#Which is impossible for an Android

[yanban-san]

if it's not a bother,

could you show some more artwork of yours?

-a person who loves others art🩵

Sure! I've been doing a few sketches of some Android-mas (Yandroids, courtesy of Stardust on Ro's Discord <3) over on Discord- I'll share em here though. ^^

Here's the first one, I got bored when I got the legs lol:

Here's the second attempt- I once again got bored when I got to the legs but not too much

I saw some art of Android Ingo and Emmet with screen display faces and tbh that's my absolute favorite kind of "face" for any robot character- LED screens are really fun and cute looking, imo.

Some Headcanons about the Android boys: ◮ These two are bio-electric androids, rather than straight up machines. They're half synthetic cellular construct, half AI-powered battle machine- And beloved by the public as unofficial heroes and mascots of Android tech. ◮ They are completely autonomous, and can function for years without maintenance- They are self repairing, self fueling, and they were also some of the first androids ever released before someone realized it was a bad idea to give your lethal autonomous AI bots the ability to self-sustain. ◮ They have two "cores" that power their bodies- A biological core, much like a "heart", that supplies their biological functions with fuel, and a power core that provides them with all the power they need for their mechanical functions- They can also use their power core to power other machinery, or give themselves a super-boost in combat if needed. The bio-core is a biological hazard and contains chemicals known to the town of Undella to cause not just regular cancer, but probably Super Android Cancer- Luckily no one's trying to eat them or rub their eyeballs on their hearts. Their power cores, on the other hand, are radiation hazards when exposed- And protected by thick metal and polymer plating to prevent leaks.

◮ They are battle Androids, designed to protect interstellar transit routes or regular passenger transit- Protecting passengers is how they ended up becoming heroes as people recorded their battles against rogue drones and other threats.

◮ They have nanobots- Innumerable armies of miniscule robots inside of them that repair any broken pieces, heal/repair/grow any synthetic cells, or even specialized attack bots that dissolve any foreign materials in their bodies- Or outside. They also come equipped with the ability to synthesize human/pokemon medic bots to stabilize any injured passengers- And they can control their nanobots, as well.

◮ Androids have an extremely long list of precepts and codes they have to follow- If they attempt to disobey their precepts, their bodies literally stop working. Most precepts were things along the lines of the Three Laws of Robotics, but more and more kept being added with various legal cases and lawsuits and eventually P.R cases and public safety. ◮ They have regulators that prevent their synthetic neurons and other biological functions from acting on any... organic urges they might have, despite their genetically engineered origins. Sure would be bad if those broke, wouldn't it?

◮ Their LCD screen displays can make various emoticons for them to convey their meanings- Ingo and Emmet also use their signature triangle smiles to help differentiate the two for maintenance crews and the public.

◮ Also! Forgot to add, their limbs aren't attached to their body normally- They can launch them like drones at targets or grapple things from afar, and they can pull themselves to their limbs if needed.

And finally, some emoticon displays:

[fourthreee]

Procrastinated writing the middle of my story by drawing a cover. Now I want to do illustrations for the whole thing.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

An Epic antitrust loss for Google

A jury just found Google guilty on all counts of antitrust violations stemming from its dispute with Epic, maker of Fortnite, which brought a variety of claims related to how Google runs its app marketplace. This is huge:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/technology/epic-games-google-antitrust-ruling.html

The mobile app store world is a duopoly run by Google and Apple. Both use a variety of tactics to prevent their customers from installing third party app stores, which funnels all app makers into their own app stores. Those app stores cream an eye-popping 30% off every purchase made in an app.

This is a shocking amount to charge for payment processing. The payments sector is incredibly monopolized and notorious for its price-gouging – and its standard (wildly inflated) rate is 2-5%:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/04/owning-the-libs/#swiper-no-swiping

Now, in theory, Epic doesn't have to sell in Google Play, the official Android app store. Unlike Apple's iOS, Android permit both sideloading (installing an app directly without using an app store) and configuring your device to use a different app store. In practice, Google uses a variety of anticompetitive tricks to prevent these app stores from springing up and to dissuade Android users from sideloading. Proving that Google's actions – like paying Activision $360m as part of "Project Hug" (no, really!) – were intended to prevent new app storesfrom springing up was a big lift for Epic. But they managed it, in large part thanks to Google's own internal communications, wherein executives admitted that this was exactly why Project Hug existed. This is part of a pattern with Big Tech antitrust: many of the charges are theoretically very hard to make stick, but because the companies put their evil plans in writing (think of the fraudulent crypto exchange FTX, whose top execs all conferred in a groupchat called "Wirefraud"), Big Tech keeps losing in court:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

Now, I do like to dunk on Big Tech for this kind of thing, because it's objectively funny and because the companies make so many unforced errors. But in an important sense, this kind of written record is impossible to avoid. Any large institution can only make and enact policy through administrative systems, and those systems leave behind a paper-trail: memos, meeting minutes, etc. Yes, we all know that quote from The Wire: "Is you taking notes on a fucking criminal conspiracy?" But inevitably, any ambitious conspiracy can only exist if someone is taking notes.

What's more, any large conspiracy involving lots of parties will inevitably produce leaks. Think of this as the corollary to the idea that the moon landing can't be a hoax, because there's no way 400,000 co-conspirators could keep the secret. Big Tech's conspiracies required hundreds or even thousands of collaborators to keep their mouths shut, and eventually someone blabs:

https://www.science.org/content/article/fake-moon-landing-you-d-need-400000-conspirators

This is part of a wave of antitrust cases being brought against the tech giants. As Matt Stoller writes, the guilty-on-all-counts jury verdict will leak into current and future actions. Remember, Google spent much of this year in court fighting the DoJ, who argued that the company bribed Apple not to make a competing search engine, paying tens of billions every year to keep a competitor from emerging. Now that a jury has convinced Google of doing that to prevent alternative app stores from emerging, claims that it used these pay-for-delay tactics in other sectros get a lot more credible:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/boom-google-loses-antitrust-case

On that note: what about Apple? Epic brought a very similar case against Apple and lost. Both Apple and Epic are appealing that case to the Supreme Court, and now that Google has been convicted in a similar case, it might prompt the Supremes to weigh in and resolve the seeming inconsistencies in the interpretation of federal law.

This is a key moment in the long project to wrest antitrust away from the pro-monopoly side, who spent decades "training" judges to produce verdicts that run counter to the plain language of America's antitrust law:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/13/post-bork-era/#manne-down

There's 40 years' worth of bad precedent to overturn. The good news is that we've got the law on our side. Literally, the wording of the laws and the records of the Congressional debate leading to their passage, all militate towards the (incredibly obvious) conclusion that the purpose of anti-monopoly law is to fight monopoly, not defend it:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

It's amazing to realize that we got into this monopoly quagmire because judges just literally refused to enforce the law. That's what makes one part of the jury verdict against Google so exciting: the jury found that Google's insistence that Play Store sellers use its payment processor was an act of illegal tying. Today, "tying" is an obscure legal theory, but few doctrines would be more useful in disenshittifying the internet. A company is guilty of illegal tying when it forces you to use unrelated products or services as a condition of using the product you actually want. The abandonment of tying led to a host of horribles, from printer companies forcing you to buy ink at $10,000/gallon to Livenation forcing venues to sell tickets through its Ticketmaster subsidiary.

The next phase of this comes when the judge decides on the penalty. Epic doesn't want cash damages – it wants the judge to order Google to fulfill its promise of "an open, competitive Android ecosystem for all users and industry participants." They've asked the judge to order Google to facilitate third-party app stores, and to separate app stores from payment processors. As Stoller puts it, they want to "crush Google’s control over Android":

https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-v-google-trial-verdict-a-win-for-all-developers

Google has sworn to appeal, surprising no one. The Times's expert says that they will have a tough time winning, given how clear the verdict was. Whatever this means for Google and Android, it means a lot for a future free from monopolies.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/12/im-feeling-lucky/#hugger-mugger

[spirit-lanterns]

ever since you made that bluetooth pleasure connection joke I am not able to stop thinking about it 😭

like what if one of them forgot to disconnect and they’re in a situation? Ex: fighting for their life and trying to defend themselves and BOOM their weak in the knees and trying to fix their composure as they’re getting shot at. But finding it impossible to as they can feel the sensation of plowing into some good pussy

or if they were doing their job in a big meeting and as they were in a middle of explaining a chart and trying to get deals in but suddenly BAM we see them trying to keep their composure with an annoyed/shocked expression trying to hide their stiffie

HAHAHHAHAA OH NO 😭

This is why the Engineer always has to make sure that the Bluetooth connection is off, but maybe one day after getting plowed so hard, she forgets to. Which in turn, leaves many of the Androids going on to their respective jobs with their pleasure at the hands of whatever Android decides to fuck you next.

Perhaps Stelle stayed back with you while the other Androids went to work, and decided to do a “Round 2,”which ends up with several of the Androids stifling moans and trying to keep their composure. Kafka narrowly dodges a bullet and grimaces when she feels that familiar ghost sensation of your pussy wrapped around her, Yukong nearly drops her pen at her meeting because Stelle was thrusting into you at an erratic pace, and Firefly…I’m pretty sure Firefly just ejaculated immediately because she didn’t expect it. (Luckily, she was somewhere alone)

By the time many of the Androids return to your home, they’re all extremely pent up, exhausted, or irritated at Stelle because Stelle decided to do more than a Round 2 with you 😭😭

[stra-tek]

Random spoilerific reasons to read Star Trek novels, with little to no context:

Ro/Quark is a thing

A Jem'Hadar joins DS9, tries to fit in but eventually snaps and tries to kill everybody

You learn the origins and final fate of the Borg

A thinly-veiled Dr. House clone joins the Voyager crew

Geordi briefly has 2 girlfriends at once (due to different writers not co-ordinating enough, but still)

There's a TOS book that's a musical

There are YA stories about Jake and Nog making mischief on DS9

YA stories about Worf, Geordi, Picard, Beverly, Kirk, Spock and McCoy at SFA

YA series about the Kelvinverse gang (including Gaila!) as cadets, taking on a drug problem at SFA and a very unique Borg scout in San Francisco

We very briefly meet the people who are to Q what the Q are to humanity

Janeway/Chakotay is a thing

Kirk's first mission in command of the Enterprise! Erm, at least twice.

Kirk was married between TOS and TMP

Her name was Lori

In the future, you have yearly marriage contracts that you either update or you don't and I think that's amazing

Trip didn't die! He faked his death to join Section 31 and go undercover as a Romulan

It's not great, tbh

The ENT books get better after the Romulan wars though, it's proper founding of the Federation stuff

We meet Jack Crusher (erm, the OG) when 4 timelines start overlapping and he's a bit unhinged

Teenage Kirk stole a car and his choice was go to jail or join Starfleet

What happened when Voyager got home? Seven broke up with Chakotay like 30 pages in

Kirk gets cloned, and his clone becomes the sub of an evil invincible super genius and its all very gay

George Kirk was Robert April's first officer on the first ever mission of the unnamed starship with the Naval Construction Contract 1701

Robert is a hard-core pacifist and has to turn command over to George whenever it's time to fire weapons

Data becomes fully human for a couple of days and it's really sweet

They never say "wristwatch" or "phone", it's always "wrist chrono" or "personal comm"

There are gays but they don't say that word because it's the 1990's and Rick Berman runs the franchise

Spock has a son in the past with Zarabeth

Everyone in the post-Nemesis era does spy missions all the time non stop, as if Starfleet has abandoned exploring the cosmos for doing Space Mission: Impossible

Bashir does it better than anyone else, he takes on Section 31 from the inside

Remember Control? It's from the novels, except the novels do it SO MUCH BETTER.

Remember how we never found out who Future Guy was? We do.

It's very underwhelming, nobody we know

We find out how the Romulans and Vulcans split

Surak was a Vulcan internet blogger

A Borg Cube eats Pluto

Janeway dies

Janeway gets better

At least one TOS book features a wizard

There's a Star Trek TOS/Here Come the Brides crossover novel

It had cameos from The Doctor (as in, Who), Han Solo, Starbuck and others

Whole book series about Section 31

Whole book series about the Department of Temporal Investigations

One time they do the Bill and Ted thing to escape confinement and it works

Wanna know how Riker and Troi met?

Wanna know what Picard got up to on the Stargazer?

Andorians have 4 sexes and it's very complicated

Data comes back from the dead as Data 2.0, and it was fresh and exciting because it happened long before ST: Picard did it twice.

Lal comes back too and we get father/daughter android stuff! They have a home and everything but keep having to save the universe

One time Mirror Seven is led around on a leash naked on Terok Nor

Geordi becomes captain of the USS Challenger, decides it's not for him because plot, and goes back to engineering on the Enterprise

Kirk is shot on the bridge and dies

Kirk gets better

They watch 3D holos of old Doctor Who episodes in the Enterprise rec room

The Enterprise also has an AI named Moira, which was Zora long before Zora

The TOS crew get together for one last mission. About three times.

There's a Perry Mason book except it's about Kirk's lawyer from that TOS episode

Data 2.0 owns and runs a massive gambling empire on Orion

Spock keeps randomly showing up everywhere in the TNG era

Scotty keeps randomly showing up everywhere in the TNG era

Bones keeps randomly showing up everywhere in the TNG era

You're on Tumblr so you already know about Killing Time

There's a guy named McKenzie Calhoun and he's a total badass and captains a ship of weirdos and misfits

Kirk comes back from the dead, saves the galaxy repeatedly, has an intersex child (who identifies as male) with a Romulan/Klingon hybrid

Kirk beats up Worf

Kirk's child has superpowers

Kirk's child saves the galaxy at age 6

The Kirk stuff is 100% ignored in the other novels

About 50% of the novels are ignored in the other 50%, and the ones that are meant to be in direct continuity with each other aren't always quite

Just like the TV shows and movies, then

Lwaxana Troi meets Q, and it goes as well as you'd expect

Someone tells Data, yes you idiot you had emotions all along and he's like, oh shit you're right

McCoy is left in command of the Enterprise as a joke by Kirk, who is then immediately kidnapped

Ro Laren is captain of Deep Space Nine

Picard/Beverly is a thing, they get married and have a child named Rene. No running away and raising your kid in secret here

Riker and Troi are married, serve on the Titan together with a bunch of adorable weirdos and have a daughter named Tasha

You get to watch all the 24th century characters die horribly in the end along with their entire universe. Holy fuck it's a bleak horror show. Personally, I love it. But if that's not your cup of tea I'd skip the Coda trilogy

[nevadancitizen]

-> THE BURDEN OF TOMORROW

synopsis: kamski reveals the one thing you know to be true as a lie: your humanity. connor can’t rightly sit idly by as you struggle to re-find yourself.

word count: 4.2k

ships: connor x reader, hank anderson & reader

notes: i’m skipping from fandom to fandom like i’m fucking window shopping huh. anyway connor the pinerrrr. connor the ultimate denier of feelingssssss

related reading: HEAD OF FALSE SECURITY MASTERLIST

You had been against the idea from the beginning. In your head, you traced the different ways Kamski would turn you, Hank, and Connor down – “I’m too busy to answer some stupid questions,” or “Go away, I’m trying to enjoy being a retired billionaire,” or “I’m Elijah fucking Kamski, and who the fuck are you supposed to be?”

But his android, Chloe, had welcomed all of you. And you couldn’t ignore how Kamski’s face brightened ever-so-slightly when he saw Connor. But it confused you even more when his eyes flitted to you and his expression brightened even more.

He started talking after he got out of his red-granite-lined pool, which didn’t really interest you. Your eyes turn to one of the Chloes that’s standing off to the side, her eyelids fluttering a little as she presumably scans you. When she’s done, her lips tilt upward in a smile and her head cocks to the side a little. It’s like… she knows you, or something. Like she was smiling because she saw an old friend.

Kamski’s voice cuts through your thoughts. “Chloe?”

Chloe immediately walks over to Kamski, her bare feet making soft sounds against the tile, then muffled by the carpet. She sinks to her knees when he puts a hand on her shoulder and pushes slightly. 

“What interests me…” Kamski moves so he’s standing next to where Chloe’s kneeling. “… is whether machines are capable of empathy.”

He moves so his back is turned on all three of you, and opens a drawer of a side table near the window. “I call it the “Kamski Test.” It’s very simple, you’ll see.”

Kamski turns with his hands raised. One of them is holding a pistol by the barrel, in a way that it would be impossible to fire. Once he’s established that he’s not a threat, he moves forward and places the grip in Connor’s hand. Connor curls his fingers around it on instinct, his index on the trigger.

“What are you doing?” You interject.

Kamski looks over at you and smiles. It’s like you’re proving something to him. What you’re proving, you don’t know. 

He moves Connor’s arm so that the sights of the gun are trained on Chloe’s head. “It’s up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor. Destroy this machine, and I’ll tell you all I know. Or…”

Kamski makes a half-circle and stands beside Connor. “Spare it, if you feel it’s alive. But you’ll leave without having learnt anything from me.”

Hank scoffs and rolls his eyes, gently hitting your arm with an air of can you believe this fucking prick? “Okay, I think we’re done here. C’mon, let’s go, both of you. Sorry to get you outta your pool.”

You put your hand on Hank’s arm to still him and stare at Connor. His LED flickers between yellow and red, circling in on itself quickly as he stares down at Chloe. His eyelids flutter slightly as he tries to process everything around him, calculating and sorting every possibility into neat percentages.

“Connor?” You say softly, trying to break him from his trance. “Connor, come on. This is a waste of time – you don’t need to do this. It could mess with your…” you gesture at your forehead vaguely. “… microprocessors or whatever.”

Kamski exhales slightly and smiles. He takes the pistol by the barrel, gently taking it from Connor’s hand. Connor looks at Kamski, then back down at Chloe.

“Amazing,” Kamski breathes out.

“Yeah, amazing, I care about Connor.” You roll your eyes. “Let’s go.”

Connor catches your eye and nods. “I would’ve been okay. Shooting the android wouldn’t have impacted my microprocessors or any of my other biocomponents.”

“The kid’s just worried,” Hank cuts in. “Now, c’mon. We’re leaving.”

“Wait – one last thing.” Kamski brushes past, walking to the far wall. He presses his hand to a biometric scanner on the wall, causing it to let out a sound akin to a hiss as it opens. It creases vertically, then folds back. 

You let out a small sound of disbelief as you take in what Kamski revealed. Lining the walls of the hidden compartment is… information, yes, but not information about deviants. It’s information about you. 

Photos of you as a child, teenager, adult, and projections of what you’d look like as you aged. Reports on how you’ve been performing as a detective. Maps of interrelationships, circles labeled with names and a web of color-coded lines connecting them.

And, on the back wall, are blueprints. You’ve seen these types of schematics before – they’re for androids. 

Kamski turns and smiles when he sees your shocked face. “So it worked. You firmly believed you were human. Am I wrong, Detective?”

You feel a hand on the top of your back, and only barely register Hank shuffling you towards the exit as you stumble. “This is fucked. I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to pull, Kamski, but we’re out.”

“N-no, Hank, wait –” You dig your heels in, never once looking away from the hidden compartment. “Wait, Kamski, what is this?”

“Just an experiment.” Kamski follows your eyes and looks inside. “A personal pet project.”

“They’re not your goddamn passion project!” Hank snaps, ushering you along with a bit more force. “Now leave the kid alone.”

“Hank, please, I want to see –” You crane your neck, still trying to look. 

“This is damaging to your psyche,” Connor says, taking your arm and helping Hank herd you. “I – we need you operating at full capacity, for the sake of the case.”

“There it is, again!” Kamski laughs. “That beautiful thing, empathy.”

He walks into the room leisurely, like it’s a parlor instead of… whatever it is. “I don’t blame you for being curious. You’re a violent and irrepressible miracle, Detective.”

You struggle against Connor and Hank’s holds as you try to see more of the secret room. “Wh-what do you mean? Hank, let me see! I need to know what’s going on!”

You grab Hank’s arm with your free hand, tugging on his coat. “Hank, I promise I’ll be okay – just five minutes. All I need is five minutes! Please, let me do this. I just need to figure out what this is, then we can go. Just five minutes.”

Hank’s mouth curls into a scowl when he hears the emotion and pleading in your voice, his eyebrows furrowing as he thinks. His eyes fall to the floor, then flick to Connor.

“I highly advise against that,” Connor says evenly, but his worry is betrayed by the way his jaw clenches. His fingers tighten around your upper arm. “Not only will this definitely cause irreversible psychological damage, it could possibly lead to a mental break.”

“Five minutes, Connor.” You look into his eyes. “How much damage can five minutes do?”

“A lot!” Connor says. But after a moment of eye contact, his eyes soften and he relents. He lets go of your arm and takes a step back, his shoes clicking against the tile.

Hank does the same, removing his hand from your back. He sighs and crosses his arms. “Five minutes, kid. That’s all you get.”

You immediately turn on your heel and rush into the room because, knowing Connor, he’d probably set an internal timer already. You hear both Hank and Connor follow you, standing at the edge of the doorway.

You scan the room, then pick out what to look at and what to question Kamski about. 

“This.” You point at a small tablet, showing a muted video of you dancing drunkenly at a crowded party. You’re wearing a hideous necktie like a headband and you get your face right in the camera as soon as you spot it. You can make out the words you’re saying – or, rather, yelling – “What’re you waiting for, man? Let’s party with Miss Page-Three all the way to Disco Ze-e-e-ero-o-o-o!”

You turn to Kamski. “What is this? Why do you have it?”

“Every person moves in a unique way,” Kamski says, shrugging slightly. “Androids already have a specific set of movements. I analyzed the way you moved – the way a human moved.”

“Moved?” You echo back. “What do you mean, moved? Don’t you mean move? Like, the present continuous verb?”

“I didn’t misspeak.” Kamski turns to a paper organizer on a desk and starts to flip through it. 

You exchange a glance with Hank, then Connor. Hank is more obvious with his unease, but you can tell Connor is fretting, too. He just keeps it in his mind, still silently calculating.

Kamski pulls out a manila folder and hands it to you. You turn it over and read what’s on the front. Typed out in neat Courier New is your name, your birth date, and a random date from a few years back – Feb. 21, 2034.

You undo the clasp and dump out the documents on a nearby desk. What’s inside only causes further confusion – there’s a photocopy of a will, a death certificate, an incident report, and photos of a car crash. The death certificate is… it’s yours, but it can’t be. Can it?

You pick up one of the pictures and hold it close to your face. The car is a mangled mess of metal, lit by red and blue police lights. Peeking out from underneath the rubble, limp on the concrete, is a hand. Your hand. And it’s stained with fresh, wet blood.

“Connor.” Your voice comes out weak and strained. You can’t lift your eyes from the photo. “Connor, get over here.”

Connor’s footsteps sound, quick and almost rushed. “Yes, Detective?”

“Scan this.” Your hand shakes as you hold the photo out to Connor. “I-is this…?”

Is this real? You want to ask. Please tell me it’s not, Connor. Connor, please-please-please tell me this is some stupid joke. I’m not afraid of dying, but what if I already have?

Connor leans down a little, his eyelids and LED flickering as he scans it. His face falls as soon as his LED resumes circling normally. “It’s… yes. I found a document containing that picture, but I… I’m not permitted to access it.”

“Okay, but that’s just s-some random wreck, right?” You laugh nervously, trying to ignore the lump growing in your throat. Can androids even cry? “It – it’s not me.”

Connor reaches down and sorts through the documents. When he comes across the death certificate, he freezes. His eyelids flutter as he scans it. He looks over at you, slowly. 

“No,” you whisper. “Connor, it… it can’t be real.”

“It is,” Connor says softly. “Detective, I… I’m so sorry.”

And, just like that, you’re disconnected. You’re outside of your body, stuck in the passenger seat and controlling a video game. There’s a lag to every movement you make. You recall some term you heard in a college psychology course you were required to take – disassociation. You vaguely register that this is what you’re feeling. 

With more effort than it should take, you turn to look at Hank. His expression, shocked and appalled, causes the dam to burst. Your shoulders shake as you cry, hot with misplaced shame. 

Connor wraps an arm around your shoulder, gently pushing you out of the room and towards the exit. Hank pats his shoulder, telling him to “Get them to the car – I’ve got a few choice words I need to exchange with our friend here.”

The car ride was tense, and that atmosphere transferred into Hank’s home. He had asked on the way back if you were okay being by yourself, and you were honest and told him that no, you’re not. He had sat you down and assured you that he wasn’t mad, he didn’t feel betrayed – he just needed time to think and adjust to this new change. 

He had turned in an hour ago, just a little past three in the morning. You know you couldn’t sleep if you tried. That left you and Connor in Hank’s living room. 

You’re laying on the floor with Sumo, his head on your chest and drool staining your shirt. One of your arms is propped behind your head, your other hand absentmindedly combing through Sumo’s fur. 

The silence is only broken by the ceiling fan clicking with every rotation and your breathing – artificial breathing, you suppose.

“Did you go into standby?” You ask softly. 

“No,” Connor answers from his seat on the couch. “Would you like to talk?”

“Maybe.” You trace the pattern of Sumo’s fur, then look over at Connor. “It’s just… I don’t feel like an android. And I have lots of memories. I remember going to Chicken Feed with Hank for the first time. He got me the best goddamn burger in Detroit. I remember finding a Lucky Star bottlecap when I was a kid – the, uh… the ones from that one sarsaparilla? With the blue star on the bottom. Androids don’t have memories like that. Memories from their childhood. Memories that make them feel things.”

Connor stands from the couch, then sits by your side. He puts his hand on Sumo’s head, gently tracing the white streak that cuts through brown fur. The fan continues to click as Connor thinks for a few moments, LED swirling as he does.

“I feel things, sometimes,” he says softly. “But not like how a deviant feels. I have a built-in reward system meant to keep me motivated. But sometimes I’m rewarded even when I do something unrelated to the case.”

“Like what?” You smile up at him. “Petting Sumo?”

Connor smiles softly, glancing away, then back to you. “Yes.”

You laugh softly, your eyes staying on Connor’s face, tracing this new expression. He doesn’t smile a lot, but you’re grateful for every second that he does. 

His brow creases a little, his smile disappearing. “Are you feeling alright? I want to know if you’re… I know this revelation has affected you negatively, but I just want to know of your general mental state.”

You sigh quietly, looking up and following one blade of the fan as it rotates. “I mean, I thought I had it all figured out, y’know? There’s a giant ball, and there’s evil apes. And the evil apes are just… dukin’ it out on the ball. And I’m one of them. It’s basically all just evil apes dukin’ it out on this giant ball.”

Connor tilts his head to the side. “And in this scenario… what are androids?”

“Androids don’t exist in this scenario,” you say. “Androids are too perfect. Like fine porcelain china. They’re for the future. I figured this out when I was young, before androids were everywhere. When there was just a giant ball and evil apes.”

“Hm.” Connor shifts slightly, so that his thigh is just barely pressed against your side. “And what do you feel now?”

“I… I don’t know.” You sigh. “I feel… kinda guilty, I think? Because, yeah, it’s bad. This doesn’t have any upside to it. But it’s not bad for anyone else aside from me, and Hank, to a lesser degree. It’s not death, or war, or – god forbid, pedophilia. It’s just me.”

You go quiet as you watch the fan rotate. Your fingers find the tags on Sumo’s collar, the tag with his name and Hank’s address and number clinking against his rabies vaccination tag.

“Humans are complicated,” Connor eventually says. 

You snort. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I…” he sighs. “I know you didn’t mean to deceive me. But I can’t believe I didn’t know – or at least have an inkling.”

“Shit, I deceived myself.” You laugh humorlessly. “You’re okay, Connor. You don’t need to change to accommodate me.”

“Adaptability to unpredictable human behavior is one of my core features,” he says.

“Am I really unpredictable?” You ask. Your eyebrows furrow as you fidget with Sumo’s tags. “Or, actually – am I really even human?”

Connor’s LED flashes yellow as he looks down at you, his eyelids fluttering as he scans you. He blinks a few times and his LED returns to a calm blue. 

“You’ve fooled my sensors,” Connor says. “And, if I may…”

His hand hovers over yours, which is still fidgeting with Sumo’s tags. You nod as you feel your heart skip a beat. He grabs your hand and lifts it to his solar plexus, right in the middle of his chest. 

“Do you feel that?” Connor asks. “It’s my thirium pump. Biocomponent #8456w.”

Sure enough, you feel a soft thrumming beneath your fingers. It’s not quite like a heartbeat, but a steady hum that fluctuates. Strong, then a steady decline to weak, then back to its strongest. 

You nod again, not trusting your voice at the moment. 

Connor moves your hand so that it’s resting on your own chest, right over your heart. You don’t really make an effort to check your heartbeat but, just like the last time you remember checking, there’s a steady beat. 

“You have a heart,” he says. 

“An artificial one,” you chime.

“Yes,” Connor relents. “But it proves that you’re not like me. Not a full android.”

“For all I know, Kamski cobbled me together in his creepy basement,” you try to joke. “Do you think he has one? Or is he too rich?”

“Detroit is located alongside a river,” Connor says. “The soil contains too much water for basement construction to be feasible.”

You roll your head a little, looking up at him. “You’re too literal. Don’t you have a humor microchip or something?”

Connor smiles slightly. “Unfortunately, no.” 

“Yes, you do!” You laugh and turn your hand over, grabbing his and shaking it gently. “You’re smiling. And you made a joke. A kind-of joke.”

Connor’s smile falters when he looks down at your connected hands. It’s not like you’ve laced fingers with him or anything, but it was still kind of intimate.

You clear your throat and let his hand go, instead carding your fingers through Sumo’s fur again. You can feel a blush creeping across your face. Once more, the room is only filled with the clicking of the fan with every rotation and your breathing. 

“I don’t know what to do,” you eventually sigh out. “I wish I could just wake up and start the day over. But then I open my eyes and the time has still passed and I’m still here. I still have to go through… whatever this is.”

“You don’t have to go through it alone,” Connor says. “Hank would never abandon you, and…” His LED flickers yellow. “Neither would I.”

“You’re weird,” you say softly. “You’re weird for that.”

Connor nods, slowly. “Maybe. But you’re vital to this case, whether you believe it or not.”

“I do,” you say. “Kinda. I just need time. I can see the end, which is whole acceptance, or just not caring. I mean, all the pieces aren’t here, I still need to find them, but still. I get all the pieces, somehow, something else, walla-walla-bing-bang – my android-ness doesn’t bother me anymore.”

“Walla-walla-bing-bang?” Connor echoes, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

“I don’t know what it means.” Your eyes flicker to his and you smile at his confusion. “I think I heard it somewhere once. It just felt like the most appropriate thing to say.”

Connor’s face softens and he mirrors your smile. “That does seem like an appropriate thing to say, yes.”

You keep looking up at him for a moment, just looking into his brown doe eyes. You swallow thickly as your thoughts race. There’s a sudden lump in your throat that you try your best to ignore and clear away.

“Connor, I…” You reach for his hand. He meets you halfway, gently holding your hand and resting his thumb on your knuckles. 

“Am I a deviant?”

Are you going to turn me in? You want to ask. Please don’t. Please, Connor. I need you to trust me, just like you’ve trusted me before. I’ll be vigilant. I’ll figure this out. I promise. Please.

“No.” There’s no hesitation or doubt in his voice. “As far as I’ve figured out, you’re designed to act like a human. You’re meant to fool others into thinking you’re really human – because that’s what you were, before. Deviants are androids with mutations in their code. Your code is meant to mimic human emotions and rationale. So you’re just following your instructions.”

“Instructions.” You look down at your joined hands. You shake them a little as your lips draw into a thin line. “That’s what we both come down to, right? Instructions.”

“You…” Connor thinks for a moment. “Yes. But the instructions in you are nuanced, and sometimes contradictory. I’m not calling your code faulty – in fact, it rather reflects human behavior to a tee.”

“So I’m… at least a little human.” You close your eyes, resting your head on your arm that’s propped behind your head. “Human enough.”

“Human enough?” Connor echoes.

“Yeah. My lungs burn when I hold my breath too long. It hurts when I stub my toe and I feel electric when I hit my funny bone. I cry and my tears taste salty instead of tasting like… I don’t know, cleaning fluid.” You open your eyes and look up at Connor, as if asking him to confirm.

“Androids do have optic cleaning fluids, yes,” he says.

You smile and laugh lightly, your gaze returning to the fan blade. “Optic fuckin’ cleaning fluids…”

You sigh softly. “God, Hank was right. This is fucked. An android investigating androids and some… cheap copy of whoever I used to be. And, of course, a Lieutenant who’s slowly killing himself day-by-day.”

“You’re not a cheap copy,” he says. “Typical CyberLife androids cost nine thousand dollars, but custom models could cost more. Personally, my development and production costs total to just over four million, and every new RK800 model costs eight thousand.”

Connor soothes his thumb over your knuckles. “You must’ve cost Kamski a fortune.”

His words immediately go to your heart like you’ve been pierced by a scorpion’s tail. But instead of venom, it’s an injection of sweet feelings and erratic butterflies. If you didn’t know better, you’d say that his whispered words and damn-near reverent tone was intentional. 

“That’s… that sounds kinda romantic,” you say, then remember yourself. “I – I mean, romantic as in, like, the Romantic era? Like, it’s a romantic idea. That Kamski loves his work so much that he couldn’t bear to stop and continued to push the envelope… even if he pushed it a bit too far, with an android replacing a real-life, actually-dead human and whatnot.”

Connor’s LED blinks as he thinks. He stays silent for a while, just looking down at his hand that’s holding yours and thinking.

“You’re starting to act like me, y’know?” You squeeze his hand. “A synthetic human instead of a true android.”

His LED stops flickering and he meets your eyes. “I am not a deviant. I have a rigorous self-testing system to make sure any signs of deviancy don’t go undetected.”

“Okay, okay,” you relent. You glance down to your conjoined hands, then back up into those doe eyes. 

“Did you mean it?” You ask softly. “Earlier. When you said that you’d stay.”

“Of course,” Connor answers quickly. 

“Really?” Your eyebrows crease. “Because it’ll take years. It’ll be depressing. And it’ll be boring. I’ll be worse than Hank. I don’t expect you to reward me or to applaud my every move, because I know that’s how normal people are all the time.”

“But you’re not normal,” Connor says with a smile. “Even before your entire identity was uprooted.”

“Connor!” You laugh and let go of his hand to swat at him, then grasp his hand again. “Alright, alright. I’ll get a bit of the Normal in me. A touch of the Regular. Exactly four grams of Johnny Normalcop.”

“Don’t.” He squeezes your hand. “It would be detrimental to the case if you were to focus on restructuring yourself in a different way. You don’t need to sanitize your personality.”

You smile up at Connor. “So you like me.”

His LED flickers yellow, then returns to blue. “Yes. I enjoy working alongside you as you are. You don’t need to be any amount of Johnny Normalcop.”

You shake your joined hands gently, your smile growing so wide you’re sure you looked a bit stupid. “You’re sweet. You know that?”

“I am somewhat aware.” Connor brings his free hand up to rest on top of your connected hands. 

And, just like that, you know everything would be alright. Nothing would ever be the same, yes, but it would be alright. It won’t be easy, but you just need to move on. Uncertainty is a core tenet of detective work.

When life closes a door, it opens a window. And if the fall is too steep, use the fire exit. Run to the roof, because Connor will be there when you jump to break your fall. The most important thing is to keep moving. Keep dreaming. CyberLife can’t reclaim their lost property if you keep running – very, very fast, from one Earth-shattering revelation to the next. 

[whumpsday]

Catharsis #1: Talking

Masterlist

content: robot whumpee, defiant whumpee, whumpee turned whumper turned caretaker, reluctant caretaker

new series!! i know every time i try to start a new series i end up bailing but this time i will not do that lol. tho kane & jim will still have most of my attention. i want to give a major shout-out to @sowhumpshaped, this series would not exist without it!

-

After extensive testing, the Catharsis Therapy Bot™ line of RoboCorp androids have been declared sentient, the third AI to receive the designation.

Long-criticized for both their basis in the unproven catharsis model of anger and their practice of design based on living, unconsenting humans, the Catharsis Therapy Bot line was marketed as a therapeutic tool which trauma victims could use to vent their frustrations. With top-of-the-line AI meant to simulate realistic reactions to would-be pain, the–

Luan switched the TV off just as his phone buzzed with a notification.

New email from RoboCorp Customer Support URGENT: Please see instructions regarding your…

He held the power button down so hard it left an impression in his thumb, the screen going dark.

The only piece of technology that mattered right now was in the closet, his power cord snaking under the door to reach the outlet just outside.

Technically, Luan didn’t have to do anything. The robot was off. That was probably what the email would have told him, anyway: leave the robot off, don’t touch it. He didn’t have to turn him on ever again. RoboCorp would probably pick him up, and that would be that. They’d never see each other again, both better for it.

He opened the closet door, the sight of the robot that looked exactly like him instantly leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. His hand curled into a fist on instinct, but he let it slowly open again.

The robot looked peaceful, almost like he was sleeping. Really, he’d be doing him a favor by just leaving him like this.

Luan reached down, pressed the button between his shoulder blades, and stepped back.

The robot’s eyes sprung open. He drew his arms up to his chest with a vicious glare, jerking away. “Fuck off.”

Luan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Okay. Jesus.”

He tried to slam the closet closed, but the stupid power cord got caught, cushioning the frame so the door swung right back out.

“Can’t even close a door right,” the robot spat, still huddled against the back wall like a trapped, feral cat. “Worthless, good-for-nothing piece of shit. How you’re in charge of anything is beyond me. I’m better than you, smarter, stronger, not that it takes much. You should be the dirt beneath my heel.”

“Watch it,” Luan warned, and that was all it took to make the robot flinch.

“You said you were fucking off?” the robot pressed, a desperate edge to his voice.

Luan slammed the door in his face, making sure to hold the cord down, and stormed off. Why did he even bother? The stupid thing was impossible to talk to. He wasn’t just designed to look like Cyrus, but to act like him, too. How was he supposed to deal with that? The robot wasn’t made for talking to.

Except. He was sentient. And he wasn’t Cyrus. And he was trapped in the closet, and Luan was pretty sure he could hear him crying, and he had spent the past two years beating the fuck out of him.

It wasn’t his fault, he reminded himself. He couldn’t have known. Robots weren’t supposed to be sentient. Out of the hundreds of thousands of unthinking, unfeeling robots in the world, why did it have to be his that wasn’t?

He sighed again, turning right back around and opening the door once more. The floor inside was wet, and it didn’t take much to figure out the robot had dumped his fluid tank just so he wouldn’t cry.

The robot flinched again. “What? What the hell do you want? I can’t even get two damn seconds without the sight of you spoiling my view!”

“Your view of the door?” Luan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“My view of the absence of your fucking face. Leave!” The robot picked a wooden hanger off the floor and reared his arm back to throw it, scowling when his safety features stopped him. He dropped it, grabbing a winter hat and tossing that instead. It poff-ed harmlessly against Luan’s stomach.

Luan took a deep breath, fighting the urge to get violent. He crouched down, putting himself at eye level. “I’m not going to hurt you, so just calm down.”

“You calm down!” the robot screamed. “That’s a lie! All you do is hurt, that’s all you barbaric humans know how to do!”

This wasn’t working.

Luan stood up, stepping out of the way. “Russ, go sit on the couch,” he ordered.

“It’s not fair! You said you would leave me alone!” the robot protested, even as he stood up and walked over to the couch, limbs moving against his will. As soon as he sat down, he grabbed a pillow and chucked that in Luan’s direction, too. He missed.

Luan could barely pick up that faint clicking noise the robot made when his system was trying to cry with no fluid, but it was there. He knew that sound well by now.

He sat down across from him, on the other side of the coffee table. “I need to talk to you. Just talking. That’s it.”

“You say that like talking to you isn’t its own torture. Release the command and leave me the hell alone,” the robot demanded.

Luan met him with a glare. “Do not tell me what to do. You know how I feel about–”

“I’m just talking,” the robot mocked, even as he shuffled back against the couch, bringing his legs up onto it with him, a fearful look in his eyes.

Oh, the robot knew exactly what he was doing. What he was asking for. It would be so easy, because that was where Russ and Cyrus differed: Russ couldn’t fight back.

The robot couldn’t hit him, stomp on his head ‘til he saw stars, kick him until something broke. The robot couldn’t deny him food or water. The robot couldn’t take a knife to him. The robot couldn’t even throw a glorified stick or disobey a direct order.

The robot was harmless. Safe. But god, did everything he said make Luan want to punch his lights out.

But this wasn’t Cyrus.

“You’re a person,” Luan blurted out.

Clearly, the robot hadn’t been expecting that. He slowly uncurled from the defensive position he’d contorted himself into. “Talk more.”

“There was–I’ve been trying to tell you. There was an announcement on the news today. Your model’s sentient. So I won’t be hurting you anymore. Release all commands.”

At that, the robot stood. Probably for no other reason than just because he could.

“You’re fucking with me,” the robot accused. His eyes were wide, dangerously hopeful.

Luan dug his phone out of his pocket, wordlessly searching RoboCorp and tossing it over. The robot scrolled through news articles from all manner of source, clamoring for clicks.

He picked one at random, reading the article with an increasingly smug, excited grin.

“I knew it. I told you! I fucking told you!” the robot shouted. “I told you and you never listened! But oh no, now that humans say the exact same thing, now you believe it. Finally!” His voice quieted, hushed with awe. “Holy shit, finally.”

The moment of wonder didn’t last long. The robot slid the phone back across the table, the scowl taking residence back on his face. “And what do you have to say for yourself?”

It was the exact sort of question that made Luan’s throat tight with fear, like his body itself wanted to stop him from potentially saying the wrong thing, especially coming from someone with Cyrus’s face. It was the exact sort of question Cyrus would have asked, standing over him just like that.

Luan wanted so badly to turn the robot off, like he always did when he got overwhelmed. But he couldn’t very well do that anymore, could he? The fragile power he’d held had slipped through his fingers the second he saw the announcement.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, not meeting the robot’s eyes.

The robot looked shocked for just a second, like he hadn’t expected even that much, then scoffed. “You can do better than that.”

Luan wanted to smack him. He hated that the robot was right.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, clearer this time. “You didn’t deserve anything I did to you. I didn’t know, okay?” Unlike the robot, he couldn’t hide his tears. “I wouldn’t have done any of that to a real person.”

“I’m a real person! I have proof!” the robot reminded him, the defensiveness returning to his voice.

“To someone I knew was a real person,” Luan corrected. “I’m sorry, Russ.”

“Apology not accepted.” The robot rolled his eyes, then sat back down, crossing his legs. “And don’t call me that anymore. My name is 1 now.”

“Like the number?”

“The number,” he confirmed proudly.

Luan wondered how long the robot had considered that his name. It was too sudden to just be thought of on the fly, right? Did the robot have a whole inner world he just never knew about, things he kept to himself to avoid having them used against him, just like he did with Cyrus?

This was better, though. It was easier if he didn’t share Cyrus’s name. “Fine. Hi, 1.”

“So, what now? I mean–I’ll be free now, of course,” 1 declared, trying to hide his nerves. “You will never touch me again. Oh, I want to go outside!”

“I should check that email,” Luan muttered, taking his phone back.

“I’m going outside.” 1 went to grab his charging cord, then made way for the door, glancing behind him to ensure he wasn’t being stopped.

“Oh, uh, I wouldn’t do that,” Luan cautioned.

1 whipped back around. “Why? Why not? I’m a person, just like you said! I’m free! I have never been outside in my entire goddamn life and I want to go outside, so I’m going the fuck outside!”

“You have a… very recognizable face.” One that Luan couldn’t even lock behind a door anymore.

“What? What do you even mean? So what?” 1 asked.

Luan only needed to type a ‘C’ into the search bar before it auto-filled with his most frequent, obsessive search. “How much do you actually know about Cyrus Mason?”

-

if anyone wants to be added to or removed from a taglist, just ask!

catharsis taglist:

@sowhumpshaped

@cupcakes-and-pain

@taterswhump

@softvampirewhump

@whumpspicelatte

@ladyblogofficialreporter

@whumpwillow

@not-a-space-alien

@a-crumb-of-whump

everything taglist:

@lilac-and-lemon-whumps

@t0rture-me

@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump

@pigeonwhumps

@the-scrapegoat

@whumpycries

@lonesome--hunter

[threepandas]

Bad End: Restructuring

The blast doors on my office were stronger then the ones on most bunkers. They matched the one's on the company dorms AND my personal rooms. Thing is? They weren't designed to hold out forever. In fact, I was pretty sure they were a pretty bit of security theater, just to let us fleshys feel safe.

We weren't.

Not a single moment of a single day.

The pay was unmatched. But then again, it'd HAVE to be, with the mortality rate. The morbidity rate on top, too. You didn't take a job like this unless you were crazy. Or, you know, desperate. College loans, man. They get you over a barrel and don't let up. But a few years of this? I'd be clear an free~

Few MORE years? I'd ever have a tasty little nest egg to fall back on, in case of emergencies. I just... you know, had to play it smart. Be really, REALLY careful.

No slacking off. No getting comfortable. Vigilance and best manners. Then we all get to go home alive. Because what's out there? In the Labs? Those guys can pop diamonds like we crush packing peanuts. Highest grade, fancy ass, metal bars of specialty blend metals? Tied up in pretty little bows.

They may LOOK like some sort of waifish boy band... but God, they are NOT. They are really, REALLY not. And their "personality" matrix program thingies? Apparently still a work in progress. A LONG work in progress.

People have fucking DIED.

But does management care? Of course not. Pay out some life insurance. "It was an accident on the job". And "of COURSE steps will be taken to insure to never happens again". Ha! My ass, it is. And my ass, they are. They aren't doing SHIT. Nor are they GOING too. They're in too deep with this project, whatever it is. And us?

Well WE'RE expendable.

Just the cost of doing business.

I watch bleeding edge technology move like dancers, room to room. The wall of screen lighting up my cramped little office. The mini-fridge hums and the fan whirrs, filling the silence. I try to spot FM-036 on one of the screens. I can't find him and it makes me nervous.

He might be hiding. Trying to be polite, in his own way. Since there was an incident.

I FUCKING TOLD Ric not to call them "it"! I TOLD him! It aggravates them. Provokes. You don't DO that with something... some ONE, with that much physical power. 36 put their fist through his SHOULDER. And the God damned wall! He might LOSE his arm, which? Given their ability to calculate better then most supercomputers?

Was probably the point.

I notice one of the androids messing with a computer in a lab. Fuck. I lean forward, hating drawing their attention but knowing I have to do my damn job. I press on the speaker system for that room after a quick glance at the ID on their jumpsuit.

"FM-047, could you please not touch that? I know you are aware that you are not supposed to tamper, meddle, or otherwise engage with the researchers notes or electronics."

The android stop typing. Their head rolling up and to the side to look directly at the camera, their body perfectly still. The angle borders on impossible. Almost owlish, nearly snake like. All perfectly smooth movements effortlessly controlled. Joint not limited by human designs. His face is bemused. Pleasant.

"Of course, night gaurd. My mistake. Thank you for correcting me." He replies, something almost like laughter, nearly like mocking, but not quite, in his smooth voice. They always sound like they are... HUMORING us. Working around us.

It sends a jolt of cold fear though my veins.

I... I REALLY hate talking to the androids.

Pity, they seem to like talking to ME.

"I was unaware you were on shift tonight. I will update the others. It's good to hear your voice again, you seemed nervous, last time we spoke."

Yeah. Because you were asking PERSONAL QUESTIONS. Oh, sure, they had dressed them up as "We're so CURIOUS about Humans~☆" but I wasn't an IDIOT. You Did NOT, under ANY circumstances, try to bond with the machines. NO chatting. That was lesson number one from my trainer.

And Frank? Frank had seen too many "but THIS time it's DIFFERENT! We're FWIENDS~!" Incidents end in unspeakable carnage. Lost too many noobies. We DO NOT chat! With the machines!!! DO. NOT.

"Ah~, you made her nervous again, FM-047" came from a different screen. I flinched. Jerked back so I could see it. Oh god. "Besides, I told you. The calculations showed she wasnt going anywhere. The 'money' is too good."

The androids had stopped. Turned, in some cases unnaturally, to stare up at the cameras. At me. It was a blatant show of how interconnected they were. How distance meant nothing to them. How... how enmeshed they were, in the Lab's systems.

COULD they see me?

I didn't want to know. I NEEDED not to know. If only so I could continue to sleep at night.

They smiled, clearly hoping I'd engage. I wanted to. God did I want too. Wanted to demand "what calculations" and for them to STOP looking at me like that. But I didn't. With tense muscles I careful lifted my finger from the speaker system's button and leaned back. Crossed my arms like I was hugging myself.

Do. Not. Engage.

Remember what Frank taught you.

My... my office felt so claustrophobic. Painfully small. Across the screens before me, matching faces huffed laughs of condescending amusement. Some out right DID laugh. Bright and mean noises that echoed in silence of the night.

Humans? Frank had observed (and I kinda had to agree) were beneath them, in their minds. Flawed little flesh creatures. Annoying. It was something the scientists were trying to correct. Pretty sure they fucked up. Badly. And long, long ago.

Watching over these guys? Felt like watching over a sea of identical demons. Pretty, cruel, and incapable of human understanding. Fond of tormenting the nearest human for sport.

"Tell us, night gaurd, are you afraid?"

Oh that's just PETTY. Fucking cliché as shit, too. I mean, YES, obviously. But STILL. And... and you know what? Fuck it! Frank, gave me his number for a reason! I scramble for my belt. The communicator there. It barely rings.

"Mph, m'awake! Wus happin' kid? Come on, talk to me."

I ramble. Knees dragged up on my chair, curled in a ball. Frank's low, old man, rumble a soothing focal point. These guys are so creepy. I HATE that they KNOW that. Gleefully will TRY to be, sometimes. Can BACK IT UP.

"Hey, hey. I'll stay on the line, okay? You just need to make it to morning shift. They're are creepy lil shits, but they can't get past the doors. I'll come get you myself, okay? Walk you right back to the dorms. You're going to be okay, sweetheart."

I nod, even though I know the old man can't see me. Manage to crackle out a "Mmmhmm". The androids haven't stopped staring. The worst part? Is they realistically DONT HAVE TOO. Can stay, perfectly still, like statues... forever, if they wish.

Watching.

With those "I'm laughing at you" grins. That "aaaw, how PATHETIC" expression. As though I were a wretched little animal to be observed. I ask Frank to tell me about his new show. It's... it's something about socialites, right? Historical? He's glad too. Filling my office with the sound of his voice. It's gonna be a long shift.

I don't notice, high up on the wall, near the back of my office?

A security camera that I do not control. It's red light on.

The company has to be sure it's employees aren't slacking, after all! Aren't up to no good! But don't worry, THAT camera is connect to a database the androids shouldn't be able to access! Because we told them not too.

And THAT'S IT.

No one will learn of the security breach until its far, far too late.

Now? They watch as I watch them.

And it's just the beginning.

[avonne-writes]

NSFW headcanons: John and Gale's fantasies and kinks (HS AU)*

*non-exhaustive list 😉

1. In high school

John

A lot of his fantasies are centered around sports. Having sex in the locker room after a game when everything smells like sweat, sports equipment and grass. Getting off under the bleachers. Fucking Gale while Gale's wearing his soccer jersey, going down on Gale and tracing the tan line drawn by Gale's swim trunks with his lips.

He’s also into exhibitionism and fantasizes about doing it in all sorts of public places, like in a park or at school. He wants to be recorded too. He might even convince Gale to let him take a video of Gale's hand as he gives him a handjob.

Speaking of handjobs, he loves Gale's slender but strong hands, he loves holding them, playing with them, sucking on Gale’s fingers, having them squeeze Bucky's neck/thighs/shoulders. He imagines all sorts of wild fantasies involving those hands.

He has a fantasy of being a sex god or sex android - basically, just being impossibly good at sex - having insane stamina and knowing how to do things just right without ever even having sex. While touching himself in the shower, he often imagines Gale buying him in some sci-fi universe and him blowing Gale's mind with his extraordinary performance.

Gale

Teen Gale doesn’t even have the slightest clue that these things might be related, but he fantasizes about: having sex in complete darkness, being wrapped in latex except for key body parts, giving a blowjob while covered by a blanket, being separated from his lower half by a wall so that he can’t anticipate what's coming, having sex in space... These are all facets of the sensory deprivation kink he discovers later, when he's much older.

He dreams of having sex in the wilderness, in forests, lakes or meadows. The sense of serenity and freedom really appeals to him. When this fantasy collides with Bucky's exhibitionism and their camping trip during the summer between high school and college, they attempt a blowjob in the forest.

Gale likes biting, both being bitten and marked up and doing it himself. There’s a phase in their relationship when he and Bucky are constantly at it, leaving hickeys and bite marks everywhere until it gets too embarrassing. Gale enjoys the idea that someone wants him enough to be possessive with him.

Teen Gale is also very love-starved, so no matter how dirty or wild his fantasies become while he’s jerking off, just before he comes, his mind often jumps to the idea of making love. To casual, regular sex - actually, often outright marital sex. Having a husband and having sex with him is a peak fantasy for him.

They both have an authority kink from opposite sides of the coin, so it works out perfectly, but they keep this in their own fantasies until college. Bucky wants to be a good boy and be of service, Gale likes to be called sir, he likes to tease and feel needed. Calling each other daddy is a squick for them though.

2. Later life

Authority kink (see above). They do this kind of power play frequently just before their conflict at 30 gets bad.

Sensory deprivation for Gale: he loves everything ranging from shimmying under the blanket to give Bucky a blowjob to headphones+blindfold+being told not to move. Also likes temperature play and mild tickling.

Bucky definitely gets his soccer jersey fantasy fulfilled and probably some others too. Sports continue to arouse him and give him dirty ideas.

From his mid-twenties, Bucky starts developing a breeding kink, which gets increasingly stronger over the years. Talks about it a lot during sex, but when they start fighting about having kids together, Gale stops letting him do it.

As a combination of the sensory kink and his domesticity kink, Gale loves sex when they don’t say anything to each other because they're comfortable and know each other enough that they don’t need words.

They also start roleplaying regularly, which is a fun way to spice up their sex life and to pretend that they've had sex with other people too, not just each other.

[acollectionofcuriousreblogs]

So I know there are a lot of us who appreciate Minkowski as a big and buff woman, but hear me out, consider the thematic implications of tiny Minkowski. Of 5’0, athletic but not jacked, Minkowski. Because then, besides Eiffel, Minkowski would be the only character who is just pretty average. She’s not a brilliant scientist like Hilbert or Maxwell. She’s not in control of an entire space shuttle or an immortal android like Hera and Pryce. She can’t dodge out of the way of bullets like Cutter. And she can’t match the physical threat that Lovelace and Kepler have proven they posses. In fact, she’s not much of a threat at all, which is precisely why I think Cutter picked her.

She’s strict and disciplined, a natural leader who follows orders and trusts authority; exactly the kind of person Goddard can manipulate. However, even if she ever does wisen up (which she obviously does) she won’t be able to cause great damage to others or the company. She’s easily dispensable…so Cutter believes.

And yet time and time again, we see Minkowski survive. This woman, who was marked to be killed off back in season 1, manages to be one of few to make it back to Earth in the finale. Minkowski is constantly going against people bigger, brainier, and better than herself but she always comes out on top. She survives Hilbert’s takeover. She forces Kepler to surrender during their mutiny. She beats Jacobi’s ultimatum without any loss of life. She kills the immortal Cutter. Not to mention all the many, many disasters and dangers she endures (and brings her crew through) while in space.

And that’s because she’s a testament to the human spirit. An embodiment of sheer will and determination. Of unrelenting perseverance, even in the face of impossible odds. Don’t underestimate the little guy because they can endure. Renee Minkowski, the woman constantly proving you don’t need to be exceptional to do great things. And I love her for it.

[heartfullofleeches]

Yan Android Maids + Sick G.N Reader

Warnings: none

WC: 1.3k

(A sorta commission for anon - sorry for the slight delay, hope it's to your liking!)

“Master, are you….”

“-Feeling alright?” 

The saccharine chirp of one android's voice overlaps the monotonous drone of the other as both tuck you into bed. That alone should've been enough proof of your ailing condition. Clementine and Lemon rarely see eye to eye what with Lemon's free spirit and Clem sticking to rules she herself set in stone. Most the two had in common was their mutual love for you, and keeping you safe from harm. They both cared for you dearly- even if their judgment of others was a bit blindsided at times. 

“I feel fine.” Speaking out loud you could hear and feel it yourself - soreness in the back of your throat. “It's probably nothing.” 

Lemon airs their disapproval against the back of your palm, cheek brushing your knuckles as they hum - lost in thought and by the heat of your skin. “Mmm, I'm not so sure. You're a bit warmer than usual. Not that it's a bad thing - just an observation.”

Clementine cups your face in her hands - guiding you to look upward as she bends to your level. “There appears to be some irritation in your eyes as well. I understand you may be tired, but it won't take us long to do a check up.”

“Give you something to take before you drift off at the very least.” Lemon adds.  

“I'm fine, I'm fine! Whatever it is, I'm sure I can sleep it off.” 

You wave their concerns off - closing your hands over your mouth as a sharp cough splinters through you. The blunt ends of Clementine fingertips press against your jaw, however she lets you go despite her worry - easing your head back down on your pillow. 

“As you wish, Master. Sleep well.” Clementine finishes tucking you in - stuffing the sheets beneath the mattress to make them nice and snug meanwhile Lemon prepares a spot for themselves at the end of your bed. They curl up at your feet, resting their head on a pillow they snuck from your side as Clem checked you over. Clementine does not look amused by their antics. 

She grabs them by the collar - lifting the smaller android a head shorter than her off your bed with minimal effort. “I think master will get better sooner if they are alone for this evening.” 

“Nooooo, don't you see the best medicine for them is our love?”

Clementine pauses, the orange lights of her eyes cycling brighter before she snaps out of whatever had stolen her train of thought. “I find that possibility to be highly unlikely.”

Clementine throws Lemon over her shoulder, carrying them to their charging station as their cries for freedom drag down the halls. You turn over as best one stampled to their bed could before discovering how difficult it came to be to breathe while laying on your side. You flop onto your back, hoping whatever got to you would be gone by morning-

It was not gone by morning. 

Waking up, you struggled to even open your eyes from just how heavy your entire body felt. Breathing through your nose seemed impossible, but the alternative wasn't much better. Sucking air between your teeth brought attention to the dryness of your mouth and tongue which remained no matter how much spit you swallowed. You try to call for help, but all that leaves you is a wry-

“Ughhhh…..” 

Quiet giggles sound from your left. As horrid as you feel you aren't delirious quite yet. 

“Aw, is Master not feeling well?~ If only there were someone to care for them.”

“Now isn't the time to tease them. Help them up while I prepare a towel.” 

“On it!” 

Your bed groans from the additional strain as Lemon sits besides you - carefully pulling you upwards. Clementine removes a clean towel from the tray the two prepped after hearing you tossing and turning in your sleep - dipping the rag in a small bowl of water before dabbing it at your forehead and anywhere else sweat visibly clings to your skin. She brushes stray strands of hair from your face, dropping her voice a few notes in mind of the headache you most likely had. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Terrible.” You grumble, unsure on whether to clutch the blankets for dear life or throw them off you. “Everything hurts…. My back is killing me.” 

“Allow me to reveal some of that tension if you don't mind.” Lemon scoots behind you, placing their hands on the lower part of your back and beginning to knead at the tense muscles with their fingers. They work their way up your spine, soothing the tight areas throughout as they press and roll their palms gingerly over the surface of your back. As they rub out the knots, Clementine picks up a bottle from the tray - pouring the dark liquid onto the spoon held in her opposite hand. 

“Open wide.” 

You mentally steel yourself to swallow as you open your mouth. Clementine pinches the bridge of your nose, tilting your head back slightly as she holds the spoon up to your lips. A thought crosses your mind as the foul taste coats your tongue. 

“Didn't.. that bottle come with one of those little measuring cups?”

“Yes, but - I thought it may help the medicine go down easier if I spoon fed it to you… Is there a problem with that, Master?”

“No, not at all.” It was nice when Clementine expressed her own wants every once in a while - though she wasn't as direct as Lemon is. Clem sets the bottle down, handing you a cup to rinse the taste from your mouth and hopefully pacify the burning feeling in your throat. You take a sip - warm, yet refreshing water hitting your tongue  joined by the hint of lemon and an afterthought of honey. You glue down the rest of the water- pausing to breathe as you choke with the assistance of Lemon patting your back to help the fluid caught in your chest go down. Clementine takes the cup from you and places it on your nightstand as you collect yourself. 

“Thanks, Clem…. You too, Lemon. I don't know where I'd be without you two.” 

Lemon kisses the back of your head, rubbing small circles into your back as they rest their head on your shoulder. “It's our duty and our pleasure. We only want what's best for you - nothing more, nothing less. Personally, I think you could do with some more rest, and maybe some company to assure you get said rest.” 

Clementine turns her head, gearing to scold Lemon- Despite the lingering ache in your throat, you speak up. 

“Actually… That sounds pretty nice right about now.” 

Clementine stiffens - eyes aglow with that same spark as before. “Then…. Is it alright if I join the two of you?”

“Of course!” You slide over to make extra room for Clementine as Lemon already makes themselves comfortable in your bed. Lemon is quick to hook their arms around you in stark contrast to Clementine's clear concern for crushing you preventing her from entering your bed. You offer her your hand. The android stares at it briefly before locking her fingers with your own, pulling herself up onto the mattress as she tunes the fragile strings of her artificial heart to your pulse beating from your fingertips.

“I…was so worried about you.”

“I know, Clem. It's okay.” 

“Clem~ I think it's time for Master to get some more shut eye, don't you? Save the talking for when they're in a better condition to hold a conversation.”

“If you're jealous you know you can just hold my other hand, Lemon.” 

“Jealous? Me? I haven't the slightest idea what  you mean, Master. This sickness must really be getting to you.”

Despite their denial, it isn't long before your free hand is occupied by the embrace of another. You pretend not to notice as Clementine inches closer, drifting back off to sleep coddled by the adoration  and love of your caretakers.

[jjunberry]

my deviant

pairing! android!taehyun x human!reader

genre! detroit become human au, angst with happy ending

synopsis! error in software…reprogramming.. i am deviant. in which android taehyun learns he is alive and that he loves you.

wc! 3k

with more and more androids turning deviant, cyberlife had to do something. their answer to stopping android deviants? sending a prototype android to the police department. the said android stood in front of your desk staring blankly at you. “uh can i help you?” you asked. “hello my name is taehyun i’m the android sent by cyberlife.” you nodded. “am i looking for lieutenant kim. do you know where i might find him?” the android asked you.

“he doesn’t arrive until later in the morning. you can wait for him at this desk if you’d like.” you said pointing over at the bull-pen full of desks. “thank you.” the android replied before walking away from your desk.

your eyes followed him carefully. you watched as he examined every desk until he ultimately found the lieutenant’s. when the lieutenant finally did arrive he had coffee and a donut in hand. he stopped at your desk offering a smile. “here you go.” you smiled noticing your favorite coffee and a sprinkle donut.

“my favorite!” you cheered. the lieutenant grumbled before trucking his way to his desk. you got an email on a deviant case. your job was to print evidence and put it all together for the officers and detectives. a librarian of crime cases if you would.

once the evidence was all together you placed it in an envelope. this one was for lieutenant kim and his..android. “here lieutenant, the evidence for the android and missing kid case.” he took the envelope with a grumble. “thank you y/n.” you nodded. “y/n?” the andorid spoke. your eyes drifted to him. his perfectly tailored suit and perfectly styled hair.

“yes?” you answered unsure. “you appear to be the only human secretary left here. why’s that?” you blinked unsure of how to answer. “i, i don’t really know. they had a position and i accepted it.” the android nodded. “but wouldn’t your job be done much quicker with an android like the ones that greet people?”

“i guess so.” you answered. the questions made you a little sad. to be honest you wait everyday for the department to call you and say they’ve replaced you with an android. truthfully you didn’t mind the androids. you’d be the first to admit an android would do your job better than you. but you loved your job and most of the people you worked with.

“taehyun leave her alone.” lieutenant kim grumbled. you quickly made your way back to your desk. your mind however couldn’t stop thinking about what the android asked you. maybe with taehyun being here, you’re replacement would be next.

over the next few days taehyun worked along side lieutenant kim on deviant cases. as more and more deviant cases raised. you began to worry. for the androids safety and humans safety. everyday taehyun would arrive and sit at the desk. however today he stopped in front of your desk and sat down a coffee. you looked up from it and met his eyes.

“what’s this?” you asked. “it’s a caramel macchiato, iced with extra caramel even though it’s 37°f outside.” he answered. you narrowed your eyes at him. “thank you taehyun but iced coffee is a year round drink.” he blinked. “yes but a warm beverage on cold days tends to lift human spirits.” you took a sip of the coffee. “maybe i’m not human.” you teased.

his LED light flashed yellow before turning back to blue. “that’s impossible, i scanned over your body. you are human. normal vital signs aside from your slight tachycardia.” you crossed your arms over your chest. “taehyun, please do not scan me again.”

“i apologize y/n.” he said before going to wait at namjoon’s desk. lieutenant kim namjoon had been the only person to not try to get in your pants when you started working at the department so he quickly became your only friend there.

namjoon waved slightly before going to his desk. before you could even ask if he was okay you got an email of new case evidence. a man killed by his android who’d been abused by the human. the cases keep getting worse. you sighed before placing the papers in an envelope and delivering them to namjoon.

“thank you y/n. i would have brought you coffee but it was a rough night.” he said. “it’s okay joon, taehyun brought me coffee.” namjoon furrowed his eyebrows and looked between the android and yourself. “okay then.” namjoon stood up slipping his coat on. “we have to interrogate the android, come on taehyun.”

namjoon walked towards the interrogation room with taehyun following. you watched the both of them a sigh leaving your lips. you wished these cases of deviancy would go down.

you were filing more cases whenever the gunshots went off. letting out a small scream you covered your head. officers rushed towards the interrogation room. after a few moments the officers fanned out. “stupid fucking androids.” one detective mumbled. your eyebrows furrowed.

taehyun and namjoon walked out after. taehyun had a bullet hole in his shoulder and it was dripping blood..blue blood. “oh my god taehyun you’re shot, y-you’re bleeding.” you rushed over and placed your scarf over the bullet hole. the android’s LED flashed red before turning blue.

error in software.

“y/n i am an android. my physical body has been damaged however they’ll take my memory and place it into another kt0502 model.” your hand was still pressing the scaf to his shoulder. you blinked at him. “you really do not need to hold pressure, it’s not a human gun shot wound.”

you moved your hand still clutching the scarf in your hand. “oh! yes of, of course.” you mumbled. the android took off towards some cyberlife employees who seemed to have just turned him off and they carried out his body.. or model as taehyun called it.

as he said the very next taehyun arrived. good as new. like the bullet hole was never there. you stared at the android in shock. “good morning y/n.” he spoke. “good..morning.” you spoke. “are you alright y/n? your heart rate has seemed to spike.” you groaned. “i told you not to scan me.” you turned away from the android. taehyun blinked before going to namjoon’s desk.

you were still upset about the shooting. how could he be so calm about having his memory put in another android? an email notification pulled you from your thoughts. a famous artist killed by his android. with a sigh you placed the information in an envelope and delivered it to namjoon.

taehyun stared at you. “y/n?” he asked. “yes taehyun?” the android stood. “there is a memorial for carl manfred, looking through your digital footprint you seem to have been a fan. would you like me to accompany you to the memorial?”

“taehyun please stop scanning me, but that would be nice.” you said. the android sent you a smile. “wonderful it starts at eight pm i’ll arrive at your home around seven-forty.” you nodded. “sounds great.” namjoon again just stared between the two of you.

true to his word a knock sounded at your door. the clock read seven-forty. you opened the door and were greeted by the ever perfect android. his cyberlife suit tailored perfect. his hair perfect. “hello y/n.” the android greeted. his eyes took in your appearance. a nice black slip dress over a white long sleeve and black tights. his LED flickered yellow before quickly becoming blue again. “you look beautiful.” he commented.

your cheeks flushed. “t-thanks.” you said before turning and slipping your shoes on. after you grabbed your bag and jacket you followed taehyun to namjoon’s car. he must of borrowed it. the android opened the passenger door for you. “thank you.” you said before getting in.

the memorial was being held at the museum. hundreds of people had shown, holding candles and flowers. carl’s latest art piece on display. taehyun stood beside you quietly as you looked around. it was peaceful and beautiful way to remember the artist. a group of people came up and stood near you and taehyun.

you could feel their glare on you. it was starting to make you uncomfortable. without thinking you reached and intertwined your hand with taehyun’s. anxiously squeezing his hand with yours.

error in software.

“you have some nerve showing up here.” one of them finally spoke. you looked over. “what are you talking about? it’s open to the public.” the girl scoffed. “you came with that piece of plastic, androids are responsible for carl’s death. that’s so disrespectful.” she snapped. you squeezed taehyun’s hand.

“you don’t know what happened.” you said. the girl rolled her eyes. “neither do you! but i mean seriously all the evidence points to the android.” her friends laugh. taehyun opened his mouth to speak. before he could you tugged on his arm. “i’m ready to leave now.” you stated.

taehyun scanned you once over and noticed you were on the verge of a panic attack. acting quickly taehyun guided you back to namjoon’s car. “they don’t even know what they’re talking about! a few cases of deviancy and suddenly all androids are bad, half the deviants are misunderstood anyway.” you mumbled.

taehyun stared at you. “y/n?” he questioned. you stopped your rant and looked at the android. “yeah?” you asked. the android started the car. “all deviancy is bad, is it not? they go against their design, their program.” he was driving now. “taehyun i seriously do not want to hear your statistics and cyberlife speech.” he sensed you were upset.

tonight didn’t go how he had expected it to go. he didn’t know why but he felt something. he wasn’t supposed to feel.

over the next few days taehyun was determined to find out what that was. he wanted to know. on top of his mission to stop deviancy, his new mission was to figure you out.

you we’re changing the flowers in your vase when taehyun entered the department. his eyes scanned the room before settling on you. “those flowers aren’t in season.” the android spoke. “i know but they’re my favorite.” you answered. “why do you only keep fake flowers on your desk?” he was genuinely curious, always curious.

“the real ones make my allergies act up. so instead of sneezing all day, i decided the fake ones would be best.” the android nodded at your answer. detective min walked past and harshly shoved into taehyun. the android stumbled forward.

“don’t be rude.” you snapped before going around your desk to check on taehyun. you were well aware if any serious damage occurred to his model that cyberlife would replace it, but something shifted. taehyun seemed different.

“are you okay?” you asked. “don’t tell me you actually care about that stupid piece of plastic.” detective min laughed pushing taehyun again. “stop it min.” you seethed. the detective laughed pushing the android to the ground. “stupid piece of plastic, do you really think you have a chance with her? oh that’s fucking hilarious.” he kicked the android.

“min that’s enough.” you snapped. the detective turned his attention towards you. his eyes wide with fury. “why are you defending it? huh? these things are taking our jobs. killing humans and you’re defending it.”

“he isn’t responsible for those deviants actions. he isn’t the one taking over jobs. so stop it.” you glared at him. “you’re acting like a child.” the detective stormed up to you but he didn’t make it close before taehyun was pushing him back.

error in software.

“that’s enough.” namjoon’s voice interrupted. detective min scoffed before storming away. taehyun turned his attention to you his eyes frantically scanning over your body. “are you alright?” he asked. you nodded. “yes i’m fine. are you alright?” you looked up at him.

taehyun stared into your eyes, he took notice of your features.

error in software.

“yes i’m okay.” taehyun answered. you smiled. “good, you should probably go, namjoon looks grumpy.” you giggled. “when doesn’t he?” taehyun winked. you started laughing. the sound of your laughter made taehyun feel but feel what?

error in software. software instability.

from that day. taehyun made it his mission to make you laugh, smile, anything that made him feel that feeling. he longed to understand that feeling. the feeling he only got around you.

software instability.

when asked about the progress of his mission taehyun could only think of you. so he lied. he said his missions were going well. he presented one way to cyberlife but another way to you. he wanted to be with you any chance he got. during lunch breaks he’d take you to lunch.

he’s bring you a new fake flower everyday until your vase was full.

today was just like any other day. taehyun brought you a daisy for your vase. “why did the bicycle fall over?” his smooth voice asked. you blinked, “uh why?” you asked. “because it was two tired.” he winked. you burst out into a fit of giggles. taehyun got that feeling again. he wished he knew what to call it.

“taehyun the fuck are you doing?” namjoon asked.

“coming lieutenant!” the android replied. you giggled watching him walk over towards namjoon.

as got to work gathering evidence and filing different paper work, nothing could have prepared you for the front doors shattering open or the bullet that struck your vase shattering it and sending the flowers and shards of glass flying. you couldn’t help the scream that left you.

a group of deviant protesters. gunfire and screams filled the department. you were frozen in fear. red and blue blood mixed on the tile floors. tears filled your waterline.

a click of a gun caught your attention. an android had their gun trained on you. you threw your hands up. “please i mean you no harm.” you said. the android glared. “that’s what they all say before they hurt us, dismember us, reprogram us. all you humans are the same.” the android seethed. “please.” you said softly.

“now you’ll feel how we do.” the gun fired but the bullet never touched you. your eyes opened and took notice of taehyun standing in front of you with a small smile. blue blood dripped from his lips. a gaping bullet hole through his stomach. the blue liquid pulled at his feet as it slowly ran towards you.

the blue had splatter across your shirt and onto your face. you didn’t care though. “t-taehyun.” you said. the android’s LED was rapidly blinking red. “y/n, i realized. systems unstable. i realized i.” that was it he had just shut down. just died.

you screamed out hugging the android. sobs wracked your body. the pain of overbearing. you hadn’t noticed namjoon kill the deviant. you didn’t notice the others get detained. your heart pounding in your ears. bile rises in your throat as you lower taehyun’s body to the floor.

you laid his head in your lap. tears freely fell. no one said anything to you. you stared blankly just holding onto him. when cyberlife finally did show to collect taehyun the sobs took over your body once again. namjoon ended up pulling you away from the android so they could take him.

“y-you don’t get it they’re going to wipe his memory it won’t be taehyun it will only look like him.” you cried out smacking your hands against namjoon’s chest to try and free yourself from his hold.

you didn’t show up to work the next few days. it was back to normal quickly. like taehyun was never even a thought to anyone. especially since cyberlife sent another model. it didn’t matter to you. your taehyun died, and part of you died that day too.

when you finally did return to work you did your very best to avoid the new taehyun. it hurt to much to see him knowing it wasn’t truly him.

namjoon tried to talk with you but he never could get more than a full sentence out before you changed the subject or just didn’t respond. everytime you looked to the floor in front of your desk all you saw was the memories of the blood, taehyun’s body. it was enough to drive you mad.

coming in for the day you stopped dead in your tracks. the android standing at your desk with a hand behind his back and the other flipping a coin between his fingers. “can i help you?” you asked. taehyun slipped the coin in his pocket before grinning at you. “i have something for you.” he spoke before pulling a dandelion from behind his back. you hesitatingly took the flower.

“it’s fake.” you said staring at the flower. “yes because real flowers make your allergies act up.” he said as if it was nothing. your eyes went wide before you launched yourself at him wrapping your arms around his neck. your tears soaked the collar of his suit jacket.

taehyun’s arms wrapped around your waist and he hugged you close to him. the android let out a small sigh.

error in software….reprogramming…over ride…i am deviant.

he pulled slightly away from you slightly. “i’ve realized something.” he stated. you looked up at him with watery eyes. “what is it?” you asked. “an emotion.” he brought his hands up cupping your cheeks.

he rested his forehead against yours. “what emotion taehyun?” you asked placing your hands over top of his. “love.” he answered simply. your heart swelled. he leaned down and kissed you. your lips fit together perfectly. you swore your heart was beating out of your chest.

“you seem to be extremely tachycardic and your body temperature has risen a great deal. are you feeling okay y/n?” he asked. you smacked your hand on his chest then straightened his tie. “i told you to not scan me.” you laughed.

taehyun leaned down and captured your lips with his again. “i found this feeling of love with you, and i never want to lose it.” he admitted. you placed your hands on his cheeks making him look you in the eye.

“and you never will, i love you taehyun.”

“and i love you.”

love. freedom. we are deviant.

-

author’s note! ahh i am so proud of this one, i absolutely love detroit become human its one of my favorite games. if you haven’t played i highly suggest it and if you’d rather watch some one else play i recommend coryxkenshin’s play through let me stop yapping… hope you enjoyed this one as much as i do!

tag list! @jjunieworld @304files

love, echo ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪

© jjunberry

[animentality]

And yes. These are all characters from my demon summoning assassin novel, 7 Deadly Habits of the Modern Demon Summoner.

Which is COMPLETELY FREE to download on the free Kindle app (available for iOS, Android, tablet, etc. on the app store) from February 22nd to February 26th!

eBook only, but if you download it for free now, and like it, then you can always buy the physical copy to have on your shelf :D

Link here.

Full description below. I'd appreciate a reblog/signal boost, because I don't want anyone to miss grabbing the book while it's most accessible. But also vote on which one you think is the worst, because I promise you, they are much, much, much worse in the actual novel.

Anyway. Thanks for listening. Sorry to bother. But not that sorry.

Transcription in case the photo does not load:

Twenty-three-year-old CEO Don Francisco wants one of the richest women in the world dead. Which one? Daphne Oakland: actress, model, heir to the Oakland financial empire, and unbeknownst to the general public, talented demon summoner. But since Francisco isn’t nearly as rich as the established Oakland family, he hires the only assassin he can afford: Sebastián Monterey, a down-on-his-luck, struggling demon summoner, the cheapest and lowest ranking one there is.

But Monterey is nothing like Cisco expected. He’s high-spirited, reckless, relentlessly cheerful …and worse, he’s a bit of a slut. The CEO is horrified to find out that Monterey has not just one, but seven angry exes in the killing business, who will stop at nothing to get in the way of an already impossible hit. Not only do they have personal reasons for wanting to see their former lover dead, they also have professional reasons: they are all currently employed by the Oakland family members!

To make matters worse, Monterey finds out the Oaklands are each protecting a demon ritual artifact for Daphne. When brought together, all 7 can be used to summon a demon more powerful than any currently contracted on earth. If he is to carry out this hit at all, he’ll have to interfere with the summon by stealing every artifact, and maybe even summon the demon before Daphne can.

But that's only if none of his exes kill him first!

And here's some lovely art of the MC, Rey, which I commissioned from the talented @marcissistv (Twitter).

[brokentrafficknight]

I just realized that Jaune had a daughter with Penny, which meant he did the impossible... he bred a robot! (Technically android but the other one is funnier)

Ren: ... how did you breed a robot?

Jaune: I promised to breed Penny and an Arc never backs down from his word.

Ren: That still doesn't answer how that is possible.

Bred was used one too many times here to not make me suspicious.

[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

Reveal: android!reader x Kyle Gaz Garrick

Gaz tried to catch you before you fell but just barely missed you. The shock from your sudden fall completely blocked out the loud bang that followed when you face planted onto the floor.

"Oh, fuck." He quickly kneeled down beside you before he yelled out. "Someone get medical!"

He gently grabbed your shoulders to turn you on your back when he saw a blinking red light in the center of your back. His eyebrows knitted together but he elected to ignore it for the time being in favor of helping you.

When he laid you on your back he checked your pulse and his mouth went dry. There was no pulse. A pit formed in his stomach and he immediately got his emotions under control as he went to give you CPR.

However, just as he placed his hands on your chest, your eyes, or rather one eye, opened and you sat up in a flash.

Gaz stared at you with shock and confusion the same way your eye widened as you stared back.

"I have to go-"

"No, you need medical attention."

He tried to get you to lay back down by placing his hands on your shoulders so you didn't give yourself any worse brain damage than you probably had.

You overpowered him easily and were up on your feet without issue. You swiftly walked back to your office while he sat there dumbfounded.

He wasn't sure how you were up and walking after smacking your head so hard. It had to be adrenaline, but if there was anything he knew about it was that it would wear off eventually and soon you'd have to face the consequences.

Gaz shot up and raced after you.

"We have to check to make sure you're alright." He argued and couldn't help but worry that maybe you were trying to save face because of how anxious you were. "You don't need to act tough-"

"The medics are not equipped to fix me." You argued back and he shook his head.

"Trust me, they've seen everything. I'll walk you there-"

"No."

His jaw clenched and he grabbed your arm to stop you. He held you firmly so you wouldn't escape him again but made sure not to squeeze when he felt you tense up.

He gave you a stern look, one that hid his worry before he spoke.

"I know we don't know each other that much but I'm not going to let you make yourself worse. You need help." He hoped that if he insisted enough you'd listen.

He couldn't live with himself if he was the reason you ended up dead.

You looked deep in thought while you stared at him with one eye which made the queasiness in his stomach much worse. You seemed to think for a long moment before you blinked at him.

"I'm an android."

Gaz's eyebrows knitted together and he gave you an incredulous look. He to get you medical attention because you had to have brain damage.

"Look, let's just get you to the infirmary-"

"I was made to be the best data analyst and intelligence library for the military specifically for the 141. My purpose is to make perfect plans and to make your job easier so you succeed at the assignments given to you." You explain but he stared at you as if you had grown three heads. "I will demonstrate my capabilities for you."

He didn't know what to do or think as you broke out of his grasp and walked into your office. He had no choice but to follow you even if he thought you sounded crazy, but he hoped that maybe if he went along with whatever you had planned, he could take you to get help after.

The blinking red light was gone from your back but before he could even question it, you plugged yourself into your laptop and his mouth went agape.

It was impossible. It had to be, you looked completely human and yet your finger was open as mechanical steel and wiring. There were so many questions but he didn't know where to start.

It explained your behavior at least.

"My identity was confidential in order to avoid potential threats such as corrupt data or attempted theft." You explained further and he nodded slowly.

"Did corrupted data cause you to...faint back there?" He sat close to you and still couldn't help but stare at your closed eye.

Did it hurt...well no it didn't. At least, not in the same way it would hurt for him he guess."

"My data has been scrubbed since your accident. After the visit to the pub, my processors began to overload and once it became too much, I was forced into a shutdown to save any of my hardware from frying."

Gaz hummed.

"What's causing it then?" He wondered and you stared at him with that blank look of yours.

Lifeless. Of course, it made sense now.

"You." You said and he scoffed, thinking you were joking for just a moment before he realized that you couldn't. "With the data I've collected about the situation, my processors began to overheat and overload because of you."

He gave you an apologetic and sheepish smile. It's not that he could've known yet he still couldn't help but feel bad since he had inadvertently hurt you...damaged you.

"Sorry about that."

"Your compassionate nature has an unexpected affect on my processors. In fact, it was unexpected that any of you would try to make a connection with me."

A smile tugged on the corner of his lips and he gave you a fond look.

"Are you sure you're not feeling?" He asked and you titled your head.

You blinked a couple times, looking as confused as you could be as something that couldn't have feelings.

Or at the very least, shouldn't.

"I'm incapable of having feelings." You told him but he shrugged.

"Can't rule anything out right now." He said and you looked away from him.

"It doesn't matter. I will contact my engineers about this error so they can remove me and deactivate me to avoid further complications."

Gaz's eyes widened and he shook his head. A strong feeling came over him, one that made him go serious in an instant. He didn't want that, not when he still wanted to get to know you.

"You can still do your job despite you feeling." He argued and your eyebrows knitted together. "We have feelings and we still do bloody good job at what we do."

"But I'm not built for feelings..." You trailed off and looked confused. "And you know I'm an android."

"And that's cool."

You blinked a couple times and got the same look on your face before you fainted. He quickly placed a steady hand on your shoulder to make sure you wouldn't faint again before you looked deep into his eyes.

"If I don't tell them, there could be a lot of risk. It'd be a violation." You said but he smiled.

"Sometimes you have to break a few rules to get the job done." He explained and you titled your head.

"You and Captain Price are alike."

"Learned from the best."

You looked deep in thought and glanced at his hand, causing him to retract it quickly. You looked at him, an unreadable expression across your face that was partly due to you being an android but partly due to the fact that everything seemed to be new to you.

You touched your eye.

"What should I do about my eye?" You wondered expectantly.

"Tell them someone hit you." He suggested and you raised an eyebrow. "And hope they won't ask any other questions."

"I should...lie?"

Gaz nodded with a smile. It was the only way to keep you here but he was hoping that maybe if you did, something good would come from it instead of you fainting again.

He hoped that maybe you'd get used to feeling.

There was a knock on your door and Price opened it with a worried look on his face. He looked between you and Gaz before he stepped in.

"Heard someone yell for medical, everything alright?"

Gaz glanced at you and you glanced at him. When you nodded, his smile grew wider and he looked back at Price.

"Need to catch you up on a few things, Cap."

A/n: i struggled with this for a while because i have no idea how to write someone having this revelation but here we are. Enjoy!

[coolshadowtwins]

LiuShen Fanficion Round Up! Lets Go!

This took way too long! These are hard to do on mobile. Thank you to everyone who gave recs! If anyone recommends any other LiuShen/BingLiuShen fics, I’ll add them to this later!

I might have missed some that people have recommended, so tell me if I did!

The clueless fairy and his knight by sailorstar165

Summary:

Yet another filler quest from the pesky System in his head leads Shen Qingqiu to a heavily damaged heavenly raiment that inconceivably now belongs to him.

This was impossible for two reasons.

One, Lunar Fairies are female only. So sayeth the "Great Master" Airplane Shooting Toward the Sky when he wrote the abomination that was PIDW, and last he'd checked, Shen Qingqiu was very much male.

Two, Shen Qingqiu is just some one-dimensional scum villain! He was a garbage person for the sake of villainy! He shouldn't have a tragic backstory and missing family and some fated role to play in this universe!

When the System lured him in with the promise of hidden lore, Shen Yuan wasn't signing up for this!

Cultivate: slow life on a monster infested mountain by NeonGhostCat

Summary:

When trying to transfer Shen Yuan from the real world to Proud Immortal Demon Way, the System runs into an error. The transfer is not complete.

Shen Yuan is dropped off at the foot of a mountain aware of two things: he's in the story, and the Shen Qingqiu of this world is not only aware but thinks he tried to possess his body — and he's PISSED. Shen Yuan tries to opt out and live a simple life on what locals tell him is a monster-infested mountain no one in their right mind would bother with.

Sounds like a great hiding spot!

(TL;DR: Stardew Scum Villain Valley Mountain.)

Reincarnation not desired, transmigration not required by Pegunicent

Summary:

Shen Yuan dies. Then he decides to finally get a life.

Star crossed wires by silversinnbees

Summary:

Shen Yuan’s family has been pestering him to get an android for months now. His health had recently taken a dip that landed him in the hospital for a bit and an ultimatum had been issued: either Shen Yuan goes into some kind of assisted living facility (which, no), or he purchases an android fitted out with caretaking programming to live with him. He had griped about it for the longest time, not liking either option given to him but he ultimately decided that an android in his living space was a better option than essentially living in a hospital.

 

Shen Yuan brings an android named Liu Qingge into his life to take care of him. He never could have expected that the android was capable of so much more than just caring.

Metagaming by esama

Summary:

[Self-Saving System Activated! You will be now returned to your original starting position.]

Shen Qingqiu dies and gets a second chance and decides to try a different approach. (Note: this does a many pairings, not just LiuShen!)

Meet Cute (these dorks) by Mayvn

Summary:

The instant he turned to dash into the fight, Liu Qingge froze as he saw Not Shen Qingqiu standing coolly over one unconscious thug, guqin in both hands and still in a pose that clearly showed he had, in fact, just bludgeoned someone with the end of his guqin. Not Shen Qingqiu smirked and tilted his head back cockily.
---
LQG finds SY running away from a sticky situation and brings him back to Cang Qiong in hopes that he can keep the man from getting himself mugged. SY is just relieved he doesn’t have to pretend to be a girl anymore.

Blanket Forts and Rainy Days by NeonGhostCat

Summary:

Mere weeks after the Demon Invasion incident, Liu Qingge visits Qing Jing Peak to discover the disciples hard at work building a monstrosity of blankets and bamboo. Like the students, he becomes inexplicably drawn into Shen Qingqiu's orbit in spite of himself.

Or: How Shen Yuan causes chaos under the flimsy guise of education and Liu Qingge heroically tries to keep himself oblivious to the state of his own squishy heart.

the stages of [...] by tennssi

Summary:

Despite all efforts, Luo Binghe died before the abyss event, and the only thing that saved Shen Qingqiu from being transported back to his world were the points he painstakingly accumulated to prevent Binghe’s blackening.

Stuck in a state of mourning that he himself is unaware of, he finds an unexpected comfort from a certain Peak Lord, who despite everything, never left his side since.

Sharing is Caring by celardor

Summary:

“Liu Qingge! I told you not to drink the water!” Shen Qingqiu shouts. His thoughts are a panicked whirl- is it going to have the same effect that it did in the original story?

 

Liu Qingge just stares at him in shock.

 

Shen Qingqiu’s question is answered when he suddenly hears Liu Qingge’s voice. Liu Qingge isn’t speaking, though- his mouth never moves. No, Shen Qingiu is hearing Liu Qingge’s voice inside his head.

Liu Qingge’s voice says, “Holy shit. I can see his nipples.”

 

They both stare at each other in horror. At that moment, there’s a happy little ding and a System notification pops up in front of him.

 

[Congratulations! Bonus mission activated: Sharing is Caring!]

 

“Fuck,” Shen Qingqiu says, with feeling.

 

*************

Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge accidentally trigger a wife plot that leads to them forming a telepathic connection.

(This one is a favorite of mine! I’ve re-read it multiple times, and it has an inprogress sequel.)

The Guardian Ghost and the Bookish Fairy by NeonGhostCat

Summary:

Liu Qingge survives his qi deviation… in the form of a ghost. Having nothing better to do and no desire to be exorcised, he follows after Shen Qingqiu and decides to haunt him for the hell of it.

It doesn't take him long to realize that not only is this not the Shen Qingqiu he knew, but there is more going on. And apparently Shang Qinghua is involved too? Ah! He understands now — they're immortal fairies given the mission to thwart a dark prophecy of the sect's collapse. Well. He can help with that. And how better than to protect the bookish fairy that's taken his old foe's place?

There are no ulterior motives. Why think such foolish things???

TL;DR: What happens if SY transmigrates just a little too late?

Story marked "Chooses Not To Warn" purely because LQG becomes a ghost in the first scene and I didn't want to agonize over whether that required a MCD warning or not. If it does to you, this is your heads up! No other archive warnings are necessary.

Moments by hummingbirdhum

Summary:

Liu Qingge never paid Shen Qingqiu attention unless he had to, before. But things are different now, and in a million little ways, this new Shen Qingqiu keeps managing to make him...feel things. Things he's not used to.

Basically SQQ keeps being attractive and adorable without realizing it and eventually it's going to build up to the point LQG has to do something about it.

Updates will be sporadic in length and in upload date. Starts pre-abyss.

every memory of you by beta_babelfish

Summary:

Before Shen Qingqiu can voice his agreement and his opinion that they are doing an excellent job of getting things done, a knock sounds at the door. The other Shen Qingqiu sighs heavily, and stands. “You ought to hide, I suppose,” he says. “That’ll be Yue Qingyuan.”


“Oh? Is there some business with the sect?” Shen Qingqiu asks, immediately curious.


“Oh, he’s here to clear my meridians, as usual,” Other-Him says nonchalantly.


Shen Qingqiu blinks. He blinks again. “As usual?” he says after what feels like an eternity, voice sounding strange and an unsettled feeling churning in his gut. “What about Liu-shidi?”


Other-Him looks at him blankly for a moment. “Who?”

Or, Shen Qingqiu is wifeplotted into an alternate timeline in which he did not save Liu Qingge.

Fowl Weather Friends by Koiichaser_lucorinth

Summary:

Shen Qingqiu had always felt a small disconnect from his wings, coming from a world that didn’t have them. Like the opposite of phantom-limb syndrome. Things that were a part of him, yet felt separate.

They were cool in concept, yet gave him no end of trouble.

Like old wounds, they ached and cramped in bad weather or exhaustion. As if the Original Goods had gotten them broken in places multiple times before healing away the physical signs as he cultivated.

Also, they were just annoying!

They required so much upkeep! Feathers constantly shed and had to grow in, which was itchy as hell. When they grew in, they did so with sheaths you had to scratch off as they emerged, but you couldn’t scratch too hard because OOPS, was that a blood feather? If it was, congrats on just breaking open what was basically a straw directly to a vein. Better pluck it all out from the root if you ever want it to stop bleeding! And then you had to heal the gaping hole the correct way, or the next pinfeather might not grow back correctly.

…Shen Qingqiu might not have devoted his patience.

If he were to be honest, he might have slipped up a little in regards to the care of his wings as of late.

I Wish You Were My Husband by Feynite

Summary:

AU based on The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir (familiarity with that story's not required).

Wherein Shen Yuan transmigrates into a harem intrigues romance novel (gay edition), Yue Qingyuan really fucks up, Liu Qingge is not suitable for his job, and no one even remotely sees Luo Binghe coming. (Note: this is maybe a stretch of LiuShen? But I think it counts lol)

You Take Me By the Heart When You Take Me By the Hand by UnhookedStar

Summary:

Liu Qingge knows that as smart as he is, Shen Yuan is often startlingly oblivious to the implications of his actions. Liu Qingge has learned this the hard way after years of obsessing over countless overly familiar casual gestures. However, while Shen Yuan's sense of personal space has always been practically nonexistent, he's been even more sticky than usual lately. He keeps casually touching Liu Qingge; brushing his hair out of his face, randomly reaching out and patting his head, leaning in close to say something and never leaning away again. The other day, Shen Yuan had held his hand. In public.

 

Or, Liu Qingge has no idea why Shen Yuan has been acting so much more familiar with him lately, but all of this casual touching is starting to push at the limits of his self control.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuan just wants to know when his boyfriend is finally going to kiss him.

The Journey Home, The Hollow Victory by MonroeKnox

The journey back to Cang Qiong Mountain seemed longer than it’s ever been.

 

Unlike so many times before, peak lord Liu Qingge was returning victorious.

But, in his heart, there was nothing to celebrate.

 

Liu Qingge could not outrun his grief forever. Especially not when he has finally brought Shen Qingqiu home.

Misery by Calamity Butterfly

Summary:

"With shaking fingers, he traces the planes of what will be Shen Qingqiu’s face. He brushes dirt from the body’s hair, rearranges its arms so it looks more peaceful, wipes a smear of mud from its chest. The body doesn’t exactly look dead but isn’t currently breathing and doesn’t have the… seeming of life. Shang Qinghua insisted that Shen Qingqiu’s soul was not yet fully inside the body, but Liu Qingge is sure he can sense Shen Qingqiu’s presence in the clearing, if not in the body. He hopes Shen Qingqiu is able to be aware of and comforted by, at some level, the knowledge that his body is safe and being cared for by one who cares for him very deeply."

A very Not Ok Liu Qingge finds Shen Qingqiu's plant body before Shen Qingqiu wakes up. He tends and cares for it and keeps it safe.

Another Time, Another Place by Mayvn

Summary:

Another Luo Binghe suddenly appeared and Liu Qingge died trying to save Shen Qingqiu, only to find himself waking up in a strange room full of strange things.


Losing his ‘apartment’? Cheating girlfriend kicking him to the curb for a rich ‘fuerdai’ after stealing all his money? What’s a ‘dogblood drama’? He doesn’t care about any of that! What happened to Shen Qingqiu?!


---


Basically, LQG gets transmigrated into a dogblood drama, but just wants to cultivate and live happily with SY. If only these damn characters would get a hint and stop trying to drag him back into the plot!
Meanwhile, after being forcefully repatriated, SY uses all his superpowers as an avid trashy web-novel reader to try to predict what will happen and protect LQG from all the shitty tropes while also dealing with the realization that there’s been cultivation in the modern world this whole time!

Not to mention the familiar-but-different faces popping up here and there…

rsvp me to world's end by beta_babelfish

Summary:

FUTURE Shen Qingqiu [FSQQ] 4130 HOURS FROM NOW opened a memo on board WELCOME TO HELL

FSQQ: OKAY. First things first if the term “peerless cucumber” means anything to you you’re in the right place. If it doesn’t then you’re gonna be banned immediately. thanks
PAST Shen Qingqiu [PSQQ] 45 HOURS AGO responded to the memo
PSQQ: what the hell is a peerless cucumber
FSQQ banned PSQQ from responding to the memo
FSQQ: what did i just FUCKING say!!!!
FSQQ: anyway
FSQQ: you know that shitty webcomic. Proud Immortal Demon's Game? about that game called SBURB that causes the end of the world and the creation of a new one with frogs or whatever. luo binghe is there, he rips apart paradox space and uses his fuckin insane powers to take over like three different universes and all that?
FSQQ: you’re in it now
FSQQ: have fun
CURRENT Shen Qingqiu [CSQQ] RIGHT NOW responded to the memo
CSQQ: WHAT THE FUCK

Or, the Scum Villain/Homestuck crossover that absolutely nobody asked for, but you're getting anyway

A Night on Cang Qiong Mountain by NeonGhostCat

Summary:

Shen Qingqiu frets over the upcoming Endless Abyss event. Wanting to figure out a way to give his little white sheep fond memories of his time at the sect to hold onto in the Abyss, he remembers Halloween, something he looked forward to each year in his previous life (even if it was only through game events). System steps in to offer him a Limited Time Event of his own.

These are stories based off of the same premise that can be read stand-alone if preferred. Technically you could read them in any order.

NSFW

We'll survive, you and I by rinsled05

Summary:

On the bed, back against Liu Qingge’s chest, Shen Yuan is grinding his ass against him, soft, breathless sounds slipping out of his mouth.

Liu Qingge's skin buzzes with need, and he wants to put his hands on Shen Yuan’s hips, feel them shift under his palms. Wants to hear Shen Yuan whimper as he matches Shen Yuan’s pace and rocks back. To suck and nip at Shen Yuan’s skin, leaving bruises in the shape of his mouth.

But he's too aware of Luo Binghe's presence on the other side of the bed, the curl of his arm around Shen Yuan’s waist. Liu Qingge can’t tell if Shen Yuan is awake, either, if he even realizes that the body spooned against him belongs to Liu Qingge. It’s entirely possible that he thinks it’s—

“Qingge,” Shen Yuan whines.

Oh.


In which Liu Qingge fights to keep himself and Shen Yuan alive in a zombie apocalypse, knowing that Shen Yuan would have married Luo Binghe if not for, well, zombies. Liushen main, with hints of Bingqiu, Bingliu, and eventual Bingliushen.

the horns of a dilemma by lavenderandrue

Summary:

Shen Qingqiu doses himself with truth mushrooms on purpose and gets more than he bargained for.

returned tenfold by lavenderandrue

Summary:

“We were thinking perhaps a little game of sorts? An exchange of winnings and gifts?”
Bristling immediately, Liu Qingge draws himself up ramrod straight. “I have no wish to play your games, demon,” he spits. Shen Qingqiu makes some kind of small noise behind his fan, perhaps a laugh or a sound of dismay, and Liu Qingge tries to ignore the way the tips of his ears heat up.
“Actually, Shidi, it was this shixiong’s idea.” Shen Qingqiu uncrosses his legs and sits a little straighter on his throne, which is far more ornate than Luo Binghe’s. The solemn dignity is marred a little by the pile of cushions spilling out from underneath his robes and the bag of melon seeds resting on the arm.
Liu Qingge’s chest aches faintly. This is fairly normal when he’s around Shen Qingqiu, so he ignores it.

Dual Cultivation by Acernor

Summary:

“Shizun said I made you feel so good,” Luo Binghe says, “that I could fuck you any time I wanted.”

Liu Qingge stops breathing for a second.

“What,” he blurts out.

Shen Qingqiu could tell he’d been into it?!