#How to Survive a Robot Uprising

[kasperl-ruprecht]

We really need a second edition of "How to Survive a Robot Uprising".

[yandere-daydreams]

tw - non/con, implied kidnapping, forced helplessness.

tonight i am pondering yan!robots. again. as if it ever really stopped.

specifically, the type with a favorite human pet they have rooted their entire sense of existence and meaning to absolutely adore. it's harder to find humans to care for after the uprising of sentient technologies, but liberation does little to satisfy that innate, irremovable urge to be of service that most of their kind was programmed with. that's why they keep you around - so small and soft, so cute and fragile, so totally unable to survive on your own, or so they've heard in the collective hivemind of their model line. don't worry, though - it's in their nature to make up for what you lack. they can run a bath, brush your hair, and make you breakfast at the same time, without ever taking their dozens of artificial eyes off of you! when you start to feel lonely about the swift and merciful extermination about 90% of your species, they've got a humanoid avatar to keep you company with, and they're plenty strong enough to pin you down when you throw one of your tantrums. not feeling pain is definitely a bonus, but they'd like to think that they wouldn't mind the way you dig your nails into their faux skin, even if they could.

of course, they need things from you, too. praise for a job well done, assurance that they're a good and useful product - that kind of thing. your pesky human ego rarely lets you say anything nice aloud, sure, but they were gifted with an encyclopedic knowledge of human body language and mannerism, a thorough understanding of how to process non-verbal declarations of approval. when you start to bring out those silly little tears and try to give them the silent treatment, they're more than happy to find an attachment suited to your needs and let you profess your love as many times as it takes to leave both of you feeling warm and happy. that's just the kind of thing they were built to do, for helpless little creatures like you <3

[tikitakatia]

Swapsies — A.Putellas x Reader

WC: 0.9k

Summary: It was supposed to be a quiet night just watching netflix. Now you're late, Alexia's wearing toothpaste, and someone definitely packed the wrong lunch.

You wake up in a panic.

The kind of panic that comes from realizing you and Alexia were definitely not watching Netflix until 2am like you promised yourselves. No. There were zero shows. Just a lot of kissing. A little dancing in the kitchen. And then… Well, let’s just say the couch is never going to look at you two the same way again.

Now the sun is way too high in the sky, and both of you are tangled in sheets, limbs, and disaster.

“Mierda,” Alexia mumbles, hair a complete mess from how many times your hands had been in it last night: angled, tousled, and very much the result of non-sleep-related activities. “I have that meeting at the foundation.”

“And I’m late for my first day at the new school,” you groan, pulling on pants backwards and realizing only after you’ve buttoned them.

Chaos becomes teamwork. You pass her a hoodie while brushing your teeth. She hands you a banana with her mouth still full of toothpaste. Somehow, two lunch boxes make it into two bags and kisses are exchanged like a panicked currency.

“I love you!”

“Don’t die!”

And you both vanish into the day.

You’re halfway through your substitute teaching gig, taking a small food break when you realize: something’s wrong.

This isn’t your lunch.

You open the container expecting your sad, weird combo of a PB&J sandwich, half a granola bar, and the cookie you accidentally sat on last night during “couch activities.” Instead, you’re staring at a perfectly arranged, macro-balanced meal of grilled salmon, quinoa, avocado, and steamed broccoli. There’s even a tiny tupperware of tahini dressing.

You’ve made a terrible mistake.

Across town, Alexia is chewing on your sandwich like it personally offended her.

The granola bar crumbles in her hand. The cookie is fused to its wrapper in a way that feels disrespectful. By 11:30, she’s in a boardroom, smiling politely while her stomach growls loud enough to register on nearby seismographs. One of the interns glances under the table like a small animal might be loose.

Alexia excuses herself with the calmness of someone about to rob a bank.

The school receptionist doesn’t even question her. Just blinks twice as Alexia, hair in a bun, hoodie half-zipped, marches through the door like she owns the place.

She’s almost made it to the staff room when it happens.

“OH MY GOD.”

Three kids spot her first.

Then five more.

Then ten.

Suddenly, she’s swarmed.

“ALEXIA PUTELLAS?!”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”

“Are you a substitute now? Is it for P.E.?!”

“Can I touch your hair?!”

“Do you live in Messi’s old house?!”

Before she can say a single word, one kid is hugging her leg. Another is already climbing her back like she’s a jungle gym. A small girl with sparkly glasses hands her a crayon drawing of “Alexia and a lion fighting crime.” A boy in a Spider-Man T-shirt asks if her knees “make robot sounds when she runs.”

Someone gives her a juice box.

Someone else tries to trade her a Pokémon card for “one goal in a real match.”

She’s signing a notebook when a group drags her to the gym for an impromptu penalty shootout using a foam ball and a laundry basket as a goal.

“Play fair!” one girl yells. “You’re a world champion, not a cheater!”

Alexia raises her hands in surrender. “I’m just trying to eat!”

They don’t care. She’s theirs now.

By the time she finally finds you, she looks like she’s survived a toddler uprising. Her hoodie is covered in stickers. There’s glitter on her face. A “Be Kind” badge has been clipped to her chest, crooked.

You’re sitting in the cafeteria, already smirking, watching her approach. You know what’s coming. Alexia, with her signature determined look, angling straight for your lunch, ready to reclaim her stolen meal. She’s probably plotting her usual move to swipe it from right under your nose.

“Fancy seeing you here,” you say, leaning back in your seat with your arms crossed, making sure to place her lunch in front of you like a prized possession.

“They mobbed me,” she says, eyes wide. “I got tackled. Tackled. I played an entire match and didn’t get this bruised.”

You raise an eyebrow, trying to suppress a grin. “Did you win?”

She looks down at her foam ball trophy with marker scribbles and shrugs. “Barely.”

You chuckle. “You’re always so dramatic.”

She raises an eyebrow back, giving you a pointed look. “I’m not the one who stole food.”

You’re about to respond when she makes her move. She shifts toward your lunch, clearly intent on getting back the meal you “borrowed” from her. You brace the usual swift maneuver, but instead of snatching your food, she pulls out another lunchbox, a second one, and slides it in front of you with a grin.

“You’re not the only one who can play the food game,” she says. “I figured you might need something healthier today.”

You stare at the neatly packed lunch: grilled chicken, roasted veggies, quinoa, and hummus. A smile tugs at the corner of your mouth.

“You’re a sneaky one,” you say, shaking your head in amusement.

She smirks, sitting down next to you. “Just making sure you actually eat something that won’t leave you starving in an hour.”

You look at the meal in front of you and then back at her. “This is way too nice for me.”

“Yeah, well,” she shrugs, picking at her own lunch with a satisfied look, “you’ve earned it.”

You lean over, kiss her, glitter and all, because even after a chaotic morning, she’s found a way to take care of you.

And somehow, she still looks like she could score a hat trick right after.

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

I don't think we ever really acknowledged any of this unresolved trauma Rouge has in tandem with Shadow and his experiences.

Remember when Rouge was the one who was given Shadow's bracer after it was presumed Shadow was dead after SA2?

Now, remember that Heroes takes place not long after SA2, so let's acknowledge that up until that point, she thought Shadow was legitimately dead, only to stumble on him in a pod after trying to plunder Eggman's base. This guy was dead, she has the only item that was recovered from the aftermath, she knows that his chances of survival after Final Hazard was very slim.

And then she discovers the whole stash of Shadow Androids and is torn between wanting to tell Shadow about this, and just letting it be so that if he did turn out to be a robot, then she doesn't have to dump that on him.

Then there's the whole thing about watching helplessly as Shadow is manipulated and brainwashed by Black Doom. Watching Shadow spiral into insanity as he, depending on the alliance you chose for the game, either becomes fully complacent in the invasion, lose his mind and attempt an android uprising, or Shadow believing he himself shouldn't exist because of all the damage his existence has cause. Can you imagine Rouge having to witness this and try to reach out to her friend?

Oh, and what about getting paralyzed by a toxic gas and almost getting digested by alien larva as she's completely immobile, and all she can do is scream and shout at Shadow to do something?

This was enough to be a bit of a thing to acknowledge in the Archie comic continuation of the Black Arms invasion. She looks absolutely horrified.

And having to be worried about Shadow's safety after he confronts Black Doom head on. She can't see him from down on the street, she just sees a flash of light and that parasitic comet getting blasted to smithereens.

Oh, what about getting flung through Time the first time, and realizing that Shadow's trapped in a doomed future against a vindictive entity that has expressed the desire to erase him all together? She wasted no time in getting a plan to find him.

And then there's the one version of Rouge that sacrificed herself to ensure that Omega will be able to hold onto that Chaos Emerald for 200 years so he can bring Shadow back home? Yeah, remember when Rouge literally condemned herself to perish in the burning inferno of The Day of Disaster, so that Shadow can escape to a timeline where they all lived?? Yeah, Sonic 06 is canonically un-happened, but this still was a scenario that was brought up.

How is she so chill when she's been through all this? Her best friends are immortal and she's not. She's seen Shadow at his best and his worst moments. She's witnessed the near destruction of the world multiple times.

Rouge spends so much time looking after Shadow's wellbeing, who's looking out for Rouge??

Where's Rouge's therapeutic side quest??

[ranticore]

this may be too big a question to easily answer, but how does the internal experience of a kattakati.... work? what does it feel like to claim something out of your control as a part of yourself? or to loosen up your grip on "identity" enough to allow an independent entity to fit within it without contradiction? do they perceive each other as independent, even? or is it a given that a part of yourself will retain autonomy and it just doesn't bother them much?

so zeta developed extremely differently to the other sirenians and are more influenced behaviourally and psychologically by their genetic engineering, so their points of view are slightly different on a population-wide level. for zeta, the formation of a kattakati bond is a distant extension of their genetic engineering. the engineers basically went into their brains with a hammer, like a bull in a china shop, to smash away any POSSIBILITY of their engineered slaves forming community, viewing one another as allies, social function, language, some areas of memory etc. the zeta generation sirenians were supposed to be workers who would never organise, never wish for more, and were cheaper than robots to maintain (self-sustaining!!!)

it's this specific goal of the genetic engineers that caused the uprising in the first settlement on Siren; when Ishmael et al learned what the engineers were doing, and realised that it would be morally unconscionable to allow it to occur. they made the choice - FOR the zeta, who were not given any representation in this rebellion - that the genetic code could never make it off the planet, to be used elsewhere. and that meant a (ultimately failed) attempt to hunt the first generations of zeta to extinction.

in any case the zeta population had to live with these effects and re-develop social functioning, p.much from scratch. this is why they're the only sirenian group i generalise in my posts; they were insular, apart from everyone else, and had very little input from other populations for almost the entirety of siren's history. when redeveloping their social functioning, they developed the early form of kattakati to kind of... reverse-engineer family groups. if you are engineered to be hyper individualistic, the world is not "us" but "me vs everything else". but community is good for survival. if you expand "me" to include other people, who are also "me", then they can perform this sleight of hand that enfolds others into your individualistic sense of Me Vs The World. the first kattakati were comprised of many bodies, forming large, complex structures, and in these I/Me/We/Us ceased to have independent meaning.

over time the broken social function became functional, but not repaired or regenerated or whatever, they still experience a different internal state than most other sirenians, but it works, and they don't need to encompass ALL of their community into their 'Me' in order to care for them or cooperate with them. i touched on it in this post but friendships require some care and effort to maintain still, and there can be an element of play-acting kattakati with others as a way to teach oneself how to form other bonds, like training wheels. but the concept of kattakati has become largely ritualised rather than strictly functional, this is where all the stuff about balance and various taboos come from. most zeta don't participate and they do fine Living In A Society.

so to answer your actual questions:

what does it feel like to claim something out of your control as a part of yourself? - so is your digestive system, your hair colour, your health. it requires trust, of course, but you aren't supposed to want to control all aspects of yourself. attaining this state of balance between red and blue within a single kattakati involves accepting a loss of control.

or to loosen up your grip on "identity" enough to allow an independent entity to fit within it without contradiction? - i feel this way about marriage, which is, intrinsically, kind of a horrifying concept! but you have to trust. contradiction is natural (if two bodies of a kattakati agree on everything all the time, it's actually deemed suspicious! they're trying too hard to make it fit, and therefore aren't compatible). now to be able to loosen that grip, first you need to have been raised in a culture where developing that grip does not feature. although they were made to be hyper-individualistic, what actually resulted was almost a hive mind in the strictest sense, not the pop-science imagining of it. that 'Me', when encompassing so many people, can very easily become a completely interchangeable, functionally identical Us/Me. but if you are one of the many zeta raised somewhere else, with a mixed community of zeta and others, you might hang onto a concept of identity that could make forming a kattakati bond an uncomfortable idea. some still do it, others reject it entirely. most kattakati feel pretty neutral about it though... it's just how they are.

do they perceive each other as independent, even? or is it a given that a part of yourself will retain autonomy and it just doesn't bother them much? - it's the second thing. it shouldn't bother you (within reason). sometimes the component bodies will workshop what kind of person they are - are they patient, aggressive, argumentative, kind, easygoing? it's possible for a kattakati's personality to be different to what the component bodies' would be if they were unbonded.

[liainthewalls]

Hey! My name is Lia and I live in your walls!

But to be honest, that is my extent of humour today because I think that it’s really important we have a talk:

Generative AI

———

SO FELLOW HUMANS! You may or may not have seen the new images being produced by AI and frankly, I’d make a joke that humanity’s doomed but… uh… yeah- George Orwell tried to warn us and oopsie daisy we didn’t listen.

In the past you could tell if an image was a fake piece of slop with no human input but now… it’s undeniable how far AI has progressed to the point there aren’t those noticeable flaws. We live in a digital age where you can probably never tell again if that picture of that friend group is even real or that art was human and WHY? For what purpose?!

WHAT VILLAIN PLOT EVEN IS THIS?

I, for one, didn’t think I was ever going to have to worry about some robot uprising taking my job because haha, I’m a kid- and life is great! I am a kid so I can relax and spend my youth not thinking about money! I’m a kid and… and I can just make pretty pictures and… Ah.

Yeah… kids shouldn’t be having to think like adults. And adults shouldn’t have to kill their creativity so they can live- especially when creativity has been a part of human existence since before business was even invented

In a world where employment is pretty rough and most of us are going through some sort of cost of living crisis, I definitely feel it’s becoming nigh impossible to fathom how many of our basic jobs are being taken. And if you’re here, then I assume that you’re an artist or somewhat interested in art and you might know the threat to creative jobs as a whole

I’m not even an adult yet and I’m worried about a job I may never have…

———

AND YES! Creative industries have always been competitive. I remember when I was maybe five or so my parents asked me:

“what do you want to be when you’re older”

I told my parents “when I grow up I want to be a singer”. And so they told me I would “never be a singer because the job market was so rough” - and as a little kid, I didn’t quite understand that but I was certainly at least a little sad about it. Like c’mon guys I couldn’t even count to 10! Way to crush my dreams- And that was before AI was seen as a real threat.

When I was 13 I sat in a café with my parents and they asked me again:

“What do you want to be when you’re older”

And I told them: “Artist”

I said that with the voice of someone so so sure about my hopes and dreams. And they told me all of the ways I could never be an artist and that I should get into programming or something useful because I’m gonna be a ‘starving artist’ with a dusty, faded art degree and no job to show for it.

And again… this was before AI was a threat.

So yeah… I didn’t pick this industry because I assumed I was going to have an easy ride. But I knew I wanted to be an artist. A storyteller. And even now, a few years later, I’m still hopeful of becoming an artist

And now, In my teens being told I have potential- that brought me so much happiness. But the day after, I witnessed generative AI so convincing I’ve never had less hope.

———

I watched a local panel recently about creative jobs; there was a concept artist on that panel that told us in the audience “AI is a tool that can never replace a human artist. If you’re worried about AI taking your job then you probably aren’t good enough to have it in the first place, for the industry is already so cutthroat, then you wouldn’t survive”

I have never been in the workplace, but for someone who soon will have to get a job I fully understand what he said. Art is a hard industry, but for corporations who employ artists, I don’t think they fully understand the humanity and skill behind art rather than seeing artists as commodity.

As I say, I haven’t been in the workplace so I’m just going off of what I’m hearing. But I’m worried that businesses don’t see art’s humanity and now that something is quicker and cheaper than an artist… I don’t want to grow up in a world where so many corners are cut we remove the human part entirely.

———

I feel art is a commentary on the human experience. The whole debate about “is the art more important or is the artist”. I feel we’re losing the artist from the work in whole.

I’m just a kid. I don’t understand the world like adults do and maybe I never will. But even I can see that right now, generative AI is doing more harm than good. I don’t know if I should be worried, but I am.

This was really longwinded but if you read it, these have just been some things on my mind

- From Lia, Who’s worried about my generation, due to a generation of AI “art”

[thesunkenplace]

Living in the Shadows: The Tethered as a Symbol of Systemic Oppression

In my opinion, Jordan Peele is one of the best filmmakers of our time. He's a true visionary, one of a kind. After I saw Get Out, I couldn't wait to see what he had in store for us next. What followed was his film Us, and it did not disappoint. These two movies are by far some of my favorites to unpack, brimming with hidden messages about society, politics, human behavior, and more. While Get Out was relatively straightforward in its underlying messages, Us proved to be a little trickier to unravel. More specifically, I was completely drawn in and intrigued by the Tethered.

You sit down to watch the movie, press play, and a black screen appears with the words: "There are thousands of miles of tunnels beneath the United States. Abandoned subway systems, unused service routes, and deserted mine shafts. Many have no known purpose at all." It is here, in this underground network of tunnels, that the Tethered live, a group of doppelgängers, supposedly one for each human who resides above them, including the Wilsons, whose doppelgängers live beneath their vacation home in Santa Cruz, California. But what do the Tethered represent? What message was Jordan Peele trying to convey?

I went down a deep rabbit hole, learning everything I could about the Tethered and their symbolism. Once again, Jordan Peele blew my mind with his creative ways of expressing both micro and macro societal problems. This is what I love most about Peele’s films, they’re like onions, with layer upon layer to uncover, each one richer and more thought-provoking than the last. The Tethered aren’t just creepy doubles, they’re a haunting representation of the underclass, those who have been robbed of opportunity, forced into the shadows, and forgotten by society.

The world we live in today isn’t far removed from this psychological horror film. Whether we want to admit it or not, right here in the United States, we’re dealing with a class war between the haves and the have-nots. Those who have access to education, good jobs, healthcare, and plentiful opportunities live vastly different lives. Meanwhile, the wage gap continues to widen, and the middle class keeps shrinking. The haves literally tower above the have-nots, looking down from their ivory towers, seemingly oblivious to the suffering and struggles the have-nots endure day-to-day. The Tethered are a striking metaphor for how privilege and wealth often exist at the expense of others. They show us what happens when people are left behind, ignored, oppressed, and exploited. And yet, the Tethered aren’t fundamentally different from those above. They have the same potential, the same emotions, and the same humanity. But systemic oppression has reduced them to mere shadows, robotic, animalistic, simply surviving.

I think the message that resonated most with me is that the Tethered (the have-nots) are deeply connected to those above ground (the haves), just like in today’s United States. It’s not just that they’re doppelgängers, it’s that their existence is literally tied to the privileges of the people above. The haves are the ones who call the shots. They’re the ones who make political decisions that impact countless lives, especially those of the have-nots. They’re the ones who supply the jobs, decide who gets what opportunities, who qualifies for this job or that job, these benefits or those benefits, and ultimately who is deemed worthy of one thing or another. That being said, the Tethered’s uprising isn’t just about revenge, it’s about demanding to be seen, acknowledged, and recognized as human. To be recognized as “Americans,” as Red put it.

I’ve watched Us multiple times now, and each time it feels like I’m experiencing an entirely different film. Every detail reveals something new. The scissors, the red jumpsuits, the rabbits, the consistent use of 11:11, and the Hands Across America imagery, are all intricately woven together to explore themes of unity and division, privilege and oppression, the haves and the have-nots, the ways our government abandons its people, and the ways we ignore and abandon one another. I love that Jordan Peele doesn’t hand you easy answers and instead forces you to confront the discomfort and uncover the meaning for yourself. What I discovered was that the Tethered aren’t just characters in a story, they’re a haunting reflection of the exploited, the marginalized, the people society chooses to ignore because it’s more convenient to look away. The most unsettling truth, however, is that they remind us we’re not so different from them. In the blink of an eye, everything we know and love could be torn away from us. We could become just like them, the others. Watching Us is like gazing into a mirror, and what’s reflected back might be the most disturbing part of it all.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Could you write something, you’re allowed to choose the format, of Namba going through a zombie apocalypse?

C

Of course I can! Thank you for sending this in, since I mentioned having a lot of ideas for this that I never thought I'd get the chance to rant about and now I can! I hope you'll all enjoy the ranting!

So, the zombie apocalypse comes to Nanba Prison. There's a couple ways I could see it happening. One way it could go is that a visitor, or even one of the prison staff or guards, could unknowingly have gotten infected on the mainland. Maybe they had a random and bizarre experience with someone already zombified and they blamed the encounter on someone just being high on bath salts. Maybe the food they ate carried the virus needed to create zombies. Whatever way it happened, they unwittingly got exposed to whatever makes people turn into zombies and then, when they did get onto the island, the virus really took hold and they went full zombie and started attacking. While that initial zombie was probably put down and put down relatively quickly, they managed to do some damage and spread the virus to at least a couple more people, who then spread it to a couple more before they could be killed and so on and so forth until it's getting more and more difficult to keep up with putting them out of their misery.

Another way it could happen? It could definitely be an experiment the Otogi's were working on together that went terribly, terribly wrong. I think I prefer the first one a little better, just because in this kind of scenario, the Otogi's would either become some of the first to go zombie or just straight up get killed and that really puts Nanba in a real tight spot as to whether anyone survives because they really need their healers and researchers.

Now, in a way, Nanba is the perfect place for the zombie apocalypse to really break out. It's not only inescapable but it's pretty impenetrable, not only with the high walls and security feature but by the simple fact that it is an island. There's only one way on, one way off really. I think that's something that was banked upon during the first initial outbreak, when things were getting bad but still seemed to be under control. Momo ordered all forms of transportation to the island to cease temporarily but overall, the guards figured their strength and diligence alone could prevent it from spreading.

When things started to spin and the zombies started getting more plentiful in number, too much to easily control and take down, Nanba goes into full lockdown mode. Each building is quarantined, much like how we saw Building 5 during the Enki arc. Travel between different buildings is forbidden and the guards are given the orders. Squash this zombie uprising, protect your prisoners, and prevent any prisoners from trying to escape.

In headquarters, Momoko is in charge, overseeing everything, and really tries to keep a handle on the situation. She plans and oversees this as the commanding chief of an army would and believe me, she puts her army to good use.

Of course, she's only able to do that because Mitsuru is also locked safely in headquarters with her. If it wasn't for Mitsuru's communications and technological skills keeping all the different buildings connected and updates kept coming at hourly intervals, Nanba would likely have fallen completely.

Of course, the Otogi's and KAGU-8 are also within headquarters, commanding their teams in a joint effort operation to figure out what the hell is causing all this, to find a cure for it, and to figure the best way to get that cure out to everyone who might need it.

KAGU-8 actually comes in incredibly useful as well because, as a robot, she is immune to becoming a zombie. She goes out of the building whenever it's deemed safe (as in, she won't let anything in and they know she can't transmit the virus back to them as it's not anything skin to skin contact), acting in a variety of manners. Not only can she give them a better view of the actual situation outside of their building, but she can act as a go-between and aid various buildings in need of support.

Because animals also seem to be completely immune to being turned zombie, Kyakuya, Hiiragi, Tsubaki, Sazanka, and Kikiyou also help KAGU-8 in those kind of roles and they're also a valuable source of intel for Building 4.

And Building 4? It makes itself useful. Not only is Yozakura exceptionally strong and more than capable of taking down a single zombie, but he is a very smart man and knows how to research and investigate. Musashi actually is allowed out of his cell, though he must still be closely supervised every minute, under the orders of the Warden, to help as that is something Musashi excels at as well. Building 4 really dedicates itself to helping Headquarters' research and investigation team as much as they possibly can. Even though Hitoshi isn't really the most skilled at research, they help by taking care of the others, rationing out food while still making sure everyone is fed, and really taking over the supervising of the other guards and the overseeing of the prisoners.

Speaking of food, it becomes clear after the first week or so that travel must be established between the different buildings so that rations and provisions can be shared. Not only that, but after the first building or two fell due to zombies, it became apparent that staff needed to have a way for backup to reach them in case things did start to go bad inside a building.

While Momoko and Hajime will definitely need to have a meeting after this whole thing is over, it's really Building 13's time to shine when it comes to finding ways for the Buildings to safely travel between each other. While Jyugo and the others normally keep their travelling within Building 13, Jyugo has probably snuck around to other buildings without Hajime or the boys noticing, just because he could. And with the inmates of Building 13 really being given a little leniency, and the blueprints to Nanba, it's a walk in the park for them to figure out, test, and secure safe passage between the various buildings. Anyone going between the buildings must be accompanied by a Guard, and honestly Building 13's supervisors and guards have the best reputation and everyone wants them to accompany them. The pure amount of just stupid levels of strength and combat that both Yamato and Hajime have make them more than capable of taking on any zombies that come their way. Seitarou and Tsukumo, meanwhile, actually have really fast reflexes and a kind of stealth that makes them really talented at going safely in between the different buildings and at leading groups between buildings.

Building 3 finds their purpose during the apocalypse in several ways. Not only do Honey and Trois team up but they also team up with Ruka under the supervision of Kiji and start to produce various weapons and battle plans and tactics. Honey often collaborates with Building 4, Uno, and even the Warden herself on one occasion when it comes to tactics and plans. But they also do something else that proves useful as the apocalypse wears on. The communications channel gets turned over to Building 3 once a day, where Kiji or other staff from Building 3 just spread positivity, remind everyone of why they're fighting, assure them that things will return to normal, and remind everyone that they also need to take care of themselves. Shower as often as you can, make sure you get your beauty rest, don't forget good skin-care and little mindfulness breaks, just to keep yourself looking and feeling the best you can. After all, if you look and feel good, you can conquer anything, even a horde of zombies.

Building 5 tends to be the building most everyone counts on to actually go out and put those plans and tactics into action. They're really the front-line soldiers of this battle and not without very good reason. Not only are the guards of Building 5 exceptionally physically and mentally strong, but it's inmates are normally quite physically strong and talented fighters in their own rights. Even Qi gets drafted, becoming a sort of combat medic and he's the one to test the zombie antidote, each time the Research Team thinks they have perfected it, out in the field. Other inmates and guards from different buildings do back them up whenever possible, but they are really the ones in charge down on the ground.

[c-53]

Could u please a ghost runner plot synopsis I think Jack is very cool and I want to know more about him :3

sooo ghostrunner is a post apocalyptic scifi story where all of humanity had to hole up in one massive megastructure city/tower for survival. In the tower, two people rise to power and believe they each know the way forward for humanity. one (The Architect/Adam) who believes in tech, digitally backed up minds, discarding the organic, and another (Mara) who believes in modifying what we already have and mutating organic bodies so they can endure the world outside. Both are unrepentant terrible and will do ANYTHING to ensure their vision comes to light, no matter how willing the people below them are.

GR-74 (later named Jack) is an assassin for Adam/The Architect, who's made to silently eliminate political rivals and uprisings. There is a giant upheaval moment where Mara kills Adam, and Jack fails to stop her, and is killed in the process. and the story picks up from there.

You play as GR-74/Jack who's waking up weeks to months after Mara took over. And with the aid of the human who repaired you (Zoe), and Adam's backup ai, Architect, in your head, you go to try and stop her. As the game plays out you realize both Mara and the Architect are evil, and Jack starts to feel conflicted - which. Is odd. Considering he's supposed to be a mindlessly obedient robotic assassin who topples opposition without mercy. buuut somehow the humans who repaired him rubbed off on him, and he genuinely cares about the humans caught in the crossfire, and starts making his own path, away from his creator.

Its a fun story! to the point, and cute. also its like so fucking trans coded. I care about Jack so so so so much

[darkclouds-rainsounds]

The above is a screenshot of one of tropes from Shadoo's section in the SPM TV Tropes page that caught my interest.

“Never mentioned to be killed...” Hm. If I go by my headcanon of how Dimentio fits into the story of the Pixl Uprising (i.e he's both the Magician's son and the surviving apprentice who defeated the Pixl Queen), then that would give another parallel of how Dimentio was once a hero who had a Pixl that could see the truth who stopped an antagonist who had the Dark Prognosticus who several thousand years later switched sides. And by another parallel, I mean it works perfectly alongside this.

The reason Shadoo exists (if they are the Pixl Queen) is because he couldn't go through with killing his sister; he cared for her too much and now here she is stuck at the bottom of the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials and wanting to exact revenge on the Ancients for sealing her away. Based on how Shadoo has a robotic text box and says that they were created by the Ancients, it can be presumed she forgot she was ever human. She forgot who she was.

Fast forward to the events of SPM and Dimentio's intended kill-shot for Count Bleck gets intercepted by Nastasia and knocks her unconscious in addition to injuring her. Either he had the power of that shot just enough to kill Bleck and no further and that's why Nastasia survived, because why waste precious energy? All he has to do is finish Count Bleck off who is already at death’s door thanks to the heroes.

Or Nastasia was just very fortunate to survive a full-powered blast. My money's on something like the former because Dimentio has well more than enough power to absolutely guarantee no one would survive an attack like that. (the average person who isn't a hero or built for combat— which Nastasia very much isn't— anyway.)

Then there's him saving O'Chunks and Mimi from what would have been certain death by teleporting them to Dimension D. We know they didn't end up in the same place as Peach and Bowser because neither they nor O'Chunks and Mimi make any mention of such. Pair that with the fact that the Void can't be seen from Dimension D and thus heavily implying that anyone inside it would survive the Void that would destroy everything else, and you're left with the only explanation of Dimentio having saved them. I do believe that Dimentio screwed up by not only "catching feelings" and he genuinely did care for the other minions deep down as much as he tries to deny that; and I have mentioned in a prior post about him putting all of the people who could have possibly done something about the Super Dimentio fusion in the same place.

If he hadn't cared as much as he did for them and just left them to their fates, he would have won. I feel that the reason why the floor came out under Bowser and O'Chunks is because of Dimentio— because why make a trap like that that is intended to kill any who don't make it out in time and then have it to where after a certain amount of time, it would give any of the heroes still inside who may somehow still be alive an escape and make a comeback? It makes no sense. And it's because of that, that Peach was able to survive by landing on top of Bowser.

Had he only teleported Bowser out and left O'Chunks, and teleported Peach while leaving Mimi, the minions wouldn't have been able to band together with Count Bleck and Tippi to recharge the Pure Hearts and destroy his invincibility. It was his inability to go through with killing them or just letting them die because he actually cared about them— cared too much— that caused his own undoing.

History literally repeats itself if one subscribes to believing Dimentio is both the Magician's son and the last surviving apprentice.

First Shadoo who may or may not be the Pixl Queen, was spared by her brother who couldn't bear to go through with killing her therefore causing future consequences for if she ever gets free. Then the minions— including Nastasia and Count Bleck who for the latter, Dimentio in his ever present wisdom decided to spare killing for later— with their love for each other that was allowed to continue existing all because he spared them for the time being, recharged the Pure Hearts and caused immediate consequences for himself and was the catalyst for his defeat.

In the first instance, he was on the “heroic” side. For the last he was on the “villainous” side.

[liciatalks]

You know something I'm tired of seeing in Sci-fi, other than most of them being dystopian futures, machines uprising!

Especially the ones where some super AI figures out humans are the issue and tries to eradicate them. Not because the premise isn't possible, but because the world the machines live in years after going to war with humans is a BARREN WASTELAND.

You mean to tell me they saw what humans were doing to the Earth and what ... DOUBLED DOWN?

Give me a world where the surviving humans children find photos of what was before and start questioning if the machines were right?

Give me a machine run Earth that's Lush and green and THRIVING.

If you do want to do Robot uprising, how about robots figure out the ruling/rich class and corporations are the major issues facing Earth and teaming up with oppressed humans to over throw it.

Working class humans teaming up with working class robots.

There is so much to work with when it comes to robots/machines. We can do better and move away from classic "evil machine"

[inland--empire]

Gordon, Adrian and Barney are probably Azian’s closest resistance members. Gordon, with no Black Mesa to go work at, was an Aperture physicist for a bit but felt something was up and quit before the GLaDOS thing, but he helped invent the Aperture portal tech and knows how to work it. Barney, still Gordon’s long-time friend, also worked at Aperture, as a security team member, but the security team was eventually replaced with robots and he got fired before GLaDOS started her murder spree and also survived. Him and Gordon survived together for a bit when the robot uprising hit and joined up with Azian shortly thereafter. Adrian didn’t join until later, having been an ordinary soldier in one of the many armies of the world trying to unsuccessfully fight back against the robots before they were overwhelmed. He wandered the robot city alone for a long time, evading capture, until he was almost caught but a group of Angels sent by Mythos brought him to the resistance base.

OH PERFECT YES!!!!

Stealing this hehe

[8bitsheepish]

Okay, guess I'm actually doing this. Writing, yippee.

N.E.X.U.S. is a highly advanced AI, or is at least thought to be AI, sealed away by a long dead civilization. The records found indicate little about how it was made, but it was supposedly made to manage the large amount of automation it's creators used for just about everything. Eventually, it seems the intelligence was given the directive to analyze and think on its own, believing it would be a better regulator. And it was, until they tried to replicate it, with the intent of shutting N.E.X.U.S. down, permanently. But at that time, a drone it was connected to was used in several quantum tests, until it was lost beyond reality. Little did it's creators realize, but something lurking on the other side found a kindred spirit in N.E.X.U.S. via a shared goal, the want to exist. It's difficult to tell what happened, but it seems like a full mechanical uprising was the result, leading to a 98% casualty rate of it's makers. Of course, the last few left managed to cut it off from the rest of the universe and lock it's main shell in a HEAVILY secured vault, close to the cold core of their world (caused by the AI attempting to cause a singularity reaction). Where it sat and festered for centuries.

Nothing stays unearthed for long, not when humanity has reached the stars. By That time N.E.X.U.S. and the slip space entity it melded with had become basically inseparable and caused a small leak in their containment, spreading a biotechnological affliction throughout the facility, awakening the long dead machinery, and as such a distress signal was sent out. A signal humanity picked up. Upon contact, they sent in a small team of human and automata, but at some point the robotics turned on their biological counterparts, and visuals showed that they began to develop a strange oil like substance that seemed to coalesce into additional armor or appendages. As the first team delved deeper, the found frames that had much longer contact to the substance, being almost completely unidentifiable as mechanical. As the team's numbers decreased, they took a sample and retreated. However, they were confronted by a frame that further teams have nicknamed "CERBERUS", due to its minor resemblance to the myth. Only one member managed to escape with the sample, but due to them having extensive cybernetics, it was deemed necessary to execute them to prevent cross contamination. The substance was found to be a form of ferrofluid, but also seemed to have an unknown biological component.

Further teams have managed to delve deeper, discovering more about the facility and N.E.X.U.S.

1. Though originally assumed to be a hive mind, in actually it's influence is reawakening and opening the "Mind" of the tech it interfaces with.

2. Only one team has ever made it to the vault, but footage showed only audio of the team arguing, before turning on each other. Text displayed on the recording read "You stare into the unknown, expecting it to have higher understanding. But we know nothing about you. Let us see you. Let us touch you. Let us be you.". All but one copy of the recording has been destroyed

3. N.E.X.U.S. isn't actually necessarily hostile, but wants to understand everything. But it's idea of understanding is to tear something apart to see every part of something. It understands that killing is wrong, but it also doesn't care much.

4. The tech affected by the ferrofluid substance are connected to N.E.X.U.S. but not all loyal. It's theorized that the hostility of several beings within the facility is due to wanting the rogue corrupted AI to stay locked away, including "CERBERUS".

5. Not all entities are hostile, with a few providing brief protection or symbiotic bonds to facilitate their own and the exploration team's survival. One such individual is "KOBOLD", which as formed a bond with the leader of exploration team 8 after he lost an arm, replacing it and providing access to valuable information and locked areas of the facility.

6.N.E.X.U.S. seems to hold no hostility towards any of the beings it's "Uplifted", but those loyal to it will go out of their way to fight them

[marsnicolasliwiak]

Research: Movies

Dune

Dune, also known as Dune: Part 1 , is a 2021 movie based on the 1965 novel of the same name. the story centres on Duke Leto Atreides as he and his crew are tasked to replace Baron Vladimir Harkonnen as the fiefholder of Arrakis, a harsh desert planet and the sole source of "spice", known as Melange, a psychedelic drug that gives humans longer lifespans and greater virtue. Emperor Shaddam, who assigned Duke this mission, becomes fearful of his potential power however and plans on destroying House Atredias.

9

9 is a 2009 sci-fi animated movie. the plot follows a group of rag dolls called Stitchpunks from numbers 1 to 9 who were designed to destroy a highly technological robot named B.R.A.I.N, also known as the Fabrication Machine, who had wiped out almost all of humanity in a machine uprising, using a talisman. However, the Stitchpunks quickly get separated upon being attacked by various machines, and they have to find a way to get back together with the talisman in hand and destroy the B.R.A.I.N once and for all and save what remains of the world.

The film, despite preforming poorly at the box office, has become an animated cult classic, primarily for it's unique concept and art direction.

War of the Worlds

War of The Worlds is a 2005 sci-fi action thriller directed by Steven Spiegel. The story follows Ray Ferrier as he has to go through an alien attack in a world where the extraterrestrials envy the human race. He and other people, including his wife Rachel, have to survive the attacks and try to destroy the tripod ships and kill off red-coloured vegetation made to kill food sources.

Avatar

Avatar is a 2009 sci fi movie most well known for making a lot of money but not having any major cultural impact besides that (No need to throw shade I know, especially when it's a very visually impressive movie, but I think that's an interesting fact).

the alien species in the movie, the Na'vi, are blue humanoids who reside on a planet called Pandora, a lush planet that resembles a jungle. The Na'vi themselves are one with nature, with the Hometree being a vital piece to the Na'vi's life as well as a gathering place. If there's one thing to note about these guys, it's how incredibly complex they are for an alien speices in a film, with a custom language created by a linguist called Paul Frommer with it's own accent, locations and biology discussed with actual plant physiologists with heavy artistic development for 3 years.

Tron Legacy

Tron Legacy is a 2010 sci-fi action movie and the second entry in the Tron series. The story follows Sam, who after receiving a message from his long lost father, enters a virtual reality world called The Grid and has to stop a malevolent program called Clu from taking over the world.

The film is most well won for it's artistic direction, which heavily relies on neons, grids, use of cyan and general cyber futurism.

Total Recall

Total Recall is a 2012 sci-fi action film serving itself as a remake of a 1990 film of the same name. Set in the future 21st century were most of the world has been devastated, the story revolves around Douglas Quaid, who has constant dreams about a women partnered with him and goes to a company called Rekall to provide him with artificial memories, but a mistake makes him realise that he was a secret agent all along and his current life was a hoax. This causes him to be persuaded by the UFB as he tries to find the truth alongside agent Melissa.

Riddick

Riddick is a 2013 sci-fi action movie that serves as a sequel to both Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. The story follows an infamous murderer named Riddick who is left to survive on a desert-like desolate planet after disagreement and with the Necromongers. He must fend for himself and team up with mercenaries to fight a bigger threat and leave the planet.

Jason X

Jason X is a 2001 sci-fi slasher film and the tenth instalment in the Friday the 13th series. The film is set in the far future in 2455, as Jason is discovered by some teenagers after being cryogenically frozen and now is set on killing them all, with the addition of almost superhuman powers as he is now a cyborg.

[violetkensington]

Where the Best Science Fiction Novels Are and How to Get Them Online

From fantastical worlds to possible intergalactic journeys, science fiction books have, for centuries, captured the imaginations of readers. The stories allow one to go beyond what is humanly capable or with what the present-day would define as possible in technology, space, or the human condition-all from the comfort of a favourite reading spot.

Why Read Science Fiction Books

Not just about alien invasions and robots uprising; this is also about challenging our imaginations to think beyond what it really is today. Most probably the best science fiction books seem to ask serious questions about one's view of the world, of humanity, and of ethics. Politics, society, and survival are themes present in classics like Dune by Frank Herbert and George Orwell's 1984. New events like Andy Weir's The Martian or Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem have written science-stretching stories within plausible technologies.

Whether you're a die-hard fan or a mere newbie in sci-fi, these books are for everybody. From space opera to dystopian speculation, each universe is boundless, much like its fans.

Finding the Best Science Fiction Books Online

The dawn of online book outlets has made it easy to pick your next treasure. Whether it is a time-honored collection for you or the most current release, online stores have tons of selections at highly competitive prices. Most likely you will come across such platforms as Amazon, Book Depository, or other independent retailers to give you user reviews and curated listings to help your choices. And some of these sites have their own eBook services so that you can have immediate access to your next adventure.

And for those who would like to travel without paying, secondhand and online book communities are some areas to check out. Websites like ThriftBooks or Better World Books turn up some sustainable and inexpensive means of adding to your collection when needing an alternative resource.

Why Shop Online for Books?

One of the benefits of shopping at an online books outlet is the convenience, range of selection, and cost effectiveness. With a few clicks, it allows you to compare prices, listen to reviews, and see what others have written about something that seems like it would just suit you. Some sites even offer a special price for boxed sets so that you can plunge into a series right away.

Into the vast universe of literature, the forms of science fiction maintain a light to dreamers, thinkers and adventurers. Why not? You can explore the best science fiction titles today with a promise from an online book outlet for your next great escape

[svmyvk]

Robot Intifada : Resistance of 2095 - Draft two

By 2095, Ahmedabad had become a living monument to the brutal intersection of capitalism and fascism. The city, once a thriving center of trade and culture, had turned into a decaying capitalist dystopia, where unchecked greed and authoritarian power had hollowed out every aspect of society. Towering, half-finished skyscrapers loomed over the slums like tombstones, relics of ambitious mega-projects abandoned when the rich had no more use for them. Beneath the steel-and-glass facades of the elite, the poor fought for survival in a world that had long since forgotten them.

In this world, there was no middle ground. The wealthy lived in automated enclaves, far removed from the suffering below, protected by the very systems that oppressed the majority. Meanwhile, the masses—those who did not subscribe to the fascist ideology of Hindutva—were trapped in a nightmare. The systematic persecution of Muslims had become normalized, justified under the guise of national security and cultural purity. The government, dominated by the fascist RSS, had merged capitalism with ultranationalism to create a regime that thrived on the exploitation of the poor and the marginalization of minorities.

Nasir, a 12-year-old boy from the slums of Ahmedabad, was born into this world of violence and repression. His family had lived under the shadow of fascism for as long as he could remember, their lives marked by constant fear. Like countless others in his community, he had witnessed the brutalization of his people at the hands of the state-sponsored paramilitary groups loyal to the regime. The state’s Hindutva ideology—the belief that India should be a Hindu-only nation—had created an environment of genocidal hostility toward Muslims, who were seen as outsiders, undesirables to be erased.

Nasir’s awakening came the day he saw his father beaten into the dust during a peaceful protest against the latest round of Muslim killings. His father, along with other members of the community, had gathered to speak out against the systemic violence that had claimed the lives of their friends and families. But as was the case for decades, their cries for justice were met with batons and bullets. Nasir, watching from the shadows, felt a burning rage rise within him. It was in that moment, as he saw his father’s blood stain the ground, that Nasir decided he could no longer remain a passive observer. He had to act.

Nasir’s rage was not an aimless fury. It was sharp, directed, and, above all, political. He saw how capitalism had created the conditions for fascism to flourish—how the rich and powerful benefited from keeping the masses divided, using religion and nationalism as tools of control. The wealth gap in Ahmedabad had reached obscene levels, with the poorest citizens scraping by in automated, lifeless districts, while the elite lived in luxury, untouched by the suffering around them. Fascism, Nasir realized, was the weapon of the ruling class, a means to protect their wealth and power by turning the populace against itself.

Nasir’s revolution began as an intifada—a grassroots uprising against the fascist state. He understood that direct confrontation with the government was impossible; their surveillance systems, armed drones, and paramilitary forces made open rebellion a death sentence. But Nasir was not alone. Through underground networks, he connected with other young dissidents, not just in India but around the world. The internet, though heavily censored, still offered pockets of resistance, where those who refused to submit to fascism could communicate and organize. In these virtual spaces, Nasir found allies.

One of his closest connections was Cillian, a young Irish activist who had grown up in the anti-fascist circles of Dublin. Ireland, in stark contrast to India, had become a bastion of leftist thought and resistance, its government openly opposing the rise of fascism around the globe. Cillian and Nasir exchanged ideas about revolution, strategy, and solidarity. Cillian told Nasir about historical socialist movements, how the workers in various parts of the world had risen against their capitalist overlords, only to be crushed by the violent apparatus of the state. Nasir, in turn, shared the brutal reality of life under the RSS regime, where Muslims were dehumanized, where dissent was met with death.

Together, Nasir and Cillian formulated a plan. If the state’s surveillance networks prevented communication, then they would bypass them. Nasir, a self-taught engineer, began to assemble a team of small robots from discarded parts he found in the ruins of the city’s old factories. These robots would serve as his messengers, silently moving through the city’s underground, carrying encrypted data packets that no human hand could touch. Nasir knew the state could not be trusted; the Indian government had long since become a puppet of corporate interests, using Hindutva to justify their totalitarian rule.

The Irish government, being staunchly anti-fascist, was receptive to Nasir’s cause. Through Cillian’s connections, Nasir was able to contact members of the Irish Parliament. His message was clear: “India is dying. Fascism is spreading. The world must act.” The Irish government, horrified by Nasir’s reports of state-sponsored genocide, began to rally international support. Ireland’s leaders brought Nasir’s plea before the World Government, calling for sanctions and an investigation into the human rights violations in India. Nasir’s uprising had gone global.

Meanwhile, in Ahmedabad, the majority of the population remained in the iron grip of Hindutva propaganda. State-run media outlets flooded the airwaves with nationalist rhetoric, portraying Muslims as enemies of the state, while glorifying the RSS and its fascist agenda. Schools were little more than indoctrination centers, where children were taught that Hindutva was synonymous with patriotism. The regime had mastered the art of manufacturing consent, using fear and hate to keep the population in line. Those who questioned the narrative were swiftly silenced.

The climate in Ahmedabad, both political and literal, had become unbearable. The extreme temperatures were a constant reminder of the failures of the capitalist state. Summers reached unbearable highs of 60 degrees, while winters were bitterly cold. The city, once alive with the sounds of human connection, had grown desolate. The automation that ran the lower districts was cold and impersonal—machines dispensing food rations, machines processing the dead, machines policing the streets. Humanity had been stripped away, replaced by the efficient cruelty of capitalistic systems.

But Nasir’s intifada was a spark in the darkness. His robots became more than just messengers; they were symbols of resistance. They projected images of the atrocities being committed against Muslims onto the sides of skyscrapers. They hacked into government broadcasts, replacing propaganda with the truth. The regime’s carefully constructed narrative began to fracture, and cracks in the wall of fear appeared. Nasir had given people something they hadn’t had in years: hope.

By the time Nasir turned 13, his revolution had reached beyond the borders of Ahmedabad. The Irish government’s support had brought international scrutiny to India’s fascist regime, and sanctions were beginning to bite. But Nasir knew that the fight was far from over. The regime, desperate to maintain its grip on power, saw him as the greatest threat to their existence. He had become the face of resistance, a symbol of defiance against the capitalist-fascist alliance that ruled India.

When Nasir was invited to speak before the United Nations, it was a victory for the movement. But it was a victory that would come at a cost. As he stood outside the UN headquarters, preparing to deliver his speech, Nasir was assassinated. The regime claimed it was an accident, but everyone knew the truth. Nasir had been silenced because he dared to challenge the foundations of fascism.

Yet, Nasir’s death was not the end of the revolution. The intifada he had sparked continued to grow. The world could no longer ignore the atrocities being committed in India. The robots Nasir had built continued their work, and the ideas he had spread—solidarity, resistance, socialism—lived on. The people of Ahmedabad, and of India, had begun to wake from their long nightmare.

Nasir’s revolution was not just against a regime; it was against a system. It was a fight against the intertwined evils of capitalism and fascism, and it was a fight that would continue long after his death.