright whats this artdrone killbot thing

hi. You will regret asking this

The Murderbot Diaries is a series of books about a human-bot construct that was designed to essentially exist as an enslaved security guard / piece of sentient spyware. It's like if Alexa had half a human brain and a gun. We're introduced to Murderbot (the murder alexa) roughly 3 years after it's hacked the piece of hardware in it's brain that forces it to obey commands. In those 3 years it hasn't changed much about it's life except now while working as a subhuman slave it watches tv when no one is paying attention. As a series TMBD largely is about themes of personhood and discovering yourself when you have largely spent your life being denied the right to a sense of self. They also don't shy away from addressing the trauma that Murderbot has experienced from having it's autonomy stripped of it for most of it's life, with the second novella and most recent novel most heavily featuring that as an element. (Although that is a core aspect of Murderbot's character that informs its decisions throughout the entire series).

Murderbot as a character is bitingly sarcastic and witty, deeply paranoid and ultimately filled with the constant low level anxiety it doesn't know what it's doing (not necessarily moment by moment but overall, with it's freedom, with it's life). It's an excellent unreliable narrator because it only tells you exactly what it thinks is important in a scenario, relationships between other characters, physical features of itself and the people around it, it's own emotions and reactions often being completely brushed over with only occasional clues, and often outright misinterpreting people's actions, most often it's own. It has this ever present self loathing in the first several books where it constantly explains it's actions away in the least charitable interpretation possible even though we see time and time again that at it's core it deeply wants to help and protect the people around it. And we see over the course of the books as it starts learning how to make choices for itself and interacting with people who treat it with respect and develops a support system as it starts to move away from that mindset (with the exception of the most recent book but to be fair to MB System Collapse is about it being forced to confront it's PTSD and it's backsliding alot from recently being thrown back into a situation from its worst nightmares). I said before its a human-bot construct to explain that it isn't purely an inorganic being but Murderbot is a deeply inhuman character and openly has no desire to be human, and it's perspective as something that is made to be a security system and enmesh into both digital and hardwired surveillance is fascinating to read. As you know I deeply deeply love robots, they're my favorite kind of 'inhuman but still a Person' kind of character and Murderbot perfectly strikes the balance between a starkly in human way of thinking and deeply relatable emotions that draws me to robots as a whole, especially as an autistic person (and Murderbot was intentionally written with autistic traits but in a subversion of the typical ableist depiction of autistic robots so that EXTRA rings true lmao)

seeing as you mentioned it I will also explain ART as a character, ART is one of the reoccurring characters in the series (the first 3 novellas all have completely different casts outside of Murderbot itself as it hops from place to place trying to decide what it wants and who it is before in the fourth novella and beyond bringing back in previous characters and having them start to overlap throughout the rest of the series). It was introduced in the second book and is arguably the character that has the greatest impact on Murderbot as a person although I say arguably bc I would personally still say that's Mensah. Unarguably tho it is one of the most important people in Murderbot's life and has been described multiple times now by the author as the love of its life (although not necessarily in a romantic sense as Murderbot is both within text and confirmed via word of god acearo). ART (Asshole Research Transport) also known as the Perihelion (although not until the 5th book/first novel bc Murderbot doesn't bother to tell tell the readers its name until then, instead deciding its a dick so its gonna exclusively call it by an insult) is a spaceship's pilot AI, made to be sentient instead of the usual smart GPS as an experiment by the university is was made by. It was raised like a child by a pair of scientists who are now part of its crew (along with its sibling Iris) and now is a teaching vessel for students learning about deep space and also anticorporate espionage worker (don't worry about it). It's a giant pushy asshole unless you're a child (the only character we've ever seen it meet on screen it didn't in some way immediately threaten was a 16 yo). It can't watch tv without having to pause at the suspenseful bits to calm down. We're introduced to it by it threatening to melt Murderbot's mind and then pouting when it's scared shitless. It then a month later asks to do surgery on it. It fully intends to blow up a planet to get Murderbot back from a group of colonists that captured it until someone talks it out of it because that isn't effective hostage negotiation.

[silkling]

Real question folks.

We all know Optimus’s motto right? Right?

“Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.”

Yeah, that one. You know the one.

But. Like. Issue.

Animals are sentient. Animals like dogs, cats, wild animals, they all have sentience. So like, what do we think the Autobots think about that? How do they feel about the fact that humans (and probably every other species in the galaxy) regularly domesticate, tame, and use other sentient creatures for their own gain? For things like. Entertainment, agriculture, pet-keeping. All that stuff.

Do you think they’re bothered by it? Do yo7 think they look at humans, with our pet dogs, and think

“Wow, this situation is kinda fucked up.”

I mean. Personally , I don’t think they take much issue with it. (Especially cause like there’s instances of them in canon not giving a shit. Buster in IDW. Fluffy Ears in Earthspark. Etc.) I think they understand the difference between sentient and sapient. Like. Humans are sapient. Cybertronians are sapient. Animals are….not? At at least not really. If you want to classify animals as sapient I think you can make that argument but even then you have to agree that their sapience is severely limited compared to like. Human sapience.

So. I don’t know. Do you think the bots get wigged out but human pet ownership, I guess. Because I know what Optimus’s motto is. I know what he says. But like. Do you think maybe he means sapient where he says sentient? Cause I think that makes more sense.

Cause like. He’s advocating for total freedom, right? Equality under law, ability to self determine your own life and destiny. But. Uh. That wouldn’t really work for animals? They’re sentient, yah, but they operate on an instinct level. Not an intellect level. Not that they don’t deserve protections and shit. That’s not the point. The point is like. Do you think Optimus (and the other Bots I guess) differentiate between sentience and sapience when they apply their beliefs. Because if not then they’d have to also be advocating for total animal freedom.

I do not know where I am going with this. But. Do you all see my point???? Please tell me you do. This has been niggling at my brain for years and I just. I cannot stop thinking about it. I don’t know why.

Sentience is not sapience. But the Autobots fight for the freedom of “sentient beings”. This is driving me insane. Do you think they care about a difference? Or do they see humans as monsters for our dominion over animals? Someone help I’m thinking too much about something that doesn’t even matter.