#freshly hatched robots

[aecholapis]

[deadhearthotline]

i depend on you

Chambray (he/him) (Froakie) belongs to me, Bucky (he/him) (Bunnelby) belongs to @fizkid

based on this art from twitter!

[simpingforbots]

Stargazing 3

You had a wonderful plan for such wonderful day. You wanted to spend it in bed, enjoying the warmth and safety of your blanket and nest of soft toys, wrapped around you with safety, time to time climbing out of the bed to get food, like take out from one of your favourite restaurant. And maybe playing some games. Not to be rudely awaken in early hours of the morning, dragged to what probably was a super secretive military base, quickly introduced to the other giant alien bots, almost got crushed by what was probably two overactive twins, manhandled by anther alien robot, then brought to some kind of “manager”, who seamed not to happy that you were here to begin with and were taken away by soldiers in to some kind of cold, empty room with cement bench, a holding cell. You let out a heavy sigh, letting your shoulders slump down and head fall down in to your arms, to tiered of every thing and overwhelmed by every thing in span of few hours.

Ironhide was not having too good of morning etaher. He knew well that you wanted to spend your day alone (Sort of), but he had to bring you in to arrange what he wanted with Gallowya. And when he introduced you to the others, he was ready to punch Sideswipe for even daring to lay his servos on you, even if it was with good intentions, to reach out and pet you, he still did not enjoyed it, quickly settling you down on the ground and was quite pleasantly surprised to see you run behind his ped, hiding behind him like some kind of freshly hatched sparkling. And he hated to have to leave, especialy with siblings, already seeing them getting to excited for their own good around you, but he knew Ratchet was there. And then seeing you being brought in by Optimus, who quickly gave him a glare as one and only warning to the scolding he will receive from Prime him self, which was much worse then from the small human, who finally was calming down and just pacing around, mumbling about what he need to do now with the human in the other room.

The opportunity was finally opening up and Ironhide took a few steps forwards, quickly getting Galloway attention with him glaring at him with quite a lot of hate, something that was not unusual in any situation.

“What do you want now? Have you not done enough already?! Or do you have some kind of magical solution, huh?” agent grumbled out and Ironhide had to keep him self cool and grounded, not only bacouse Prime was watching, but because his whole plan was now hanging on how he can act it out.

“Didn’t you have a nice solutions with Witwicky boy?” he tired to act like he did not care, but deep inside he cared so much that he was ready just to squash him if he refused the solution so graciously handed to him on a silver platter right now “You don’t seem to have much trouble with that?”

“Are you seriously thinking that I just hand it out, huh?” human barked back with anger “It was not easy to grant something like this an---"

“With all due respect, Agent Galloway” finally speaking up, Optimus joined in to the conversation, surprising even the gunslinger who looked up at the boss bot with his good optick in confusion, yet relief at the same time. “I don’t believe it will be quite easy to deal with this human. From what I understand they’ve been seeing Ironhide for quite sometime and bonded quite a lot” Prime calmly explained, taking few steps closer to the platforms, for a moment sending Gallowya to take few steps back with a bit of panic. “And it will be quite hard to hide something like this. Maybe of we do arrange something like we did with Sam Witwicky it will be easier for every one. Especialy on your side”

“And I can make sure no one else will find out about it” gun slinger narrowed his opticks, watching every small movement on the human face, taking in any scent he can get from the human. Despite all the efforts, humans were always easy to read. No matter how much they showered, how much perfume the used, they all smell and it corresponded with their emtions. Every day he can smell fear in the soldier when ever they around him, training or nay thing, and he understood why, but you seemed to be more calm, with few nots of fear, mostly shyness or sad, just trying to get through your life and he sort of become a friend to them, where you don’t even realised that you were the anchor for his anger. “So?”

Galloway just stared at them, before lookig away and walking off to his computer, taking a seat behind, mumbling something under his breath about how much trouble it still was, which clearly indicated that Ironhide won. Smiling and letting a quite grunt out, Ironhide looked at Prime to nod at him to thank for the help only to quickly regret as Prime spoke to him, only in their language, clearly not wanting Galloway in any part of it, even understanding.

“Care to explain just what it is you are doing?” Optimus grumbled out, moving closer and folding his hands on his chest, waiting for a reply “You brought the human here? Without discuss it with me first?”

“I though I can get Galloway to not involve you in this... mess” Ironhide could not lie to his boss bot at all, and not only out of principal. “I-“

“You know well we do not treat humans like this, Ironhide. They are not pets”

Gunslinger almost let out a chuckle, but had to stifle him self up, knowing all to well how truly Prime felt about humans. Yes, they were sentient, they had society, but compared to them, they all acted like some kind of sparkling with to much ego in their mind, constantly fighting with one another and doing all those sparklish things, made Prime dote on them, though time to time even he got tiered of them. Some he clearly did not like, like a specimen before them, a sack of bones and flash filled with anger and hate. Though he knew well that not all humans are like this, now after meeting you. You seemd more like a stray cat who seamed to slowly warm up towards him.

“I know Prime” sucking it up, Ironhide rubbed his helm “I really did not wish for Him to just force them to stay quite and not let me see them. We both know how he would react.”

“And you are not wrong” Prime let a heavy sigh, letting his head sway down a bit with understandment “But do inform me next time you do something like this”

“Thanks Prime, I—”

“We are not done here, Ironhide” Prime let a heavy sigh out and stared down at gunslinger.

---

You woke up form your nap on the bench from a suden noise, slowly getting up and rubbing your eyes, trying to process what was going on. Some men walked in yapping, yet your half asleep brain refused to process anything until few second later when he mentioned about something about document, signing and something about big trouble, which quickly woke you up.

“What?” you grabbed the papper and the pan that was shoved in to your face, staring at swimming wards trying to read it. So far you only managed to figure out that it was some kind of NDR about this whole place and who you met here, making you groan. It seamed legit and you really did not wanted to be in trouble now, quickly singing it and giving it back “Can I go now?”

The man said nothing, leaving and letting other two man walk in and take you away, leading you out in to the main hangar again, still confused, but happy to see that Ironhide was there. Though from how he looked he seemed to be in trouble with big bot, actively being scolded in their own alien language. Though as soon as Ironhide saw you his whole demeaner, even if slightly, changed. His good optick seemed to glow brighter at your sight as you were finally let free and you quickly approached him, choosing to be by the bot you knew in this new environment. You always were kind of person who stuck ether in the corner or by your friends. You immideatly felt safe around him, letting a happy sigh of relief and just stood around, trying not to intervene between Prime and Ironhide.

The big bot did not payed any attention to you, continuing his scolding until he was done and then looked down at you, finally acknowledging your presents and kneeled down. You did your best to hide behind Ironhide leg again, yet gun slinger took a step back, motioning that this bot was not gonna hurt you, or manhandle like the other bot, still remembering the cold three fingered hand around your feet and though alone made your head spin. You nervously stared at the men, griping your arm and trying not to think about how big this one was.

“I must apologise for such late introductions. My name is Optimus Prime. I am leader of autobots, and right now you at area 51. And I presume you know Ironhide”

“Oh, ah, Hi!” you lifted your hand up, waving nervously and trying not to look like you were still asleep, scared and hella confused, quickly introducing your self to leader of the alien bots “It’s nice to meet you”

“Pleasure is mine as well, if you excuse me now”

You relaxed even more seeing the bog bot, leaving you and Ironhide, with whom you your self had a very fiery conversation about to happen, yet before you can fire your emotion up, you fell in to his palm as it cam from behind, like some kind of ski-lift, piking you up with care. You had to grip on to his fingers while he lifted you up, bringing legs to your chest to fit in his hand. And his walking again, with this quit rumble going from behind his chest plates, that sounded to closely to a purr. You let a sigh of relief, just happy that every thing was back to normal, and it seamed like Ironhide was relieved as well, walking out of the hangar, mumbling something under his breath about Galloway, but you did not really care, as long as you are safe, with big bot walked out and back in to the other hangar. It did not take to long for the grey bot with wheels to immideatly notise him and you.

“Look who’s back! Care to finally introduce us to the little squishy of yours?” he quickly zapped towards you and Ironhide, with you clinging to him immideatly, with Ironhide on alert. “So, who are they”

“Y/N. And as of right now they are under my protection.” Ironhide grumbled, brining his hand even closer to his chest, pressing you against his warm plating and you were able to hear a strange rumble inside even clearer, but this time it sounded angry, like an angry engine. “So back up”

“Wow there, old man” Sideswipe raised his hands up, rolling back away, swaying his legs and hips while roling away, “What’s with suden anger, huh? Nothing happened to them, right?” te young bot chuckled a bit, showing his arms as if he was innocent.

“Pardon, what?!” it took a second to register what Ironhide just said, throwing your head up to look at him with confused shocked face. “What? Since when? Huh?!” you turned to face Ironhide, standing on your knees, feeling the palm sway a bit and the hand press slightly more in to your back, acting as a safe guard against you falling back.

“Don’t tell me you did not read the paper Galloway gave you” an audible chuckled escaped the bot’s face, his blue eye looking down at you with a bit of glee, yet his action stil were soft “I though you humans loved paperwork. You did sign it after all, huh?”

"I did” You nodded quietly looking around for a second, thinking for a moment, trying to peace things together. First you regreted that you did not read between lines, wanting nothing but to make this man go away as quick as he could. Second who knows what else you signed away, now leaving you in care of some old veteran, who time to time was more then trigger happy.  And from what you’ve been through, with all those secret going outs, like a introvert being forced to socialize by their mere extroverted friend, even if you time to time enjoyed it. So maybe it was not to bad that you sighed it “I think I did”

A quite chuckle escaped Ironhide chest and him pressing you in a bit closer, with you not pushing away, not that you wanted, but because you were still shocked a bit to much now. Sideswipe chuckled to him self a bit, rolling away and up to twins, who were now fighting over something else, verbally but still fighting, though both calmed down as he rolled over, moving away and leaning a bit to see what was going on behind the roling bot and both seamed to be shocked at sighed of soft gunslinger, cradling his human.

[weirdenbyferret]

Nightmare before christmas-ifies your dca ✨️

In a place called Halloween town, you are a doll brought to life by a sunny mad scientist as an assistant, but when you go on an errand on halloween night you accidentally catch the eye of The midnight King Moon skellington, meanwhile later on you meet the boogeyman Eclipse, and you find yourself wound up between the three as they pursue being your significant other.

Word vomit in three two one 👇✨️

Moon Skellington - otherwise called the Midnight King - is a mayor of sorts, as well as a representative of halloween town. Despite being one of the indivuals that are the scariest of halloween, he is actually one of the kindest and calmest individuals in halloween town. He is the one who keeps the peace and makes the laws, one of the most important ones being no harming anybody. That means no harming the humans, and no harming each other. They are creepy and spooky yes, but thats for the fun of halloween, and they are not to intentionally hurt. Especially no killing anyone

Dr. Sun Finkelstein - or the Mad scientist - is a sentient runaway robot who was found by Moon and brought to halloween town. He does have a few screws loose and does have a bit of a grudge on humans for whatever reason, but he continues to respect Moons laws. He seems to respect Moon himself even more so, with how he acts around Moon compared to anyone else. This may have something to do with how Moon was the one who let him make his home in halloween town, and at the moment he appears to have become friends with Moon.

Eclipse - or how he is more famously known, the Boogeyman - is a banished criminal of halloween town. He was found when he was young, a centipede-esque hatchling of some sort of creature, freshly abandoned and hatched in a sack. He was raised in halloween town just like most of the other individuals, but he grew up spiteful and angry about the parents hes never met abandoning him. It isnt quite known how, but he went insane, and as a result started to harm other individuals. And even seemed to enjoy it. Moon has now banished Eclipse and has him imprisoned under a not so abandoned tree.

You are a new resident of halloween town, a living doll made to be Dr. Sun's assistant. You havent been alive for too long, and you were created with knowledge yes, but you still dont know much, though you are trying your best. You may possibly be one of the least scary residents of halloween town, but despite that you seem to be appealing to some because you seem to have caught the eye of three others. Your own creator who struggles a bit with denial at first, a mischeivous but kind gentleman that keeps the peace in halloween town, and a feared criminal of both the halloween town residents and the human world. (Please note that you can imagine yourself however you want, this is just how I imagine we look like)

[skettchyartendevours]

I saw Matt Rose's new video about Google's AI feature, and apparently it thinks that Cement trucks hatch from eggs

So of course I felt inspired to draw some cement trucks from my two favourite shapeshifting-vehicle-robot shows as freshly hatched babies ^v^

(Additional context under cut)

This is the image I was inspired by, and it featured in this specific video

[weirdmarioenemies]

This is a post about GUBBLE

Gubble is funny, we all know this. Look at Gubble, look and giggle. But Gubble is not just something to laugh at, it is something to laugh WITH! It is a fun little game full of nonsense words and weird little creatures. I highly recommend reading the manual, which you can find here, as it is actually rather funny! I will be talking about some of my favorite Gubble Creatures! So here I am, posting a Gubble. It's Friday, alright!

Gubble D. Gleep

Oh hell yeah! Look at that rendering. I never want to see Gubble in a "good" rendering style. I don't think he would be able to breathe. Gubble is the main Gubble Creature. He is a funny alien! The gleep glorp kind! He has a wacky skin color and antennae, but his big defining features are his ears, which he is very proud of. I do not know how they work! It is weird to see an alien with antennae AND ears, since I always assume alien antennae are for detecting sound, but maybe Gubble's are like regular animal antennae, and are for smelling!

Gubble makes all sorts of weird noises as he flies around in his, I quote, "mini-spaceship pod thing". He uses that to unscrew screws and pry out nails and anything else he needs to do to detach Zymbots from the surface of the planet Rennigar, and Zymbots are the levels, and you see the word "Zymbot" a LOT in this game, and I think that is wonderful.

They even put "Zymbot" on the cover of the sequel! That only makes the information more confusing than it otherwise would have been. I am all for it! But what awaits you, among the Zymbots...?

Wangry Wobot

"They are red and they are angry. Unfortunately, they don't know what they are angry about, but they know they like to follow aliens around."

Look at this! See what I mean? The manual is so delightful! Wangry Wobot... such a wonderful name! This wobot is wangry... or I should say, this wobot is angry, because the description informs us that it is angry, and Wangry Wobot is its name. All it does is walk, but in a funny way, with those legs sliding back and forth on its body, not bending or anything. I love how flat and minimalist this thing is. Built and programmed just to walk around, yet built with the capacity for anger...

Wangry Wobot Wannabee

"They are not-quite-red (blue actually), but they want to be every bit as angry as the Wangry Wobots. They haven’t learned how to follow aliens yet, so they just wander around aimlessly. Pathetic, really, but oh well…"

Hey! Be nice to them! If Wangry Wobot is Gubble's Goomba, then the Wannabee is Gubble's Goombrat. These are even more endearing with their personality! They look up to Wangry Wobots so much, like a younger sibling or maybe even a child, a freshly hatched robot from a metal egg. I wish we had funny robots like this in real life, but the only ones they make in real life these days are evil. Hopefully it will one day be economically feasible to fund some funny robots that walk around town and do literally nothing but kind of get in the way. Would be cool!

FlatWorm

"These guys like to sneak up on you unnoticed and cause grief and misery."

Wow! I would not have expected to see notable Creature Representation in Gubble of all things, but here we have a platyhelminth that at least I think is pretty clearly a stylized planarian! This one is a funny shape, like a shoehorn, and has a funny depth to it, like it was cut out of a sheet of dough. Now, normally I would be telling you that no animal is morally bad, they don't have the capacity for it, but we are told in FlatWorm's description that it is, indeed, messed up and evil. Just get away from it, please! Get back to the zymbot! Had you forgotten about the zymbot?

Orb

"They just roam around over your head. They're orbs, ya know?"

I am not sure I know! But they are cool orbs! Good job making some orbs! Their eyes make them look like giant ostracods, the most orbtastic creature of all!

Slug Bug

"An example of the bizarre Rennigar fauna. Man, somebody must have gone pop-eyed when that monster was created."

Created??? These creatures were Created??? Even the non-mechanical ones? By who? Mad scientists? Gubble God? I don't know! Whoever it was, I don't think they know what a slug is, though. Pincers, segments, bristles, this is all bug, no slug! Like some kind of larva to me. The five eyes are goofy, but most insects technically do have five eyes, with two compound eyes and three little ocelli on top!

Drone

"Originally used as repair drones, these spidery-looking things will use their pinchers on you just as effectively. Stay out of their reach!"

Look, it's Drone! Like they keep putting in the cartoons to keep them timely! I am fascinated by the manual for calling these "spidery-looking", since it is clearly some kind of roboshark head with pinchy claws. Did you know? Real spiders do not look like robosharks! However, I am not saying the manual is WRONG. Maybe "spider" means something entirely different than the way we Earthlings use it. After all, we say "level" instead of "zymbot", like a bunch of knuckleheads!

Uurrgghh

"The stories go that the Uurrgghhs used to be somebody's eyes and were stolen. Now they roam back and forth looking for their owner. And if they can't find their owner, you would do as well. Want a pair of alien eyes?"

I will bookend this post with another of the silliest enemy names. We really go from Drone right to Uurrgghh. Awesome! Uurrgghh is almost a fantasy creature, a classic eyeball with bat wings, but it has this cool metal exoskeleton or helmet with droopy horns, and three tentacles emerging from the bottom, so it is also fittingly sci-fi, which I think is very fun. I don't think they looked like that when they were just someone's eyes, but put on this protective outfit to stay moist and healthy while flying around with no eyelids. Would you welcome them into your sockets? They don't HAVE to replace your current eyes. They could all be friends!

So those are just some of my favorite silly things from Gubble! If you did not know much about Gubble, I hope you have a new appreciation for it! Be careful out there on those zymbots!

[mobrok]

trick or treat!

Apologies for late-ness

TREAT!

(A robotic arm reaches out of the hatch to my hole and hands you a freshly-severed human leg)

[mocacheezy]

I forgot Ring was such an open freak.

I start working out with RFA again after a two year break, and dude is out here FANTASIZING ABOUT A GOLDEN ROBOT GUZZLING FRESHLY SQUEEZED SMOOTHIES. Absolutely desperate to hear the ding of a full tank and the clank of a hatch after the fueling is done

I have to congratulate him at this point. A robot fucker and a feeder, if there wasn't a tank capacity he'd be into stuffing, I am 1000% certain. If Ring was transported into any transformers universe I bet my gluteus maximus he'd fucking lose it when he saw the intakes of some of the bots.

[writer59january13]

I (a youthsome, wholesome, jokesome, handsome,...

gamesome, chucklesome, bothersome, and awesome modest fellow)... does not deliberately court immortalization, and wonders what criteria confer elevation, exaltation, glorification, hero worship, idolization, veneration, or worship. I go about a daily humdrum routine me, a twenty first century baby boomer, who considers himself passé and senses with sensibility he would have been more at home during the early nineteen hundreds. At threescore and six years under my out of this world Kuiper belt, this wannabe joker here makes the most of figurative cards I got dealt despite most every day of my life felt accursed with mental health issues, stunted physical growth, and a split uvula - submucous cleft palate on very rare occasions, I (once a slip of a lad

and light as a feather) got lifted off the ground

and tossed in air by classmates momentarily suspended as a Great Dane helt in high regard remembering those happy days analogous to Reelin’ In the Years being like a little fish in a big pond poignant adventures going out with weathered mariners actually Norwegian bachelor farmers tricked out seamen thru and thru prematurely ejaculating with joie de vivre while whipping the rod hoping hook, line and sinker snags jacksmelt. Nothing about my person screams shine the kleiglights (an intense carbon arc lamp, especially used in filmmaking) on me, one foo fighting fool on the hill nowhere man, who hopes to be reincarnated into the ideal of acuity, bankability, creativity, divinity, ethicality, fidelity, generosity, humility, integrity, jocundity, knowledgeability, likability, magnanimity, nobility, originality, perspicacity, luck quiddity, respectability, sagacity, tranquility, unconventionality, versatility, and winnability. Now just let me get these grubby hands on well preserved brains of freshly deceased, and tinker ala Victor Frankenstein. Yes quite a tall order, but methinks I can master genetic engineering (with both eyes closed - and both hands tied behind my back), and thwart (once and for all) the nasty demise of mortality and promise fail safe solution to vanquish what people used to consider the quaint inevitable and unavoidable courtesy visit by the grim reaper -

depicted as wearing a dark hooded cloak and wielding a scythe also known as Hel, Thanatos - formerly known as Azrael, and better known as the Grim Reaper the personification, embodiment, and spirit of Death (known throughout the cosmos for appearing soon after someone died to deliver their soul to the afterlife),

Psychopomp, or Shinigami  "la Parca" ("The Robe"), - a common term for the personification of death across Latin America forcing humanity to rethink and reboot the concept of dying and meeting the maker essentially making process of death obsolete unleashing in this lifetime of mine the solution to upend the demise of corporeal entity

plus doing away with attendant emotional and financial toll final expense insurance policies generate - whereby unabated longevity no longer a worry of the past, but another padding to "nest egg" recouping set aside monies to cover the costs incurred by the death of a loved one, whether that person

gets buried in a cemetery or cremated to be become forever vanquished courtesy creating a untapped market for twenty blank nth century when speciality to become a B certified and verified by B Lab of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, which demand to churn out one after another doctors named Victor Frankenstein

bringing to life "creature", "fiend",

"spectre", "dæmon", "wretch",

"devil", "thing", "being", and "ogre," which high paying specialists must meet high standards, whereby the newly hatched mad scientist receives an bone a fide education of corpse, whose appreciation acknowledged by the grateful dead souls their learning involves combining,

involving artificial intelligence, reproductive biology and robotics

discovering solutions to synthesize the best western qualities and as a dissertation presenting the most poignant tragicomic live unrehearsed drama showcasing the denouement of humanity trumpeting Homo sapiens bumbling, fumbling, and tabling

after teasing out the box of Pandora mysteries of development building neural network describing linkedin thinking computer systems deoxyribonucleic acid, and branches of engineering and computer science that involve the conception, design, manufacture and operation of robots unwittingly as a cautionary tale whereat smart machines outwit

and then control their creators with decency, humanity, leniency.... no, not spelling the gloom and doom

of man/womankind, but rather capitalists freed from labor boon yet silver lining allows, enables, and provides old fashioned option to party hardy, or read all the books in the world which upside being that human beings can alway choose exit - stage door left

videre licet euthanasia (voluntary and pain free suicide), returning to the closed feedback loop molecules and atoms constituting and declaring each unique personhood ready and willing to give up the ghost and buzzfeeding, jump/kick starting and replenishing the biosphere.

[hoverboards-and-dragons]

The Midwife exists, it lives in the hatching grounds of the third ring, it is not outright aggressive nor is it docile, it has injured people. There's a reason winners don't go to third ring unsupervised. It's name might be a hint to it's true purpose, or just something stuck on as a guess by Heavenborn cause its seen around the hatching grounds. Raphael might know something but they've never told anyone. I'm not sure if anyone's checked to make sure Raphael even knows about it. (Cause they have to, right? Right?)

But boy, is it not laying eggs... not those eggs, at least.

Angels of all nine classes are produced in the second ring, Michael's domain, it's the main purpose of the second ring. He doesn't personally sew all of them together he's got an entire manufacturing plant. He really only personally attends to prototypes (that never see the egg anyway) or hyper specialized requests by very high ranks.

Each of the pieces of an angel are picked out to the needs of the placed order, some Powers needs to be big, calming and good at picking things up cause they respond to accidents, some Powers need to tear demon flesh apart with their teeth.

However physically wiring these parts as one would an earth robot, into a functional angel would be way too demanding at this mass of scale, nevermind wings and halo which don't even come as components.

So once at the pieces are assembled, they are loosely attached to the sewn puppet body and then spun tightly together by threads of creation into an airtight seal. They call them eggs but they've more comparable to cocoons.

Angel eggs are stored in the second ring until needed actually! They are sent to the third in clusters to begin gestation.

This is cuz growth within the egg doesn't begin until they are submerged within the Blessed Springs, the waters that all life is sourced from, and all death wash back into to be cleansed once again.

The hatching grounds is significant for its water's purity compared to the rest of the the third ring. It one the last stops before the flow run out through heaven and down to the earth; all death long filtered out before touching the newborn.

Its a little gross but ichor has healing properties so it technically makes the water healthier, if you can eat fried eggs you can accept this river is blessed because of birth juice.

It's during this period the wings are grown out their socket, the halo properly forms and they develop their aura and third plane layer if they're the type of angel to have three full layers (the extended form, parts of an angel's body that don't exist on the physical plane). The ichor is absorbed for blood, the strings properly bind to their inners, commands are fixed in place and the seams are tightened enough to actually figure out moving.

The divine is neither mechanical nor organic but some combination of something else entirely.

The eggs within cluster all hatch and emerge from the pond around the same time, the Nursemaids that attend to the freshly hatched work under Raphael, they clean em up and get em sorted. Clusters don't have to all be the same species either! They can be any mix of the nine classes.

Clusters are recorded so if you're bad at making connections on your own you could always look up your hatchmates and use it as a Conversation starter; Or get really sad when you realize you're the only one to make it to your christening.

Yup, unchristened angels are considered 'alive' but aren't considered people, as they are only capable of engrained commands and following simple orders.

Hatchlings are more managed than raised. Before christening they are seen and treated as objects.

Christening refers to a single a moment, where an angel chooses a name for itself and is from there on considered a full person. It's a very celebratory moment and this is where more traditional 'rearing' begins and family bonds are forged. As far as most are concerned this is weird their birth actually happened.

A christened angel gets a say over where and how they work and can't be 'recalled' (stripped for parts) if they out last their purpose. (thats now called execution, and it has a lot more weight)

Despite this christening is a rather long process where an angel picks up greater understanding and personal quirks as the go, longer lived unchristened can be quite uncanny valley to interact with because of how close they come without being quite right.

You're free to debate the morality of this framework in the comments I'm aware of the many icks it may be giving you.

Wait who like... Creates the angel eggs? Is it the midwife?

Michael. Do with this information what you will.

Oh, and the Midwife is just a Thing that exists. Is it helping?? Raising the new angels?? No one has seen it do that so?? Maybe?? Did Raphael make it?? Who knows. It's just There and I love it for that.

But uhhh yeah from what @hoverboards-and-dragons (my beloved <3) has told me, Michael creates the bodies and formulates their strings, commands, purposes, etc and they're all sent to the hatching grounds as a sort of storage in the third ring until they're needed!

Plus, they're kinda 'blank' until christened? I think? Not sure how to explain it they just... it's even more of that moral question of life with the newly hatched and unchristened angels not being their own "person" yet? They're just... cogs in a machine. It's so fascinating <3

That's all I will say because I don't want to get anything wrong and I'm expecting them to possibly reblog this with more information lmao

Also these little guys (angels) don't beat the insect allegations ever but?? Drawing the hatching grounds reminded me of frogspawn. So that's?? Certainly a thought to have lmaoooo

[moonbeambucky]

A Wealth of Love

Pairing: Hal Carter x Reader Word Count: 5618 Warnings: fluff, light angst

Summary: The only thing Hal Carter is wealthy in is love but will his forbidden romance last when his past comes back to haunt him?

A/N: This is my submission for @baezen​​​​​​​​​ The other guys writing challenge. My prompt was “Those things you said yesterday…Did you mean them?” Thank you to my love @all1e23​​​​​​​​​ for beta reading 🍕❤️ pic source (x)

Bright sunlight streams in through the windows made brighter by the all white finishings of the large kitchen. This particular afternoon is a hot one, more humid than the last few days and Y/N knows that not everyone can enjoy the comforts of her family’s perfectly air conditioned home. 

A quick search through the cabinets and she finds two large mason jars. Pulling open the fridge she takes out the pitcher of lemonade and in the oversized pantry she pulls out the container of muffins she made earlier that morning. She hums a tune mindlessly as she fills one jar with lemonade, nearly startled by a voice behind her.

“Is this really necessary Y/N?” her stepmother asked, with frustration laced in her tone.

Y/N is quiet as she sets the pitcher down, screwing on the lid and making sure it was tight. With a quiet roll of her eyes she resumed what she was doing. 

“At least you aren’t using the good glassware.” Y/N ignored her snippy comment, having learned not to engage her in conversations like this. 

She sets her items in a basket, filling the other mason jar with ice as the final step before she leaves through the backdoor, finally letting out her own frustrated huff when she was no longer in earshot of her stepmother.

Y/N walked down the freshly manicured grass of the expansive acreage to get to the large white barn where Hal Carter was hard at work. He was the stable hand and has been working for Y/N’s family for almost two years. 

Hal was six feet tall, with strong arms made stronger every day by the work he does. The outline of his muscles could be seen through the plaid button downs he would wear and sometimes take off on the days when he was already overheating in thick jeans and boots. A gentle smile accompanied beautiful blue eyes and soft brown hair that would start to curl when sweat soaked his strands. 

Y/N liked seeing Hal, not just because of how incredible he looks as sweat shines over his body- the image of him lifting his shirt to wipe at his brow, exposing a perfectly carved stomach will forever be seared in her mind- but because he’s kind to her and he doesn’t expect anything from her unlike the rest of the world.

Her father doesn’t understand Y/N’s silly little dream of being a teacher. She had just completed her first year of having her own class and honestly he had hoped the whole ordeal had turned her off. He doesn’t see the point of working anywhere that pays so little and she’s tired of having arguments with him about forgetting his own roots, busting his ass with two jobs and still barely making ends meet until he found success with a patent which launched his business. He would scoff at his past, ashamed of the fact that he wasn’t born into wealth like his wife. 

Unlike her father who felt she should be at a job earning a lot, Y/N’s stepmother didn’t understand why she wanted to work at all. If it were up to her she would have her married off to William Archer III. He was an investment banker who also came from money like Y/N, having attended the same private school but that’s where their similarities ended. 

Y/N was disgusted by his attitude and how little William cared for anyone other than himself. He was a spoiled rich kid that hasn’t worked a real day in his life and never would. His company was his father’s as it was his father’s before him, and the only thing William was actually good at was profiting off the backs of those who work ten times as hard at a fraction of what he makes. 

William constantly pursued Y/N because she turned him down. He liked the challenge, thinking of her as nothing more than game to be hunted, another one of his hobbies that Y/N despises, but instead of mounting her head on the wall he’ll mount her on display around his arm as a picture perfect trophy wife. 

Hal was surprised by Y/N’s refreshing demeanor from the start. He knows his role as staff but unlike the rest of her family Y/N has never made him feel less than. She was a kindhearted soul and quite frankly sometimes he doesn't believe she’s actually related to them. 

The first time Hal met Y/N he was cleaning out one of the stalls in the stables. He took a moment to pause and wipe the sweat from his brow, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw her standing there. She was beautiful, there was no doubt in his mind about that, and even more beautiful as she stood there flashing a radiant smile as she apologized for scaring him. She was coming in to check on one the horses, Percy, to see firsthand if his stomach issues had gotten better.

The smell alone in the stables was enough to keep her family away but Y/N didn’t mind at all, grabbing a manure fork of her own before Hal had the chance to protest so she could inspect the droppings herself. 

“He’s doing much better now Miss Y/L/N,” Hal said. She took note of the slightest hint of a Midwest accent in his voice though it was mostly undetectable. 

“I’m so happy to hear that,” she beamed, setting the fork aside and stepping forward to see the horses enjoying their day on the open lawn. She spotted Percy grazing on the grass and her heart lifted, glad to see that he was doing better. “Oh, and it’s just Y/N,” she said, looking over her shoulder back at Hal.

The formality her parents required from those they employ is not for her. Y/N knew they were privileged to have a group of people working for them, in the house and on the grounds; but Y/N always felt her parents would forget that these people were actual humans with lives that didn’t and shouldn’t revolve around their family and not robotic slaves meant to carry out all their wishes without complaint.

Hal gave a respectable nod to her, curbing his smile to a professional one as he excused himself back to work. 

Their interactions increased over time, especially with Y/N spending a lot of time with her favorite horse Penelope. She liked to brush her down and bring her apples she picked from the trees on property, and whenever they went riding Hal couldn’t take his eyes off her.

When Y/N was saddled up on Penelope’s back it seemed like it was the only time she truly felt in control of her life. It was true. Riding allowed her the time to clear her mind and with the wind in her hair she let go of everything outside of that moment.

But there was one thing that she couldn’t shake from her thoughts, Hal Carter. 

It didn’t take long before for their friendship to develop and quite soon after a forbidden romance. It was something they worked hard at, deleting texts right after sending them, hiding their pictures together. Y/N’s stepmother had a tendency to snoop so she did everything she could to protect their relationship. 

Hal tasted the lemonade from her lips, his calloused hands wrapped around Y/N’s waist, backing her up towards the wall to steal more of the sweetness he couldn’t get enough of and he didn’t mean the drink. 

Her lips were soft against his, a heavenly touch that set every part of him aflame. The idea of sneaking around made both their hearts race, every noise keeping them on edge with “what ifs” racing through their minds. If they were caught Hal would surely be fired and though they wouldn’t have to hide their relationship any more that’s not something Y/N wanted.

Hal rarely spoke to her about money; she understood and didn’t push the issue. She knew his financial situation wasn’t the best and that despite her parent’s attitude towards the staff they actually paid them surprisingly well. It wasn’t something he ever flaunted but it wasn’t something neither of them could deny. 

Still, he couldn’t help but feel like all of this could slip away from him, that one day Y/N will wake up and realize what a big mistake she made. She could date anybody, someone her parents’ won’t turn their nose up to, someone who could afford to take her out. Not even to a fancy place because Hal knows she doesn’t care about that but he’s ashamed he can’t even take her anywhere. 

“Darlin’, you deserve everything.” The corner of his lips sunk into a frown as he sighed, “And I can’t give you that.”

“Hal, I have everything and I don’t want it, I only want you.” 

He was shocked by her admission, still finding it hard to believe. “I’m nothing Y/N. I have nothing. I’m lucky I even have this job.”

She brushed the hair away from his eyes, letting her hand move down cup the soft skin of his cheek, warm against her palm. “What do you want Hal? You don’t have to work for my family forever. Whatever’s holding you back I’ll help.”

He smiled, taking her hand off his cheek to kiss the delicate knuckles of her skin. She knows what he’s doing, changing the subject when he doesn’t want to answer. Again, she doesn’t push him.

“Follow me,” he said, letting go of her hands. 

They walk along the fence of the pasture, down the slope of a small hill before they stop at a bright red maple tree. Hal adjusts Y/N to stand in the right spot, his solid frame behind her, leaning in as he points his finger up between the branches.

“Can you see?” he asked, and she tried to follow the line of sight for his finger. 

She isn’t sure what she’s looking for until she sees it, the slightest movement of a robin moving its head, spying on them from her nest.

“She’s been sittin’ on those eggs for a week now,” Hal said, smiling because he knows Y/N’s love of animals is not just for horses. They’ll be hatching soon and he can’t wait to bring her to see them. 

If this is what their dates are for now then Hal doesn’t mind it at all. Any time spent with her he’s grateful for but Y/N knows she’s been gone for too long and knowing her stepmother she probably set a timer the moment Y/N walked out of the door. 

Back in the stables she packs up the empty mason jars and reluctantly says goodbye. Hal holds her close as they kiss, the slip of his tongue in her mouth makes her yearn for more. A soft hum bubbles in her throat before she grabs the back of his head, deepening the kiss as their tongues dance together. 

They get carried away and Hal falls back into a pile of hay, protecting Y/N in his arms as she falls on top of him. With a final press to his lips she gets up, extending her hands out to Hal to pull him up. He helps wipe off any hay that may have gotten attached to her, watching her figure get smaller the further she walks away from him as she makes her way back to the main house.

With a heavy sigh Hal gets back to work, knowing for now their secret is kept by the horses, the only ones who seemed to be rooting for them. 

“What took you so long?” Her stepmother scowled, throwing her a sharp accusatory glare. 

Y/N rolled her eyes, opening the basket to take out the mason jars. Over her shoulder she responded, “You know how I like to spend time with Penelope.”

As she washes the glasses Y/N can’t see the disapproving shake of her stepmother’s head, especially as she sees a strand of hay stuck on the fabric of Y/N’s leg. She doesn’t say anything. The clack of her heels echo through the large home as she stomps her way out of the kitchen, not liking this one bit.

Y/N comes down the grand stairway when dinner is ready, her hand languidly gliding down the banister. It’s not that she didn’t want to eat with her parents, she didn’t mind their company as long as they didn’t pester her about the things that parents do, but she was tired of seeing them. 

Going away for college had been a wonderful escape, to be Y/N Y/L/N, regular college student and not the girl with a rich family. Her father was right, teaching does not pay well but she isn’t doing it for the money. However she did need to save a bit so she could move out and finally be on her own. She had assets in a trust fund but she refused to use them, wanting to prove to her family that she didn’t need their money.

“There she is,” the somewhat familiar voice of a man called out.

Y/N lifted her head, frozen in shock to find William Archer III sitting at her dining table. 

A cheshire cat smile stretched across her stepmother’s face. “Look who came by!” she feigned surprise. Y/N knew her stepmother had called him the moment she left to see Hal. 

There was plenty of space at the table but most of the chairs had been removed, leaving only one open and unsurprisingly it was next to William. Y/N plastered a smile to her face and held the back of the chair, moving it as far away from him as she could before she was scolded by her stepmother. It was embarrassing, especially when her father chimed in to remind her that they don’t treat guests this way. If only they knew what he was really like. Reluctantly, she returned the chair to its spot next to him though she kept a greater distance than where it was originally. 

Y/N wondered if she was the only one who noticed the way William would speak wildly with his hands, these big gestures that involved movement of his whole body giving him an excuse to adjust his chair again and somehow he had ended up right beside her. She ignored him as best as she could, moving her leg away each time his hand “just happened” to brush against her thigh. 

She tries her best to be pleasant despite the very unpleasant circumstances, making small talk when William didn’t talk over her. 

“Hal says the robin chicks will be born soon. I can’t wait to see them,” Y/N beamed, her smile fading as she caught the tail end of her stepmother’s eye roll. 

“Oh, I didn’t know Hal was an avian expert now. Honey perhaps we should give him a raise, a man with such an extensive animal background,” her stepmother said sarcastically.

“That’s because he is one!” William chimed in, bursting out with a round of belly aching laughter, a duet with her stepmother’s own cackling.

Y/N expected that from her but she was even more disappointed to see her father snickering. 

“That’s enough!” She slammed her hand against the table, the flame of the candlesticks wobbling back to a steady flicker. “I’m sick and tired of all you thinking you’re better than Hal or anyone else just because you have money. It’s disgusting.”

Her father clenched his jaw, “I know you like to forget this Y/N but you have money too. Stop acting like it’s something you’re so ashamed of. I worked hard to give us what we have.”

“Did you?” she asked accusingly. “Because it’s been so long since you had to bust your ass like Hal I think you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a decent person!”

Her stepmother balked in disgust. “Young lady you do not speak to your father this way.”

Y/N ignored her as she got up from the table, stomping her way out of the house. The evening air was cool and she felt immediate relief on her skin that burned hot after her emotionally fueled eruption. Her stepmother has always been a snob but she hates the fact that her father has lost touch with reality. 

“Hey.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose upon hearing William’s voice, the last person she wanted to ever see. Hal was in the distance, working late and she was hoping to say goodbye to him before he left. Now that William’s here she can’t. 

Turning around she huffed, not hiding her contempt. William’s hands were up in a small attempt to convey that he wasn’t looking for trouble. 

“Are you okay?” His tone seemed sincere but Y/N kept her guard up. “I know you don’t like me but I do care about you Y/N. I always have.” 

She knows better than to trust him but something inside her breaks and she lets out a shuddering sob. Y/N didn’t want to feel the way she does about her parents but she can’t help it. She wished her parents were better people, she wished she could openly speak to them about how she feels, and not having to hide her relationship with Hal. She wishes things were different.

William hesitantly offers a hug and in desperation Y/N takes it, crying against him. “It’ll be okay,” he comforts, rubbing her back.

With her back turned she doesn’t see the smirk on William’s face as he spots Hal in the distance. He lets Y/N pull away, feeling comfortable enough to have gained his trust for a moment before he acts. Like a leech he grabs her face, forcing her lips to his, his tongue probing forcefully into her mouth.

Y/N is pushing him off with her hands as best as she could, scrunching her face and whipping her head around to get away from him. Her efforts don’t take her very far as his lips get closer again so instead she kicks him in between his legs. 

William doubles over in pain. “You little bitch!” he sneered, grabbing her by the hair as she tried to run away. 

His clenched hand raised to her but immediately felt his arm wrench back. He was turned around forcibly by Hal, whose own fist socked William right in the jaw. The hard punch took the coward down and while he was busy screaming expletives Hal went to Y/N.

“Darlin’, did he hurt you?” The softness of Hal’s voice brought tears to her eyes that fell down her cheeks as she shook her head. She found true comfort in Hal’s arms, apologizing for what had happened. “Shhh, you have nothin’ to apologize for,” he reassured her. 

“You’ll pay for putting your hands on me y-you… dirty lowlife scum!” William threatened, walking away from them. 

Hal’s jaw clenched with anger but Y/N’s gentle palm caressing his cheek made him release his tension. 

“I’m sorry Hal,” she said, and once again he stopped her but this time with a soft kiss to her lips. Y/N had nothing to be sorry for but on nights like this Hal felt sorry for her, thinking she wouldn’t have to go through this if she gave her heart to a better man than him.

There’s a knocking at her door and before she can get up her stepmother has already let herself into Y/N’s room. “We need to talk about what happened...” she said, settling down on Y/N’s bed beside her. Y/N braced herself for a lecture before her stepmother finished. “...after you left.”

Relief washed over her believing the serious look on her stepmother’s face was not meant to scold her but about what happened with William.

“I hope you saw what I’ve been telling you, William is–”

“William? Y/N no, this is about Hal.”

Y/N’s brows furrowed with confusion. “Hal?”

“He assaulted William. Your father and I need to reconsider his employment.”

She stared at her stepmother in disbelief. Was she actually naive enough to believe what William told her? Y/N answered her own question as her stepmother continued to talk about “poor William” and how he had to drive home holding a bag of ice to his face.

“William is a liar. He forced himself on me! Hal was only trying to protect me. How do you not see this?”

Her stepmother took Y/N’s hand in her own, awkward and unsure if this felt right or not. She was unable to have children of her own and perhaps that’s why she treated Y/N so poorly from the start, resenting her and never truly accepting her as her daughter. Y/N was passed off to au pairs and maids to be cared for as her stepmother went shopping or to the spa. Y/N has always felt disconnected to her stepmother and even more so now.

“Sweetheart, I know men like Hal. They’re fine to look at but they can’t provide for you, not the way William can.”

“You don’t know the first thing abou–” Y/N’s cheek stung at the unexpected slap she received. 

“Don’t tell me what I know because I know exactly what you’ve been up to with Hal. Stay away from him. Hal is not the one for you.”

Y/N rose from her bed, stomping as she paced in front of her stepmother, waving her finger in her face as she told her off. 

“I’m leaving. I’m going to get Hal and we’re leaving and there’s nothing you can do about that!”

“He isn’t here.”

Y/N’s eyes narrowed at her stepmother, her nostrils flaring, teeth clenching together as she hissed, “What did you do?”

“Nothing! He asked for the day off, though his days are numbered. As soon as we find someone to take his position…” her stepmother said without hiding the joy in her voice. She sauntered out of Y/N’s room feeling proud, not giving a single care she broke down crying. 

Her vision was clouded by tears as she texted Hal, wondering why he didn’t tell her he wouldn’t be there today. It took a few hours for him to respond, every waiting minute adding to her anxiety but when he finally did she was able to take a deep breath. Hal reassured her that he was fine and wondered if she could meet him later. 

Y/N told her family she was going shopping as she headed out, instead she drove to Hal’s. They were only twenty minutes apart and yet they lived in such different worlds. The homes in Hal’s area were older, small ranch style houses on lots smaller than her home’s driveway. She had so much more than this community and yet they had everything she wanted. 

She sees a dog being walked by a couple, hand in hand as they stroll down the sidewalk not worried about hiding their love. Y/N comes to a stop in the street to let the children playing move to the side. She gives a friendly smile as she slowly rolls past them, seeing their happy faces in the rear view mirror. She wonders if anyone can see how she aches behind her smile, desperate to be as happy as them one day. She parks behind his truck on the street and texts that she’s there.

When Hal came to New York he was sleeping in his truck, desperate for a place to stay. His friend Peter offered him a room which Hal helped close off and renovate into an unofficial one bedroom apartment in the back of the house. Peter needed the cash to pay his mortgage so it worked out for both of them. 

Y/N had been over a dozen times but Hal was embarrassed every time she did. His place was small but he kept it as nice as he could. He didn’t have much furniture, a bed, a pretty beat up looking couch, a small table that barely fit in his small kitchen. She told him over and over how she didn’t care about material things and deep down Hal knows that but he can’t help those feelings anyway.

She runs into his arms, enveloped by his warmth as he squeezes her tight. “I missed you darlin’,” he cooed as he tips her chin with his fingers, pressing his lips to hers.

“What happened today?” Y/N can’t help the worry woven through her words.

He takes her by the hand and they sit on his bed; he never liked Y/N sitting on that dirty couch of his. 

“I had something to take care of today… for our future.” She looks at him with hopeful eyes. “I had some trouble in my past, surprised it didn’t catch up to me yet to be honest. Once this is over I can work anywhere, we can live that life we want darlin’.”

Tears roll down her cheek, their path altered by the curve of her smile. Hal’s thumb brushes them away gently, bringing his lips to her forehead and after the softness of her lips. Clothes are slowly discarded and Hal takes his time making love to her, joining her passionate cries with moans of his own as they peak together to the heights of bliss.

He cradles her in his arms, his fingertips grazing soft circles over her back as they lay together for as long as they could, knowing Y/N would have to leave soon. The time comes sooner than they wanted and with reluctance they get dressed. 

A knock at the door startled them both, the sound of a voice even more shocking.

“Y/N! I know you’re in there!” her stepmother taunted, banging roughly against the glass pane of the screen door.

Her jaw dropped open in shock as she could only think about what a psycho her stepmother was. “Did she follow me?” Y/N whispered to Hal, panic washing over her. 

There was no point in hiding anymore, not if her parents really were firing Hal, and if that was a bluff they most certainly would now. 

Hand in hand they proudly step out from his door onto the small pathway on the side of the house. It’s there when Y/N’s jaw drops in shock to see William standing beside her stepmother, the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder with two police officers.

“That’s him,” William points at Hal, a smug look plastered on his face. 

A man as tall as Hal took a step towards him, roughly separating his hand from Y/N’s as he began to cuff his hands behind his back, reading him his rights as he walked Hal towards the police car parked crookedly in the driveway. 

“What are you doing?” Y/N pleaded for an answer. 

William answered her question, informing Y/N that Hal had a warrant out for his arrest for auto theft in Kansas. She realized that’s what Hal must have been talking about. 

“I have friends everywhere Y/N and I will make this harder for him unless…” William tried to lace his fingers with hers but Y/N quickly snapped her arm away. 

She watched helplessly as Hal was stuffed into the back of the car, wiping away the tears that began to fall. Her stepmother sauntered up beside her, making some comment about how appalled she was that she had a fugitive working for her, that’s when Y/N snapped.

“Enough! I don’t give a shit what you say. Fugitive or not Hal’s a better person than you’ll ever be. I love him, I love him with every piece of my heart and I’m going to do everything in my power to stop this.” 

The car drove away with Hal craning his neck around, not knowing if he would ever be able to see Y/N again.

“Hal! Are you okay?” Y/N said, hugging him with all her might. 

The breeze on his skin felt nice but it was nothing compared to having her in his arms again. “Much better now darlin’,” he replied, squeezing his arms around her. 

Hal spent the night in jail, calling Y/N to ask for her help. He explained everything, that back in Kansas he had borrowed his friend Alan’s car to take a girl named Madge out on a date. Alan’s jealousy got the best of him and he reported the car as stolen. They haven’t spoken since.

Once Y/N got Hal’s call she contacted her attorney, sought out every Alan Seymour she could find before she narrowed it down to the one he went to college with. She spent all morning working with the attorney to have him stop the extradition proceedings and arrange for bail instead. She couldn’t think of a better thing to use the money from her trust fund on.

“I’m so sorry about all of this darlin’, I never meant for it to come out like this. Alan coulda taken it back then but he was still mad ‘nd probably worried about lyin’ to the police.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for Hal,” she assured him, cupping his cheeks with her hand. He pressed against her palm, his lips pulling into a small smile as he looked at her. “I can’t believe my stepmother had you arrested. I hate her. I hate my father. I hate what they’ve become. Let’s go away together.”

As the words fell from her lips every part of Hal’s body stiffened with worry. He was about to ask a question before Y/N interrupted him. 

“I’m done with them Hal. I don’t care how hard I have to work to put this behind us. We’ll get through this together because that’s how I want to spend the rest of our lives.”

It was hard to hide the way Hal’s lips were pressed into a thin smile. He didn’t tell Y/N the full story, that Madge came with him when he left Kansas, to get away from her family too. By the time they got into Missouri she turned around, realizing she couldn’t leave them. 

This was different though. Hal didn’t care if Madge came or not, he didn’t feel the same way about her as he does with Y/N, which is why this is so hard for him.

“Those things you said yesterday…Did you mean them?” Hal asked, holding her hands in his. Y/N nodded and Hal let out a sigh. “I love you too Y/N but I can’t ask you to choose between me and your family.”

Her heart skipped a beat but not in the way Hal had made it done in the past. This pain was sharp in her chest and she would have fallen down if Hal hadn’t been holding her. Those were the last words she expected. 

“But you’re not asking Hal, this is my choice.”

“I know darlin’ but trust me on this, if we ran away we’d be happy but in the back of your mind I know how you’d feel, wonderin’ if your parents were okay because I know deep down you love ‘em and it would break my heart to see you tryin’ to cover that up. I can’t put that on you.”

“Hal, please…” she cried. “Don’t say this.”

This is the last thing Hal wants, Y/N is everything he’s ever wanted in life but things were always too good to be true for him. He was doing this for her even though it hurts, because Y/N deserves the best. 

“I love you Y/N, more than anything in this world. I know I can’t ever repay you for gettin’ me out, and I know your parents think I’ll never be good enough for ya but–”

“You’re wrong son.” 

A familiar voice has their heads turning around to find Y/N’s father standing there. 

“Dad? What are you doing here?” Y/N was confused, unaware of the way she took a protective step in front of Hal.

“I came to bail out Mr. Carter but it seems you’ve already done that. I wanted to tell him that Mr. Seymour has been contacted and he will be revoking his initial claim.”

“Sir, I appreciate that but I can’t ask anything of you,” Hal began.

“You didn’t have to. I owe you an apology for my wife’s behavior. She was wrong and after I heard the truth about what happened with William I owe you a thanks as well for protecting my daughter.” 

The corner of Hal’s mouth turned upwards as he replied, “You don’t have to thank me for that sir, I would take a bullet for Y/N if it meant she’d be safe.” 

“I can see that. You’re a good man Mr. Carter, a hard working man that reminds me of the person I was a long time ago.” Her father shares a look with Y/N, nodding his head ever so slightly. “And I see the way you love my daughter, that makes you good enough in my eyes.” 

Her father extends his hand towards Hal who is hesitant at first to shake it, waiting for the other shoe to drop but the sincerity in the eyes of the man before him sets his mind at ease. The two men shake and soon enough Y/N is back in Hal’s arms.

The weight is lifted from their shoulders knowing they have her father’s support, not only in Hal’s defense but in their relationship. Hiding is in the past and Hal couldn’t be happier. The truth is no matter what he told Y/N before Hal knew he wouldn’t have been strong enough to let her go.

As Hal held Y/N in his arms he vowed to never again feel ashamed about material things he didn’t have because Hal was rich where it counted, in his heart.

[thethrillof]

Astro Boy Pokemon AU

HMMM

dr. tenma was one of the people working on the rotomdex (or at least a variant) and similar rotom-human assistive devices to the point of neglecting his actual son, tobio.

...until tobio storms off when it gets to be too much to the point he doesn’t even get to try out for a trainer’s license after being promised by his father and dies in some of accident, as always; just as always, tenma is utterly destroyed and tries to “fix” it--but in this case, the robot body he builds is based on rotom, and he even gets a freshly-hatched rotom to lock in there permanently along with false memories that he thinks tobio should have.

New Tobio knows he’s not a human, but it takes a very long time until he learns he’s not only an AI, particularly since he spends his first year or so locked in the house away from everybody else, and his robot skin doesn’t let his rotom stuff shine through.

as a pokémon, whether or not he knows it, he can sort of understand others. this is what leads him to eventually “rebel” by sneaking out--he gets into a fight with tenma (who is trying but is not good at being a dad, especially since he’s deeply in denial this isn’t the tobio that’s always been) and hears some shuppet chattering just outside the windows, and he’s so caught up in listening and so tired of the house he just...follows them once dawn comes.

by floating. he can float. he did not know he could float until he was stepping out of the third-story window so OKAY COOL.

he jumps on the idea of becoming a trainer, since that was Real Tobio’s last wish, and follows random kind folks’ advice until he gets several towns over and meets dr. ochanomizu, a retired pokémon professor, who helps him catch a magnemite. 

ochan’s interest is piqued when this kid (who does not actually tell him his name) catches that magnemite by asking it. even the most enthusiastic pokémon usually need the ball thrown at them to get the hint, so...what does that mean? the kid’s naive and sweet and he’s worried, so he’ll keep an eye on him. just because he’s retired doesn’t mean he’s entirely out of touch!

"astro boy”/”iron-arm atom” gets those names after being caught floating around/carrying somebody much bigger than him out of the way of a rampaging rhyhorn.

tenma comes calling before long, since he did make sure to build “tobio” indestructible, and a kid going head-to-head with at least one strong pokémon is pretty distinct!

astro heads off through the region, running from tenma and trying to collect gym badges for a while before he realizes that isn’t really what he wants. 

the team he gathers are mostly peaceful and would rather do their own thing than battle, too. he mostly ends up with ghost-type pokémon, other than magnemite/magneton. he finds they’re easiest to talk to.

he meets plenty of trainers and former trainers and pokémon from all walks of life. can’t decide what he wants yet, but he knows how much there is, so the region-wide chase slowly shifts to a worldwide one, with ochan giving up on a sedate retirement and astro gathering other human and pokémon friends who sometimes come with him and always cover him from his super weird dad.

[mable-stitchpunk]

FNAF-TOBER Prompt- 9: Ice Scream

A new body was more than just a new exterior, it was a new life. It was taking a completely new form and watching as the world changed around you. For Eleanor, that thrill right after getting a new body was what she existed for, and that was why she frequently grew bored of her new appearances and moved onto the next. Today was the day she found her next target.

Eleanor’s targets were frequently children and young teenagers, the only ones who would fall for her ruse, but her newest plan seemed like it could work in a favor. Using her current body, she would befriend a child and find one with an older sister or young mother, then would follow them home, strip herself of her guise, and promise something she wouldn’t provide in full. It was worth it to become a true woman.

Which meant she would need a child, and the best place to find them was her old restaurant. Years ago, Eleanor had been mounted on a stage singing and performing to children of all ages, but had been discarded when another model had come in. While Eleanor hadn’t liked being on stage, she had a deep-set anger for being tossed in the garbage, so she didn’t feel bad in using the pizzeria to her advantage.

The body she currently guised in was of a preteen who looked a little too old for Circus Baby’s Pizza World, but nobody stopped her from walking inside and beginning to prowl. She smiled and pretended to peek at the arcade cabinets, tried to make her interest in the cupcakes believable, and wandered around with an awestruck look, all to cover that she was eyeing the children.

One was particularly of interest to her, and that was a girl who had came with what looked to be her older sister. She checked off all the marks. She was timid, hesitantly keeping to herself and by her sister’s table, and watched the other children with longing look. She would be easy to persuade; Eleanor could already see through her cracks.

But right as she was about to approach the girl, she started to wander off by herself into the pizzeria. Eleanor took this as a positive sign and followed, leading her into one of the back party rooms. The girl must’ve been there as part of a birthday party as the room was set up with tables and plates. There were only a few children left in the room. Eleanor followed her inside with the intention of finally approaching her.

Except that was when she noticed the stage against the back wall, and what was on it. Much to Eleanor’s disgust, there was her replacement, a large, bulky Baby model with childish features. Why anyone would choose that thing over her was beyond her, but it didn’t matter anymore. She had a new life, and she was going to have another in only a few days if she played her cards right.

Speaking of which, Eleanor turned back to the tables only to stop short when she saw something unexpected. Her meek little target was being engaged by two other children who were chatting her up and inviting her to play. Much to Eleanor’s dismay, the girl quietly agreed and they started to make their way out of the room, leaving her alone with her replacement.

It was an annoyance, maybe, but that was the thrill of the chase. Maybe she could use this to her advantage. This taste of friendship would be enough to convince the girl to want more of it. Eleanor would just have to watch and wait, and she prepared to follow her out.

“Hello. What’s your name?”

Until an unexpected voice chimed up from the stage. Eleanor looked back quickly, feigning exaggerated surprise, and tried to figure out if this was an automated response or something else. Baby was watching her and waiting for an answer, so she gave one.

“My name’s Ellie! Wow, I didn’t know you could talk!”

“I can sing too. Would you like a song?” Baby offered sweetly. Definitely had to be aware like she was, but seemed a lot more dense. Poor thing probably hadn’t had a day off the stage since she got here. Eleanor almost pitied her.

“Gosh, I’d really love to, but I got to catch up with my friends,” Eleanor excused. She gave an innocent wave, “See you later!” and turned to head out. 

“Oh... Alright...” Baby sounded downtrodden, though Eleanor cared little. Though what came next did catch her attention. “You’re just... So pretty.”

Pretty? This body? This body was full of imperfects- save the pouty lips and curved cheeks, which drew her to the guise in the first place. How Baby could find this body pretty was beyond her. If anything, it piqued her curiosity.

“You think I’m pretty?” Eleanor asked, feigning a tone of awe. Baby pulled her arms together as though she was shy and timidly nodded. “But... I look so boring. Nobody ever notices me, and people make fun of my ears,” she said, adding in the girl’s own comments into her assessment. 

“I think you’re beautiful...” Baby quietly assured. Eleanor was sure that this model had never seen anything except children, parents, and her own self. She didn’t understand true beauty, and what one could do with it.

“There used to be another girl robot on that stage before you. I think she was a Baby too? She was beautiful,” Eleanor clarified, feigning quiet defeat. Baby tilted her head.

“There was... Another Baby?” Baby asked. “What did she look like?”

“She was tall, and thin, and looked a lot like a real person. She had long lashes and rosy lips, slender curves, shapely legs and delicate hands. She was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Wow, she sounds so pretty. I wish I could meet her. Maybe she could make me pretty too...?” Baby almost sounded like she was asking for something, like she thought Eleanor could tell her where this ‘beautiful Baby’ was.

“She could’ve, but they threw her in the dumpster,” Eleanor said a little too coldly. She recovered quickly and smiled wide. “But that’s okay! We can still be friends... Oh, my friends! I better go!”

“Oh, okay. Have fun,” Baby said pensively. Yet right as Eleanor was about to leave, she perked up abruptly. “Wait, before you go...” She cut off with a humming and rumbling in her chest. Elanor watched wearily, just wanting to get away from this clown, until a hatch in Baby’s chest opened and she pulled out a freshly made ice-cream cone. “Here. All of my new friends get ice cream.”

“I don’t really like ice cream,” Eleanor said, her annoyance starting to come through. 

That was, until Baby said, “Then you can give it to your friends. Or to somebody new, and then you can become friends with them too. Everybody likes ice cream.”

That was true. Children especially seemed to become very friendly with those who gave out free goodies. She never considered it before, but giving candy and sweets could be a good way to get children to let their guard down. Then she could learn just enough that when she revealed her true self she could relay details back to them, making her look like some sort of magical being ready to grant all their wishes.

“Well, okay! Thank you!” Eleanor came up to the stage and reached up for the ice cream. Baby leaned over to hand it down to her.

Until suddenly her eyes went black and her chest opened up. A large claw shot out of her middle and caught Eleanor by the shoulder before forcibly dragging her inside.

It was a tight squeeze. Even with Baby’s large size, Eleanor was compressed tightly inside the storage tank, and though she didn’t feel pain she was very aware of the trouble she was in. Especially once the hatch closed tight behind her. 

“...Did you really think I was stupid enough to fall for that?” 

Baby’s voice had changed. Once gentle and innocent, it was now low and bitter, and angry. “You’re so vain that you thought you could put on a flimsy illusion and fool everyone. But not me. I saw through you the moment you stepped into the room. I know what you are.”

“Then you should let me go,” Eleanor smoothly replied. She stopped mimicking her victim’s voice and returned to her natural one. One that was painfully similar to Baby’s own. “I meant what I said. I could make you beautiful.”

“You’re lying... But that’s alright. I lied too, and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”

Right then, the tank’s walls compressed further, tightening further against Eleanor’s sides. Now she was becoming increasingly aware of the severity of the situation. 

“You thought you could come into my pizzeria and make it your playground. You thought I would just let you do whatever you wanted, didn’t you? There’s no sweet talking your way out this time. This is my pizzeria. I am the star. I can do whatever I want.”

Suddenly, Eleanor knew what her victims felt like in the moment they realized there was no coming back. A moment that would give her glee, seeing their hopeless faces, and now experiencing from the other side as the walls cracked the metal body hiding underneath the ruse. 

She screamed for help in her victim’s voice, but just like with her, nobody was there to hear it.

“We’ll see how pretty you are when I’m finished with you...”

[anotherisodope]

Master List of Fallout Canon and Canon AU Muses

Fallout 3

Charon

A gigantic, forbidding-looking, brainwashed badass of a ghoul whose protection, and combat services, are tied to the holder of his very high-ticket contract. Nobody knows who the organization was that Ahzrukhal purchased his contract from, how long he was in their service, or what horrors he was subjected to in the process of making him what he is. He isn’t talking, if he remembers at all. But despite the mental cage he is in, Charon constantly seeks ways to assert himself, follow his personal code, and prevent his own exploitation--or avenge it. A highly trained commando with a preference for mid-range weapons such as his combat shotgun, he lives for a good fight, and becomes bored and restless if his guns go cold too long. He’s got great instincts and is very protective--but is mentally and socially stunted, is observant enough to recognize that on some level, and is frustrated by it and his captivity, making him grumpy and sarcastic. He uses very formal language, sometimes with painstaking effort, in part as an attempt to be better understood. Will cause unmitigated chaos to save your life in a fight, then yell at you because you attacked an innocent shopkeeper. Probably not good to give him too many explosives.

Fallout New Vegas (or wherever)

Robert Edwin House (postgame AU)

One of the most brilliant men ever to be born into the prewar world, Robert House is the owner and primary programmer and inventor of RobCo Industries, which is responsible for everything from Fallout’s programming language, to most of its robots, to the PipBoy. Calculating the coming thermonuclear war down to a one-day window, House leveraged his tremendous wealth, influence and genius to save his beloved Las Vegas. This included preserving his body on life support while wiring his brain straight into the city’s network and defensive grid. Though not entirely successful, he survived and was able to eventually recreate and defend a walled-city version of the Las Vegas strip: New Vegas. 

The AU

In a twisted version of a Good Karma Courier House playthrough, House won but was convinced by the Courier to make more merciful and thoughtful decisions. However, the Courier then betrayed them at the eleventh hour and murdered House’s physical body, leaving everyone convinced that House had died. Details can be found here. However, House had used another contingency program stored aboard the Platinum Chip to enable him to upload his mind to his own network. The Courier ended up fleeing New Vegas. (I am currently working on a description of the fates of various factions in this AU).

After the events of Fallout New Vegas and his takeover of the Hoover Dam, this version of House used code hidden in the chip to make the following changes from current canon:

Recreate a nationwide wireless Internet using freshly activated networking capability in every single Robco product

Make this Internet publicly available through the persona of the benevolent hacker Snow

Escape onto this newly created Internet, gaining access to and potential control of all RobCo products

Use this to access various new bodies, eventually including a pair of comatose synth bodies from failed Railroad memory wipes

Since then, he has been hatching plans all over the former US to steal Institute and Brotherhood of Steel technology--and reclaim as much of his own as he can. While doing this, he is acting through multiple personas. These include two Gen 3 Synth bodies he stole from the Railroad’s comatose “failures”. 

House’s aliases (besides Snow) include 

Edwin “Ed” Case (Gen 3 synth body, former infiltrator), a brilliant repairman and roboticist operating in the Commonwealth who recently did a lot of repair and upgrade work at the Memory Den. Closest to House in voice and diction, but significantly less of an asshole. Always has at least two combat-capable robots with him. 

Daniel Mason (Gen 3 synth body, former courser), recently arrived in New Vegas. Not well known, as this body is largely used for physical infiltration and social engineering, or when House wishes to oversee robotic combat units more directly. Sounds nothing like House but still talks like he ate a thesaurus, though in a much more cool and reserved way. House being House, he has no idea why this body gets so much attention. Armed and dangerous. He is currently acting as House’s lieutenant and enforcer in New Vegas, along with his force of upgraded Securitrons.

He is still working on his Robert House synth body, which needs to be perfect of course...

Because of his activity in the Commonwealth and his ability to reach anywhere his network reaches, House can be interacted with by literally anyone in the Fallout universe circa 2287. Unless your character is in a memory pod or other full-interaction environment, however, you will be interacting via text, via robot, or via one of his two synth personas.

Vulpes Inculta (postgame AU)

One of the most wicked and bloodthirsty of Caesar’s commanders, this former head of the Legion’s Frumentarii was one of the most infamous men in the entire Mojave. Thoroughly and hopelessly indoctrinated in Caesar’s depraved and brutal values, he carried them out with terrifying zeal, sometimes resulting in the destruction of entire communities. Always cool, calculating, wily and in control, he never let anything get in the way of his duties--including his own needs, desires, and safety. His loyalty to Caesar was almost worshipful, and rooted in the belief that he served the actual Son of Mars.

To this end, he even plotted with the Omertas to release poison gas in the opening volley of an attack on the New Vegas strip. Forcibly stripped of any independent moral thought on the matter and thoroughly indoctrinated, he never thought twice about such actions. He served the son of a god, how could his actions not be righteous?

And then Caesar died. And Vulpes lost everything except for his life. And that was only the beginning of his comeuppance.

The AU

After brutally murdering Caesar upon learning that he had lied about his divine heritage and was afflicted with a mortal disease, Lanius took over, and promptly ordered Vulpes’s execution. Vulpes, who had anticipated this, fled, getting as far as he could from the Mojave. He knew that under Lanius’s hand, the Legion would first become a monstrous shadow of itself, and then would fall.

Illusions shattered and shamed by having to run, Vulpes spent years traveling with caravans in disguise as he sought a place to settle. Landing in the Commonwealth, he started carving out a place for himself, but his sense of purpose beyond survival and security was gone.

Worse...with it had gone his certainty that his depraved actions had been necessary and for a good cause, Doubt had crept in, and it kept growing and growing as he reconciled the differences between Caesar’s words and the reality he had lived through. Left to his own thoughts for far too long, and realizing that any remnant of the Legion that still exists will be hunting him, he is starting to crack.

He is very good at hiding this, however, being forced to learn to keep his cool in all kinds of bad situations. And so he has set himself up as a high-end, “independent problem-solver” in Diamond City, handling the kind of bloody and unethical work that would horrify Nick Valentine. But even as a showdown with his horrific karma is brewing internally, so too are external problems and temptations as he gets more and more deeply entangled with the Commonwealth’s Underworld.

Vulpes is a cold-blooded, scheming, psychopathic asshole with a volcano of repressed emotion that really only comes out when he fights. As he does not drink, date, use chems or confide in anyone, violence is and has been his only outlet, which leads to him often charging into dangerous situations with ripper in hand. When he is better under control, he deals with targets through stealth kills of various types. Unlike the vast majority of the Legion he is comfortable with most technology (science as a tagged skill), and has taken even more of an interest since fleeing East. For some reason, neither animals nor wasteland beasts will attack him when he travels alone.

His primary motivation while he wrestles with his many inner demons (which he will never let on about to anyone) is survival. He believes he will soon be the only one left who remembers what the Legion once was, and the higher aims it once strove for (through horrible means, but he doesn’t see that). While he is now hunted by the Legion’s remnants, he believes that he has a duty to survive, and maintain his discipline and his traditions before finding others to spread them among. The problem is, instead of going straight for taking over a settlement or raider gang, he’s dealing with growing doubts about Caesar, who was revealed to be mortal, and what Caesar taught him. This has made him hesitate. However, he is still using the time to gather as much information as possible about the Commonwealth, its people, its factions, and of course, their weaknesses.

Vulpes’ alias: Victor Renard

Victor Renard is a new Upper Stands resident who moved into the Latimer residence after both father and son were presumed killed by Triggermen outside the city. He has a part stake in the Colonial Taphouse, which has recently had a change of management, and is often found there, brooding over a glass of watered wine. He has a developing reputation for being very private, likely very dangerous, and being some kind of high-end mercenary. He generally wears a black suit and carries concealed weapons--at least, inside the city walls. He and the mayor/security team have a strained but polite relationship...so far.

Fallout 4

Nick Valentine

A highly talented Chicago detective, on loan to Boston PD, whose original life came to a crashing end after crime kingpin Eddie Winter murdered his fiancee and disappeared. Traumatized by the loss, he was ordered to seek treatment at a facility that was run by what would become the Institute. They scanned and copied his mind and memories, and he then died in the nuclear bombardment that soon followed. When he woke up on a trash heap in a damaged robotic body around a century later, he was left with no context or explanation for his bizarre “reincarnation”. That mystery would haunt him, like the mystery of Eddie Winter’s escape from justice, for another century. After wandering the wastes for a time, and slowly acclimating himself to his new environment and interactions with modern humans, he settled in Diamond City as a handyman after returning the late mayor’s missing daughter. Eventually, he became a trusted member of the Diamond City community...and took back up the mantle of a detective. Nick stoically carries a lot of trauma, and a lot of outrage. He works to provide peaceful, rational alternatives to the constant violence around him, and tends to be smarter and more competent than most, especially when it comes to computers or investigation. He is a bit of a curmudgeon, with a dagger-sharp wit he’ll sometimes overuse when sufficiently angered. He smokes, though he gains no benefit from it, as a tie to his human past. He tends to feel divorced from his own body to some degree, and that plus his distrust of most roboticists has caused him to forgo repair thus far.

John Hancock

Mayor of Goodneighbor and a self-styled revolutionary hooligan who is usually high on something, Hancock has more layers than you might expect, and a tragic history. Born John McDonough, he grew up in a shack with his parents and brother on the Boston waterfront. His brother was something of a bully, but not particularly wicked. They started growing apart as they grew up, with John sneaking off to Goodneighbor regularly to party and do chems. Empathetic, and significantly smarter than most people, he was able to see the suffering and inequities all around him, even after his family moved up in the world and ended up in Diamond City. John realized that his brother had...changed...when he decided to run for mayor. Running on an anti-ghoul platform, he capped off his inaugural speech by announcing the banishment of all ghouls from the city. John watched in horror as the ghouls fled with their few belongings, being brutalized by citizens and police the whole time. After confronting his brother to no effect, he forced himself to act, successfully leading several families to temporary safety in Goodneighbor. Most did not survive, however, leaving him despondent and forever loathing his pogrom-promoting brother, who is still Diamond City’s mayor. That night changed something in him, and it wouldn’t go back to sleep no matter how many chems he took. Finally, on learning that Vic, the gangster running Goodneighbor, was letting his men gun down drifters, he had a bizarre, chem-fueled epiphany. He discovered John Hancock’s coat and hat in the depths of the State House, and suddenly realized what he needed to do. He took on the clothes and cause of John Hancock, and after brutally liberating the town from Vic’s people, gave an inaugural speech declaring Goodneighbor to be “of the people, for the people”, regardless of who those people were. He took on the persona of a daring, reckless, ferociously protective folk-hero Mayor and started the long process of turning Goodneighbor into a safe haven for all. But even that wasn’t enough for him. Less than a decade ago, he discovered an experimental serum intended to turn the user into a ghoul. Sick of the face in the mirror, and motivated by half a dozen different reasons, he completed his “remaking himself” by becoming the same sort of being that his evil brother so loathed. Now, having consolidated power, he has found himself in a rut, spending most of his time putting out fires and dealing with challengers to his position and to Goodneighbor’s safety. Constantly wrapping himself up in his role and work when not carousing, however, has left a lot of painful unfinished business in his life to fester.

[dizzydiodes]

starter for @b0ss-b0t​

Things had been quiet lately. The Decepticons hadn’t hatched any dastardly plans, as far as Bumblebee knew. And it was sort of his job to know. So the strange flash of light coming from the treeline off the side of the highway and surge of energy that sent his sensors into a frenzy didn’t immediately scream ‘nefarious plot’ to the spy. 

He slammed on his breaks, screeching to a halt just past the scene of...whatever that way. Judging by the fleeing birds, Bumblebee could only assume something not normal had happened, and he quickly transformed into his robot mode and trekked into the woods. 

He steps over fallen trees and snapped branches, optics scanning for...well, something. It’s not until he sees the other robot laying on a pile of freshly severed branches that he realizes it may have been a good idea to pull out his gun. Bumblebee pulls out his pistol and takes a step forward, only for his pede to snap a branch in two. So much for the element of surprise. 

[wholecalamity]

Child’s Play Chapter 2  - Friends in High Places

Links to posts with the previous chapters will be at the bottom!

–

The cool winds ruffled Naito’s hair as he gazed upon the vast landscape below him, a safe distance from the edge thanks to the hard-light barrier covering the perimeter of the floating island on which he stood.

Today, his caretaker was some “Android” uncle Draedon had made, named Klaire. He had no clue what an “android” was other than that it meant that she was a robot, which couldn’t be true because she looked just like a human!

She could make portals, just like Uncle Yharim’s pet dog, which was really cool!

The island in question was mostly artificial, an attempt at harnessing the power of natural floating islands in an experiment to create an aerial fortress.

However, several problems arose, including logistics and the fact that they would grow too heavy for mere solidified clouds.

Luckily, this “Android” was allowed to keep this vastly unfinished prototype; several islands merged into one super-island, which had been converted into something akin to a personal home.

Harpies and other strange birds watched down upon him from the large trees that dotted the place, as bunnies of many kinds roamed the yard.

He loved this place! So many things to do, and he’d only been here for a few minutes!

But then, without warning, the sky went dark. That’s weird! They were above the clouds, so what could possibly…?

Roaaar!

A great serpent dove down from the sky; a full grown Wyvern, looking to make a quick bite-sized snack out of Naito!

“Oh no you don’t!” His caretaker shouted, jumping between the two. With a swipe of her arm, reality was torn open as a portal appeared, unleashing an even greater serpent.

An armor-plated worm-like creature shot forth from the portal, snatching the Wyvern with its large pincers with honed precision.

The great serpent came down, coiling up like a house-sized rattlesnake. With a twist of its head, the hostile wyvern went down the hatch with a comical slurp.

“Nice catch, big boy!” The pinkette praised the giant armored worm as she gingerly gave it scritches on the neck.

Naito looked up in awe at the large serpent as it turned to face him, chittering curiously.

“Big wormy!” He called out, reaching up to pet it. Seeing what he was trying to do, the serpent bent down within arm’s reach of the small boy.

His caretaker ‘aaw’d’ at their antics.

“Hey, little man.” Klaire began, pulling out a humorously oversized piece of raw meat on the bone. “You wanna feed ‘em yourself?”

The little boy looked at the oversized morsel. 

“Noooo! You’re supposed to cook it first!”

Deep inside the mind of Storm Weaver, its primitive intelligence slowly began to turn the gears.

‘What is cook?’

“Eeh?” The android had a look of confusion. 

“You’re supposed to cook food, miss Klaire! It makes it taste better and makes it safe to eat too!”

‘Make food better?’ This got the serpents attention as it leaned in closer, wagging its tail the best a serpent could.

Klaire looked at Naito, then back up at Storm Weaver, who had begun drooling at the thought of a good meal.

“Heh.” The android shrugged, smiling. “Can’t argue with that…”

With a flick of her wrist, a rising spiral of godslayer flames leapt from her hand, roasting the meat chunk in seconds until it became a fine medium rare.

“Lunch is served!”

Storm Weaver took a bite of the cooked meat…

…and immediately entered a whole new world of flavor as the juices courses over its taste buds.

‘Cooked meat is…delicious! Taste better than chicken noodle…!’

It quickly chomped up the rest and curled up in front of Klaire, begging for more.

“Heh, how could I say no to that face?”

“I’m hungry too, Miss Klaire!”

“And what is it that you seek?”

Naito raises his arms into the air excitedly. “Hamborgar!”

Storm Weaver was very excited to discover what a ‘hamborgar’ was.

–

Several days later, Storm Weaver sat in front of his prey, a freshly slain wyvern.

He would learn how to cook his own food, one way or another. Lightning shot forth from his mandibles.

It came out a little crispy, but it was definitely an improvement from last time!

And maybe, just one day, Stormy could learn how to make a ‘hamborgar’ without big sis Klaire’s help.

–

Chapters

Cookies and Catharsis