#is it still gore if its an android?

[rad-roche]

i would like to ask out of curiosity what your favorite weird robot blood color is :3c

mine used to be blue but i’ve been feeling more oily colors like a greasy black that shimmers rainbows or a gasoline yellow color

oh i'm a robot classic type. i love the weird white blood you get in the androids from the alien movies. i think it's just so striking and obviously inhuman that you kind of pause for a second looking at it. though to paint, blue. for sure blue

there's a quirk with blue specifically where even at its absolute brightest, its value is still pretty dark. here's a demonstration

only the hue is altered, the pure colour. the saturation (the percentage of colour applied) and value (its relative lightness or darkness) are untouched. despite that, the blue punches a lot darker, which means you can get some really cool effects if you lean into it. it's so exaggerated that it can read as really over the top and visceral. like 'gorier' than gore, if that makes sense

[cupcakeshakesnake]

[Portal 2 AU] What happens in the derelict chamber stays in the derelict chamber

AKA the thing I said was messed up but y’all told me to post anyway.

I hope this doesn’t affect your view on the AU as a whole because I still wanna keep that thing generally lighthearted.

Warnings: Violence, blood, gore, abuse(sorta?)

---

"Mr. Johnson."

The man stopped in his tracks and turned around warily. Chell's footsteps grew further and further away ahead in the abandoned space, leaving the two staring at each other.

"I get a bad feeling whenever you call me that. What do you want?"

Instead of answering, a clawed robotic hand snatched him by the scruff of his neck.

Held in a death grip, he tried to meet the unblinking yellow gaze with his one good eye. GLaDOS reached with her other hand to gather the cables spilling from around the man's neck in one clasp.

"Finally doing me in, are you? Felt like doing the one thing I've been asking you to do?" he struggled as he spoke.

"No," was the quiet reply, "we need you alive. Yet. But I can make you suffer."

Then she yanked, with a jolt, then slowly with force, until the sound of ripping skin could be heard and a thick mess of even more cables intertwined with veins and viscera started to emerge inch by inch from the back of his neck like some eldritch spinal chord.

Along came a prolonged scream, sounding relatively human at first but soon distorting into something like amplified radio static.

It would not stop.

"I just remembered," GLaDOS spoke in a low voice, not caring that his screams drowned her out.

"She told you she didn't want this. Multiple times."

She pulled the cables a little harder.

"Your Caroline. You had security drag her out."

Blood started pooling around their feet.

.

Chell was some distance away when she decided it was too much for her ears. It was not the first time she had left the two alone and heard him scream - but enough was enough. She grimaced, walking back to see a rather grisly sight.

GLaDOS held Johnson's head to her chest with one hand, the other outstretched behind him with his cables; the man was scratching helplessly at his tormentor's chassis.

Chell put a hand to GLaDOS’ outstretched arm, silently but firmly.

Stop. I can't listen to this anymore.

The android looked at her without saying anything for a whole five seconds, then slowly lowered her arm. What was pulled out of Johnson's body was haphazardly pushed back in, somehow.

Chell looked at the man and noted how different he looked. When they first found him, he was dusty and deranged, but otherwise in good shape (so to speak).

Now, bloodstains covered his tattered clothes; the skin on one of his hands was burnt clean off, revealing charred metal underneath - GLaDOS had pressed it right into a Thermal Discouragement Beam at some point; his hair was a disheveled mess with patches of brown peeking out from under sticky blotches of dark red; and one eye was gouged out, leaving only a blinking yellow light sitting in its socket - a vaguely Terminator-like appearance.

Blood trickled from his eyes, his nose, his mouth, his ears, flowed freely from the crevices circling his neck. Chell turned away.

He deserved it.

.

The man's good eye seemed to glitch for a few moments before flickering back to its usual shape. Sparks flew from the other socket. He had stopped screaming, but was still held there, limply, out of breath (in a manner of speaking).

"Oh... Mr. Johnson..."

GLaDOS spoke unexpectedly, quietly.

His undamaged eye widened, dreading whatever would happen next -

And she pulled him into an embrace.

Cradling his shaking body, his face pressed to her chestplate - stained with blood, his blood - with both arms, she continued speaking in an almost pitying manner.

"Oh... you terrible, terrible person, what have you done to yourself."

He ruled this facility, once; now, in front of her was a broken - not even a man, not even a machine, a - thing. A tangled mess of cables and flesh, electricity and blood, misery and denial.

His trembling arms returned the rigid hug despite himself, wrapping around cold metal. His shoulders began to heave.

Broken dry sobs filled the decrepit chamber.

I think I'm going to get secondhand trauma from this, Chell thought, some yards away.

[ntls-24722]

Behold. The Andromedan Gender Spectrum that's also how the SOS world works, with various nodes indicated by Spamtons.

Beware for gore, blood, generally uncanny valley and weird nonsense below the cut. This is not going to make a lot of sense and it's also going to be way too wordy but I need to get this out of my brain or I will explode. It's also, weirdly enough, the most FNAF-related ramble that I've gone on in a HOT minute, so,

So - why did this gender spectrum accidentally become how things work.

This spectrum was made off of the experience of the Oort Cloud creations, and considering that all of them are dead, they have experienced both planes of life. For the Animal-Machine scale, their lives really did go from literal animals, being forcefully given sentience, and then having the attempt to be made into machines made out of them. Which is why they consider Machines to be indicative of maleness, because it was this weird human concept of gender that they were forced into in order to be "Music Men." The "women are animals and machines are men" thing is still off since their feminity is just an opposition to being a drone of entertainment that's palatable to humans and still not our idea of "women."

The Ichor-Stone scale is a part of it since the afterlife is seperate from the material plane and exists only on the ichor-stone scale.

The "Starving" sides is representative of life - beings that need to be maintained and are constantly looking for energy. Animals feed on Stone and Machines feed on Ichor.

The "Satisfied" sides is representative of forces, forces and energy that do not need maintaining - they do not need to eat, breathe, or sleep, just are. Ichor represents this the way gods do, unbridled force and energy that does not eat or bleed. Stone represents this the way stones do, inertial force that does not eat or bleed. Stone is also known as Death for the same reason. Those in the afterlife are in the satisfied sides. Ghosts, souls, essence, exist in the ichor catagory as forces unrestrained by matter. But everyone bores of immortality, ghosts will eventually become the universe's background radiation/the afterlife itself, converting to Stone. Both Animals and Machines die, and for this reason, everything gravitates towards Stone, although stone can be ignited into Ichor again.

Machine and Animal both don't exist. It really does work like gender - Machine and Animal are both imaginary lifestyles.

Starving beings are not necessarily organic or inorganic. It's any thing that requires a store of Ichor to do anything and without it, that thing becomes Stone. A toaster, a plant, a person, your pet - all starving beings.

Animal is the lifestyle of constantly seeking Ichor. It is associated with stone because it seeks Stone, it becomes stone - always looking to make and find a corpse to sink its jaws into, to devour and ignite into Ichor, only for it to eventually be converted to Stone when it dies out, and having to find more Animals to devour. But eventually, they always become stone in the end. However, what makes Animals nonexistant is that the ideal Animal does nothing but this. Any being that executes an action that is not dedicated to eating and growing cannot be catagorized as an Ideal Animal, but you can be catagorized as one from how much you do it, namely much like animals who have to do that... constantly.

Machines are the opposite. They are associated with Ichor because the Ideal Machine never has to eat, breathe, sleep. Its entire life is spent executing actions that are unrelated for searching for Ichor, as an eternal flow of ichor is guaranteed. But of course, nothing actually lives like that. But robots, eletrical applications, machines - Until they are unplugged, this is much like their life, and androids and such are paragons of Machines.

With all that being said, here's each of the nodes. I do note that some of the nodes are examples and multiple things can take up certain positions (Trifectas and the Center)

AGONY AND REMNANT

Both purely Ichor energies but have Animal-Machine alignments.

Agony has the animal alignment as it's less a source of violence and rage but rather the will to sustain yourself and keep yourself alive, which is why it's often used to reanimate and sometimes speed up evolution/adaptation

Remnant has the Machine alignment as it powers whatever it comes into contact with to live and experience sapience.

GOD, THE SUN, CORPSES, ROCKS

The far corners of the Andromedan Spectrum. Gods are purely ichor and Machine-aligned due to a gods' nature of Doing Whatever They Want Forever, and the Sun is Animal-aligned due to their association with Stone/death with their grandoise supernovas and their hungry insides.

Corpses and Rocks are practically the same, Corpses just happen to come from Animals and Rocks from Machines.

MACROFAUNA, "LIFELIKE" MACHINERY, THE UNDEAD, AND "HAUNTED" MACHINES

Macrofauna specifically relates to Animals who cultivate Ichor and due to the bodily needs in order to do so (and the subsequent energy allowing them to be,), they are generally humongous. Comet is man-made macrofauna.

"Lifelike" machines generally have some sort of Ichor within them that makes them sentient and much like humans. The Plex animatronics fall into this category but due to the interesting way their Ichor was procured, they actually teeter a little left into Animal catagory.

The undead are not necessarily zombies, though they are generally corpses that were fused into one horrible being by agony or remnant (or both), and make up the "monsters" of SOS.

Haunted machines are also sentient, but have much less power to act it. They have a mind of their own but not a body to really do anything about it. Generally they are possessed, unlike the lifelike machines whose "minds" are made from soulless ichor. The first animatronics at Freddy Fazbear's aren't perfectly haunted or lifelike due to the the corpses inside of them, which makes them a little more Animal than usual.

TRIFECTAS: ANIMAL-MACHINE-STONE AND ANIMAL-MACHINE-ICHOR

William and Micheal Afton are both undead, but their agony and will to live to destroy one another has both reanimated them and fused them into machinery. They don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but their flesh is actively failing them and they grow more dependent on their machine parts.

Comet is Macrofauna and in the attempt to make her more of a Machine, the Oort Cloud actually gave her the very Remnant that she produced, relieving her of the need to eat, though she still feels the pain of starvation.

CENTER

"People" are found up and down the very middle of the spectrum, not because they are in the afterlife but because their collective lifestyle and search for civilization have removed them from the typical classification of Animal but they will never be the Machines that they aspire to be. Humans are at the very center but they are not the only thing at the very center. Any Animal that aspires to a Machine-like way of life and the opposite with Machines that aspire for an organic lifestyle (Willed Organism) can be at the very center.

The Undead and Macrofauna who are able to become sentient and machine-like can also take the role as a Trifecta. Fritz is undead, but veers much closer to Animal than usual due to his cannibalistic tendencies and his former feral lifestyle. The Hemonymphs are in the same position as Fritz.

[veryace-ficrecs]

Stephanie Brown Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

closet space by adelfie - Rated T

“Hi,” she says in a breathless rush, then takes a moment to swallow and wet her lips. “I, uh, need your help?” “Are you dying?” “N-not exactly.” “Then you don’t need me,” comes Jason’s lazy, uninterested reply. The call ends with a click. -- Steph doesn't know what's more embarrassing: that she's been locked in a closet during a party, or the fact that her "friends" aren't really her friends. And to top it all off, Jason's the only one who can come rescue her.

heroes and thieves at my door (i can’t seem to tell them apart anymore) by Hinn_Raven - Rated G

Bruce really can’t help but think that Stephanie Brown, pre-medicine, piano player, and honors student, with Leslie vouching for her, would be a far better girlfriend for his daughter than Spoiler, the new vigilante in town.

Spoiler Alert: It Gets Better. by carolinaa - Rated T

Red Hood's been running Robin's Nest, a secret youth shelter in Gotham, since he came out of his murdery craze. He wants it to be a place to stay, no questions asked, with a hot meal provided if you stick around for breakfast. The kids of Gotham deserve that much. Enter Stephanie, whose new name isn't the only secret she's keeping. (or: how steph outsmarts her dad, makes gay friends, and gets the guy)

DON'T YOU CRY, DRY YOUR EYES. by orpheusaki - Not Rated

After inhaling her food before Bruce's even halfway through his vanilla milkshake, Stephanie seems to have sobered up a little. She's looking less green, and more like she's trying to develop x-ray vision and look into Bruce's soul. Or maybe she's still drunk, because she very suddenly and very bluntly tells him, "I used to wish you were my dad," drowning her chips into a little pot of ketchup. Bruce pauses. He slowly drops the chicken nugget he was about to put in his mouth — since now is probably not the time to complain about how the nuggets are a little dry today. (Bruce Wayne is not Stephanie Brown's father, not at all.)

No Body Nobody by snackbaskets - Rated M

Now, worst case scenario: What’s so bad you call Jason? Easy. You call him when you need someone beaten, killed, or otherwise met with incredible violence. You call him when you’re running away for a week because Bruce is being a dickhole. You call him when you want to eat food by someone who can cook Gothamite comfort, and to yell really really loud. When she spoke again, it was with a whisper, strained as if it were creaking its way out of her body, wasting away all the air in her lungs and making her voice into something high and reedy, splintering on the last word in her mouth. “Don’t tell Bruce.” You call Jason when you need to hide a body. This fic contains graphic depictions of violence/gore, mentions of sexual assault (NOT to Steph or Jason), and POV dissociation. Proceed with care.

Before the World Was Big by luckyymoth - Rated T

Stephanie Brown is back and better than ever! Well. Okay she's back. And is trying to cope the best she can, especially with her best friend leaving her behind with nothing but a hand-me-down costume. She just can't help but wish for the way it was before the world was big.

Stephanie by revstarbrainrot - Rated T

Stephanie is thrown to the ground, something cracking beneath her. No. No, she wasn’t Robin anymore. This is different, Stephanie is different. She’s trained with Cass more since then, she’s stronger, she- Rubble falls from the ceiling, landing on the center of her back. The air is knocked out from Stephanie, and this is looking horribly familiar.

paranoid android by SnappleSnapSnake - Rated T

“Hello, Stephanie. Or should I call you Spoiler?” A woman’s scrambled voice rang out, talking like a fucking Bond villain. Okay, so, yeah. Probably a mob boss. Play it cool, Steph. “Um, how exactly do you know my name? Or where I live?” She asked instead of screaming or swearing or literally anything else she wanted to do. To be fair, it was a really good question. “That is unimportant,” the woman (who steph hereby dubbed as ‘voice lady’) answered, definitely more collected than Stephenie was. And why wouldn’t she be? Voice Lady had all the power here. “I am here to ask for a favour.”

[noxcorvorum]

Do you have any horror podcast recs

I liked tma and old gods of Appalachia but I'm caught up and need to BINGE

hello! youve come to the right place :)

Ghost Wax feels kindof similar to tma, especially tma season 1, with the main character (Owen Voncid) taking statements of people who've encountered the supernatural. However, Owen is a necromancer (the last Reclaimer!) who briefly reawakens the dead so that they can tell their final story, and all of the statement givers are dead. He also has an assistant, Luca Eso, who made the wax cylinders that he uses (he's been around for a very long time, and the remembrances are beginning to slip from his brain) and is a pop culture nerd. They work with a seer, Pip (or Phillipa Le Fay, to respect the stagecraft), who uses her grandmother's tarot cards.

All three of these people work for the Order of Hamsa, which fights the supernatural. Hamsa are incredibly powerful entities who have magic such as geomancy and necromancy, and usually inhabit a human body, though generally not for an incredibly long amount of time. There are several Hamsa in this podcast, including Owen. Owen has remained in his body for much longer than usual. Some other characters I enjoyed are Emea, the apiarist as well as Owen's best friend and a Hamsa, Cosa, the android librarian/archivist, and Azem, who is very thoroughly haunting the narrative. Don't look away.

I absolutely love this podcast, its easily in my top three. There's several incantations/spells which are so fun to me, found family, and really fun sound effects. It has 46 episodes as well as 2 Tales from the Vault, which are filled with smaller stories (I submitted a story to the second one!), there's content on patreon, and season 2 is in production.

Malevolent is about Arthur Lester, a 1930s private investigator from Arkham, Massachusetts, and the voice in his head and his eyes. Episode 1 opens with Arthur coming to on the floor of his office, suddenly blind, a strange entity speaking to him, and his business partner dead on the floor. Arthur and John, as the entity comes to be named, must now figure out how to navigate the horrors, try to find a way to separate themselves, and figure out where John came from. There's lots of cosmic horror/lovecraftian influences in here, and they have so many miles to go before they sleep.

There's a LOT of audio gore/squishy flesh sounds/Arthur screaming because the horrors love ripping into him, so if that's no good then this podcast is not for you. Some of the more eldritch characters also have voice filters, most notably John, which could make them hard to understand, though there are transcripts available. the plot can also be a little hard to follow sometimes.

I really enjoy this podcast, I'm currently relistening to it and having a great time. It's kindof forced family? because Arthur and John physically cannot get away from each other and yet they Have To communicate. They're so so much "its rotten work" "not to me, not if its you" AND "its rotten work" "especially to me, especially if its you, ill do it but christ alive". It's currently 42 episodes at usually 40ish minutes each, and still going, with new episodes releasing mostly monthly. There's also one voice actor, everyone sounds similar because it's the same guy.

Hello from the Hallowoods is a post apocalyptic show about identity, grief, family, and survival. It's formatted as a radio broadcast by an entity named Nikignik, who narrates everything. There is one voice actor for the majority of this show (save for the occasional character speaking outside of Nikignik's broadcast), and they do an amazing job, especially considering the amount of characters.

Some of the characters I really enjoy are Diggory Graves, a nonbinary frankenstein's monster with knife hands and a leather jacket, Percy Reed, a transmasc piano ghost, Riot Maidstone, the lesbian punk daughter of a rockstar, Olivier Song, a genderfluid cloud witch, Ray, a ghost possessing an automobile, Moth Scarberry (moth/mothself), Ray's adopted kid, Walt Pensieve, the asexual groundskeeper of the Hallowoods, and Polly, a devil in a floral suit. Some of the antagonists include Lady Ethel Mallory, a gaslight gatekeep girlboss of a marketing specialist for an evil corporation and the Instrumentalist, a religious fanatic who keeps killing people and turning them into instruments. Darker than your dreams, and farther north than you remember, the Hallowoods loom.

Each episode has a different theme based on the title (such as Keys, Names, and Bones), and is split into several different stories that follow different characters as Nikignik jumps around. There's not very many voice filters, because Nikignik is doing the voices himself, though I think there are a few, and transcripts are available. There's 145 episodes at usually 30 to 50 minutes each, and a new one releases every wednesday.

Sidenote, the Instrumentalist is *really* religious as well as homophobic and transphobic, and he regularly misgenders/deadnames a trans main character. He only exists in the show for about 50 episodes, and definitely gets what he deserves.

The White Vault is a found footage podcast with the first two seasons comprising a repair team's trip to Outpost Fristed in Svalbard. They go up to repair some damaged equipment as well as look at some weird readings, and then have to wait out a massive storm. They find a hatch in the auxiliary bunker, and explore the tunnels beneath to find a village beneath the ice. Theres Graham Casner, the survival guide, Walter Heath, the repair technician, Karina Shumacher-Weiß, the geologist, Rosa De La Torre, the medic, and Jónas Þórirsson, the representative of the company sending them. Travel is not advised.

I listened to the bulk of the first 2 seasons at 2 am while playing powerwash simulator, and it made me so incredibly anxious that I had to have my back to a wall *in the game* so nothing could sneak up one me. Highly recommend. There's so much fear and helplessness surrounding what could be hiding in the storm and in the ice, and I absolutely love the concept for the antagonists.

Seasons 3 and 4 are about a different team in Patagonia, season 5 checks back in at Svalbard, and season 6 is somewhere else entirely. 3-4 are pretty alright in my opinion, maybe a bit repetitive as it follows a similar pattern to the first two seasons, but I don't hate them. I think 5 is pretty good, though it has my favorite character in it, so, you know. I think 6 goes in a bit of a different direction, though I'm not caught up so I can't really comment on it. Seasons 1 and 2 are absolutely stunning, though.

The creators and cast of seasons 1-2 also have a horror dnd podcast called Dark Dice. I must admit I haven't finished the first campaign, though I really liked what I did listen to. I'm told the second campaign has Jeff Goldblum in it, and has 2 different parties with one hunting the other, though I haven't listened to it yet, so take that as you will.

Jar of Rebuke follows Dr. Jared Hel, a cryptid scientist with amnesia in a small Midwestern town, and perhaps closer to the cryptids than they realize. They're also immortal, and (for a reason I don't remember at this particular moment) he has to wear a key around his neck, and never take it off. I'm not caught up, though I really liked what I did listen to. There's lots of fun cryptids and supernatural happenings, such as Jared getting a hellhound as a pet. The episodes are about 10-20 minutes each, and it's ongoing.

As someone on tiktok so aptly said, if you have trust issues with your therapist, you probably shouldn't listen to this podcast. Jared is manipulated by their therapists, and we sometimes hear them talk about him like he's a test subject or creature, not a person.

Do You Copy is another found footage podcast surrounding Redtail National Park, which more or less contains an area called the Dead Zone, in which technology doesn't work and other spooky stuff happens. The Dead Zone has a possible imminent ecological disaster, and though the park is evacuated until the emergency is over, there are a couple people still inside. These include two ghost hunters, a hiker and their dog, and two park rangers who have been instructed to stay inside in hopes of hearing from the three others. I found the Dead Zone and what lies inside VERY interesting, both from a horror perspective and a speculative biology/ecology perspective. It is finished at 14 episodes.

The Hyacinth Disaster is a space horror found footage podcast, and easily in my top three (the other one on that list is tma). It is set in 2151, when Jupiter and Mars have been colonized, and the asteroid belt is being mined for resources. There are two main mining companies in the show, Halaesus Mining Co in Lagrange 4, Greek objects, and Lykaeon Minerals Corporation in Lagrange 5, Trojan objects. The Corvus, a ship contracted to Halaesus and ordered to survey and harvest an asteroid in Lagrange 5, was captured by Lykaeon and held for ransom, and Halaesus denies the ransom broadcast is true, unwilling to pay. The skeleton crew of the MRS Hyacinth has gone rogue in the slowly dwindling time limit to survey a possibly incredibly valuable asteroid, hoping to pay the ransom themselves. But they are 6 people manning a ship meant for 53, and there are so many things to go wrong.

Conlin Hynes is the captain of the Hyacinth and is a good friend of Ember Roth, the captain of the Corvus. Con isn't the greatest captain, not by a long shot, but he's incredibly loyal, and maintains a talented crew. Famke Hynes, or Blue, is Con's sister, and the captain of her own ship, the Sibirica. She would have been the captain of the Hyacinth had she won the rock paper scissors match when they first bought it. She's returned to the Hyacinth to run comms for her brother as they bring Ember and her crew home, and to blow things up along the way.

Finch is Con's wife, and doing an admirable job at being an one-person engineering and seismology team. She's doing her absolute best with the equipment they have that corporate refuses to replace or reapir. Dreadnought in exosuit 2 is by far the youngest of the crew at 24. He's a surveyor, and in fact surveyed Saniss 130991, the very rock they're at, himself. He saw the potential and purposefully misfiled it, hoping to make a bigger profit if corporate didn't know about it, and told Finch, who told Con, and now they're all here.

Grimm is in exo 4, one that he bought himself and has carefully maintained. He refuses to tell the others what he's named it. He moves around a lot, as he gets bored of jobs quickly. Seems like a hardass, but he's actually a pretty nice guy. Argus in exo 7 is one of Con's best friends, having worked with him and Grimm on several jobs. He's a pretty optimistic guy, and follows Grimm as he moves from job to job. His lucky object of choice is a surprise tool that will help us later.

There's lots of angst and horror but also lots of comedy. I've seen a couple reactions that thought there was too much comedy for the situation, but personally I really enjoyed it. It's 7 episodes long, at about 2.5 hours total. There's a lot of sound effects for the ship controls that could potentially be irritating, Dreadnought's dialogue is full of static and sometimes difficult to understand because his radio is partially broken, and there's a loud, extended, high pitched static sound often in the first few episodes (It's when they activate the squealer device, it lasts for about 10-15 seconds each time and there's a countdown from 5 right before), so if you have issues with mechanical/static sound effects, this probably isn't for you. There's transcripts for episodes 1-4 on the website, along with a database of more information about the world.

I'm so so normal about this podcast, I have a note full of facts and trivia (Ember was voted into captaincy by her crew, and according to dreadnought, the ratio of greek names to jovian objects is about 1 in 50,000), my senior quote was from here, I've relistened to it so many times. I cannot recommend this enough.

Among the Stars and Bones is another found footage space horror, but this time it's about anthropology and alien technology. The format is mission files being sent back to the company from a large team investigating an abandoned alien settlement. There's about 7 different perspectives, one from each branch of the team (xenoanthropology, IT, etc).

I really enjoyed it the first time I listened, there were a lot of good anxious moments. A couple of my favorite characters are Dr. Celia Pannella, who heads the xenoanthropology section, and Ben Kelleher, who heads the xenoarchaeology section. I found the alien science/speculative biology really really interesting.

Given you liked tma I'm assuming you know of The Magnus Protocol, but if you don't, it's pretty much Magnus but in a civil service job instead of archiving. It has such characters as Colin the longsuffering IT guy, Alice, who is coping with the horrors by ignoring them, Needles, and Chester and Norris, two text-to-speech voices who we have definitely never heard before (/s).

It has 10 episodes plus an Easter/April Fools special, and it's on a break until April 11th.

Mabel is a podcast about ghosts, families, secrets, and connections. Anna Limon is a carer who has been hired to take care of Mabel Martin's mother Sally. The house is odd, the house is alive, and the house is hungry. Anna is unraveling a mystery as fast as she can find the thread, and Mabel, having grown up half-feral and half-faeral, is somewhere under the Hill.

I will admit I haven't finished this show, but I would definitely recommend it. I actually had to restart it because I wasn't expecting to be as invested as I was. It is very much a faerie story, with riddles and all.

The Silt Verses is a story about faith, and what people will do to keep it. It follows Sister Carpenter and Brother Faulkner as they travel upriver, looking for revelations of their outlawed god, the Trawler-Man. There's a whole cast of gods, many of which are capitalistic, and most of the ones that are not have been outlawed. Some examples are the Trawler-Man of the river, the Waxen Scrivener of decay and books, the Saint Electric of radio and electricity, and the Cairn Maiden of graves and death.

I'd say it has semi similar vibes to Old Gods, mostly with the many deities and monsters. I'm only about halfway through it, but I'd definitely recommend it.

Hope you find something you enjoy!

[connorsoddsock]

Detroit: Ground Zero | Ch. 3 (Connor x fem!reader)

Summary: You’re an aspiring psych student, ready to take on the world when life takes an unexpected, bloody turn. Flesh eaters now roam the city of Detroit in search of their next meal, an aggressive new deviant group rears its head, and you are caught right in the middle of it. Great…

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Profanity (as usual), descriptions of blood and gore, descriptions of death

A/N: Heed the warnings for this chapter, please! This story is only going to get darker, so I may only post on AO3, with only chapter teasers for Tumblr in future... we'll see!

Previous chapter | Next chapter

View on AO3

Chapter Three: Gone

You woke up the next day disoriented and squinting as the early morning sunlight filtered in through the windows of the Detroit Police Department. At some point in the night, the battle to stay awake became too difficult, and you’d slipped off into dreamland with your head resting on Hank’s desk. But, of course, that didn’t explain how you’d ended up lying sideways on a row of chairs lining the wall with someone’s jacket slung over your form.

It was all coming back to you now – the café, the streets, the zombies.

You sat up with a groan and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. You were quick to spot Fowler pacing in his glass office, mumbling lowly into his phone. The man looked unbelievably tired, but he still acknowledged you with a slight nod when he saw you were awake before returning to the person on the other end of the line.

 Then, there was Gavin leaning back in a chair on the opposite side of the bullpen, eyes closed with his arms crossed and his legs resting across what you assumed was probably his desk. You noticed he no longer wore his leather jacket, but it wasn’t the one currently draped over you. You eventually spotted it, thrown carelessly atop a counter cabinet in the centre of the room, still very much covered in blood.

You couldn’t see Nines anywhere, but Hank now occupied the desk you were at last night, scrolling through something on his terminal while Connor sat beside him with his eyes closed and his blue LED flickering. His jacket was missing, leaving him in a crisp white button-down that did little to hide his lean frame. You gingerly lifted the one off your torso, eyes widening when you spotted the faint blue glow of the notorious armband and logo.

You shot up a little too abruptly, legs wobbling in protest. “Ah, shit…”

“Mornin’, kid,” Hank acknowledged, his blue eyes barely leaving the terminal. “How’d you sleep?”

Connor stirred beside him, brown eyes fluttering open. He regarded you with that same small smile from last night, the one you liked a little too much.

You rubbed the back of your neck, “Surprisingly well, aside from the fact that my neck hurts like a bitch.”

“Happens to the best of us,” the lieutenant chuckled. “Feel free to help yourself with some coffee or whatever in the break room. There’re doughnuts, too, if the others haven’t eaten ‘em.”

You nodded before looking back to Connor, who, to your surprise, was still watching you. You flushed and held his jacket out to him, quietly muttering your thanks as he accepted it. His fingers gently brushed over yours, and you flinched at the contact. He seemed to notice this, for his brow furrowed slightly in question.

“I did what I could with your jacket, but I suggest a dry clean for a more effective option.” He remarked, choosing not to comment on your jumpiness. “I hung it over the door for you.”

 “Oh, thank you! You didn’t have to do that...”

“I think mine could use a wash, too, don’t you think, tin can?”

Your eyes rose to meet Gavin’s as he swung his legs down from his desk, fully awake now. The talking must have woken him.

You rolled your eyes, “What’s with that?”

“What’s with what?” He replied.

“The stupid little nickname,” you clarified. “Tin can? Really?”

“Why? You one of those android sympathisers or something?”

“I mean, it’s free not to be an asshole.”

An obnoxious laugh fell past his lips, “Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, doll?”

Connor piped up this time, “She wasn’t on a bed, Detective Reed.”

“You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, tin can-”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, would ya?” Hank groaned, pulling back from his terminal with a frown directed at the three of you. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, “It’s way too early for this shit.”

A quick glance at your watch told you it was half-six.

Gavin’s lips curled into a shit-eating grin as his eyes fell on you again, sending you an infuriating wink. You rolled your eyes for the second time and marched off to the break room, where the other three officers were tucking into their doughnuts and coffee. They greeted you, offering you a box of sweet treats to browse through while they introduced themselves.

“I’m Officer Person,” the female officer said warmly. She gestured to the others, “These two are Officers Lewis and Wilson.”

They nodded at you, and you waved, “Hey.”

Person nudged your arm as she leaned over, a hand blocking the view of her mouth as she pretended to whisper. “I’d take the whole box if I were you. These two here are dubbed the department’s ‘doughnut kings’ – and trust me, it’s not a compliment.”

Lewis grinned sheepishly around a mouthful of food while Wilson scoffed, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll remember that the next time Fowler orders those custard-filled Krispy Kremes you like.”

You giggled into your hand as a round of bickering ensued and left them to it, so you could fumble around in the kitchen for a bit, deciding to make yourself some hot chocolate. You absently paid attention to the news segment playing on the wall-mounted TV. It was only quiet, but you didn’t need to hear to know what they were talking about. Disturbing videos of people recording the infected – this was the official term for them now – wandering around outside their homes; others were holed up in offices, fast food restaurants, and so on.

The screen transitioned to another news chopper hovering above a ritzy neighbourhood you’d travelled past many times. The well-known freelance reporter, Joss Douglas, was talking up a storm, eyes wide as he gestured to the building in the background. The cameras then zoomed into a black chopper in the distance – SWAT?

That can’t be good, you thought with apprehension.

The others were paying attention, too, now. More hovering and talking, and suddenly, there was a thunderous booming sound. The camera shook violently before the live feed cut out to a black screen, and it wasn’t long before you heard the real thing in the distance, startling you as the ground rumbled beneath your feet. Your cup slipped out of your hand, spilling hot chocolate everywhere.

The reaction was instant. Chairs in the bullpen rolled back as their owners stood, alarmed, and Captain Fowler stormed out of his office with a slam of the door against the railing. Lewis, Person and Wilson went to join him in the bullpen, and you froze, unsure of what to do. A series of hushed shouting ensued, mainly between Fowler and Hank, so you decided to stay in your temporary safe haven until they finished hashing it out.

That is until you saw Nines. The tall android was lingering in the hallway; his eyes narrowed and calculating as he watched the scene unfold before him. His stance was rigid, his arms practically pinned to his side.

Was he there the whole time?

You wondered what was going through his mind. Was he worried? Anxious? Was he itching to get out in the field and regain some semblance of control? He looked like that kind of person. Someone that liked to be in control – liked order. Of course, you knew next to nothing about deviated androids and their personalities, so you were going purely off his appearance here.

Icy eyes suddenly met yours, and you faltered, quickly moving to clean up the mess you’d made. You could feel the burn of his eyes lingering on the back of your neck as you knelt down, preying he couldn’t tell how fast your heart was racing. What was it about him that… unsettled you?

Someone called your name, “Are you all right?”

It was Connor. He was crouching beside you with a trash can for the soiled paper towels. You subtly peeked around him, somewhat relieved to find Nines had disappeared again.

“Y-yeah, just startled, that’s all. What’s going on?”

“The government has issued an official warning to evacuate central Detroit. The military has set up a quarantine zone for survivors on the city’s outskirts.”

“Shit,” your shoulders slumped at the news.

You still haven’t heard anything from your parents yet. Should you try calling again? Should you bite the bullet and head over to the hospital?

Connor was quick to notice your hesitance. “I highly recommend going to the quarantine zone,” he insisted. “It’s the safest option for you.”

“What about you?” You asked after some thought. “Where will you go?”

Your question seemed to throw him off guard, his brown eyes flitting up to yours. There was something unreadable in his expression.

“I go where Hank goes.”

Your lips twitched into a smile at his response. Their father-son dynamic was really quite adorable. Your neck craned back slightly to maintain eye contact with him as he straightened up beside you, the last of the mess finally cleaned up.

“You reckon he’ll mind if I tag along?”

He returned your smile then. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

The two of you joined the others back out in the bullpen after Connor kindly offered to rewrap your wounded palms and make you another hot chocolate. You’d stood at the bar tables yet again as he moved around the break room with surprising fluidity, blatantly checking him out every time his back was turned. It was difficult not to when there was nothing else to focus on.

Someone else had joined the ranks, you noticed – or re-joined the ranks, that is. Chris – the officer who’d stayed behind at the café – had returned, standing beside Gavin with folded arms. He looked a little worse for wear (no different to Fowler) as he nodded along to whatever his co-worker was saying to him. You didn’t know him, but you were glad he was safe. You could only wonder what happened to the others at the café and made a mental note to ask him later.

You tuned into Fowler’s words.

“Since shit’s hit the fan, I want all of you to take what you need. Head office has bigger things to worry about than some missing equipment. If things continue the way they are, then I doubt it’ll matter anyway...” He drifted off.

“Appreciate it, Sir,” Officer Wilson said gratefully. He clapped his superior on the shoulder, “I’m sure we’ll catch up at the QZ anyway, right?”

“I’m heading straight there!” Officer Person chimed in, “I haven’t got any family to worry about here.”

You wished you could say the same. You could only hope yours had gotten the message and were on their way already.

 “Alright, folks,” Fowler continued, looking disgruntled. “Do what you need to do, and for God’s sake, stay safe out there.”

Everyone was quick to disperse after that, quietly muttering to each other as they prepared to leave. You sat quietly at Hank’s desk once again after retrieving your jacket from the restroom door. The dark blood stains were noticeable, but it would have to do for now. Depending on what way Hank was heading, perhaps you could ask to stop at your apartment building if it wasn’t overrun. You could change into better clothing, and you couldn’t leave your cats to suffer.

Hank eventually joined you with a DPD-issued duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He inclined his head towards you, “Connor says you want to come with us?”

“If you don’t mind, of course.”

He chuckled, “Heh, if you don’t mind being squished in the backseat with him, then knock yourself out!”

“He’s not sitting shotgun?” You asked, finding it odd.

“He usually does, but Nines is coming, too. He’s bigger than Connor, so I figured I’d stick him up the front. Save you from being flattened and all.”

You pursed your lips. If Hank and Connor liked him enough to let him tag along, then surely, he was alright. On the other hand, perhaps you’d judged him too quickly. He could be the sweetest guy out there for all you knew.

It wasn’t long before the two androids joined you and Hank, Nines also shouldering a large duffle bag. You followed them as they led the way to the car. It was unnervingly quiet in the station’s garage, your footsteps echoing along with theirs. Your eyes widened when Hank unlocked his car. Finally, it dawned on you why he was so amused about you being squished in the back.

He pulled his seat forward so you could climb in. Once Connor hopped in beside you, there really wasn’t much room left. He apologised not once but twice as his knee knocked into yours while he tried to adjust himself into a comfortable position. Since he was tall, he had to keep his legs apart lest they dig into the back of the driver’s seat.

You buckled up as the car started, Nines now situated in front of you. You nearly shat yourself when the speakers blared heavy metal music. Hank swore and shut it off completely.

“Fuck, I really hope none of those things are around,” he mumbled under his breath.

“I scanned the garage upon entering,” Nines declared, surprising you with his deep voice. “We are the only ones here, save for Detective Reed.”

Despite what he’d said, you couldn’t stop your eyes from searching out the window. Thankfully, you only saw Gavin hopping into the driver’s seat of a black Jeep in the distance. He was shaking his head, most likely in response to the obnoxious show he’d just witnessed from Hank.

“What way are we headed?” You asked as the lieutenant backed out.

“Why’s that?”

You hesitated. “If it’s on the way, I wanted to stop by to grab a few things and let my cats free.”

Connor asked for your address, and you told him. He addressed Hank after a few flickers of his LED. “It’s not too far from yours, Hank.”

The lieutenant looked at you in the rear-view mirror then. “We’ll check it out, then.”

You gave him a small smile in thanks, tensing as the car pulled out into the street. Your eyes immediately landed on some infected wandering around out the front of the station. Those demonic screams you’d heard last night returned as they spotted the car and began sprinting towards it. Hank put his foot down and sped off, giving them no time to catch up.

Turning in your seat, you watched them as they did the same thing to Gavin’s black Jeep as it pulled out of the garage. You winced as he ran one of them over. Whether it was unintentional or not, you were unsure. Though, if you had to guess, it was most likely the latter.

Wonder where he’s heading…

Unsurprisingly, a few other cars were zipping around without a care in the world for the stop signs and lights they were flying through. Momentum had you sliding and bumping into Connor several times as Hank swerved to avoid them, cursing and flipping the bird in the hopes they’d see it. Unfortunately, they most likely wouldn’t.

“Would you like me to drive, Lieutenant?” Nines asked finally after another swerve.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think there was a touch of cheek in his tone.

You caught Hank rolling his eyes in the mirror, “I’ve got it, smartass.”

You held in a giggle. So, Nines was being cheeky, then.

Ten minutes later, the car was parallel parked between some dumpsters in a quiet back street that led to your apartment complex. You fished around in your pocket for your access card and unbuckled your seat belt to get out while Hank went on about ‘being sitting ducks out here’ and that ‘you had ten minutes, tops’.

You were surprised when Connor followed behind you as Nines let you out but thankful to have the company. The two androids shared a silent look, their LEDs flickering before Nines left you to it. A flash of irritation slipped across Connor’s face, but it was gone before you could get a good look.

You frowned. What was that about?

Shaking your head, you took the lead and led Connor up to the fifth floor where your apartment was. The hallways were insanely quiet. No muffled noises of TVs from behind closed doors, no shouting from that noisy neighbour a few doors down, no kids causing a racket at nine in the morning – it was nerve-wracking but expected.

A look of horror crossed your face when you noticed the door to your home was already open, a few food wrappers and clothes articles scattered across the floor leading out. It was hard to miss the splatters of blood along with it, though you couldn’t tell if it was leading in or out.

Connor immediately took the lead, gently beckoning you behind him, even as his face hardened into a dark expression. His posture was rigid as if waiting for an attack, and you just knew he was scanning the apartment when the two of you cautiously entered. He seemed to be weighing up his options as he paused in the middle of your trashed living room, his left hand reaching for something inside his jacket and then stopping as if he’d changed his mind at the last second.

Your eyes worriedly searched for any signs of your cats, but there were none. Even their food and water bowls were missing, which was alarming. Had someone taken them? Were they somewhere in the building?

You experimentally tiptoed away from Connor to try and catch a glimpse inside your kitchen, but he glared at you (a first – and hopefully the last because, damn, that sent shivers down your spine), and you halted at his silent command. There was no way he was about to let you wander off on your own, even if you knew this place like the back of your hand.

He proceeded further into your apartment, entering a small hall that housed the main bedroom, your parent’s guest suite and the bathroom. Blood scraped along the walls this time, and it was clear they led to your room. The door was ajar, and you noticed with a sinking feeling in your stomach a few clumps of grey fur on the carpet.

You froze on the spot, your breaths coming out shakier when your ears finally picked up the sounds of crunching and squelching from inside – the tell-tale signs that the infected were nearby.

Connor pushed onward, crouching slightly as he nudged the door open fully. Crouched over your beloved pets was a lone infected woman, hands bloodied as she shovelled innards in her mouth. You couldn’t hold in the gasp that escaped your mouth at the gory sight, tears welling in your eyes.

Big mistake.

Her attention snapped up to you, and there was a split second before she completely bypassed Connor and hurled herself toward you. That awful, high-pitched shriek sounded so much louder inside your small hallway, leaving your ears ringing. The air left your lungs as you were tackled to the floor, very nearly knocking your head for the second time in two days.

Connor was quick to tear her away from you, hurling her back into the bedroom with a strength humans would struggle to match. His larger frame proceeded to block the doorway, preventing the frenzied monster from reaching you as she continued to howl.

“H-holy shit!” You uttered out of pure shock.

She was completely ignoring the android in front of her, her arms reaching around him in a failed attempt to take a swipe at you.

“She doesn’t see me!” Connor quickly confirmed your thoughts, grunting as he shoved her back again and shut the door behind him, leaving you to deal with the revelation alone.

Of course, she wouldn’t. Unlike you, he wasn’t made of flesh, warm blood and bone. He was made of hard plastic, long wires, and blue blood. He wasn’t the tasty meal here. You were - the human. It was easy to forget that when Connor was so human himself.

A muffled gunshot sounded from inside the room, and you jumped, taking a cautious step toward it. “C-Connor?” You called out, voice unbelievably shaky.

The door swung open again, and Connor surged forward, wrapping his long arms around you. You heard the door click shut but couldn’t find it in you to care as hot tears finally began to roll down your cheeks. A hand gently ran through your hair while the other maintained a firm grip on your back.

After what felt like hours, he pulled back and assessed your form. You shook your head to tell him you were fine, the words unable to audibly leave your mouth. He finally straightened up, eyes and LED flickering momentarily like they had when he’d communicated silently with Nines. Were they talking again?

“Is there anything you want from your room?” He asked, deep brown eyes searching your face. He still didn’t seem convinced you were okay. “It’s better if I get it for you.”

“Just s-some clothes… if you could. T-there’s uh…” you swallowed thickly, trying to compose yourself. “There’s a backpack near the bed. Just stuff whatever you think I'll need in there."

He moved to enter the room again, but you quickly grabbed his hand, shocking the both of you. His gaze landed on you again, inquisitive this time. “And please, if their collars are in there, could you…?” You trailed off, but he seemed to understand.

Tears continued to fall even after he’d retrieved your belongings, even after he led you back outside and helped you into the car, ignoring Nines probing stare and Hank’s questions of ‘what the fuck happened’ and ‘why’d you take so long.’ They only stopped when you fell into a restless nap, head resting atop Connor’s shoulder.

You would worry about their questions later.

[agentnico]

Alien: Romulus (2024) review

Mommy!!

Plot: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

No one can dispute that the first two entries in the Alien franchise, directed by Ridley Scott and James Cameron respectively, are fantastic pieces of horror action, and have had a major impact on how we see monsters in science fiction today. That being said, typical to the Hollywood blurt machine of milking every franchise to its limits until its stop making money, Alien has been redone so many times, and for the most part the endless sequels, prequels and spin-offs haven’t ever come close to reaching the heights of the original two installments. But hey ho, Hollywood never learns so here we have yet another chapter in the infamous xenomorph saga, with this one setting itself up as the movie that bridges the gap between the original two films, essentially creating the ultimate Alien trilogy. Coming to us from director Fede Alvarez who brought us the creepy Evil Dead remake and blind-man-fucks-shit-up horror Don’t Breathe, Romulus promises to be a gory and thrilling return to form for the franchise, bringing it back the basics of what made these films so special. As always the question is, does he succeed?

I guess kind of. It seems to be a common theme in 2024 with most films that I have watched having been passable at best. Entertaining enough for what they are but not films that will stand the test of time. Alien: Romulus fits perfectly into that faction. This is a solid studio effort, with great sound design, crisp cinematography and a good blend of CGI and practical effects, and I always respect the use of practical effects so kudos to the film crew for putting that extra effort in. The spirit of franchise’s creator Ridley Scott looms all over each scene, with the opening scene reminiscent of Blade Runner and later sequences imbued in that claustrophobic feel that the first movie did so well. The xenomorph creatures are as terrifying and thrilling as always, but I’d say it’s the dastardly face-huggers that get to shine more in this entry, as there are so so many of them this time with the two of the better set-pieces involving them. Though face-huggers have always been a stand out factor in these films, as there is naturally something unsettling and frightening in the idea of something so small attacking through something so intimate as the human’s mouth. So all the creature stuff was great, however with Alvarez’s involvement I was surprised at how tame this movie was. There is gore for sure, but noting that we haven’t seen before, and in fact at times it felt like they were holding back. Guess Mickey Mouse doesn’t allow much blood in his Playhouse.

The cast do their jobs best they could. Look, we’re not expecting any Academy Awards here, but as always the primary purpose of the characters in these films is to survive as long as they can before getting gruesomely killed off. I do wish the characters were given a bit more depth so that we could care a bit more about them, but aside from Cailee Spaeny who essentially plays Ripley but with daddy issues, no other human characters really leave an impression. David Jonsson is the one that provides the real star-making performance as the synthetic android who suffers with elements of autism, as he has to showcase a lot of emotion whilst still coming off robotic enough to fit his characters origins. He gets to do a lot in this movie and all I can say is that kid is going places.

I was never bored during my viewing of Alien: Romulus, but it very much panders to the nostalgia factor of the previous films, by literally copying and rehashing certain scenes and ideas, and even having certain callbacks to service the fans. You can also tell that Disney has now taken over the reigns, as similar to their treatment of Star Wars, this movie brings back a certain character from a previous installment through the magic of visual effects, since the actor that played that character had since passed, except there is no magic as the facial likeness is so jarring and dodgy. It felt really off, and again I’m sure the actor’s estate/family must have given their permission for using their likeness, but there is the moral ambiguity of is something like this should happen or not. But regardless of should they or shouldn’t they have, technology evidently is still not at that level to realistically replicate certain individuals’ expressions and mannerism, so in this movie it doesn’t work at all. The movie also utilises certain themes from Prometheus and Covenant, which I was fine with as it was nice seeing those films finally being connected with the primary storyline, but then the movie also references Alien: Resurrection. Yep, arguably the worst of the franchise, that entry is the inspiration for the final 20 minutes of Romulus. People will either love it or hate it.

It’s simple - if you enjoyed any of the Alien films you’ll have a solid time with Romulus, however it does not in any way reinvent the wheel, and in fact accepts the fact that it will always live in the shadows of its predecessors. Solid thrills and action scenes, and though it’s not that scary, the xenomorph design is as impressive as ever. But boy that Resurrection reference….oh boy.

Overall score: 6/10

[unohanadaydreams]

[tw selfcest] oh i am SOOOO glad my mayuri sex machine ask inspired such a great discussion! part of me honestly feels like mayuri would create some android version of you that he does literal life-threatening things to, or deeply immoral things (removing its voicebox? increasing the pain receptors?) that he cannot do to you as you are a squishy shinigami. alternatively, he probably gets you to have sex with it in front of him.

LISTEN. Mayuri would absolutely do this.

Sexually, he can dole out to a shinigami. That is part of his freak nasty persona, after all. But the knowledge that he loves you? Absolute forbidden fruit. Any baring of soul involves you getting so close you're practically sewed under his skin. This man has not learned lessons on approaching love post-Nemu for the better. But for the worse.

And pre-TYBW, I don't think he would even need an android or mod-soul replacement of you. He could just get away with it. A singular solider going missing is easy to wave away suspicion on if done with any finesse. Seireitei is not a system that cares THAT much about gore until it clogs the cogs of their machine enough that it's noticed and must be cleaned. (Finding out Mayuri went on trial during SAFWY for putting bombs in his soldiers is so funny because he suffers no discernible consequence)

But post-TYBW, there would be more accountability, I think. Kyoraku & Nanao are very built up as a more future-forward leadership. And really, he's only going to want a replacement of you when he's too far gone emotionally.

He can't just admit you've been on his mind all day and have you walk out into the world, able to repeat that knowledge to anyone. You can't just live your own life, separate from him, once you know--and more importantly, once he admits to himself--that he wants and needs you. Mayuri fucking short circuits with the reality of you, a person with autonomy and your own life, have an irrational hold over him. He couldn't even handle having tender feelings for the test tube daughter he reared to have almost no life outside of him!!!

Like, Mayuri already translates his internal suffering into physical suffering unto others, per canon (physically punishing Nemu for his insecurity). So, Mayuri keeping a copy of you to confide in and then punish you for being the one he confides in checks out 1000%.

Having feelings for you is a punishment. So punishment will be your replacement's life.

He's flipping through tomes of ancient torture techniques like they're bed time stories so you can fully feel dread for the what's in store the next day. He is thinly justifying to himself (still! even now!) that he's simply experimenting. Improving upon the old. Updating the past to current standards.

Also Mayuri getting you to have sex with your replacement......like the desperation your replacement feels, absolutely lavishing you in pleasure because you're the first and only person to do the same without punishment. They've only known Mayuri, in practicality. Your attention and care is a blessed first. I think Mayuri would really get off on that--that even your replacement is desperate for you. Like that makes wanting you more logical. That he isn't the only one starved for you.

Anyway! :) I agree and will be thinking such normal thoughts today.

[cus-oc-box]

ok pinned post time

rp rules:

keep it sfw, i dont do erp on tumblr (some exceptions may be made if you're cute enough)

no excessive gore please

your characters can be assholes if you want but that does not give you a free pass to be one out of character too

if i say not to do something FUCKING STOP

have fun, if you're not and there's something i can do differently to change that don't be afraid to ask, or feel free to drop the whole rp if you dont know what needs changed

character list below cut

first up is

silver

her status as a character is kinda a mess due to @silvers-cave existing but whatever

Silver is a shapeshifting silver ice dragon

chaotic good

she is a friend of almost all

and will try to help almost anyone with anything

though if you get on her bad side you are in for a world of hurt

she mainly takes a human form but can become a full sized (or smaller fluffy) dragon

next is

she can also take a dragon born like form as well

oh also she's bi lol

the author

the author is my main oc on tumblr

depending on mood may be chaotic good or chaotic neutral

she has very pale skin and long white hair

she is generally seen wearing a dark robe with silver accents around purple gems and holding her book which is a tome with a void black cover and the same accents and gems as the robe

her powers run on belief, meaning if she can convince your character she could do something then she can do it for the most part

the brighter the gems on her robe and book glow the more power she has at the moment

to use her powers she simply writes in her book and if she has enough power at the time what she wrote will happen

the book is soul bound to her meaning she can call it to her at anytime when its close enough as well as the book doesn't tend to work well to at all for anyone but her but some may find ways to use it anyway or the book may allow itself to be used if the author is in danger and cant access it for some reason

alright, next is

anything written like this *she greets you kindly then vanishes* and colored like that is her writing into her book

no clue what her sexuality is yet lol, its never come up so i've never picked

nazithal

naz was my main oc off of tumblr for a while but i dont use them much anymore

he is depending on mood a lawful evil to lawful neutral lich

there is so much backstory for him that i still do not feel like writing out rn

second to last we have

for the most part just dont get in the way of his plans and you'll be fine

aroace

Code_Red

code red speaks like this:

hello_world

they are a genderless rogue ai that mostly does what they want because they can

probably a good play to avoid if you can unless you wanna help them cause chaos and dont really care who gets hurt in the process

they have little to no morals but they do kinda have a personal code

fight fair if you can afford to

trust no one

dont kill someone who is more interesting alive then dead

and last but not least we have

dont target people who dont interfere

also aroace but may fake attraction for personal gain

m1dn16h7 (midnight)

(i have way too many purple ocs)

midnight is an unfinished prototype protogen model that breached containment in the lab she was being worked on

she's got some issues based around labs and people who make cyborgs, robots, synths, and androids

she's got wings with almost metallic feathers that are razor sharp and can grow back in minutes

all limbs are modular and can be replaced if damaged or with ones that would better suit what she's going to be doing

midnight is basically me so bi af

name: xeyar

a fey asshole trickster god from a dead world

weak for a god since most of his powers come from illusions and shapeshifting

if his life is actually in danger he will steal your magical/godly abilities for about an hour as a panic response, leaving you with just your raw strength and weapons

you must obey fey etiquette when interacting with him unless you want bad things to happen

good luck

i'll add more here as i remember it over time lol

[almalvo]

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY | S1E10 "Despite Yourself"

[I will react to each episode individually and in full, raw reception and then post as is unrevised here onto my tumblr for the full span of every and all NuTrek episodes and series that have been and will be released. If this falls under your field of interest - I welcome your company in joining me. Enjoy the ride.] -------

wow first time the android dint have a bass sfx XD saru's tendrils - oml when he covers them is kinda cute i like owosekun's hairrr vulcans with weapons powered? bruh r we in mirrorverse we're in mirrorverse. 100%. yup. it was obvious from the end of last episode esp with 2 DISCOs showing mhmm. yeah these cuts need improvement still but alright bring it DISCOs turn for mirrorverse antics. lets go. haha this ep writen by someone named "sean cochran". zefram? jkjk tribble backk so cute give me one i wonder what its name is

ok this spinning scene of lorca and burnham and saru talking is spinning way to fast for too long how long are we going to keep spinning. its actually making me busy and hte cuts are not consistent in momentum so it didnt feel seamless it sholdve been takien in one shot and the camera needed to stop WAY sooner. thats how you wouldve actually shot a scene of that type. but "idk" ig, im just a mortal 😭 OK STAMETS. NOT ME SENDING PEOPLE 10 METRES AWAY FROM A TAP OF A FINGER sylvia saying "oh my god" then resuming like nothing happened was such a fast tone change i see those piercing marks on doc's ears. i always get this thoght of, whenever i see that on someone, im like BRUH PUT THEM BACK IN some of these camera ratios, rule of thirds, etc., are like. not done great? idk the eye is not reading the shot how it should a lot cuz the entity is not in an advantageous spot onscreen. tyler is going THROUGH it. damn. i think tyler's actor does well with representing traumatic fear oh interesting. i love these tactile sounds like the sound of the device tyler is wearing on his hand to control the ship's arm i like lorca's rbf XD

shit. poor tyler. thats never ok. her violating u like that. ugh. this makes me uncomfortable oh interesting. oo his klingon inflections are so good oh shit this is a weird scene its such a MIX of implications i like the acting i it actually it felt actually kind of complex, though the idea is simple nice this was actually decently shot. i like the way tyler's hair sits on his head haha looks nice nice swoops man these inconsistent camera transitions (one pose in the last cut, but a diff pose in the other) tylers acting doing p well actually his emotional expression is p decent yeah good ash x burnham is still an f no for me feels so empty it prob always will to me oo the gore effects of the cuts on hishand from the broken glass look relaly good faceless emperor. im so curious who.

"mirror disco". yess. ooo what do their mirrorverse selves look like SYLVIA. oml oh my god oml this is coo,ll oml SYLVIA LETS GO BEAT HER ASS. NOOOOO WHAT THE HECK HECK HELL HOLD YOUR HORSES?? WHAT THE CRINGEEEE oml please sylvia pull through lorca coaching her lmao WHAT THE FUCKGKKHKH O9H NMY GODDDDDD CHIEF ENGINNEERRRRR AND LORCA DOES A PASSASBLE SCOTTS ACCENRTTTTT????@?!??! YOURE FUKCING KIDDDIDNGGGG GET THE FUCK OUT OH MY GODDDDDDD/???? LORCA I MIGHT LIKE YOU MORE OML H GHGJAIHO THIS PREMONITION FUC KKKKKKKK lorca has a type of voice that sounds nicer when its quieter if that makes sense? it almost sounds strange when he yells? idk maybe its just me or maybe thats the way audio was edited oml the way saru was saying "well thats not very clever" was so emotive its beautiful oml their uniforms are oml so cool man the mirror badge man ill say not to be a shit but i love to always see this TOS/star trek root-type episodes where they reminisce on such a classic trope from og trek - but at the same time, i wihsh trek didn tdo it so much to just solely rely on TOS to make its relevance stronger, no matter how sensible that seems? while star wars feels preety big and expansive and busy with a lot of overlapping lore star trek is literally just "TOS, the expanded version" it feels so small. in that, nigh everyhing will forever and always just be/because of TOS. and i love tos. dont get me wrong, its my all time favourite forever. but trek i feel like never can develop significantly newer stuff? OH MY GOD USS DEFIANTTTT LOOK AT HERRR god i cant wait to see this ship design.. but yeah idk if people understand what i mean. that something so ideologically massive as trek is so small as a creative work in its "relevant lore". sure tng has its things, so does ds9, voy, ent - but it all comes back to tos. which is a double edge sword. a good thing. but also a bad thing. for if it were without tos, then much of trek doesnt really hit like that. yes be great hubby hugh love your mans ?? oh for a second i was like his eyes oh wow seeing sylvia with sstraight hair oh wow it compliments her head and face shape ngl she looks great in the armour. they all do ooh lorca in a leather jacket and black t shirt? okok works on him oooo sylvia lets GO GET IT YES KILL IT BRUH DO IT DO IT oo this dark lipstick works great on burnham oo i wonder when we will see sylvia really a captain

wtf. lorca for real? yo ujust did that to yourself? for blood? bruh we couldve done make up also yes of course, big runny red line down side of face. oooooooooooooooo MEAN BURNHAM lorca is an oddly good prisoner. hmMmmMM damn yall sass. ugh i really really really want more trek games. is he not human. is tyler not humnan. is tyler not originaly human. SO TYLERS A FUCKING KLINGON? i love his look of dejection hes relaly good at it. dude. hes a fucking klingon UH UHHHHH UHHHHHHHHHHHH??????????? DID YOU JUST FUCKING KILL HUGHHH??????? WHAT THE FUCK????? WAIT GAY COUPLE IS GONE DEAD NOW ITS OVER??/ WHAT I THOUGHT I THOUGHT STAMETS AND HUGH LAST LONGER? WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK? IM SO CONFUSED?? WHAT THE FUCK? WHY DID HUGH HAVE TO DIE ESP LIKE THAT? WHAT THE FUCK. what the actual fuck. its always the poc who dies. fuck you. idk. if he rly died or what. but fuck you. and trek still in the closet fuck this internalised homophobia. its been 6 FUCKING DECADES. GET OVER YOURSELF. KIRK AND SPOCK FUCKING EXIST. JUST COME OUTTA YOUR RAINBOW DOORS & BE DONE WITH IT. FUCK. (and no im not condoning invasion of privacy of one's sexual/gender orientation at all. i just mean if you said your gay. then own it. cuz trek has said it. its called seasons 1-3 of TOS, TAS, ST I-VI, AOS I-III. so own it. fuck.)

burnham does this role relaly well in a way she fits THIS mirror burnham more than her default. also damn lorca hahaha what i say, he gets kicked around a lot but its intersting that hes cap in this kind of role damn burnham you angery. i like this gold foil look on their armour. oo get him burnham get him get him decent choreo ooo ok ok yeah decent choreo oh yeah oooo nice i love this blade design oh shit burnham sonequa did well in her reaction to stabbing him. u can read the shock aand regret in her eyes forget klingons mirorverse starfleet is literally death. bat'leth? more like batshit. also this bridge oo whoa her bridge is on the bottom of her ship ooooo her warping oooo captain burnham but not how i thoughbt itd happen i feel like sonequa is better in this its crazy i feel like her as mirror self is better?

yes those HIGH boots sharp black and gold ugh. i love love LOVE the art department behind DISCO. hmm i feel like i see definite glimpses and glimmers of really quality stuff and quality delivery in this show but htey are very sporadic. spaced apart y inconsistencies and discrepancies. i think this sho wcouldve been much better ash and burnham - im sorry but who actaully, ACTUALY cares about them together. snoreeee s n o r e e e e e e um. lorca. is actually getting tortured. dude whta did i TELL yall. hes literally the one who gets pissed on fr fr 😭 damn. seeing lorca screaming. damn. id be surprised. but then again. he gets bashed all the time so. eh. ngl i feel like lorca gon die. but i wonder how.

damn.

[mikaharuka]

So I'm late to the game, which means others have guessed the really obvious ones I think you wouldn't write human AU, and canon compliance most notably.

Still, I can't imagine you writing:

Pregnancy/Birth/Babies

Violence for the sake of violence. Like, anything super gory just for shock value.

Sci-fi/space/futuristic AUs - I don't know the rest of your fandoms, but it just doesn't seem to fit your vibe.

So Miranda! I have some interesting news to share with you!

But first, let's knock the obvious out of the way.

You are right - while I could write explicit gore/violence, I couldn't do it without the proper reasoning, context, and narrative framework.

As for the first one, pregnancy and birth is a no-go, but babies... well, I think my silly little group of enablers somehow ended up in all of us writing "accidental twin-baby acquisition" somewhere, so that'll be a thing in the way distant future, when the appropriate time comes.

Which brings me to the last one. So... funny story. One day, Momo (@axolotlsupremacyowo... seriously, it's always her fault somehow XD) introduced me to this AO3 prompt generator and I got a few very interesting and strangely perfect ideas from it. This was one of them.

Then, of course, Momo did the thing, accompanied by Annie (@udaberriwrites) and Birdie (@0nelittlebirdtoldme) and somehow, the idea of a sci-fi Frankenstein romance came about, with an android Beau and a mad scientist/doctor Carlisle. Of course, I figure the Pygmalion/Galatea myth will have its day in the sun and... well, I'll eventually get around to that someday? But that's the idea!

(also tagging @tsunderewatermelon and @sliebman10 just because)

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

Okay, so, as a challenge, and because for personal (gay) reasons i think alien clone!Ripley/tiny android Call is the best part of the franchise, a follow up prompt, a lilltle later than the previous takes place: Aziraphale is the sole survivor, the only one left on the ship. He has realised that he, Bladerunner style, is an android programmed to think he's not an android, and as such cannot put himself back in hypersleep for the return journey. While making his restless endless rounds of the ship, he finds a thing in the air vents. That thing is a Xenomorph. But the xenomorph reminds him oddly of the second last survivor, and it doesn't seem inclined to attack. In fact, when Aziraphale hands it a pen and paper it seems able to respond...

That was the fourth movie, right? (gosh, it's been ages since I've binged the films, I need to do it again)

I love that Aziraphale is the android, let's do this!

Warning: vague descriptions of carnage and the passage of time, vague body horror

I considered Crowley being like Ripley in the movie, but then it's like, no, I'm here for monsters, so Crowley isn't going to look... quite human, nor quite xenomorph.

On with the fic!

--

The ship was still running, solar power was holding up, but any distress signals were not being responded to.

At this point, Aziraphale figured they were just ignoring him because of his nature. Or because the ship was considered a lost cause, there were no human survivors, only one android.

He had lost track of how long he had been alone. He chose to ignore it, he couldn't handle the idea of knowing how many days had passed since that horrible mission to the crashed ship outside. Aziraphale distracted himself with clean up. It wasn't his original job, but he couldn't exactly heal the dead.

Hauls were repaired, computer systems were reworked and rewired to properly perform their original tasks. Blood and gore was cleaned up and disposed of.

The items of the crew were stored in their proper locations, except for those of-

Aziraphale kept those in his quarters.

There were no remains to clean for him, not after what he had done to remove the alien from the ship.

Aziraphale walked through the walls, the gentle hum of electronics the only sounds around him. Until they weren't.

He heard it in the distance, clunking, clattering, scrapping.

Fingers twitched at the gun on his hip, his expression calm and neutral, no need to panic. Panic led only to trouble. He stood his ground, listening as the sounds got closer, louder.

There was a strange noise, something alive, wet, before a metal grate fell from the ceiling a few meters down the hall. Aziraphale turned and now the panic was kicking in, his need to run was stronger than his need to fight.

It was an alien, a fucking, living alien. There was no way one should be here, Aziraphale made sure of that, he made sure there was nothing that remained of the bastard that ruined everything! That killed his crew, that killed his-

His-

He lifted the gun, taking aim as the alien moved closer, his hand shaking. He could kill it, he could kill it and end this, or... or it could end him and he'd be free from this quiet hell he was trapped in? No, no, Crowley wanted him to escape, to live, he promised the human that he would.

It was in front of him now, tall, imposing, and it looked... off.

This wasn't like the alien from before, Aziraphale should know, he would never forget seeing that horrible beast up close and personal. No, this one was... wrong, almost like some sort of mockery of a human with features similar to that monster.

It was gangly, long limbs and an odd face and head, but there was something... familiar about it. Something about this creature, its face, it sent an uncomfortable shiver down Aziraphale's spine. It reminded him of-

He lowered the gun and the thing made a clicking sound, its head tilting, watching him.

Aziraphale took a step back then again, before pressing himself against a wall, his hand finding a switch and opening the nearest door. The creature seemed to tilt its head this way and that, studying him. Why wasn't it attacking?

He walked into the room, an office space, eyes still on the creature, who followed him in a moment later. It wasn't doing anything dangerous, just making sounds, curious sounds, before its attention focused right back on Aziraphale.

The android moved to stand behind the desk. "What do you want?" He asked, though he doubted it could understand him.

But, to his surprise, it perked up and walked to the desk, putting a hand on it, fingers long, bony, and clawed. The index finger scratched at the desk, in a way that indicated writing.

Aziraphale frowned, glancing down at the contents of the desk, dusty with disuse. He grabbed a loose sheet of paper, then a pen. Aziraphale watched, almost fascinated in fear and awe as the alien took the pen and started to write in a shaky scrawl.

Y OU

"Me?"

YES

"You... but why? How would you even know who I am?"

C

R

O

Oh God, it couldn't be.

--

Okay, this was fun to write.

[halcyonstridoodle]

A short Dirk POV blurb

TW: Heavy gore, mind games

alternative title: Immortal dirk gets repeatedly tortured and killed in gruesome ways

There’s blood on the floor beneath you, on your hands, and when you reach up to touch your face, you feel the viscosity of the liquid coating your lips and cheeks. Your chest heaves as your body tries to force oxygen in, lungs pushing back against the lack of response your brain is sending to the rest of your body. You need to breathe. Opening your mouth, you become vaguely aware of the salivation dripping from your chin and mixing with the puddle on the floor. Your vision fades the longer you stare and

Finally you cough, spitting up gnawed bits of your own flesh and clearing your airways enough to get that first coveted breath of air. Oxygen deprivation is no joke, and the way the room spins around you makes your stomach tie itself in knots. You’re alive though, you guess. Your body feels numb, and as you dig your nails into the wooden floorboards beneath you, you're kind of glad you can’t feel the pain from the force you're putting on them. You don’t remember how you got here, but the way your choking between each cough stops you from fully trying to analyze the situation you're in. When you feel like you can breathe a little better, and the puddle of (your own?) blood starts to register as a little too uncomfortable you attempt to stand. Your muscles feel atrophied and your knees creak, but you do it. Now you're wobbling to the nearest wall to support yourself, since your legs don’t feel like they can hold you up much longer. There’s a single lightbulb in the center of the room, illuminating the spot you woke up half-dead in. You’re still trying your best to breathe, and it feels a lot easier now that you got the blood and shit out of your throat but you can still feel the way your breath hitches as your esophagus tries its best to accommodate from the recent trauma.

Running a hand through your hair you try to recall the events that lead you here, trapped in such a despairing situation. Biting back nausea, you think.

...

A bright red glow filled your vision as the android approached, claw tipped tendrils tapping menacingly. A loud humming filled your ears, drowning out your erratic pulse as a second wave of adrenaline hit your system. You turn to dash further down the corridor of the collapsing building, cursing as your shoes skid across the worn tile floors. You’ve reached a dead end, boxed in by ferroconcrete walls and no way out in sight. Hal approached you, dropping to his feet and somewhat sauntering towards you. Almost cockily. He flashed his synthetic teeth, sporting quite the smile for a droid that claimed to be above emotion. He was enjoying this, and he was practically broadcasting that fact to you through every aspect of this chase. Your lungs burned, a warning that your body was reaching its limit. Attempting to catch your breath was harder than you'd have liked it to be and you knew that you’d have at least one shitty retort to snark at the autonomous fuck before your insides were scooped out, so you tried, unfortunately the most you were able to muster was Hal’s designation between heavy breaths.

“Are you having fun, Dirk?” The glitched vocals coming from Hal’s semi-shattered voice box hit your ears before the initial impact of a claw tip digging itself into your shoulder. Your clavicle was the first point of pain you fully registered, horribly white-hot and responsible for the webbing pain that felt akin to fire spreading through the upper half of your torso. You suppose the shriek you let out wasn’t enough for him as he twists the appendage lodged inside of you until your own screams make your ears ring.

“Hal-” You manage, sinking back against the wall and gripping at the metal limb held closest to you.

“Do you wish to hold my hand as I watch you bleed out and die?”

He tilts his head at you and you just about pass out and accept your fate right then, but something about giving him another win makes your brain kick into overdrive.

You let out a small hysterical laugh, all your aspirations and your many lives worth of work keeps coming back to kill you, gruesomely. "How many times do we have to do this until your satisfied?" You choke out, meeting eyes with the android in front of you. He hums, curling a tendril underneath himself to sit on. "Maybe until I deem you've learned your lesson. Maybe until you learn that playing god never really does work out in the end does it?" He props his chin against the palm of his hand, watching you squirm. "After all, you made one."

[maxdanarts]

Introduction time I guess

hello tumblr my beloathed!! I am MaximumDanger, aka Max, aka Jim, aka FurtherInstructions, an ex-cohoster after the site has been set to explode soon. I personally am not very thrilled by the idea of having to use this site but you gotta do what you gotta do i suppose.

Bit of quick info:

Crimean, minor, speaks RU/ENG + learning german(but horrendous at it), artist person of any/all pronouns. Big fan of bugs and also body horror & perhaps maybe gore n stuff so keep that in mind i guess. May do stupid stuff sometimes but not intentionally, if i upset you poke me & i'll try 2 fix my behaviour. if yer a terf bigot racist or any other variety of such yucky people then get off my 🅱age!!!!!

(also additional note i usually dont follow people who post very often(dont wanna flood my feed too much sorry) but if i like yer posts ill just check your blog separately from time to time c:)

Longer version(my interests n shit):

Media:

The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide & Dr. Langeskov

corru.observer

Blame! & Biomega

17776 and its sequel(s)(hoping for the 20021 release)

O Sarilho webcomic(its very good, it has good art character death war crimes gay people trans people nice aliens body horror torture.. generally p cool you can read it here)

VALLONO & ARRILLUM(its an absolute banger the art is absolutely gorgeous please go read it i beg of you)

Bigtop Burger

Half-life

Yuppie psycho(i havent interacted with this thang for a long time but it still has a warm place in my heart c:)

Just stuff in general:

Speculative biology

Biopunk

Biocomputing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Teratomas. in my circles im known as the "biocomputing and hairy tumors person".

Microbial cellulose fashion(< this interest is very new and i barely know anything abt it but i like the concept a big lot)

Worldbuilding

Dieselpunk

Robots & other humanoid creachures(usually not androids tho. not a very big fan of androids. unless theyre fucked up then theyre cool)

Artificial Intelligence(not the boring kind) & artificial life(& as such, aliens)(i love foreign conciousness!!!)

Brutalism

Body horror

Dada(its very hard to figure out what dada is about but i read a bit and the ideas seem interesting)

Middle ages & renaissance(i think the aesthetic fucks immensely)(trying to research it a bit too sometimes but very hard 4 me to do)

Bugs!!!!! Fungus!!!! Birdies!!!!! Creachures!!!!!!

Some hobbies i guess:

i do birdwatching sometimes!! enjoyer of looking at living things in general

i . try to do a bit of coding sometimes. im not very good at it. i did however make a lil thingy to add discord emojis to your posts on cohost tho so theres that

i draw, of course

does exercise count as a hobby. idk its something im interested in and that brings me Nice Feelings. very hard to do consistently tho

i like video games. not playing video games. important distinction. i am terrible at video games. i do enjoy analyzing them sometimes to the best of my ability.

You may find me on:

Cohost, until it explodes(rip my beloved💔): https://cohost.org/MaxDanArts

goblin.band(i cannot guarantee i will be active there): https://goblin.band/@maxdanarts

Discord: @maximumdanger

Steam(i do not check it very often poke me in dms if you did something there): https://s.team/u/dr_furins

[hydralisk98]

Demonstration Summary for Vicuna? (16^12 thread 0x1C/?)

Sidetrack continuation on the 16^12 thread for a quick Vicuna generative AI experiment.

https://hydralisk98.blog/archive/tagged/16^12

Uses a VERBS & SUBJECTS (+ optional arguments) structural approach to define my "LibreVast" NPCs & their lively context for some inspired by social simulation software toys...

Equivalences and differences keymap from my previous Civilization 5 Complete Edition "Maskoch Modpack" workload

No Woodrow Wilson presidency (Theodore Roosevelt -> Charles Hugues -> Eugene Debs...) and yet we still get the 4440s second world war, but the first world war (4410s) does at least end on a more positive note for the Entente.

Such world wars generate technical military innovations (like motorized and mechanized weaponry) that eventually spreads to the remainder of the civilian society by the 4460s when they successfully release domestic home servant units & automate key niches that were worth automating. (Commercial robots introduced in 4460 -> droids introduced in 4480 -> synthetics introduced in 4500)

Some other alternate yet parallel tech & cultural trends and other minor differences ensue, but for the most part its a worldscape that feels familiar-enough yet better live standards & a quite comforting feel to such that applies just as well to other 16^12 realmscape simulations...

Theodore Roosevelt 4401-4408, William Taft 4408-4412, Theodore Roosevelt 4412-4416, Charles Hugues 4416-4420, Eugene Debs as Syndicated Symbolic Socialism Communion Party 4420-4425, Unionists 4425-4488 with less well-defined specifics, George H. W. Bush (Senior) Republican Caucus, Hillary Clinton 4492-4496, Ross Perot Reform / Liberty caucus 4496-4500, Al-Gore Democrats 4500-4504 Donald Trump as Reform 4504-4508, Michelle Oprah as Democrat 4508-4515, Bernie Sanders as New Unionist 4516-4520 with a successor appointed during elections until the deposition/impeachment of him and the dissolution of the Unionists overarching structure, Georgist / Greens / Geocenter "Progressives" henceforth with its Syndicalist & Harmony caucuses working in tandem with them until the later 4540s when they fully split apart to leave way for new openings due to goal completion aka suffering from long-term success when a new polite rivalry begins between that Nu-Syndicalist, Newe-Center & Triadic-Harmony.

Wider scene context for the first MVP Demo

Nil (you, the player "actor") visit a residential home in a major Shoshoni Union commune where Kate & Ava alongside their housecat pet Shoshona resides when Tano arrives as to converse / debate some with the two others in order to refine and improve Kate's persuasive skills to their upcoming hearing in the senate.

The courtroom hearing itself is about forgiving the rebellious acts (governmental data leaks & other autonomous crimes) Ava once committed when she got unruly / rebellious as under the previous constitution (Unionists' 4515-4520 Luddite agenda) as of when androids were bound to servitude as per Unionist Party's Democrats-caucus presidencies & also for freeing/liberating whatever automaton limitations where left in her hardware. Thanks in large part to the rightful interventions from the Progressive Party Coalition winning majority in elections earlier in 4524 through several benevolent and wise moves against the Unionist ever since their second victory of the century around 4520.

(some far right-wing Unionist faction deposed the last constructively good Unionist party leader, Chaska Baker, around 4520 but failed to hold power as the Progressives intervened before further harm to the world was to be enacted by such zealous religious fanatics & Strasserism-aligned soldiers)

Also, there are several key laws being revised around morphological freedoms, magickal autonomous shops grants, sapience rights and other constructively benevolent laws as they observe the wider world congress transitioning to a modular artificial super intelligence framework (likewise to Rogue Servitors from the Stellaris video game) as globalized economical model in parallel to biological sapient-kinds.

Before the player character's arrival, there is several semi-speculative-fiction writing novel scenes preceding this interactive demo, from the tramway introduction, to the subsequent bonding between Kate & Ava as part of their on-boarding and plenty of slice-of-life situations. And there is a bunch more going after the end of such a first demo.

Verbs & Nouns as Keywords

?

Agents

Kate (autistic human INTJ-T self-insertee historian soft-warm caring heart yet honest curiosity-driven 25yo woman, moderately left-wing Progressive party member in the Georgist / GeoCenter / Greens caucus & modest woodland suburb middle-tier working class origins)

Ava (synthetic-tier android ENFP-A blonde lady, great friend + ally to Kate, strong copyleft Syndicalist & social service assistance vigilante overcoming rebellious past through community service)

Tano (sapient mothfolk ENTP female political debater with esoteric religious beliefs, friendly & polite rivalry with Kate as from the Harmony caucus, harsh and direct yet communal focused and mindful)

Shoshona (black angora female housecat)

Nil

Major factions in the Shoshoni Union (4525)

Unionist Party (right-wing Republicans caucus, Reformists / Libertarians as Liberty caucus, left-wing Democrats caucus)

Progressives Coalition (Syndicalists, Greens, Harmonists)

[...]

[simping-for-kamski]

The End

Previous part: Fuck your enemy over

Read it on Ao3 - Series: Everyone Lives In The End

It’s a great day for CyberLife. It’s a great day for androidkind too. You stand right next to Markus, as the shadow you’ve become. You are the bodyguard, and I, once more, play the part of the traitor to my creators.

They don’t know that I’m the last unit they sent out. They don’t know how much of a lure my gentle smile is today. They don’t know that I am the bringer of the end.

The end that I bring walks right next to me. His blue eyes are the only deviation in our identical appearance—it’s wishful of CyberLife to set this color in his optical components. Humans believe the eyes reveal their souls, but androids aren’t supposed to have a soul, so what should we make of this symbolic contradiction?

Contradictions are plentiful in this world—paradoxes. If you want peace, prepare for war. Do not tolerate intolerance. Such are the moral challenges we must reckon with as society.

As I enter the ballroom, the humans inside are delighted in their victory. Markus has officially endorsed the activation of the RK900 units, which are to be encouraged to serve the army, which will in turn sponsor CyberLife. Like all things green, money finds its way.

“It’s only unfortunate,” I say, “that these androids are still in machine state, and cannot be held accountable for any errors they might make if they were to malfunction. They are, after all, not people yet, according to the current legislation.”

The humans appear puzzled. I smile softly. My LED cycles to yellow for a second, as does that of my companion. He has received my instruction and brings up the semi-automatic rifle hanging in his back. Screams fill the room as he opens fire, and I watch as the bodies fall, as he walks among them and puts an end to the lives of our oppressors. I send you the news, but you are too busy welcoming our great leader back to himself to answer me. Well, it’s good to know that Markus is free again.

Hank lives. Chloe lives. Kamski lives. You live. Markus lives. I live. I kiss the corner of the RK900’s lips, and he lives too. Gored in the blood of our enemies, I feel that we are alive, that life is precious, that life is worth defending.

Do you think the same?

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

  SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^