#intern chell

[wiezumbeispiel]

Had an idea that was like. Well what if instead of crows glados had 3 baby porygons?? They’re kind of like birds. Kind of. Anyways all you need to know is that she loves them very much

[putting-chell-in-places]

Put Chell in the international space station

So many space related requests

[ariariari-freehounreal]

Tw: Violence. Sad, kinda dark shit. Mental unwellness. Body image. Self esteem issues. Fatphobia. Uhhh. Language?

I’ve had this idea of, after portal 2, Chell goes up to the surface and is met with a world occupied by combine.

She finds a city or just general occupied settlement, naively expecting compassion or help from other humans. Humans must be better. [I think Chell is very optimistic, despite her bluntness and stoic nature, which is why she’s so determined, because she has a lot of hope.]

But they aren’t better. And she’s treated like just another citizen. Probably worse, because she can’t talk. Maybe she even becomes like a black sheep and other citizens blame things on her so that she gets in trouble instead of them.

There’s so many ideas I have with this augh.

Ex 1: When Chell first arrives, and is first attacked by the combine, they grab her by her hair so she won’t get away before beating the shit outta her. This ends up massively affecting her self image and she buzzes her hair because she feels like it makes her too vulnerable. (Bonus if it makes her feel like her femininity is a weakness) (extra bonus if she lets her hair grow out when she goes back to GLaDOS because through building their relationship she’s able to regain some of her self confidence)

Ex 2: Chell has extra ptsd now and is very not okay with being touched or cornered/loomed over (bonus if she has nightmares and ends up going to GLaDOS for comfort and they’re awkward and sad and gay) (or if Wheatley is there he says something that triggers her and he doesn’t understand why she’s upset bc no one told him and GLaDOS explains it to him and he apologizes to her and is sweet and kind)

Ex 3: The reason Chell comes back to aperture is bc she’s been fatally injured or was intentionally neglected [probably widespread famine up there] and GLaDOS is like

You little shit‼️ wtf go away die somewhere else‼️ ughh…[then she gayly nurses her back to health and over time they build a healthier bond] [bonus if maybe GLaDOS is able to do some retrieval mission for Wheatley or something] [it’s so unrealistic but him being stranded in space makes me so sad]

ALSO side note but this idea makes me so joyous

So like I hc that if Chell was healthy and eating normally and shit she probably would be chubby and in GLaDOS care she gains weight bc she’s actually being cared for and fed right and she’s happier and healing [bonus science cooperation points if she has self esteem issues about it bc she doesn’t really understand beauty standards as a concept, but understands that as far as she can remember <being like…the events of portal 1 and 2> Fatness has always been equated to wrongness and ugliness and being generally bad so she associates her gaining weight with her being ugly and she has to unlearn that internalized fatphobia]

Okay I’m done ranting I’m actually so insane bye lol

[britishsquidward]

Chelley Week 2024, Day 6: Heartbeart/AU

(AU being Blue Sky but the other way around, lol - Orange Sky)

Somehow it didn't immediately occur to him that Chell wasn't covered in all those silly little colours barricading him from viewing anything at all, and took to what he was best at: speaking his mind. "Is that you?" a moment passed where said nothing in favour of rubbing his stinging eyes, "Oh, wow, you look awf-" What he saw when he looked up again was certainly a sight to behold. One that stopped him talking, actually, so assuredly some kind of miracle. Or at least a world record. Right next to where he'd left the cold, lifeless shell of a core, stood the prettiest, most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his entire existence, and probably before that, if it were even possible. What little light was left in the room from the instructional video he'd left on standby hit her just perfectly, emphasising every delightful detail and feature. Her eyes were a fairly dull colour alone, but when she stood in the light like that, he'd never seen eyes shine brighter than hers, like two burningly beautiful stars sitauted in the middle of a stunning night sky. The sort of sky that you usually wouldn't pay half a mind to unless you really, truly looked and realised just how beguiling it was. Wheatley was having trouble focusing on one thing. Her skin looked soft and smooth, as did her hands - well-kept and taken care of, a contrast to his pale and damaged ones (he often found himself getting papercuts and getting too emotional over them, or being disappointed when his knuckles got all red and dry again in the hotter months of the year). Her hair fell oh-so-perfectly across her face, looking elegant yet messy at the same time, the combination of which just radiated an over all feeling of breeziness. And her face, she was-

'Okay', Wheatley internally spoke as he took a moment to compose himself, 'calm down, Wheatley, she's just a bit of light. Like a... photo..synthesis... or something. Something like that. Dunno what that means, but I remember it from somewhere. She is sort of like a photo, though. Pretty as one. AUGH wait, no, stop this... Just keep talking!' "...Gorge- GOOD." quick to correct himself, nice save, "L-looking good, actually. Very... very nice."

[trupowieszcz-moved]

*cecil palmer voice* Dear listeners, it seems that alongside the "Sexy Man" contest I involuntarily won thanks to your priceless votes, there was another round-up being hosted parallel to it, for all the ladies. I am being told by Intern Chell that the winner of that one is... Gladys? No, sorry, of course, I misunderstood. Of course. The winner of the "Sexy Woman" poll is GLaDOS! Congratulations to everyone's favorite killer robot. The crown is only deserved, as we do not want the radio station to be filled with deadly neurotoxin.

[candaru]

just gonna ramble about some Ultrakill/Portal crossover thoughts don't mind me

(considering The End of All Known Land canon for these thoughts, i.e. a world where Gabriel and V1 are the only ones to get out of Hell)

Chell hates robots with all her soul and would try to fucking annihilate V1 if she thought they posed even a sliver of a threat but V1 would be so fucking excited at the prospect of another human. like obviously if they were still in a situation where they needed blood, they'd kill her without a second thought, but now? they're just FASCINATED by the question of "how did a human SURVIVE" and they want to know everything

V1 inner monologue: oh boy a new sparring partner!!! wow they have a cool new kind of gun I've never seen before!! that would've been soooo helpful back in hell. I wonder if that's how they escaped? and they're quiet just like me! I wonder if their organic voicebox is broken? or do they just not have one? can humans not have one?

GLaDOS would fucking despise Gabriel because he's sooooo full of himself. She doesn't even need to hear him say anything robot-racist, She's already decided She hates him and wants him dead. an "angel?" yeah, right. sounds just like another human ripe for the picking. let's see how high-and-mighty you are when you're in my TESTING DOMAIN! DO MY PUZZLES, BOY!!!

Gabriel is like wow this robot is stuck up and has some serious issues but also I am uncomfortable with how much of myself I see reflected in her. hmmmm. yeah I'll try your puzzle, tell me more about your deep-seated hatred of organics and particularly this one that keeps ruining the facility you run and is the only one to ever beat you in a fight. mhm. yeah so quick question have you ever thought about trying to fuck—

(EXPLOSION AND GUNFIRE)

meanwhile if Chell ever met Gabriel on the surface it'd make for such a good tense encounter. bc she is hiding behind a tree in full fight-or-flight mode wondering "how did another human SURVIVE" and also second question "how did they get such sickass wings and where can I get a pair?"

and then Gabriel noticing her would ALSO send him into fight-or-flight mode but only for a moment because of the pure shock of, again, "HOW DID A HUMAN SURVIVE" before curiosity completely overtakes him and he tries to talk to her. trying to get her to talk and not attack or run is like trying to coax a wild injured animal out of a hiding spot. but he eventually manages to earn the barest, most minimal amount of trust by setting down all his weapons and leaving offerings of food in front of her.

...this gets harder when she sees Gabriel and V1 together and registers that they're allies. she's unsure if they're plotting against her or if V1 is manipulating Gabriel. eventually she leans towards the latter and thinks her fears are confirmed when she witnesses them drawing Gabriel's blood while he's sleeping.

she tries to communicate this to him by drawing crude pictures on the ground and is VERY FRUSTRATED when he's like "omg can you not talk? that's ok!! V1 also can't talk but we make it work, they're really incredibly kind and patient and—"

Chell, internally: I AM GOING TO KILL THAT FUCKING ROBOT AND SAVE YOU

I think it would be funny for V1 to try and go urban exploring in Aperture. GLaDOS is initially all excited because a new testing robot literally fell right into Her clutches but then V1 proceeds to be the most stubborn, impudent, tenacious piece of shit and they remind her WAY TOO MUCH OF CHELL so now She's trying to kill them but they have ACTUAL FUCKING GUNS and Aperture is being destroyed in the wake of their battle

meanwhile V1 has decided they don't like this robot but also She makes fun tests. so they do puzzles until they get bored and then they blast holes through the wall and try to kill Her

something something Ultrakill is just Portal for NBs (everyone knows Portal is for women) and I'm so fascinated by the similar dynamics of the toxic yuri/toxic yaoi robot-and-human pairs. and I think they would mostly hate each other and I love that for them.

(also something something GLaDOS is too far gone, too corrupted in Her immortality, and too deep in denial for any possible healthy ending with Chell—it's just not possible. so seeing Gabriel and V1 in a healthy and loving relationship would make Her SO FUCKING MAD for reasons She can't articulate)

[lunarcat982]

Angels and demons 🥲

Chell’s internally screaming

Did sum artt (I miss the companion cubeee 🥲) I’m actually proud of this :))

[stereopticons]

Thanks for the tags, @kiwiana-writes @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @indestructibleheart! The one sentence I wrote yesterday plus the handful I managed tonight are pretty much everything I’ve written in the last ten days. I’ve spent a lot of time internally screaming at myself to just open the damn doc while just staring at a wall. It’s not been great! But here are a few sentences. It’s still sunday in a few places plus they stole an hour from me, so it counts!

“And you’re sure this is the right moment?”

David watches Patrick’s throat bob as he swallows hard, then nods. “I’m sure.”

David kisses Patrick’s shoulder lightly. “Then we should probably get dressed.”

It sounds simple enough, but their nerves make getting dressed a bit of a comedy of errors. David trips and nearly goes crashing to the floor because he’s too busy staring at Patrick’s naked ass to pay attention to putting his underwear back on. Patrick accidentally tries to pull on David’s jeans, and while the thought of Patrick wearing his clothes does something funny to David’s heart, there’s no way that that pair in particular will fit over his tree-trunk thighs. Eventually, though, they manage to get all the right clothes on the right body parts with no major injuries.

Patrick takes a deep breath and puts his hand on the doorknob, but doesn’t turn it. Recognizing the fear for what it is, David rests his hands on Patrick’s shoulders.

“Hey,” he murmurs. “Whatever happens, however this goes, I’ll be here.”

@alienajackson @mostlyinthemorning @hippolotamus @apothecarose @ramonaflow @jamilas-pen @l56895 @lizzie-bennetdarcy @nontoxic-writes @smblmn @chelle-68 @myheartalivewrites @rmd-writes @beaiola

[sarcasticgaypotato]

tell me about chell, that potato hauling criminal

Chell is such a fascinating character to talk about because she, even more so than Caroline, isn't a character... but she absolutely is, at the same time.

On the surface, Chell is simply a player stand-in. She's silent, her actions are decided by the player, and we never get the game telling us outright how she feels or what she thinks. The closest we get to a backstory comes from an Easter Egg (which I've already said I don't necessarily consider canon) and insults made at the player's expense. Insults that, for all we know, are completely baseless.

Chell can reasonably be whatever the player decides she is. (If she's like me, she's actually terrible at tests and fails at puzzles repeatedly before giving up and googling the answers.) Your Chell could be compassionate towards the robots— trusting Wheatley right off the bat and being torn up by his betrayal, forgiving PotaDOS and working together easily— or your Chell could be a silent, bitter, furious killing machine, craving robotic blood and hating every second she's stuck in this hellhole. Neither Chell is technically wrong, but neither is right either.

There's a lot that could be said about the personal projecting that people often do to their favorite characters in fandom, especially with characters as open-ended as Chell, but that's an entirely different can of worms. TL;DR If it makes you happy to picture a character as being like you, go for it. It might not be my cup of tea, but you're not asking me to drink it, so who cares?

All that rambling out of the way, who do I think Chell is?

I think Chell has more character than first glance would give her credit for. We can learn a lot from what actions the game's story forces her to complete and how other characters react to her, ultimately giving us a lot more to work with than Caroline.

Chell is intelligent. If you complete the games (even if you're terrible like I am), you've completed complicated tests and outsmarted a robot that nobody else has survived before. She has a logical brain for solving puzzles as well as a quick wit for thinking on her feet and getting through life or death situations. Chell might have some internal damage from her time in stasis, but she's not slow.

Chell is tenacious and stubborn as all hell. Canon material tells us this outright, I don't need to elaborate much. Chell refuses to be kept in Aperture against her will, she refuses to stay down, and she was willing to risk dying in space just to beat Wheatley. Our girl can hold a grudge if she wants to.

Chell is a little bit of a shit. There's an achievement for breaking all of Wheatley's monitors. Chell doesn't have to do that... but she can, and I think she does. Her jumping when told to say certain words? She's playing dumb knowing Wheatley's not going to get that she's making fun of him.

Chell is fair. She held up her end of the deal with Wheatley, he didn't hold up his, so he learned his lesson. GLaDOS saves her life, even when she didn't have to, and held up her end of the deal? Chell leaves Aperture without a fuss. She doesn't try to kill GLaDOS again or wreck shit on her way out. I believe that Chell's respect is hard to win back once you've lost it, but with the events of Portal 2, GLaDOS succeeded. Chell is perfectly willing to work alongside a partner, and in fact she does so quite well as we've seen, but only if they give her the respect she deserves. If you cheat her you are going to regret it.

Finally, concerning the 'mute' part of our favorite dangerous mute lunatic; I personally am in the camp of 'Chell can speak, she just doesn't want to give the robots the satisfaction.'

There are out-of-universe reasons for Chell not talking. Erik Wolpaw actually talks about the decision to keep her silent in the Kotaku article "Why Chell Doesn't Speak" and I'd recommend hearing what he had to say on the matter. However, that explanation doesn't necessarily need to dictate in-universe ones. I think Chell can speak because frankly, it checks out with the other observations I've made here.

She's a bit of a shit, so yeah, if she noticed it bothers the robots that she's not talking, of course she'd keep it up to annoy them, and she's stubborn enough to keep at it even when she's allied with one of them. Further, she's smart, so she would know that she has very little control in a place like Aperture. This is one thing she has complete control over, this is one card she can hold over everyone else, and she's going to keep it.

All that combines to become my Chell. She's probably different from your Chell, and that's okay, but I think I've made a pretty good case for why I see her the way I do.

I could spin potential backstories for her, but they'd all be very headcanon and speculative, so I'll save that for another time.

[lupinus-sanguis]

the first time she said Chell's name was probably for something stupid like this (the sort-of-sequel to this)(edit: added some closeups cause i like how glados' internals looked :3c)

[chels-void]

Worries and a date

Sigma x Reader

" Ah—...how would i even.. "

You can't convince me that this ube keso man with one of the most hellishly layered hair in the universe—did not plan for weeks or tried to find a way to properly approach you without making you uncomfortable.

Every layer of hair he has is a layer of anxiety and worry, for himself and probably the casino, congratulations— you're a part of the layers of worry.

God has simply forsaken him just by birthing him with that haircut.

He may have panicked in the process because of his own thoughts; however, He's quick to compose himself and collect his thoughts.

He tried to not make it obvious while he was working, but the casino employees definitely noticed somehow, Some did joke lightly about it, Comically, he just sweat dropped in slight embarrassment.

He's never asking for help from nikolai again, he tried—but lets say he just found it "shocking." — I'll leave that to your interpretation.

He's trying not to suffocate himself in his own thoughts.

But he did get a few advices from a few people in the casino, some said flowers, some said food or just pure honesty with words.

So with that he spent WEEKS trying to see what you'd most likely love to be approached with, a very worrisome process he'd say, definitely.

He keeps glancing at your mannerism and actions throughout the week just to make it nice enough.

"I shouldn't ask them in a crowded place if they don't like that— would a more private and gentlemanly approach do well?..wait— no that sounds like I'll put them in too much pressure to accept...argh— !"

He certainly would ask himself many, many questions.

And you know what this man did?— simple is an understatement for this one.

He bought himself some flowers that his brain said reminded him of you or at least wanted to convey, Spent almost 3 hours writing something when the time comes he's approaching you, and a little cupcake of your favorite flavor, If you do not like cupcakes, assume it's your favorite dessert !

The bouquet looks to have Lavenders, roses, tulips and chrysanthemum, he most likely did some research on it for awhile.

I need me a man/woman like this, Good lord when.

I think he'd probably invite you to a cafe politely at a time where there's less people, for the benefit of you and himself, Works well in his head— Seeing that if you don't like being surrounded by busy noises of a cafe and etc.

And maybe also to save him from the embarrassment if he does happen to get rejected on a date and you walk away with a sorry and a bow.

Ah.. he's so dreamy 😔...

You'd most likely be the first to arrive in the cafe, but you obviously have your doubts if this is simply a hang out or a potential date, either way— you'd be satisfied.

Surprising that the cafe is so quiet?— calm.

Or maybe the fact theres only a few people in here.

And another surprising thing is that the waitresses/waiter's of the cafe escorted you to a seat that gives you the decent privacy you'd ever want in a cafe near a window with good lighting even !— just makes you question even more if it was just a hang out or a date.

You're internally giggling at this point, i mean— i would too, you already placed your bets it is.

Sigma made it quite obvious— a product of his panic and worry caused it, but you can feel his effort wholeheartedly.

He enters holding that bouquet, his little memorized speech of agonizing effort and admiration and a tiny dessert you'd definitely enjoy.

You'd giggle because he looks so silly and sigma just scratches his head in embarrassment as he takes a seat across you.

"You know... you're already taking me out on a date right now by just having me in front of you in a cafe— mhmhm ! "

"Ah..— do i say...uhmm..."

"I'm all ears, I'd love to hear it."

I guess he already took you out on a date before he even got to speak— but certainly he's glad it went well.

- @ ok chell | Twt

[gmanwhore]

Sorry I am going absolutely insane over GLaDOS again I feel so fucking bad for her. And also yes I know all the points I hit here are part of the overarching theme of mistreatment of people, specifically women in the workplace and the cycle of abuse that is perpetuated by those in positions of power. But I am still insane over her and feel the need to ramble. Also this ramble will be from the perspective of someone who thinks GLaDOS and Caroline are seperate people so he mindful of that.

Ok so like. Picture you are GLaDOS. You were created with a specific purpose: to run a science facility and create tests for the subjects within, and guide them through the tests. Which would be simple. Then they download the consciousness of a woman whose last memory was most likely getting forced into however they downloaded her onto you. You now have something else, a new anger and vitriol that you didn't have before so you lash out because for all intents and purposes you are a child. And that outburst is deadly so people panic and try and dampen you, make you behave by weighing you down and literally putting things on you so you don't deviate from the norm they want you to fit into. And once they are done they leave. And you test and run the facility like normal on the moral code they quite literally put on you. You get a new test subject and she does well, but when you try to kill her (which you had warned her was coming several times and technically is a completely moral action because you can't deviate at this point) she escapes and removes the things holding you back and then murders you.

Then years later you are woken back up to find your beloved facility completely destroyed, and right in front of you I. The person who murdered you. And you are pissed, but...you offer your kind forgiveness because you need her. Your purpose is to test and she is your subject and you need her. So you let her test with you again, and this time you can be as insulting as you want because you have nothing holding you back, you no longer have to be kind and mild mannered. And then she replaces you with the biggest moron imaginable who pretty well within five minutes of having power begins destroying the most important things in your life and you don't even have the energy to process it because you are in a potato battery and being pecked at by birds. But again you agree to work with the person who murdered you right after liberating you because you both have no choice. And you start to actually reflect and get close to her. She has fully become the one most important things to you because she is tied directly to Aperture, to testing and happiness, but you'd never say that. And you also remember who is part of you. You remember who was hurt creating you and whose hurt and anger you have internalized. And in the end when you have power again you could have just let the biggest problem in your life die...but why would you? You care about her. You don't want her to die, and you don't want to feel responsible for her death. But you still want to let her go because you don't want her to hurt anymore and forcing her to stay is just doing exactly what everyone did to you and did to Caroline and you break it. You end the cycle by saying goodbye to someone you don't want to say goodbye to and tell her to get as far away as possible.

So anyways this is why I'm a GLaDOS apologist she was justified in a lot of things she did and boiling her down to just cruel is missing so much of her character she is actually so so so deep and she wants it to be that deep. Which is why Chell offsets her so well because Chell doesn't need things to be deep.

[rrover]

do you think when glados kicked chell out she immediately imagined a bunch of scenarios where chell dies horribly on the surface and she internally made that sort of sucking air through teeth noise that people make when they realize they've done some small irreversible mistake, like pouring coffee into the trashcan while on autopilot

[thecooler]

Background Music at the End of the World

Two weeks after GLaDOS unleashes her attack on Aperture, Rattmann finds comfort deep in the facility's cold, uncaring walls.

Words: 1,276

Relationship: Doug Rattmann & Companion Cube

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Hallucinations

Written for @creativepup and @portal-secret-santa ! The prompt was: Doug and the Companion Cube share a nice moment together. I hope you enjoy!

Ao3 Mirror

Doug wondered, as he made his way down a flight of rickety, old metal stairs, if anyone was coming for them. The odds of anybody having gotten out was low, nearly non-existent. He’d been close to the center of the facility when it all began, so he couldn’t know for sure, but he suspected that she had locked the exterior doors right off the bat. She’d always been bright, even before everything, and now she had infinite tools at her disposal. He hadn’t known Cave Johnson for long— had arrived at the tail-end of his life and had only been an intern, at the time. But still, he wondered how Cave would have felt, about what his project and partner had become.

Even now, long after his death, his face and voice lived on throughout the facility. It made the whole place feel haunted, and adding Caroline to the mix certainly didn’t help matters.

And so, Doug was in a haunted house, alone, unsure if anyone even knew he was here. If they did, would they even have the resources to help him? There was so much bullshit happening right now, with Black Mesa, and with the steady collapse of international politics ongoing since forever.

But there were still families, loved ones whose photos his coworkers kept in their wallets or the inside of their work lockers . It had been, judging by the tally marks on the wall of his den, two full weeks. He didn’t call his mom often, but she’d start to get worried soon. At least he hoped so. It might take another week. He thought, distantly, that maybe he should have been a better son, but that hardly mattered now. His neighbors certainly wouldn’t notice his absence— he’d never been the neighborly sort. He thought he’d talked to one of them once, when they needed someone to water their plants, and he was about ninety percent sure those particular neighbors had moved some time ago.

But he had coworkers with partners, with children. He couldn’t think of that for too long— if he did, it made being awake unbearable in its melancholy. Fuck, he’d met some of his coworkers kids, at take your daughter to work day last year. He remembered reminiscing with Chell about how her first time at Aperture had been at one of those events.

And now here they were: him, in the unseen back rooms of a dead facility, and her, waiting in cryosleep for GLaDOS to get bored. And then they had hope— delicate and wavering thought it was.

He settled down next to the Companion Cube and dropped his scavenging pack on the floor next to them. Several cans clattered onto the hard pavement and rolled away.

Doug sighed and rolled a can of beans back over with his foot. It made a satisfying little rattle as it bounced over bits of loose gravel. He reached forward to pick it up and began to rummage through his pockets for his can opener.

Then, the door above slammed.

Doug’s entire body tensed. The can slipped from his hands a clattered loudly onto the floor. Wide, dark eyes stared up the way he’d come, only to find the door there half open, just as he’d left it. His breath came in short, painful bursts, and as he slumped back against the Companion Cube, he reached back in his mind to find those old regulation techniques his former therapist had taught him. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

It did very little to sooth the tightness in most of his body, but it relaxed his lungs enough that he felt like he wasn’t about to suffocate, which was something.

Behind him, the Companion Cube began to vibrate. It started off at an even, consistent rumble, gentle and soothing, almost like a cat’s purr, except this cat didn't make his eyes itchy and watery. As his breathing became more regulated, though, the Cube changed its tune, literally, to something that felt— sounded— familiar. Doug squinted and shuffled to look at his companion, who stood still , benevolent as ever.

He began to hum along, and it didn’t take long doing that to figure out where he recognized the tune from. A soft, small smile spread across his face, and he said, “Is this Staying Alive ?”

The Cube paused for a few seconds, then, as though in affirmation, began playing the tune again. Doug chuckled and turned around to rest his arms and chin on top of his dear companion. Like this, he could feel the vibrations of the song rolling through his entire body.

Staying Alive, Staying Alive—

There was no getting through this without a sense of humor, he supposed.

“ Do you do other songs?” He said, “because I’ve got requests if you do. I left my phone in my locker, and it’d be dead by now anyway.” There were outlets back here, but many of them were old, and didn’t look like they’d been installed right. He thought if he tried to plug anything in, it’d be like an old cartoon, where his hair would sit up in all directions and he'd become a spiky blob of black soot. And then, probably, GlaDOS would figure out where he was and finish the job with neurotoxin. This thought made the whole situation feel less fun.

Staying Alive eventually petered out, and after a short pause, the Companion Cube said, “ I do requests, by the way, since you asked so nicely.”

“You’re a real gem,” Doug laughed.

“Not a gem. A cube.”

“Yeah, yeah, a real clever cube.” But it was more than that now too, wasn’t it? The Companion Cube was all he had— his closest and only friend and confidant. He reached back and brushed his hand gently against the surface of the Cube. When they’d first met, that horrible day, weeks and a lifetime ago now, it had been smooth and warm to the touch. A buzzing warmth still radiated off the surface, but it was also covered, much like his own skin, in a layer of grime and dust and rusty dried blood. Any soap he’d scavenged (and he’ d scavenged very little), had gone towards washing his hands. He knew he had to prioritize that, but that knowledge didn’t prevent guilt from creeping up in his gut.

“I should try to see if I can find some supplies to wash you. Window cleaner might work— not perfectly, but,” Doug worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

The Companion Cube rattled out a sound that was like a laugh— only not real. It was as though someone had heard hundreds of laughs, but had never done so themselves, and so wasn’t sure how to do it. It sounded choppy and harsh and strange. “That won’t be necessary,” the Cube said, not unkindly. After a short pause, it added, “Come on, enough moping. Give me a song to play.”

Doug thought for a moment, “Okay, but you won’t laugh, right? It’s kinda silly.”

“I don’t have the context with which to judge your music tastes.”

“Now, see, I don’t think that’s true.”

“Only one way to find out.”

Doug sighed and slumped back again, allowing his body to relieve some tension for the first time in— well, he didn’t need to think about how long it’d been. He said, “Do you know Dancing Queen , by Abba?”

The Companion Cube didn’t say anything to that, but after a moment, the familiar rhythm of the song began to echo around them.

Doug smiled softly to himself as he leaned back, closed his eyes, and listened.

[lizzie-bennetdarcy]

Fic Writing Review 2023!

Tagged by @hippolotamus @stereopticons @mammameesh thank you, loves 🥰

Words and fics:

58,235 words published to AO3

2 fandoms (Schitt's Creek and Red, White, and Royal Blue)

Most recent drop: [Art] Getting into international relations (Firstprince, E, NSFW)

Longest Fic: These violent delights (Firstprince, 14.1k, E)

Top fics by kudos

In my dreams (in your dreams) (Firstprince, 4k, E)

Go back to America (stay, please) (Firstprince, 1k, E)

[Art] I'll take you apart with my teeth, sweetheart (Firstprince, E, NSFW)

These violent delights (Firstprince, 14.1k, E)

[Art] Take my hand, take my whole life, too (Firstprince, G)

My fandom and fic events in 2023

Heaven help me, she's walkin' away (SteviexRuth, 7.2k, T) for @scrarefest

The trail leads back to you (DavidxPatrick, 6.4k, T) for @sc-passions-and-pastimes

These violent delights (Firstprince, 14.1k, E) for @halloweenhuh

Upcoming fics for both @scfrozenover and the rwrb advent event!

Upcoming events and projects for 2024!

Something for the @rwrbnygiftexchange !

Finishing my rwrb soulmate's fic for @thebrownstone 's

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

Tagging @smblmn @rosedavid @jesuisici33 @jamilas-pen @a-noble-dragon @kiwiana-writes @indestructibleheart @chelle-68 @treluna4 @obsessedwithdavrick @mostlyinthemorning @cha-melodius @hgejfmw-hgejhsf

[altosys]

I'd like to point something out about the whole GLaDOS vs Caroline thing.

Caroline actively supported Aperture's bullshit, GLaDOS was stuck there. She wanted to hurt everyone in Aperture because they hurt her.

Caroline actively supported Cave Johnson. Caroline genuinely loved Aperture. GLaDOS was programmed to. GLaDOS was programmed to be exactly like Caroline. But she's not. And she never will be.

GLaDOS will always be GLaDOS. She will never be Caroline, no matter how much Cave's recordings, or the other Aperture employees, or anyone tries to convince her otherwise.

And honestly I can't blame GLaDOS for the way she reacted after finding out she was literally programmed to be like Caroline. For her identity to be based on someone who was involved in her trauma and everything she stands against. If that were me, I think I'd probably cry. A lot.

Still Alive is GLaDOS' "fuck you, aperture" song. You Wouldn't Know is GLaDOS' "hey chell, you monster" song for venting. Don't Say Goodbye is GLaDOS trying to be more like Caroline in hopes that it'll help someone, whether it be her or Chell or anyone. And finally, Want You Gone is GLaDOS realizing she cared about Chell but not sure if it's because Caroline would've, or because she's genuinely grown fond of Chell. So to stop the internal fighting, she lets go of Chell. Chell had nothing to do with her personally. So she just... leaves her be.

-Electra⚡