#android mumbo

[asketho]

I got bit by a mosquito today :(

Don't call Mumbo that, it's rude.

[ldwritesstuff]

The Zoids Era's End Master Doc

. . . You know I think Google Docs loves me! Never mind the fact that it's screaming in agony from time to time!

Side Note: because Hermitcraft is currently facing shit right now, that will be a separate post on my main blog, I prefer to keep that away from the writing blog unless it is necessary.

[sweetest-honeybee]

Oh my god I forgot I had a hermitcraft dbh au

[hezzabeth]

"You brought the baby back," Nani remarked with surprise the moment Sugafana and Jay got back. Nani then gasped with surprise when Sugafana placed the baby on the bed.

"That’s a different baby; that baby looks like Lakshmi," she remarked.

"It’s not," Jay said, and Sugafana sat down to explain exactly what had happened.

"Oh Bhagwan! You only went and adopted the lost princess's baby," hissed Nani.

"I did?" Sugafana asked, shooting Jay a questioning look, who merely shrugged.

"The news is all over the camp; her husband accused her of having an affair with another man. She’s dead, and the maternity droid she owned vanished," Nani cried as she grabbed a bag from the pile of laundry and began to dramatically pack everything.

"This could all be a big coincidence," Sugafana protested weakly as she sat down next to baby Dityaa.

Baby Dityaa began to cry, and suddenly Sugafana felt a peculiar painful sensation in her chest.

"Coincidence? You said the baby's parents are classified! She had green hair! An assassin came after you," Nani hissed as she wrapped the creature up in two old shirts.

Baby Dityaa began to nuzzle Sugafana’s shirt.

"Your Nani is probably right; there have been far too many strange occurrences," Jay replied, and Sugafana gasped.

"There’s milk coming out of me," she said, gesturing to her chest.

"Of course there is! You changed the baby's DNA, and now you’re her mother! Feed her," Nani said gently as she tugged down Sugafana's shirt, much to her embarrassment.

Baby Dityaa latched furiously onto Sugafana, sucking away.

"I didn’t know it worked that way," Sugafana muttered as she grabbed a blanket, trying to cover herself up.

"You don’t need to be embarrassed; I’ve been breastfeeding hundreds of times," Jay assured her.

"I’m going to start packing; when you’re done, I’ll arrange for us to go to BritinduSarvadharma," Nani said.

"Brigindusarvadharma is on the other side of the planet!" Jay gasped.

"It is also big and easy to get lost in; the population is almost a billion people," Sugafana mused.

"How would we get in? They’ll turn us away at the border," Jay said, and Nani shook her head.

"I know people," Nani said with a small shrug.

"Your friends' grandchildren, who are all smugglers! They’ll make us teleport hidden in empty oil drums! We could end up with mixed-up DNA," Sugafana pointed out.

"And do you have a better use? This place is filled with gossips! People here know that you and Jay are not romantic partners who created a baby," Nani pointed out, and Sugafana sighed.

"I guess you’re right," she admitted.

Baby Dityaa finally finished eating, and with a small sigh, she fell into a deep sleep.

Day six

Suddenly, there was the distant sound of someone screaming, and Sugafana sighed with frustration.

"Oh, what now?" Sugafana grumbled.

"Probably someone fighting over what play the camp actors will put on tomorrow," Jay said knowingly.

"I don’t know why they bother fighting about it; they always end up performing that ancient folktale about Mister Burns," Nani said as she pulled down the tapestry, shoving it into the bag.

Another scream, the pounding of footsteps.

"I need to pack," Jay said.

"You do?" Sugafana asked, faintly confused.

"I’m coming with you! I’m Dityaa’s fake father, and I can’t leave you," Jay said firmly.

"You can’t leave me?" Sugafana asked nervously.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, girl, the boy is clearly in love with you," Nani cried with frustration, and Sugafana glanced at Jay, who was now staring at the floor.

"Nani, can you take the baby out for a minute and give us some privacy?" Sugafana asked, and Nani nodded.

"No kissing unless he asks you to marry him," Nani said firmly.

For a second, everything was quiet and fragile. Sugafana felt like she was watching a piece of fine china flying through the air, and if she moved the wrong way, it would crash into a million pieces.

"You can sit next to me, Jay," she said, and he smiled, a tiny relieved smile.

Sugafana had caught the plate.

"So, you're in love with me then?" Sugafana asked.

"You're intelligent, funny in a very dry way, and kind! Who wouldn't love that?" Jay asked with a small smile, and Sugafana reached towards Jay, her hand hovering above his hand.

"I am fond of you, Jay... it's just, well," Sugafana began.

"Well, what?"

"I had a girlfriend during the beginning of the war; we only dated for a few weeks, but she exploded," Sugafana admitted, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Exploded?" Jay stammered.

"Then when I first arrived at the camps, I was with a man named Paul; he was fun, but then he ran off to join the northern resistance," Sugafana added, and then she glanced up at Jay. It was easy not to grow romantically attached when all she saw was a sliver of eyes. Now, however, she found herself taking in the elegant slope of his long nose, his surprisingly full lips, and the way his short beard surprisingly framed his jawline. Charismatic, Jay looked charismatic. Of course, he did.

"Nani thinks I'm cursed," Sugafana added.

"I thought you didn't believe in anything," Jay reminded her.

"True," she admitted before pulling his face towards hers. The kiss felt like a shock of static electricity against her lips. Jay's lips moved against hers, and the shock turned into a vibrating purr, traveling right down her knees. Jay's lips felt so very warm and soft, aching in a way Sugafana didn't even know she was missing. Sugafana pulled away slightly dazed and then nodded.

"Your Nani said no kissing before a wedding," Jay stammered, sounding incredibly flustered.

"I had to make sure we had chemistry before making a decision," Sugafana pointed out logically.

"I think we do," Jay replied.

"Yes, surprisingly I agree," Sugafana admitted with a firm nod.

"Does this mean I can come?" He asked, and Sugafana nodded.

"And can I kiss you again?" He asked, and Sugafana nodded again.

"What were you two doing in there for so long? I've been waiting for almost an hour," grumbled Nani.

"An hour? Really?" Sugafana asked dubiously as she patted her hair back into place.

"Alright, half an hour," Nani conceded before nodding down the cave's dark corridor.

"Six people have already run past! I'm guessing a fight has broken out in the soup kitchen again," Nani said as Sugafana took back Dityaa.

"Sometimes I think we need an elected official to run this place; every time there's a fight, we end up having to scrub blood off the walls," Sugafana whispered as they walked through the dark.

"What, like a warlord?" Jay asked.

"No! More like a group of sensible, practical people who make good decisions based on everyone's needs," Sugafana said, and Nani snorted.

"Sounds like a silly fairytale to me," Nani said, and Jay suddenly squawked as he tripped in the dark.

"Nani, did you pack the torch?" Sugafana asked.

"Of course! But we don't want to waste the battery," Nani pointed out.

"We also don't want Jay to trip over and break his neck before we even get to his dorm," Sugafana pointed out.

Grumbling to herself, Nani rummaged about in her sack, and with a flash, the tunnel filled with a faint warm light. Jay gasped, the baby whimpered, and Nani swore.

A dead body was lying on the stone floor. An actual bloody dead body.

Sugafana merely choked a little before composing herself. It wasn't the first dead body she'd seen, and it probably wouldn't be her last.

"Appliances?" Nani whispered, and Sugafana shook her head, still feeling sick.

"Appliances vaporize humans; they don't leave a mess," Sugafana whispered.

The body was dressed in torn black pants, no shoes, and a loose grey shirt. Its hands were missing, blood trickling from the wrists.

"What the… " Jay gagged, and Sugafana stepped over the body, trying to avoid getting blood on her pants.

"We need to keep moving," Sugafana whispered as she rubbed baby Dityaa's head.

Silence didn't exist in the camp. Even in the dead of the night, the corridors and caves were filled with the constant thrum of people. Snow farmers getting ready to meet the Martian sunrise. Small children running around the corridors while their parents slept on the ground. Baba's thieves and traders drinking long into the night. Sugafana would often fall asleep to the distant sound of their cave neighbor two doors down singing.

Silence didn't exist.

Until now.

"Raiders?" Jay whispered as they approached the camp's nursery. Many people arrived at the camp either pregnant or carrying tiny babies. A couple of years ago, an enterprising flash named Pooja noticed this and created the nursery. It was really no more than a medium-sized enclave with a dozen cardboard boxes turned into cribs. The nursery's curtain had been ripped aside.

"Do you think we should look?" Jay whispered.

"Normally there's at least one baby crying in here," Sugafana replied, and Nani held the torch up. All the baby boxes were empty, and the attending nurse was lying dead on the floor.

"That's Arya's girl Priya; she's only seventeen," Nani cried, leaning down towards the girl.

"Her hands are also missing," Sugafana realized, her voice catching in her throat.

Jay leaned down, placing his hands gently on Nani's shoulder.

"This has to be something new, something new and terrible," Nani choked.

"My sleeping pod has a lock on it; we should all be able to squeeze inside," Jay said gently, helping Nani to her feet.

"And then what?" Hissed Sugafana.

"This thing is probably like a monsoon; it will storm past, and we can leave when it's gone," Jay whispered, and Sugafana shivered. Other people, braver people, would have insisted on finding the monster in the dark. They would have fought it to the death, saving those who remained. Other people, however, were not balancing a baby in their arms while standing next to a sixty-three-year-old lady with weak legs.

"Ok, we'll hide," Sugafana whispered.

Sugafana and Nani had only spent a week in the dorms before the claustrophobia made them flee. The sleeping pods were no more than two by two feet dingy gray boxes with locks on the inside. Sugafana had ended up trading her late mother's pearl earrings to secure their cave.

"Chi chi! I can smell them from here," Nani grumbled.

"Be polite," hissed Sugafana, although Nani was right. Even in the dark, it was easy to follow the stench of old cooking, human sweat, and volcanic sulfur.

"I keep my pod very clean," Jay said defensively.

"Of course you do," whispered Sugafana.

There was an edge to the smell this time.

Sugafana had caught the plate.

"So, you're in love with me then?" Sugafana asked.

"You're intelligent, funny in a very dry way, and kind! Who wouldn't love that?" Jay asked with a small smile, and Sugafana reached towards Jay, her hand hovering above his.

"I am fond of you, Jay... it's just, well," Sugafana began.

"Well, what?"

"I had a girlfriend during the beginning of the war; we only dated for a few weeks, but she exploded," Sugafana admitted, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Exploded?" Jay stammered.

"Then when I first arrived at the camps, I was with a man named Paul; he was fun, but then he ran off to join the northern resistance," Sugafana added, and then she glanced up at Jay. It was easy not to grow romantically attached when all she saw was a sliver of his eyes. Now, however, she found herself taking in the elegant slope of his long nose, his surprisingly full lips, and the way his short beard framed his jawline. Charismatic; Jay looked charismatic. Of course, he did.

"Nani thinks I'm cursed," Sugafana added.

"I thought you didn't believe in anything," Jay reminded her.

"True," she admitted before pulling his face towards hers. The kiss felt like a shock of static electricity against her lips. Jay's lips moved against hers, and the shock turned into a vibrating purr, traveling right down her knees. Jay's lips felt so very warm and soft, aching in a way Sugafana didn't even know she was missing. Sugafana pulled away slightly dazed and then nodded.

"Your Nani said no kissing before a wedding," Jay stammered, sounding incredibly flustered.

"I had to make sure we had chemistry before making a decision," Sugafana pointed out logically.

"I think we do," Jay replied.

"Yes, surprisingly I agree," Sugafana admitted with a firm nod.

"Does this mean I can come?" He asked, and Sugafana nodded.

"And can I kiss you again?" He asked, and Sugafana nodded again.

"What were you two doing in there for so long? I've been waiting for almost an hour," grumbled Nani.

"An hour? Really?" Sugafana asked dubiously as she patted her hair back into place.

"Alright, half an hour," Nani conceded before nodding down the cave's dark corridor.

"Six people have already run past! I'm guessing a fight has broken out in the soup kitchen again," Nani said as Sugafana took back Dityaa.

"Sometimes I think we need an elected official to run this place; every time there's a fight, we end up having to scrub blood off the walls," Sugafana whispered as they walked through the dark.

"What, like a warlord?" Jay asked.

"No! More like a group of sensible, practical people who make good decisions based on everyone's needs," Sugafana said, and Nani snorted.

"Sounds like a silly fairytale to me," Nani said, and Jay suddenly squawked as he tripped in the dark.

"Nani, did you pack the torch?" Sugafana asked.

"Of course! But we don't want to waste the battery," Nani pointed out.

"We also don't want Jay to trip over and break his neck before we even get to his dorm," Sugafana pointed out.

Grumbling to herself, Nani rummaged about in her sack, and with a flash, the tunnel filled with a faint warm light. Jay gasped, the baby whimpered, and Nani swore.

A dead body was lying on the stone floor. An actual bloody dead body.

Sugafana merely choked a little before composing herself. It wasn't the first dead body she'd seen, and it probably wouldn't be her last.

"Appliances?" Nani whispered, and Sugafana shook her head, still feeling sick.

"Appliances vaporize humans; they don't leave a mess," Sugafana whispered.

The body was dressed in torn black pants, no shoes, and a loose grey shirt. Its hands were missing, blood trickling from the wrists.

"What the… " Jay gagged, and Sugafana stepped over the body, trying to avoid getting blood on her pants.

"We need to keep moving," Sugafana whispered as she rubbed baby Dityaa's head.

Silence didn't exist in the camp. Even in the dead of the night, the corridors and caves were filled with the constant thrum of people. Snow farmers getting ready to meet the Martian sunrise. Small children running around the corridors while their parents slept on the ground. Baba's thieves and traders drinking long into the night. Sugafana would often fall asleep to the distant sound of their cave neighbor two doors down singing.

Silence didn't exist.

Until now.

"Raiders?" Jay whispered as they approached the camp's nursery. Many people arrived at the camp either pregnant or carrying tiny babies. A couple of years ago, an enterprising flash named Pooja noticed this and created the nursery. It was really no more than a medium-sized enclave with a dozen cardboard boxes turned into cribs. The nursery's curtain had been ripped aside.

"Do you think we should look?" Jay whispered.

"Normally there's at least one baby crying in here," Sugafana replied, and Nani held the torch up. All the baby boxes were empty, and the attending nurse was lying dead on the floor.

"That's Arya's girl Priya; she's only seventeen," Nani cried, leaning down towards the girl.

"Her hands are also missing," Sugafana realized, her voice catching in her throat.

Jay leaned down, placing his hands gently on Nani's shoulder.

"This has to be something new, something new and terrible," Nani choked.

"My sleeping pod has a lock on it; we should all be able to squeeze inside," Jay said gently, helping Nani to her feet.

"And then what?" Hissed Sugafana.

"This thing is probably like a monsoon; it will storm past, and we can leave when it's gone," Jay whispered, and Sugafana shivered. Other people, braver people, would have insisted on finding the monster in the dark. They would have fought it to the death, saving those who remained. Other people, however, were not balancing a baby in their arms while standing next to a sixty-three-year-old lady with weak legs.

"Ok, we'll hide," Sugafana whispered.

Sugafana and Nani had only spent a week in the dorms before the claustrophobia made them flee. The sleeping pods were no more than two by two feet dingy gray boxes with locks on the inside. Sugafana had ended up trading her late mother's pearl earrings to secure their cave.

"Chi chi! I can smell them from here," Nani grumbled.

"Be polite," hissed Sugafana, although Nani was right. Even in the dark, it was easy to follow the stench of old cooking, human sweat, and volcanic sulfur.

"I keep my pod very clean," Jay said defensively.

"Of course you do," whispered Sugafana.

There was an edge to the smell this time.

There was an edge to the smell this time. A coppery tangy smell.

"I think the monster's already been here," whispered Nani.

"Let me have the torch," Jay said kindly as they reached the opening of the massive cavern that served as the first dormitory. Jani moved the torch to the side of the cave and fumbled about as if searching for something. Suddenly, the cave filled with light as the solar-powered lamps hung from the ceiling switched on.

"Well, I don't see any blood or bodies," Sugafana said as Baby Dityaa woke up, staring intently at her hair.

"Thank the Lord! Let's hide; my feet are killing me," grumbled Nani.

Jani led them through a maze of sleeping pods stacked up on top of each other. Some locked, some empty with the doors swinging open.

"Is this normal?" Sugafana asked.

"No, normally at this time of the night, all the doors are open, and people are gambling," Jay said as he stopped in front of one of the pods. Someone had drawn all over the surface, flowering intricate patterns.

"This is the art you're always talking about; it's very nice," Sugafana said knowingly.

"I'm not that interested in gambling," Jay said with a small shrug.

"And where did you get the dark reddish-brown paint?" Nani asked as Jay pulled a small screw out of his shirt pocket.

"Dark red-brown paint?" Jay asked, sounding faintly confused as he undid the lock. Something made a metallic clicking sound behind the door. A golden metallic hand, its fingertips covered in old blood, emerged from the pod, yanking the door open.

"The droid! It's alive!" screamed. The maternity droid tumbled out of the sleeping pod, landing on the floor in a jumble. Slowly, its body making faint clicking sounds, it stood up. Its belly was still wide open and covered in someone else's blood. Slowly, the droid looked around before its glowing red eyes fell on Sugafana.

"Oh, delightful! That little man was right! You do have my baby," the android said in a proud man's voice. It was the voice of a king.

[biro-slay]

I suggest these names:

Tango droid; itomaton; pearlescentbot; blorp

(explanation in the tags)

bleep blorp crew

[myketheartista]

so is anyone gonna talk about how impulse and false are the only androids in season 8 that are relatively unharmed and have to watch some of their friends undergo extreme stress while others are damaged beyond repair, meanwhile they aren't very close to each other in the first place and have to deal with their own struggles as all of this happens—do you think that gets to them? where they're forced to wait during that period of time between seasons to see if etho and tango's injuries weren't too severe and if they'd reboot as normal, if cub's memories from a planned deviancy would remain in tact despite the lapse in sanity, if mumbo would even wake up from whatever happened to him. wels and joe seemed fine, with minor damage and all, but those are still scars, still moments in time that are etched into their shells and memories that are forced to be remembered.

impulse and false who were built with the ability to protect people if needed, with his strength and her skillset, and yet neither of them were able to help their friends. do you think they're grateful it wasn't them? or would they have preferred it be them with the mentalities they both have, caring for people and all.

anyways shep @shepscapades can you talk about impulse and false more and the repercussions season 8 had on them please and thank you <3

[introboy]

So so excited to share my @mcytblrholidayexchange gift for @follow-the-compass-home! My concept was to combine a bunch of prompts together into one AU.

The premise is a modern-fantasy roommate situation where Tango, Bdubs, and Etho live together in an apartment. The only issue is that none of them are human, but they're all trying desperately to blend in, even though they don't really understand humanity as a concept.

More information can be found below the cut, and an introductory fic snippet can be found here (x)!

Downstairs Neighbors AU

Prompts used as inspiration:

Focus on Tango, Etho, and Bdubs

Include Boatem

Story told from Grian's perspective

Hybrid/inhuman AU

Angst with a happy ending

Emphasis on character dynamics

Here's a summary!!!

Tango, Etho, and Bdubs found each other by looking for roommates on Craigslist. They live in a 4-bedroom apartment together.

Tango is a spirit who wanted to interact with the world in a physical sense, so he built himself a body. He's basically just a ghost possessing an android (but unlike ghosts, he was never alive; he came into being as a fully-formed spirit). He doesn't adhere to normal bodily necessities like food, water, or sleep, which is convenient but also heavily concerning from an outsider's perspective.

Etho is a specific kind of shapeshifter called a mimic. He doesn't have a true form, but can copy the shape and mannerisms of most living creatures. The only constant across all of his appearances is a scarred left eye and white hair. Unfortunately, it takes practice to nail specific species characteristics, so he often forgets what he's supposed to look like and falls into uncanny valley. He wears a mask to cover his more noticable facial slipups.

Bdubs is some sort of plant creature (he doesn't really understand it himself). He has a perfect internal clock and sleeps, without fail, for 12 hours every night. He spends a lot of time in the unoccupied bedroom-- he uses it as a makeshift greenhouse, and it's filled with grow lights and humidifiers. He loves taking care of houseplants, but it's also a cover for him to spend time under the grow lights. Without enough light & water he gets lethargic.

Bdubs, Etho, and Tango, henceforth referred to as BET, all assume that the others are human. But since none of them know how to act human, they continuously pick up stranger and stranger habits from each other.

BET are close friends with Impulse & Skizzleman, who live together across the hall. Their upstairs neighbors are Grian, Pearl, Mumbo, and Scar, who are also besties with Imp & Skizz. BET and Boatem don't know each other well, but Grian especially thinks his neighbors are really odd.

Like BET, Grian is not human, and neither are the rest of his roommates. But they all know about each other, and Grian especially is really good at knowing how to act natural in public places. He's an avian shapeshifter, who can take the form of either a scarlet macaw or a human. Unlike Etho, both forms come equally naturally to Grian, and the shapeshifting process is a lot easier for him.

(Imp & Skizz are not human either-- they are a demon and an angel respectively. But, like Grian, they're really good at blending in when in public.)

One day, Grian gets injured on a flight and accidentally ends up on BET's balcony instead of his own. He's too disoriented to shift back into his human form or fly away, so Bdubs and Etho find him outside their door. Tango calls Impulse over in the hopes that he knows how to fix the random-injured-parrot crisis, but the only result is that Grian and Impulse start to truly take note of how strange their neighbors' living situation is. Incidents like the one pictured above arise (i.e. everyone finding out that there is not a singular scrap of food to be found in the entire apartment).

Ok that's all the rambling I'll do in this post, but I hope you enjoyed! Happy holidays!!

[ludolka]

INTRODUCTION POST

Commission info (they are open)

🍏 Daily Grian sideblog @daily-griowl

🍎 I post ship art, so filter the “hermitshipping” and “trafficshipping” tags if you don’t want to see that (NO RPF, ONLY CHARACTERS)

🍏 My other platforms where I post are TikTok -> @ napbogar & AO3 -> @ kaprisunny

🍎 Current brainrot(s) I yap about the most; Project Xelqua & gribeans

🍏 My Etsy shop -> @ kaprisunny0

You can find my AU’s under these hashtags (will add more if I make more AU’s bc knowing myself, I most likely will lmao)

1 ) #grumbo family (Grian and Mumbo being tired parents to the 4 Grumbot children)

2.a) #heroes and hybrids au / #H&HAU (focuses on Scar being the top hero HotGuy and Grian being the well-known vigilante Xelqua)

2.b) #alt vers h&hau (same premise as og h&hau, just with Joel joining as Xelqua’s sidekick and they are villains instead of vigilantes)

3) #kid chronicles au (just an obligatory kid au idk, nothing special)

4) #activity detected au (paranormal investigator au)

5) #gilded cage au (an Ariana Griande/popstar au)

6) #project xelqua au (Grian is a semi-sentient android here called Null/001, follows his and his team’s journey)

7) #vizsla and pheasant (a hunter dog x prey bird gribeans au, not a lot of worldbuilding, mostly for exploring that toxic dynamic)

+ #misc au (whatever alternative ideas/“what if”s I have that don’t fit into any other category and that I won’t work on enough to have proper worldbuilding/story)

BOUNDARIES

[shepscapades]

What if. What if I said I was thinking about them again

[clockwards]

SPOILERS for my fic the music is getting stranger! A more in-depth look at the wild life members, their powers, relationships, and origins :D

Gem (Gemstone/Kraken) - newly formed Watcher, domain of devotion / impartiality (they come in pairs!). deer hybrid with ears, antlers, slightly double jointed knees. In city 1, she is a hero by the (mostly silly nickname rather than proper title) Gemstone. Her power is thought to be refraction/nullification of powers due to her name and general unflappable-ness. In city 2, she is a villain by the name Kraken, who wields a harpoon. Her power is unknown, and generally not considered important because she's scary enough just holding a weapon. In actuality, she had no power at all! Sister to Joel, she is a mix of intense and too laid-back

Martyn - Watcher, nicknamed a Listener due to his past and powers, domain of devotion / impartiality. human. An old town gossip, he has uncontrollable hearing that occasionally slips through dimensions as well. Snarky and genuine, he is still a little bitter about the events that made him a Watcher (backstory will be written)

Grian - eldest Watcher, domain of life / death. avian hybrid. Grumpily fond of the people he loves, he's Too Old For This Shit. So old, in fact, that his wings are just blank bone and joints that he usually covers, but can still fly with (elytra) attachments

Cleo - eldest Watcher, domain of life / death. human. Would kill for her family while killing her family. Grudgingly motherly/sisterly relationship with the rest of the Watchers, she's easy to joke with and enjoys a good bit of trickery

Mumbo - Watcher, domain of logic / chaos. part android, resurrected. Previously a war tactics advisor, he holds himself to high and proper standards while being knowingly ridiculous. Fiercely loyal, he views himself as being in debt to Grian after his death (backstory will be written)

Skizz - Watcher, domain of logic / chaos. part angel, resurrected. Has a halo that hovers around his head - the higher it is, the happier he is. When he's afraid/angry, it settles around his neck like a noose. Previously a footsoldier alongside Mumbo, he's generally happy-go-lucky and considers becoming a Watcher a second chance at life (backstory will be written)

Joel (Jumpstart) - Mountain goat hybrid with some features (ears, horns, and slightly double jointed knees) who has the power to jump and land with great accuracy and do very little damage to his body. Aware that his wife is a villain and very proud of her. Unaware that his sister is a villain, will be very proud of her anyway after he has his appropriate freak out.

Pearl (Hermes/Deathhead) - moth hybrid (wings and antennae) with flight and enhanced light/heat sensitivity. City 2 hero by the name Hermes who functions mainly at night and is a slight workaholic. Mostly accidentally ends up acting as a villain in city 1 as Deathhead in her attempts to defeat Kraken. Confused, concerned, and so deep into a conspiracy she might be making it all up.

Tango - living wax homunculus with a mechanical "skeleton" who can reach high speeds and has the ability to start fires, typically on himself (he has a lighter function built into his fingers). Hero that refused to get a code name. Excitable, fast moving, and friendly

Scar - low-content vex hybrid with shielding/warding powers. Defensive role as a hero in city 1 and "organiser" of his group. Wheelchair-bound and generally considered unthreatening, however is basically untouchable and will very quickly extend that protection to the people he loves.

Impulse - city 2 hero by the name "i" (yes literally just the letter) who can teleport anywhere within his vision, and can swap static spaces. Old dwarf ancestry that only physically manifests in slight shortness, a proclivity for being underground and two small horns. A dad of his hero coalition, he wrangles Pearl and Jimmy with the ease of long practice, and knows exactly when to let go

Jimmy - city 2 hero, no code name. Extremely normal human with invisibility powers. Best friends with Lizzie and Joel, he doesn't particularly care about alliances and works in his own best interests. Naturally suspicious of anyone he doesn't know, yet trusts and bonds easily. Like a street cat that wants love.

Lizzie (Bunumbra) - city 2 villain by the name Bunumbra. Rabbit hybrid with ears and softened hands/feet with the power to control and move within shadows (including what is basically fast travel). Married to Joel, and knows that Gem is double-timing, but doesn't mention it out of politeness (its rude to talk about work at the dinner table). Sweet, chaotic, and best friends with Jimmy

Etho (Sisyphus) - city 2 "villain" (mostly neutral, just likes hanging out with Gem) by the name Sisyphus. Living stone homunculus with a power colloquially called 'immovable object, unstoppable force' (can, by singular touch, make an object/person immovable until destroyed or unstoppable in the direction of action until destroyed). Can do this to himself as well, and considering he's made of literal rock, can crash right through most things. Including people. Chill, sarcastic, lives with Bdubs

Scott - human with animal shapeshifting abilities, kind of a villain if you count whatever he's got going on with Pearl. In it for the drama, and an uncontrollable gossip. Works at a cafe and has previous experience with heroes/villains, relatively disillusioned about the state of the world but otherwise happy

Ren - human shapeshifting abilities via genetic mimicry, in the same villain situation as Scott. Can turn into animals only via copying Scott, as he's still a human DNA-wise. Dramatic, appreciates a good story, and is horrifically bored working in a cafe

Bdubs - terrestrial isopod hybrid that curls into himself when in danger or afraid. Time shifting powers that cause him to experience issues with memory and sleep, he is often found in bed in the apartment he shares with Etho. Cheerful, stubborn and very huggable

BigB - no actual power, just knows the forest Too Well to be normal. might be part tree. Lives in the woods outside the motel and Observes intently the going ons of his neighbours. Gentle, a little odd, and mysteriously absent at the worst of times

[howlingday]

YanYaYang

Yang: Excuse me?

Cardin: I said if ya ain't gonna fork over some lien, then there's no point in us goin' out on a date. 'Course, if you promise to put out, I'm willin' to change my mind. But you gotta pay for the hotel.

Yang: Ugh... (Roundhouse kicks)

Cardin: (Blocks) What the hell?! (Kicks) Get over yourself! If you ain't got cash, and you ain't puttin' out, then what the hell's the point of us bein' together? You really think I give that much of a shit about you?

Yang: Screw you, you 8-bit brained loser! Tetris! Pong! Mario!

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

Pyrrha: Did you really say that to him?

Weiss: Calling him video game titles doesn't do anything.

Yang: Can't I get a little sympathy~? He was my first boyfriend~!

Weiss: And I told you not to bother with that guy. Honestly, name one good thing about him.

Yang: He... He looked like the guy who played Neptune in that one series~...

Pyrrha: Oh... This again?

Weiss: You make me sick.

Yang: HEY! What's wrong with dating a guy who looks like he can part the seas for you?!

God of the Sea: I'm as ruthless as the seas...

Weiss: There's no such thing as guys like that anymore.

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

Yang: Ugh... Isn't there anyone out there who can treat me like the beautiful pearl I am? Somebody... Anybody...? Why is life so...

Goggles: (Getting pelted by paper)

Russel: C'mon! Say something!

Goggles: (Looks up)

Lark: Hey! Who said you could look at us?!

Dove: Here. This one's got a magnet in it.

Russel: Oh, yeah! That'll hurt~! ...Huh?

Yang: (Sitting in front of Goggles)

Goggles: (Taken aback)

Yang: Whatcha readin'~?

Goggles: Uh... W-Well, it's-

Yang: (Looks to bullies, Scoffs) Lame... Is there nothing but cowards in this school? (Exits)

Goggles: ...

Yang: What's it gonna take to get a little excitement around here? I've got so much pent-up potential!

Goggles: YANG XIAO LONG! I know what you're looking for!

Yang: Huh?

Goggles: I said I know what you're into!

Yang: Don't just repeat yourself.

Goggles: If you, Yang Xiao Long, sat next to me, it's because of only one thing!

Yang: I'm not gonna be your friend, dude. Just forget everything you saw back there.

Goggles: (Holds out tabloid) THIS! This is what I'm talking about! Headmaster Ozpin has already been to the moon! Everything about Project Icarus is finally revealed!

Yang: What?

Goggles: You're into the paranormal, aren't you?!

Yang: You mean, like, UFOs and aliens? Nah, I ain't into that.

Goggles: UAPs, not UFOs! Unidentified Aerial Phenomena!

Yang: (Rolls her eyes) Geez, enough already...

Goggles: They found fossilized remains of extraterrestrial life in the deserts of Vacuo, and there's even speculation of superior, intelligent life being responsible for the shattering of the moon!

Yang: (Looking at her scroll) Can I go now?

Goggles: Wait, wait! I've got the latest on the Leviathan, and androids, and beast-folk!

Yang: SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY! I'm dealing with a broken heart right now, and I'm not in the mood to play pretend with your crap! This is why YOU HAVE NO FRIENDS!

Goggles: (Drops magazine)

Yang: (Walks away, Stops, Turns, Sighs, Walks back) Sorry. Too far?

Yang: (Picks up magazine) Look, I don't believe in aliens, but I do believe in magic, since my mom is a Maiden.

Goggles: Pfft! Magic isn't real~!

Yang: HUH?! I WENT ALONG WITH YOUR BULLCRAP, AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SHUT ME DOWN?!

Goggles: I CARE ABOUT REAL FACTS, NOT MYSTICAL MUMBO-JUMBO!

Yang: No, it's true! My mom is a Maiden! Have you seen the magic she can pull off? It's amazing~! ...even though she has a shitty personality.

Goggles: Or it could just be a semblance. There's no proof magic exists.

Yang: (Shoves magazine into his face) Yeah? You ever get offered a ride in one of those fancy UAPs yet, then?

Goggles: (Pushing magazine away) None of your arguments make any sense! Would you string together at least one thought?!

Pyrrha: Huh? I guess she stopped looking for a Greek god and settled for something more... realistic.

Weiss: I don't think she cares how she looks, wrestling that tabloid with him and all. Honestly, good for her.

Yang: ALRIGHT, HERE'S THE DEAL! If I can prove magic is real, then YOU have to be MY personal servant!

Goggles: FINE! And if I can prove aliens, I mean extraterrestrials, are real, then YOU have to be MY personal servant, Miss Xiao Long!

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

One First Episode Shenanigan Later...

Yang: Well, that sucked.

Yang: I didn't think aliens were real, but then an alien cat abducted me.

Goggles: I didn't think magic was real, but then an evil witch put a curse on me.

Yang: So... What now?

Goggles: Good question.

Yang: I need to focus my aura so you don't go crazy again.

Goggles: Sorry about that.

Yang: Because of this, I lost my uniform, my wallet, my scroll... Everything

Goggles: Do you think there's a way to get rid of this curse?

Yang: Yeah; track down that witch bitch and kick her ass!

Goggles: Oh... Alright, I'll go ahead and make my way on over there then.

Yang: What?! You're going now?!

Goggles: I might as well. It's my fault that I put you into this mess. (Hands over jacket) Here, you can have these while I go take care of this. You go home and let me handle this. (Taking off pants)

Yang: What? No, I have to keep my eye on you until-

Goggles: No, you don't. This is my mess, and just because you got dragged into it doesn't mean you have to suffer with me. It's my fault that I got cursed, just like it's my fault that you got abducted.

Yang: Dude, this is as much my fault as it is yours, so I can't just walk away from this either, you know! Not to mention that if it wasn't for either of us, both of us would be dead.

Goggles: Are... Are you sure? Even if you help me-

Yang: You mean like how I'm helping you now? Like, right now? Now shut up and put your pants back on!

Goggles: S-Sorry... Sometimes, I'm as ruthless as the seas...

Yang: Huh...?

Goggles: I'll take my pants back, but please keep the jacket on. Something about a woman being vulnerable makes me sick.

Yang: (Lub-Dub, Thinking) What... What's going on...? Why's my heart racing? No, it's nothing like that. He just happened to sound like Neptune; that's all.

Yang: Hey, uh, what's your name again? I don't think you ever told me!

Goggles: My name? It's NEPTUNE.

Yang:

[hezzabeth]

An hour later, they reached the end of the market, weighed down with packages and a bag filled with jars of creation sand.

"Did we really need the ragdoll?" Sugafana asked Jay.

"Of course! Every child needs a special cuddly toy when they're born," Jay insisted.

"And the reading tablet?" Sugafana asked, referring to the old book of fairytales? It cost an entire bag of snow," Sugafana pointed out. Actual paper books were incredibly rare.

"The lady selling it looked like she hadn't had a decent meal in weeks! And babies who are read to grow up smarter," Jay explained.

"I’m sure she’s perfectly smart! Rich people always pay extra for intelligence upgrades," Sugafana pointed out as the baby squirmed against her chest.

"We should have bought her the pink princess dress," Jay said, looking down at the baby who was now wrapped up in a plain blue blanket.

"It was filthy and five sizes too big! The man was charging far too much for it," Sugafana grumbled.

Two people were leaning against Sugafana’s transport pod. Sugafana had found the pod abandoned and half destroyed in the snowfields during the first year of the appliance war. It had taken six months to repair. When she was finally done, Sugafana had painted it a cheerful Daffodil yellow with purple flowers.

"My pod isn’t a park bench," Sugafana said coldly, glaring at the two strangers. The first interloper was a tall round woman dressed in a black jumpsuit, her long frizzy blue hair pulled away from her craggy severe face. The second was a pale little girl wearing a frilly black party dress, her cobalt hair falling over one shoulder in a thick braid.

"It feels perfectly comfortable to me," the little girl said as the lady stood up, her black cloak swishing around her ankles.

"Assassin," hissed Jay.

"We prefer the term execution specialist," the lady said, and her eyes fell briefly on the baby.

"So, that little imp was right! You did keep the baby," the lady remarked.

"Mama, is this going to take long? My feet are tired from stamping too much," the little girl whined.

The execution specialist merely nodded towards the car.

"I see your pod has four seats; you will give my daughter and me a ride back to your camp. We walked here, and it was exhausting," she said.

"I won’t let you harm the baby," Sugafana said firmly.

"Neither will I," Jay added, and the lady chuckled. It was a low, cold chuckle.

"I only kill for money. Although if you refuse to give us a ride, I may make an exception," the lady remarked, and Sugafana’s eyes fell on the little girl who was scratching at her paintwork.

"Fine," she growled.

The first few minutes were tense as they drove through the city gates.

"So have you given the baby a name yet?" The assassin asked from the back seat after several moments of silence.

"No, she’s not my baby," Sugafana said through gritted teeth.

"I love naming things," the assassin said dreamily.

"Mama named me Paulina; it means small," the little girl remarked.

"You were small when you were born; I couldn’t decide if I should take you on as an apprentice or leave you to die on a hill," the assassin said.

Sugafana felt the grip on her steering controls tighten.

"And do you have a name, Auntie?" Jay stammered nervously.

"Not a legal one, no, but in this part of the solar system, you all call me the Sinister Whisper," the Sinister Whisper remarked, and Sugafana waved at the controls, causing the pod to skid to a stop an inch above the snow.

"When Mama dies, it will become my name," the little girl said cheerfully.

"Get out," Sugafana hissed.

"Get out? You want my daughter and me to get out into the freezing wasteland? It’s almost nightfall," she said with a small, vague smile.

Sugafana glanced upwards; the eerie aquamarine sunset was already starting.

"Get out, I don’t deal with famous assassins," Sugafana repeated herself.

"They might end up freezing to death! That little girl's dress doesn’t have sleeves," Jay said.

"I don’t feel the cold," the little girl said, and suddenly Sugafana felt something sharp and cold pierce through her thick braid, gently touching her neck.

"How about we all get out together? Or I might slip, and this nasty little needle filled with a highly effective toxin will end up breaking through your skin," the Sinister Whisper said.

Mars at sunset was considered one of the most classically beautiful sights in the solar system. Three hundred years ago, the tourist board of Mangalrajya built a glorious pleasure garden just outside the city. Sealed under a massive protective dome, tourists would party. Artists would come armed with drawing tablets to capture the aquamarine skies. Families would eat gourmet meals while waiting for the sun to set and the night sky to light up with a celestial fire show. During Holi, the fountains would spray epic jets of rainbow water. During Christmas, the local Catholics would arrange special concerts. For years, Sugafana would save her credits and take her sister to the annual food festival. When the appliances took over, the pleasure garden was one of the first things they destroyed. Now the land was empty apart from an occasional lump of rusty metal sticking from the ground.

Sugafana stood on the freezing ground, the needle still pressed in her neck.

"So, how did you two meet then?" The Sinister Whisper asked curiously.

"Mama! I don’t want to hear stories," the little girl grumbled.

"We met three years ago when we both tried to collect snow cubes in the same patch," Sugafana said simply.

"She thought I was a Maharatha raider and tried to kill me with her shovel," Jay added with a small nervous smile.

The Maharatha raiders were an annoying gang of teenagers. They spent their days roaming the wasteland robbing people instead of getting jobs.

"Then the real raiders showed up, and we beat them up together; after that, working together seemed easier," Sugafana added.

"Very nice, you're protective and you work well together," the Sinister Whisper said and then nodded towards Paulina.

Paulina skipped towards Jay and then pulled on his shirt.

"Give us the baby, or we will kill your partner," Paulina smiled.

Sugafana almost flinched. Jay seemed to be shifting slightly as if about to give the baby over.

"Jay, don’t do it," Sugafana said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Jay asked as the baby flailed about, her head slumping onto Jay’s shoulder.

"I’m sure, I’ve had twenty-four years! That baby has had nothing," Sugafana said, shutting her eyes.

Twenty-four years. Twenty years of pleasant walks, silly fights with family, and warm safe beds. Four years of people vanishing, good, sore bleeding hands, and four years of Jay’s silly stories….

Sugafana felt the needle pierce her skin. Her muscles clenched, preparing herself for the onslaught of burning poison. Nothing happened. Sugafana slowly opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder. The Sinister Whisper was smiling at her, a self-satisfied, almost proud smile.

"The two of you have passed all my tests. Congratulations, you’re about to become parents," the assassin smiled, marching towards Jay, who was now faintly whimpering.

"I’m sorry… what?" Sugafana choked, and the Sinister Whisper shrugged.

"This baby needs parents who are intelligent, caring, and willing to die for its safety," the Sinister Whisper remarked casually, and Jay screamed as the Sinister Whisper pricked his skin with the same needle.

"You mean you’re not here to kill the baby?" Sugafana stammered, feeling vaguely hysterical.

The Sinister glanced briefly over her shoulder. "If I wanted to kill the baby, I would have destroyed the maternity droid's circuits instead of leaving it in the snow," she said with a small shrug.

"Mama, can’t we take the baby? These people are so soft," the little girl pleaded as the assassin pulled a small black box out of her pocket.

"No, darling, the baby's father will turn to us first," the assassin said as she handed the needles to her daughter and opened the box.

"The baby's father? Can’t he take her?" Sugafana asked, peering at the box.

Inside was a tiny gold caterpillar carved from solid gold.

"The baby's father is a bad man, an incredibly stupid bad man," the assassin said before taking the needles off her daughter.

Jay nodded as if fully understanding what she meant.

With a swift movement, she stabbed the caterpillar.

"Maternal and paternal genetic material uploaded," the scorpion said, and the assassin moved towards Jay, holding the tiny scorpion above the baby's head.

"This is a cosmetic DNA overrider, so you understand what that means?" The assassin asked Jay.

"Yes, we studied them at nursing school," Jay said in a small, nervous voice.

"What does that mean?" Sugafana whispered nervously.

"Rich people use them when they want to change their appearance but don’t want the genes to get passed down to their kids. It’s a sort of genetic mask that lies over your real DNA," Jay explained.

"Rich people, of course," Sugafana sighed.

"When I place this caterpillar on her head, this baby will have your maternal and paternal DNA signatures; every database in the solar system will register her as your biological daughter," the assassin explained.

"I have always wanted to be a mother," Sugafana admitted.

"I do like kids," Jay added.

"I know, that’s why I left the android on your snow patch," the assassin said, placing the caterpillar on the baby's head.

"Genetic overriding sequence selected, do you wish to proceed?" the caterpillar asked.

"Well, do you?" The assassin asked.

Sugafana’s eyes met Jay’s. He slowly nodded.

"Yes," Sugafana said, and the caterpillar began to squirm.

Suddenly, the baby's hair began to fall out in fluffy green clumps. The baby screeched and cried as the caterpillar rolled in on itself, turning into a cocoon.

"She’s in pain," Sugafana cried, running towards Jay.

"She’ll be ok; the patients I observed said it’s more of an annoying itchy feeling," Jay reassured her.

The baby's skin tone was changing; her cheeks were becoming fuller, and tiny prickles of violet hair began to sprout from her scalp.

"Modifications complete," the cocoon chimed, and it burst open, revealing a golden butterfly that flew away, landing on the assassin's shoulder.

The baby opened her eyes. Big, amber gold eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes.

"She looks like you," Jay whispered, and something flooded through Sugafana. Something aching and sad. Something wonderful.

"No, she looks like my sister," Sugafana whispered, taking the baby out of Jay’s arms.

The baby gripped onto the front of Sugafana’s shirt, and suddenly she was four years old again, holding her baby sister the day she was born.

"You should name her Perdita," Paulina said in a tiny, firm voice.

"No, they need to name the baby themselves," the sinister whisper scolded her gently.

"My sister's name was Lakshmi, but this baby is her own person," Sugafana said to Jay, and he stood next to her, patting the baby's head.

"What about Dityaa? It means almost the same thing," Jay asked, and Sugafana nodded, her eyes watering.

"Dityaa," she said firmly. Suddenly, everything flashed blue, and the air filled with the scent of fresh pineapple.

"They’re gone," Jay whispered. The assassin and her daughter had vanished.

[tunastime]

A Moment Called Forever

waves my hands about! this is the first chapter (ish) of the docsuma SEN fic for my au I created for Stretching Endless Night!! it is. eventual docsuma! but I wanted to go into detail about who xisuma and his crew were before the Prometheus, before tango met jimmy, and before ethubs had their near fatal mission :3 so here it is! yaay!!

Xisuma pilots a ship known as the HSS Moonrise. His career begins--and nearly ends--with the crew and missions aboard during the first five years of his captain's career. Doc, the right hand to a captain far too young to be piloting, rebuilds himself from the ground up alongside the crew of a ship that's become family. At the same time, he watches his captain grow and change and root himself firmly into his life. Or: Doc and Xisuma watch their lives change and reflect each other. Or: how the Prometheus station came to be, and how its Admiral, alongside his captains, help it blossom. (2414 words)

Stationed ELMSC-14, stardate 2204.60. Deployed: Cpt. Xisuma V. LtCmd. Doc M., LtCmd. Cleo Z., Lt. Slip G., Lt. Mumbo J., Lt. Tango T. Stationed: Lt. Biffa T.

Conditions: visibility, 50km, clear, winds NW 2km. Communications established. Radar operational. Pinging team leader.

Xisuma shuts the screen on his visor, blocking out the binary suns and washing the world in shade and orange grids. Elm is devoid of surface life, long since uninhabited by the companies that had mined underground. In front of him stretches orange-red sand and large, smooth cliffs. It reminds him a lot of pictures of Earth—deserts and mesas with the sun high ahead of them. Tango’s voice crackles to life, then smoothes out as he speaks.

“So what’re we lookin’ for, X?”

X turns his head, glancing back at Tango a pace behind him. To Tango’s left is Mumbo, with a bag slung across his chest, much like Xisuma. Tango hefts the core sampler further up onto his back—likely less from the weight and more to keep balanced. 

“Anything,” Xisuma answers truthfully. “Like you both know, this place was abandoned ages ago. Anything we can find to either prove it’s worth using or prove it’s good to leave is good for HASA.”

Mumbo sighs. 

“Wow,” he says. “Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen soil this orange before.”

“I’ve never seen soil,” Tango jokes, voice dipping as he elbows Mumbo. Mumbo snorts, shoving him sideways.

“We get it, robo-man.”

Tango scoffs—or makes a noise that sounds just like it.

“Android! First of all!” he huffs. Xisuma sees him fold his arms when he glances back. “Anyway—the red comes from enriched iron deposits in the sediment. Partially magnesium as well.”

Below his visor, Xisuma grins.

“Says the man who’s never seen soils,” he pipes up. Mumbo laughs.

“Just because I’ve never seen ‘em doesn’t mean I didn’t learn everything I know from skimming Biff’s books,” Tango says. 

“You’ve got a point,” X says. He hears Tango agree with him, something that crackles into obscurity as Cleo’s voice rings clear through the communicator.

“Xisuma,” she says.

“Go ahead,”

“Hey—” Cleo starts. “We’ve not found anything over here yet, and we’re about a kilometer or so from the first dig point. Should we keep going?”

“Affirmative, Cleo,” Xisuma says. “You all can keep going—we’re about 800 meters from ours, so we’ll stop here before we move onto the next one.”

Tango jogs to walk at his side, pulling up his projection of Elm’s surface. Laid out in a flat grid, Xisuma can see their current point, a small blip on the screen, and the location they’re trying to reach, a larger, solid shape behind the next crest. He leans into Tango’s space to glance at the map, and Tango bumps their shoulders together. Leaning back, smile on his face, Xisuma says:

“I want to get at least two done each today before we get back to the ship. That only leaves three total for tomorrow, and it’s more than likely we’ll be able to extrapolate one from orbit.”

“Heard,” Cleo says. “We’ll let you know if we find anything interesting, yeah?”

“Please do!” X chirps. “That’s the whole point of us being out here.”

Doc’s voice breaks through the communicator as he laughs. 

“Aye, aye, Captain,” he says. X snorts, shaking his head.

“Be safe out there, you lot—” he laughs. “Cleo, Slip, Doc—”

“Why me?” Doc cuts through. 

“Accident prone,” Tango supplies. 

Xisuma laughs, waving his hand. 

“Okay, okay,” he says, trying to quell the conversation. “Let us know if you find anything of note, or if we can help you at all after our two digs. We’ve got about 3 kilometers total today, so we may have a little less further to go than you.”

“Will do, Captain,” Cleo says. “Thanks, X.”

“Sure thing.”

Xisuma hums to himself, amused, as Cleo’s transmission ends. The three, Tango, Xisuma, Mumbo, walk in a line along the orange rock and sand, following the path of the map and Tango’s guidance. Tango steps ahead of Xisuma, curled over the map, shoulders hunched as he walks. He walks with the surety of someone who can see nearly everything around him, without interference or blindspots. He follows the bob of Tango’s head, caught in the yellow shimmer of his overlay as they walk. They make it up a rise and partway down into a valley. The sand kicks up behind them, swirling and settling as they go. Their bootprints in the rock and dirt are obscured as soon as they’re made.

The valley sits in a low between two other large faces, though the area itself is raised high above the ground. The rocky plateau dips and curves, creating large holes in the rock, smooth hills, and flat rises. If Xisuma were to walk a kilometer out to the west, he could see where the cliff face drops into the depression below, a sunken crater from mining operations in the years prior.

After a few minutes, Tango slows to pause, turning to look back at the two behind him. Though Xisuma can barely see his bright, neon eyes from behind the visor, he can tell when he meets eyes with both of them, nodding. Xisuma tilts his head.

“Here?” he asks.

Tango nods.

“Looks like it from our map, here,” he says, holding it out for X to look at. The blip of red against the screen is right over their geographical point for their first dig. Xisuma nods, then, unclipping his data pad from his hip and beginning to note down their surroundings.

“I’ll start field conditions while you two start the sample,” he says. “You remember what we’re looking for?”

“How could I forget?” Tango pipes up, patting his helmet with his glove. Xisuma snorts. He’s not sure it picks up through their linked comms, but he’s sure the shake of his head gets his notion across.

“Let Mumbo help you, alright?” he says. Tango shoots him a thumbs up. 

Mumbo unhooks the drill machine from Tango’s bag, setting the chunky piece of equipment into the dirt. The two begin the process of setting up the sample drill together, lifting the bulky box to release the feet, straightening it to level. Xisuma turns away from them, staring out across the orange sand and yellow sky, still instinctively shielding his face from the binary suns. He can see across the valley and to another crest, the wide slopes bright orange and gold in the early day light. From behind his visor, Xisuma smiles, laughing to himself.

The conditions are clear, low wind, cold. It’s not a planet that ever housed life on the surface, so the frigid conditions aren’t an issue. X is certain something likely could survive, human, humanoid, or otherwise, but nothing ever did that anyone saw. He was hopeful that it remained that way, though no scan of the surface and ten feet under gave anything away. He marks down what he could classify the soil as by sight, but the soil tests would have to confirm what he knew once they got back to the ship. When he turns back to Mumbo and Tango, Tango is crouched by the core-sampler, watching it dig into the sand and rock, and Mumbo is sitting against a rock, staring at the orange sky. He makes his way back over, setting the data pad back on his hip.

“Workin’ fine?” he asks.

Mumbo nods, giving him a thumbs up.

“Working great,” he says. “Looks like it’ll be about fifteen minutes until we get a complete sample, and we can start analysis while we’re hiking to the next point.”

X nods.

“Tango,” he asks. Tango’s head perks up. “Where is the next data point?”

“Good question,” Tango starts. He unlatches his communicator, pulling up the map projection. “It looks like about a kilometer. To the northeast, so we might meet Cleo, Doc, and Slip on the way, if they haven’t reached their second waypoint. Theirs is due north of ours.”

Xisuma nods.

“About a thirty minute walk?” he asks. Tango nods. 

“Just about.”

“Fantastic.”

For a long moment, Xisuma watches the core-sampler rotate slowly. He watches the percentages rise and fall as Tango starts to talk about what he expects the composition of the soil will be. Mumbo pipes up at some point, adding to the bidding, though the two quickly lapse into chatter about the next project they might receive. Where Mumbo specialized in many of the ship’s electronic components, Tango had quickly caught on, in their nearly two and a half, if not three, years together, to how the major functions of the ship worked. He could make repairs quicker than the rest of the team, especially in orbit. There was more EVA time recorded by Tango than any other member of the crew—with no need for oxygen, and with sun exposure being his only real worry, Tango could work quickly outside in minimal conditions. In fact, if Xisuma hadn’t been worried about wind and UV damage, Tango probably wouldn’t have donned a suit for this mission. But he did, and he stood looking small against the orange sand.

As the drill lifts the sample into one of its chambers, Tango begins the shutdown process. He and Mumbo lift the legs into the machine, boxing it together and reattaching the carrying strap. Dusting off the surface, Tango slings it over one shoulder, resettling it on his back.

“Alright,” Xisuma says cheerily. “Are you all ready?”

There’s a beat between when Xisuma finishes speaking and when Tango goes to answer. In that beat, no more than a second, there’s a high-pitched ringing in Xisuma’s ears. He squeezes his eyes shut. And in the less-than-a-second afterward, the air and ground wobbles, and something, not even two kilometers away, explodes. 

Xisuma ducks on instinct, stumbling as the sound and air hits him. He hears Mumbo’s voice through the communicator—what he thinks is Mumbo’s, because he doesn’t hear anything else until the ringing fades and he rights himself. He whips around, trying to find the source of the explosion, searching for anything, really, to make things make sense, to place a face to the sound, sharp and still stinging his ears. He sees a plume of sand and smoke in the distance. The back of his mouth suddenly feels very, very dry.

“Tango—” he shouts. “Mumbo, are you two—”

“Fine!” Mumbo says. “Tango’s fine, too—”

“‘M right here, what—”

“An explosion?” Xisuma manages. “I dunno—”

Xisuma chokes on his next breath as he tries to force the words out. His hand comes to his wrist, fiddling with his communicator.

“That wasn’t that far—” Tango starts.

“Cleo,” Xisuma starts, paging his lieutenant. “Cleo, Doc, Slip, are you three all alright?”

“Xisuma—” Cleo says, words crackling. The crackling never fades, though, like she’s caught in static. Her words come choppy through the haze. “Something just—we hit something—”

“Cleo, what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Cleo manages. Her voice is wobbily. “Something we dug up—my vision’s busted, I-I can’t find Slip and Doc—”

Xisuma freezes. Very quickly, all of his joints go cold, down to his wrist and fingertips. He swallows hard, forcing down the heartbeat in his throat and pulling in a breath of oxygen too sharp and too cold.

“Tango,” he starts, voice leveling. Static surfaces and fades in his visor, the remnant of heat and dust washing over them as he tastes the tang of filtered air in his mouth. “Comm Biffa and tell him to bring the ship as close as he can to the second extraction point—” he turns, facing the two of them. “It has a bigger trauma kit on board. If someone’s suit got damaged it’s not gonna last long.”

“Okay,” Tango manages, taking a step back. Xisuma watches him fiddle with the transponder on his wrist before he sees his name blink from his HUD as he switches channels.

“Mumbo how far is their extraction point from here?” Xisuma asks, recalling the projection of the map of their portion of Elm. He can see the faint blip of Cleo’s transponder across the terrain.

“It’s—maybe a few kilometers. It’s not far? I think—I think it’s not far. I—” Mumbo stutters. “Yeah. Why?”

“Biffa won’t make it in time—” Xisuma says, tightening the straps for his bag, the data pad at his side. He brings up the overlay for both the extraction points and the dig locations. “I mean—he can get to you, but I need someone on board who knows how to set up the trauma kit, and that’s you, Mumbo. And I need someone to make sure we don’t damage the sample.”

“Do you think you’ll make it in time?” Mumbo asks.

“I—I have to, don’t I? I need you and Tango to stay here.”

“Woah—” Tango starts. “Captain, I—that’s a huge risk—”

“Tango,” Xisuma starts. “Lieutenant, I need someone with Mumbo, you’re the only one who can co-navigate with Biffa out of the two of you, and I need Mumbo in medical. And someone has to fetch the sample. Can I trust you to do that, Tango?”

“Yes—yessir.”

“Good—what’s Biffa’s ETA?”

“He—with takeoff sequence, he’ll be able to make it here in 35 minutes.”

“That’s good,” Xisuma manages. “That’s all we can ask for—we can work with that, can’t we?”

He laughs. It’s thin and weak, but Mumbo lets out a heh in response that washes over his nerves like a salve. He swallows, trying to get the dry feeling out of his mouth. He turns toward the plume of smoke for a moment, eyes flicking back to the group.

“X,” Tango says. “Be careful.”

Right. Okay. Xisuma shudders out a sigh. It’s more of a whistle, really, through the helmet. He does it because he thinks he can feel bile rising in his throat, and he’d really not like to get sick with no way of cleaning anything out.Something small in his abdomen curls up, tight and heavy. In that same moment, he sets his jaw. His vision is clouded with the heavy orange overlay, cutting through the rise of smoke that’s just started to cloud his vision. Turning back to Tango, he nods firmly.

“Tango—”

“I have comm until you get back,” Tango says, nodding back at him.

“Yes—” Xisuma starts. “Good luck. Good luck.” 

Stepping backward, Xisuma feels a cold rush through his body. Then he turns, fully, toward the smoke.

[hmshermitcraft]

When Mumbo found a broken down, ruined Android in the forest at 16, he decided to help them and fix them up.

Almost 12 years later, Iskall found out that Mumbo redesigned them to look exactly like his type.

Mumbo was always warned about creating such advanced AI for Iskall. How it could turn on him, become destructive, blah blah blah.

Mumbo doesn't think any of them considered said AI bullying him for his tastes as a teenager every opportunity he gets. Iskall is never going to let him live this down. This is the worst.

Mumbo just has to make sure Iskall never finds out that his type hasn't changed since...

[saphushia]

Trick or treat!

(hermitcraft?)

a very proper lad! (aka was messing with android mumbo design)

[ludolka]

Also omg I’m going crazy because I’m fucking cooking up another au- y’all are allowed to hit me with a car lmao

But I’ve been heavily inspired by the work I do and the numerous talks I had with my dad, who is a ceo of a small tech startup and also I’ve been getting back into D:BH lately, which also inspired me

So ! What I have so far; basically it’s an android/artificial intelligence becoming rouge and sentient au

There is a group of scientists working on a fully functional AI-powered android, the first of its kind. It’s called the Xelqua line and so far they only have one model, 001 (so Grian) that is still a work in progress

The main group assigned to 001 consists of Mumbo, Joel, Jimmy and Lizzie, everyone has a different purpose in teaching and developing 001. Mumbo’s the main programmer, Joel’s the mechanic, Jimmy works with the social programming and he’s the main person who talks to and teaches 001 and Lizzie’s the designer

Scar and Cub are also there with the company, Cub is the supervisor of 001’s main research/developer group and Scar’s the marketing leader, who closely works with the group to keep up with updates and he pretty much promotes the company and the Xelqua line for investors

I want to format this au differently than how I usually format my au’s, I want the main storytelling to be through comics and possibly fics, all in the style of research entries

( Also, name suggestions for the au would be appreciated once again lmao and also send me asks about this !! I wanna talk about this au !! )