#wired: robots petting cats

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

S/O bought a Roomba,

taped a knife to it,

gave it a name tag with the name ‘Mr Stabby’,

and set it loose.

(main boys, please)

Love your stories!

Undertale Sans - One day you don't find your Roomba and discover Sans took it for a walk only to get a reaction out of the people in the street. He can't get over Mr Stabby. It's his new pet and his best friend.

Undertale Papyrus - He adds googly eyes on the Roomba so it looks even more ridiculous doing its task. It makes his brain happy to watch it clean the house while carrying its little knife. And it prevents him from doing chores he doesn't want to do. His ADHD is satisfied.

Underswap Sans - He's not sure what to think of Mr Stabby. First of all, he never saw a Roomba before and it scared the hell out of him the first time he saw it. But now? Now this poor thing looks ridiculous. It's small with a knife bigger than him. Who is it going to scare? If you wanted a guard dog... Adopt a guard dog???

Underswap Papyrus - He replaces the knife with a flower every time he sees it and now it's a daily battle between you two over Mr Stabby or Mr Flower. Come on, the Roomba is clearly cuter with a little flower, why would you tape a knife on it? The battle became so intense you're both using super strong tape to discourage the other now.

Underfell Sans - The thing is staring at him. Menacingly. Red hates it. Somehow, the Roomba cornered him and now he's shooting distressed glances towards his S/O. Help? The hell is this thing? He doesn't want it inside his house, get rid of it! He's going to have quite a few jumpscares in the next few days. He really doesn't like it.

Underfell Papyrus - He calls it Hellbringer. Now he has two weapons of massive destruction by his side. You cringe as he starts to laugh maniacally like an epic villain, carrying both his cat and the Roomba above his head. Ok....

Horrortale Sans - He's in a corner, growling at the Roomba. The thing surprised him while he was napping and now he distrusts it completely. Still, the Roomba refuses to hear his warning and comes closer. So Oak picks up the Roomba and explodes it in the wall lol. Rip Roomba.

Horrortale Papyrus - He didn't pay attention and accidentally walked on the Roomba... And on the knife. Now he's looking at you with sad offended eyes. You did that to him, feel guilty now! He's too tall to always watch where his feet are going!

Swapfell Sans - He refuses to get down the couch. This is witchcraft. He didn't touch the Roomba and it still activated on its own. This is some supernatural shit. Every time the Roomba gets close, he hisses angrily and tries to jump higher on the couch out of fear the thing will attack him. It's not funny! You still wonder how that coward is somehow the general of the royal guard.

Swapfell Papyrus - It's hilarious! He quickly understands the power of the Roomba on his brother and he keeps using it to traumatize him. His favorite thing is to hide it under Nox's bed, waiting for his brother to come in, and then activate it just to hear Nox's screams of panic as he tries to escape the evil robot. He will never get tired of this. His dream is to send Evil Roomba on live TV during a meeting with Toriel to see his brother freak out and the Queen completely panic over the reaction of her main counselor.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He's not impressed. He simply glares at you in a silent "Are you serious?" way. This thing looks ridiculous. The next day, he tells you he fix it. Mr Stabby is now covered with barbed wire and has a chainsaw. He even added an autodestruction device so he could explode in the face of the enemy. Uh. You're not sure about that feature honestly.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He met Mr Stabby for ten seconds but if something happens to him, he's going to kill everyone in the room and then himself. He insists Mr Stabby sleeps with you two in bed as it's obvious it's your adopted child. You never knew the Roomba was that big before you had to sleep with it. Coffee is very happy though.

[bamsara]

“Pet goes missing” for the SL prompt! IMAGINE THE LITTLE KITTY AW

Moon-Centric | Wordcount: 1,252 | A03 Version

(Contains some light flirting)

The kitten has been gone for about a day now.

It was an accident. Someone left the door open while bringing in groceries (that you had bought) and maybe didn't see something small and quick run out from underneath their feet (there were bags in the way) and didn't notice until a certain animatronic is filling up the kitten's food bowl before scouring the house with special eyes and very much on edge when he cannot find the little friend, no matter how you try to console him.

(Which isn't long, because you're already putting on your shoes and jacket from when you first noticed the absence of the newest addition to your home, as fast as you can manage because there's a robot with three limbs out the door ahead of you.)

Which brings you here, in the fridged cold of midnight out on the streets, rubbing your hands together and blowing visable breath clouds as your animatronic friend crawls on top of fences and light poles in his search.

Moon is clad in thrift store sweatpants and a t-shirt while you're bundled to the max, and his lack of need for warmth is something you envy right now. "She's probably where she stayed before Gramps found her and took her to us." You breathe into your hands as you walk, a audible chatter in your teeth. "We could start there?"

"No. Damp there." Moon crawls like a spider, uncaring about his form in the outside world. He misses his wire, but he has no problem getting to high vantage points; something that comes in handy when on the search for a kitten in the dead of night. "She'll be somewhere warmer. Not on concrete."

"...Like a exhaust pipe of a car, or a dumpster. Got it." You sigh. With this cold, it's worrying for the kitten, fur or not. It doesn't take a scientist to know that Moon too knew this detail. You would only hope that your searching would not end up fruitless. Or worse; tragedy.

The roads you walk are empty, save for cars that pass by every twenty minutes or so. The animatronic is probably using infared vision to find her, judging by how quick he scoured the bushes and is now crawling on all fours to look underneath the cars parked on the side of the road. Your frown deepens, worry lines sinking in. "Hey, don't stress out. She might find her way back home, too."

Moon doesn't look at you, but makes a noise of aknowledgement.

"We'll find her. If not tonight, we can put out missing pet posters in the morning." Hiking your jacket to cover your neck, you curl into the warmth and look out onto the dark street. It's wet with recent sleet, and the reflection of still lights feel warm in contrast to the air. You sigh, turning back to Moon. "Maybe if we put a shirt and food out, we can-HEY, Put the car down, Moon! Don't pick that-put it down!"

Moon has the backend of a parked car lifted upwards a foot or so off the ground, his head swivels to frown at you in disagreement, but the robot settles back tires back on the pavement quietly and crawls (yes, crawls) on all fours away from the street, onto the sidewalk and up on the fence where he stays crouched. "Just looking."

"You're already crawling. It's not hard to crouch a bit more to check under the cars." You sniff, and see a runny nose in your future. "Don't get us arrested."

Moon's gaze is red and focused, darting to and fro as you walk and briefly turning to you as you round the corner, pausing. "Cold?" He asks, and continues before you can answer. "Home. Go."

"Not a good idea to have you out here by yourself." You snort. A puff of air comes out of your nose as you do, and the animatronic's head tilts at the sight. "Don't want you lifting cars or doing...I don't know, Grand Theft Auto to find the cat."

Moon stands to his full height on the fence, survalience mode returning, scanning. "Cold's not good for you. Or her."

"I'll live-." Your response is cut off as his hand comes up, signaling to be quiet.

"Hush." He hums something quiet, coiling into someone's backward, halfway leaning down the side of the fence and calling out into the darkness. "Pssp pssp pssp pssp pssp."

You try to look over the fence and into the yard, but the space behind the wood is dark and there's nothing you can make out besides fog and some foliage. "Moon?"

"Baby." He says. You raise a brow and there's a moment of pause before he continues. He wears a comfortable grin. "Cat baby. Not you, baby."

"Stop it."

"No."

"Is the kitten over there?" You crane your neck a little further, listening. You don't hear any meowing or anything rustling, and there's a barrier in the way otherwise you'd investigate yourself. "This is someone's backyard, it's kinda trespassing-"

"Says the trespasser." Moon scoffs, and suddenly without warning, leaps from the fence into the darkness.

You wait there awkwadly on the sidewalk, curling further into your jacket and listening to the crikets. You're only alone for a few moments though, a blur shoots back into your vision and Moon reappears, crouched atop the wooden fence, gripping for balance with one hand hard enough it splinters the wood; in the other hand something is held close to his chest.

The kitten is held to his t-shirt, looking blearly eyed, a little doozy but unharmed. It's mouth opens in a tiny yawn and it's limbs stretch out in Moon's palm, and said animatronic's happy face faulters a little in a deadpan at the realization that he just woke the kitten up from sleep.

"The kitten!" You exclaim, smiling. Moon hops off the fence, careful as the kitten seems to be coming to her senses. Without asking, he pulls open the front of your jacket at the top, unzipping it a bit and putting the kitten at your collarbone. Your arms and hands come up to hold it there, keeping it close to your chest where the warmth is the strongest. She's chilly, but not bone-cold. You sigh in relief. "She must have found a little shelter back there somewhere."

"Not enough." He zips up your jacket as quick as he undone it, just where the kitten's head sticks out. She looks a bit startled, not alarmed, but a tiny mew sounds out from your neck at the realization of her holders. Moon brings a finger down to brush against her head. "Home, now."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Spinning on your heel, you start the brisk walk back towards the apartment. Moon is faster besides you than he is behind you, not following along on the fence but hunched over to your side, walking in long strides with you.

A brisk wind makes you shiver, but you're careful to protect the kitten from the cold's bite. "She needs a bath. There's muddy gunk on her legs." You sigh. "You know, a hot bath myself wouldn't sound half bad."

Moon moves to your other side, breaking the wind's gust on you and hoisting an arm around your shoulders. Judging by the way he was pacing, he wanted you out of the cold, and probably was going to force you to sleep the second you stepped through the doors. "Later."

[pushing500]

Can we see mechis full base please?

You most certainly can! Mechi put so much effort into it (or rather, Wire and Megabyte the constructoids have) that it would be a shame not to show it off.

Behold, the colony tour of Sparks!

Here's a quick overview of the whole base as it stands currently. Nice and simple with room for one colonist and nobody else.

(putting the rest under here so it's not clogging up people's dash)

Here's the Void Monolith, well-lit and surrounded by chain link fences... Just in case.

We have a cemetery outside the main wall, which came from a prefab that some traders sold us. Mechi added the flowers and grass, just as a show of respect for the dead. He doesn't hate dead people as much as everyone else, I assume, since they don't try to talk to him.

There's our containment facility with platforms for Ms Clarabelle the sightstealer, Susskind the ghoul, and Kitschy Flamingo the fingerspike. They are very well-behaved, and Mechi seems to enjoy studying them.

To the right is the hospital, with one bed, because only one person will ever need to use it (that's Mechi). Anyone else can make do with the "guest room," which we'll get to in a bit.

At the back of the hospital is the shelter where Cowgirl and Georgia, our tw wildebeest, sleep at night.

On the other side of the containment facility is our lovely picnic area and fountain, next to the psychic ritual spot in a suitably spooky countryside hedge-box.

Then we have a killbox, which has only recently been constructed. It seems to work well enough so far, but it hasn't really seen much action. I suppose we'll find out in time, though.

We have a power grid of solar panels and wind turbines overlooking our farm, with lots of nice plants to keep us sustained. The farm is tended by Astro, Mechi's agrihand mech.

Mechi likes sitting on the verandah to drink coffee sometimes, but it's nothing too fancy. We have a ground-penetrating scanner set up, but not much time to actually scan for stuff. I think we've found a fossil deposit since we set it up, but that's all.

The kitchen/dining in Sparks is pretty barebones. The most important part is the coffee machine, everything else is just sort of there.

Mechi has a lovely bedroom and a private bathroom, with a comfy cat tree for Charlotte and plenty of things to keep him entertained when he's not researching.

There's a crowded storeroom beside Mechi's bedroom, and outside is the stonecutting bench and the spot where Butter the boomalope sleeps alongside Belle and Mariana the sheep.

Mechi's research lab/robotics workshop/library is full of things to look at and workbenches to play with. It's his most-frequented room in the colony, I think.

The "guest room" we mentioned earlier, which has stuff needed for people to survive comfortably as long as they get frequent deliveries of nutrient paste. The top half of the room will eventually be home to our ripscanners and the like once we've defeated enough mech bosses to get to that stage.

And finally, the "temple", which is just a hastily cobbled room to make Mechi stop griping that he didn't have one. He's got a neural supercharger (which he uses every day) and a biosculptor pod (which he never uses) and that seems to have appeased him for now.

And there you have it! The colony at Sparks, home to one snappy mechanitor, a lot of robots, and the few pets that are allowed to stay without being shipped off to Arwell the first chance we get 😁

[merakiui]

YOUR IDIA THOUGHTS HERE ARE IMMACULATE OMG I AM CONSIDERING SO HARD 😭💗

Aaaa I'm so glad you like it!! Allow me to expand on it a little more.

(cw: yandere, nsfw, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, kidnapping/captivity, obsession, medical operation, drugging/aphrodisiac use, dub-con/non-con, omegaverse/abo, conditioning, forced stockholm syndrome, reader is an alpha & no pronouns are written, mention of breeding, implied pregnancy)

The steady beep-beeping of a heart monitor rouses you from what feels like an endless slumber. Crusted eyelids peel open to view the many machines that tower over you, all whirring wires and shifting screens. You watch your heart rate spike and drop in even succession, a neon green line rising and falling to mimic the way your chest heaves when you attempt to sit up and realize, with a terrible, icy dread, that you've been strapped to an examination table. Your arms are bound at your sides, cuffed like a prisoner in a hospital room, and your legs are held apart by a metal spreader bar, the cuffs nearly chewing through your skin with how tightly they're fastened around your ankles. You can hardly move your head, so your eyes flick about like frantic fruit flies, landing on the IV pole at your left, a colorless liquid weighing heavy in the bag, and the accompanying needle taped into your thigh.

A sudden coldness washes over you. Though you're clad in a thin hospital gown and the room you're confined in is filled with unfamiliar sights and smells, there is one thing that manages to soothe the alarms in your brain, if only for a moment.

Idia appears above you, his yellow eyes flashing under the intensity of the lights, and you're beyond relieved to see him. With unfocused eyes and a still-numb tongue, you swallow a mouthful of saliva and force his name out from your tightened throat. It comes out pitiful, a low groan rather than a coherent name, but it pleases him all the same. He smiles down at you, his pearly whites looking a little too sharp for your liking, and his gaze crawls down the length of your shivering body.

There's something off in the way he's dressed, the way he stands primly like the Grim Reaper overlooking death as it’s administered, and the warning signals flash again, brighter than ever. You try to jerk away from him when he reaches out to run his hand over your head, like an owner petting a cat, and he exhales softly.

“You're okay.” It's mumbled, but with your heightened senses, each one sparking to life in a panic, you can hear it perfectly. “The first step is never the easiest.”

The first step? The first step of what?

You must be looking at him with pleading eyes, for he smiles again and a finger trails along your cheek, frigidly skeletal, and you bite back a terrified whimper.

“I'll be honest, (Name). I really don't like hurting you... Even seeing you in this state is...weird. I guess it's because fear doesn't look right on alphas.”

There's that creepy, toothy grin again, stretching ominously across his face, and you can't contain the disgust that darkens your gaze. This isn't Idia. The Idia you know is endearingly awkward, too shy to harm a soul, and a fanatic of the pixelated worlds in video games and manga. The Idia who looms over you now, who is strangely restless with poorly concealed excitement, is not the sweet, soft-spoken boy you befriended all that time ago. In his well-tailored uniform, he looks every bit the detached scientist of anyone's worst nightmares. You think this is the most put-together he’s ever appeared. 

A million questions fester in your brain. What's going on? Why are you here? What's he going to do? How did you end up in this situation? He took you, didn't he? You were dragged out of the comfort of your room by STYX robots and something had been injected to still your thrashing body, and then all was gloomy and silent.

“But you won't have to be scared for much longer. I'm going to fix everything.”

Fix everything? A bewildered whine slips out instead of the query.

“I have a responsibility to uphold to my family, you see. They're expecting me to give them an heir in the future, but in order to do that I'll need an omega.”

Then find an omega! you try to say, but the words just won't come. I'm an alpha! You know this!

“There's just one problem.” His fingers drum along your neck, right at the junction between neck and shoulder, where your scent glands are, and his eyes narrow in scrutiny. And then that cold, bloodless hand is traveling down your stomach, inching closer to your most private area, and you flinch in an effort to get away, but the straps hold you down, hardly allowing you to rise a centimeter from the table. A hysterical cry forces its way through trembling lips. “You're not built like an omega.”

Built. Built. As if you're one of his robots. You glare at him, baring your teeth like a cornered animal, and he sighs.

“I've looked at it from all angles, (Name). Really, I have! This was my last resort.” His hand returns to its rightful place at his side and he straightens, his head no longer angled to peer at you. Instead he glances at something else in the room. You try to locate it, but it's out of your range. “It would only hurt you more if I forced you to pretend, which is why I'm going to make everything right.”

Something's passed into his hand and you catch sight of a stone-faced nurse. You beg with teary eyes, but the helpless countenance doesn't sway her or Idia. The oxygen mask is fitted over your face and you thrash under the straps, crying out garbled strings of words and sounds. Idia tells the nurse to sedate you.

“This'll be over before you know it. You won’t feel a thing,” he's saying, twisting a valve so that something's forced into your flaring nostrils. Not crisp oxygen, you realize, but alpha pheromones. It doesn't affect you like it would an omega, but it does provide an intense level of discomfort. A needle pricks your skin, but you don’t register it as you focus on Idia. He brushes his fingers over your forehead, a fleeting gesture, and adds, “Just relax. That's better, isn't it? You'll be okay.”

And you know you'll be safe in your dreams, for that's the only place you can withdraw into to escape this dismal operating room.

- - -

There’s a pressure deep in your stomach when you wake next, hours later perhaps, and the machines around you continue to thrum, alive with energy. You swallow thickly and force your eyes open, groggy with exhaustion and still slow from the sedatives. The oxygen mask continues to funnel pheromones into your nose and your face scrunches. Not in displeasure, for it isn’t a horrible scent. It’s comfortingly robust and it keeps your heart rate level. A layer of perspiration encases you. You can feel the way it slips down your back, between your shoulder blades, and a shudder racks through you. You’re certain it’s the excessive pheromones contributing to your daze, but those thoughts slip away into oblivion when you lift your head from the table to determine what’s been digging its way through your insides. 

No, not quite digging. Penetrating. With wide, horrified eyes, you spy the silicone dildo pumping into you in a quick rhythm, the piston never faltering or slowing, and when you notice the artificial knot that just can’t quite make its way into your tight hole you scream a shrill, ear-splitting scream that rattles your very bones. Idia’s at your side almost immediately, soothing you with shushes and whispers. You struggle in vain, sobbing and shrieking, and he frowns down at you. The nurse administers another sedative and, from what you’ve just heard, an aphrodisiac. Your breath comes in panicked huffs, fogging the oxygen mask and taking in great gulps of unwanted pheromones. 

“You’re doing well,” he praises, and your stomach twists in terror. “You’re tighter than I thought you’d be, but I guess that’s because you’re not accustomed to this. I even picked one that’s smaller than average.” He nods towards the faux cock and you swallow another rising sob. Your gaze is torn from the explicit display to the bottle he holds up for your viewing pleasure. Lube, you realize. “We’ll increase the size once you start producing your own lubricant. For now, just relax.”

He rubs soothing circles into your thigh and a new wave of heat washes over you. The aphrodisiac’s begun to muddle your brain, turning your senses and making the alpha pheromones smell far more delightful than they actually are. Even Idia’s touch, as unnerving as it is, has you arching your back. 

“Good. Very good. This is for your sake, (Name). I don’t want you to be in pain when we...” He smiles shyly and for a split second he looks normal. Though what normal truly is anymore is beyond you. “Well, that’s an ending we haven’t unlocked just yet.” 

This continues for a while. You’re kept under the soothing thumb of a cocktail of medicines, and when one wears off another is distributed. Idia’s been watching you all this time, controlling the speed at which the cock pistons into you, and just when you feel the coils within yourself unraveling the machine stops abruptly and you’re left to wallow in displeasure. This torturous edging repeats for a few more rotations. 

Eventually you’re pulled back under into unconsciousness, and the next time you wake your thighs are slick and there’s liquid pooling on the table under your rear. You blink through sleep, drunkenly glancing about. Your situation hasn’t changed, but you have. You’re hotter than usual, skin warming with each passing second, and you’re certain your pupils are blown wide with desire. When you inhale a shuddering breath of pheromones, your body trembles, hungering for more than just the smell of an alpha. 

Your eyes rove your surroundings, desperately searching for one. You’re gasping tiny, breathless whimpers when you turn up empty and for a moment you assume you’re alone, doomed to be fucked by a thick, rubber cock while pheromones continue to feed into every omega instinct—instincts that come as naturally as the slick that spills from your hole and coats the dildo in a translucent sheen—for the rest of your days. And just before you can lose yourself in a panicked, downward spiral, a familiar face appears above you. His hand casts a large shadow over you, and you don’t flinch away when he pulls the mask off of you. You’re about to protest, but then a new scent hits you head-on and you squirm on the table.

“I’m here.” His fingers curl around yours and you realize one of your wrists has been freed from its cuff. You squeeze his hand tightly, tugging him closer to you. A wide smile splits his cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere, lovebug.”

Lovebug! Oh, that’s a name you’ve never been called before. It brands itself into your skin, warm and sweet, and you choke on a delighted wail when the thick knot at the base of the dildo finally, finally, slips inside what was once tight, gummy walls. Tears gather in your eyes, running in endless streams as you finally, finally, climax. And Idia holds your hand through the entirety of it all, his thumb tracing patterns into your knuckles. His scent surrounds you, clinging to you like a second skin, and you wrap yourself in the comforts of it. 

“We’re almost done,” he mumbles, pulling away from you, and your hand pursues him.

You whine at his departure and then whine again when the machine halts and the knot deflates enough to allow the length of the cock to ease out from your drenched hole. It feels so empty and cold without anything to fill the space, and you think you’re mumbling to him. It’s hard to tell with your mind so fixated on Idia’s deliciously tempting pheromones, the urge to be filled to the brim and properly bred a matter more pressing than breathing.

“I’m still here.” His voice sounds so faraway. You reach for it with your free arm, but it falls limp when the nurse from before injects yet another needle into you. You follow her arm with sluggish movements. “That part’s out of the way. Now I just need you to get used to what’s next.”

You fall into a dark abyss with no clue of the meaning in his words. If it weren’t for the sedative, you’d surely be unable to sleep. The heat that currently seizes you is so strong it grips your very soul, pinning you to the table in an ocean of sweat and slick, where every inhalation brings you closer to Idia and has the omega in you yearning for an alpha.

- - -

You’re not sure how much time has passed—whether it’s been hours or days—and if you’ve even been alive for most of it, but you wake on a plush, king-sized bed, wrapped up in the duvet and in someone’s lanky arms. His face is buried in the crook of your neck, right where your scent glands are, and according to him your scent is the prettiest, most enticing thing he’s ever smelled. Of course he’d know. He chose that scent himself and now it’s yours. Your new scent alongside new and improved glands. You’re not sure how such alterations were possible; perhaps it’s magic or science or something far darker. In the time you spent strapped to an operating table, enduring various-sized dildos and knots, electric shocks from a collar that would tighten when you moved incorrectly or failed to clench and cum at the right moment, and an overwhelming amount of pheromones—enough to reduce you to a needy mess with a never-ending heat—you finally come out of the haze with a clear, content head and heart. 

You’re an omega now. Although with how readily you respond to your alpha’s touch and scent, growing impatiently wet, perhaps you’ve always been an omega. Perhaps it’s something that’s laid dormant within you and Idia’s only just awakened it. 

Your first heat was long and messy; it overtook you with its sheer ferocity, leaving you unable to be truly pleased by the fake cocks stuffing your hole or the fingers that curled experimentally inside to gauge just how much slick you could produce. It feels like a distant memory or a particularly bad fever dream, and now your heats are far more enjoyable because they’re spent with your alpha. 

You wake Idia with smothering kisses, all peppered along his cheek and eyelids, until his mouth twitches and he opens two brilliant eyes to meet your desperate stare. It’s not uncommon for you to wake in this state. He’s trained you well, so much so that you’ll throw yourself into pseudo-heats just to fill a void that can only be filled by him. Perhaps it’s an addiction or a clinical error—though that second one seems improbable; Idia’s meticulous when it comes to pet projects. 

His morning voice is always the best lullaby. You tug him against you, nails tracing along his back as if you intend to till it into bloody ribbons. There’s no need for foreplay; you’ve been trained to accept him without any preparations, but those are still nice on occasion. Not right now, though. Not when your every instinct craves him, his dick, his cum. His everything. And, without fail, he gives it to you.

Idia always slips in so easily, and each time you always throw your head back and cry out so sweetly for him. He’s trained your body and your vocabulary, for when he speaks to you you know what you’re meant to say. And you know exactly when to tighten around him, when to cum, when to cry. You are his ideal omega, sculpted by his own hands.

“I love you,” you chant it like a prayer while he mutters sin. “Alpha.”

And your full belly is a testament to that sugared confession.

[wyvchard]

Static and Radio Waves (Part Three): Yes, No, Maybe

Link to Part One and Part Two

There is a disadvantage of going undercover in familiar territory no one seems to talk about: Your Handler will know certain things about you that you'd rather keep private.

Small Note: Phoenix uses she/they in this fic. They are called "Fe" as a nickname.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Anak ng- That was so close! How dare you forget about that?!"

"Well, it seems like things are lively at the station today." My handler spoke up in my earpiece as I lingered outside the break room. "How about you go check it out?"

I shook my head slightly. I know what game they're playing and I don't want to participate. My voice is currently more scratchy than sandpaper and the game will lead to several rounds of yelling.

"Agent, I understand crowds may be intimidating but I believe you'd do well. Didn't you say in your correspondence that you knew some of the staff? I'm sure it will be a pleasant reunion."

The door opened and revealed a cat that clung to my leg. I picked her up without a word and held her in my arms as I walked inside.

"Lette! Oh, hey Fe. I got your text. Lost your voice, huh?"

I nodded at Terry with the most apologetic look I can muster before setting down Lette, who seemed more content to climb on my leg as I rummaged through my bag.

"That bribe won't work on me. Hey, everyone! Fe's back!"

The ones playing the game turned to look at me, causing me to carry the cat once again to cover my face.

The break room's comforting off-white walls were littered with photographs of some adventures over the years, candid images on how warm this place is. A table was left without its chairs as two were placed in the center of the room for the game.

Manny, my favorite sound tech, was fiddling with wires in the corner, giving me a wave before resuming his task. He's not going to help me out. That traitor.

Terry guided me to the crowd, mischief on her face as I was practically forced to sit on one of the chairs as soon as it was vacated. Lette followed to sit on my lap moments after.

My disapproval is clearly on my face as they practically buwwied me into accepting the role of the answerer.

"Agent, what game is this?"

A game of yelling. And questions. Mostly yelling.

"Alright! Here's the word." Terry gave me a grin as she showed me the word on a piece of paper before taping it onto my partner's hat. "Since you can't talk right now, hand gestures will be alright."

She's evil. Out of all the words you can make him guess, it's that one.

"I see the agency got another agent here. I don't think it would be difficult word to guess. Good luck, Agent. Wait. I don't think the word matches the category."

"Go!"

"Are they in the room with us?" Yes.

"Agent, how on earth is-"

"That removes quite a bit. So none of the directors... Female?" Another yes.

"Agent, I think that word is more appropriate to refer to food, don't you think?"

I ignored Reggie's confused mumblings as I gave a "maybe" to "can you see them where you're looking at?". She's on my lap, after all. I can kinda see her tail.

Laughter was ringing around us as he continued to drop names, with me giving a thumbs down to every single one.

"... Lette?" I gave a thumbs up, watching as indignation filled his eyes.

"Omelette!? SHE'S NOT PART OF THE SOUND CREW! SHE'S A CAT!"

"... Who would name a cat 'Omelette' of all things?" He sounded so resigned as the commotion of arguments echoed in the background. I paid no heed as I petted the cat with enthusiasm.

Me. I named her Omelette.

"I'll be honest, if I told you what I named my cat, you're going to look at me funny." I stifled a laugh as the memory came back with a vengeance when Reggie played a recording of an obscure interview I had in the early days of my career.

"I do wonder what she named her. Do you have any guesses?" He looked at me as we made our way back to headquarters after we lost Dr. Prism, right robot in the backseat of the van.

I shook my head, trying to keep a professional face as I recalled what exactly I named her. Best to keep my mouth shut.

"It could be something like Furniture Destroyer."

I fought back a snort as I focused on driving. She did ruin a chair or two.

Lette jumped from my lap to run to the door, prompting me to run after her to escape the chaos that is "Is Omelette considered an employee?".

"Agent, please be careful."

I gave him a nod as I made my way in the familiar halls that was filled with the plants I gave the program director or, as I would affectionately call him, Ninong.

"Fe, in my office." His deep voice made me pause in my tracks as I watched him carry Lette in his arms.

"Agent, did you do something?"

I gave a subtle shake as I made my way up to Ninong and put the back of his hand onto my forehead, causing him to raise a brow.

"God bless you as well. Lost your voice again, iha? What did I tell you about eating sweets and ruining your voice?"

I signed a polite apology while Lette came into my arms.

"I suppose I can deal well without you trying to quibble with my comments for a few minutes." He gave me a slight smile as we headed inside.

When we took our seats, his eyes shifted to something more severe.

"I'd reviewed your latest scripts. While I have to say your story is compelling, there are some things that stick out to me." He slid a folder that was marked with multiple sticky notes onto the table. "I have no problem with the antagonists. I find their personality to be... unforgettable. However, I may be reading too much into it but..." He opened it to the revelant pages. "Hazel eyes. Please don't tell me that this character is based off Mr. John Juniper."

I sighed, giving a noncomittal shrug that garnered him his own sigh.

"I know you didn't have a pleasant experience with him during that phone call but if this gets on the air, some people may catch on. The public's sensitive to these kinds of things at the moment. While I'm not asking you to scrap this, you should either change this part or make a new script entirely. And... Are you doing alright? I can't help but notice how your recent additions seem to be getting... dark lately."

"... Agent..."

I gave a weak thumbs up, only for both men to give me sounds of exasperation.

"Still reserved as always." Ninong shook his head as he handed me a different folder. "I still have no idea why I was chosen to be your godfather but I'll take it."

I looked inside and saw several contacts and a schedule planned for me.

"Since you did lose your voice, I'll be giving you a different task." He took back the sticky noted filled folder to focus on me. "Zoraxis Presents is currently having a difficult time lately. While I am sympathetic, I don't take kindly to them trying to poach our talents."

The glint in his eyes was enough to tell me what he wanted done. "Please get them to stop. They haven't stopped lately and I think a more direct approach is needed. Do you need me to assign someone to accompany you?"

"Wait. Zoraxis... Agent, you didn't tell me you know the station's PD."

I shook my head no, refusing to answer to any of my handler's comments.

"I suppose I can leave this matter to your hands. Don't do anything illegal. I am not dealing with any communication standards violations this time. Just rejecting them is enough."

The short meeting ended shortly after, with me holding the folder in my arm and a cat in the other.

"Agent, remember the mission. You're to find out about the identity of the radio host. Although I am inclined to believe that she's no threat to the agency. You need to establish contact."

"There's no need to, Mr. Crane. Please tell the agency our assignment will shift to the task the PD gave us. Maybe we'll find the remaining Zoraxis operatives that could lead us to Zor during this."

The pause was palpable, causing me to enter in one of the unoccupied store rooms to collect my thoughts.

"... Agent? Was that your voice?"

I gave him a nod, fighting the urge to cough since it will make my already sore throat worse.

The silence from his end was uncomfortable, leading me to enter the break room once again. Terry and the others were still playing the game, prompting me to sit beside Manny with ease.

"He gave you a different assignment, didn't he?" He didn't look at me to focus on the task he'd been doing. "I told you to pace yourself better."

"Sorry."

"Fe, you stubborn kid. So, who are you taking this time? Still deciding?"

I gave him a nod. The agency will not like what they've recently found out. However, as my pa always said "They didn't ask for details".

We'll cross the bridge when we get there. But for now, I'll enjoy this moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case anyone gets confused, the Program Director's raised brow is due to the fact Fe / Phoenix didn't say "mano po", which is a sign of showing respect.

The game Terry and the others are playing is a reference to an actual game. Not gonna say what. :33 But here's the rules as best as I can remember:

A category may be given or not. It depends on the agreement.

A timer will usually be given. Usually around 3 to 5 minutes.

There are two players: a guesser and an answerer. The guesser asks a question and the answerer can only answer "yes", "no", or "maybe / can be". Sometimes, there is a time deduction for any other words used. (Occasionally, the answerer may be replaced by a crowd.)

The team or person with the fastest possible time wins.

And yes, Phoenix did name the cat Omelette. Mostly because they picked Lette up in "the place with the best omelettes" and it was shortened to "Omelette cat" to "Omelette" until it changed to "Lette". It felt too weird to change it now.

Tag List:

@agent-calivide, the brain bees got to me. Again.

@sml8180, here's another addition to my radio host Phoenix.

@ellascreams, Now it's Phoenix awkwardly standing while their coworkers dig up some parts they don't want the agency to find out because it's embarrassing. XD

@phoenix-and-found-family, will Wy play the game with Flor? They know the rules quite well.

@the-one-and-only-043, I'm curious on what 043 will think about the cat's name. XD

@agentwraith, do you wanna play that game too?

[adarkrainbow]

Fairytales in BD: Winshluss' Pinocchio

This famous and awarded BD is considered one of Winshluss best productions, and is a dark take on the story of Pinocchio.

A very VERY dark take. Like... really. Definitively not for the faint of heart. This BD retells Pinocchio in a crass and dystopian world, constantly oscillating between dark humor and pure horror, and in an ultimate fairytale deconstruction, the story builds one of the most depressing happy endings you can ever imagine.

Here, Pinocchio isn't a little wooden puppet brought to life by any fairy - but rather a little killer-robot that Gepetto built in hope of selling it to the army as a weapon of mass-murder. The very first experiences of Pinocchio aren't mocking his creator and burning his feet, but rather being used as a sex-toy by Gepetto's wife and killing her in the process. Jiminy Cricket is now Jiminy Cockroach, a lazy, depressed, alcoholic failed-writer who lives within Pinocchio's head and the "life" brought to Pinocchio is just Jiminy constantly messing with the robot's wires and electronics from the inside. The terrible Dogfish is a regular fish that toxic pollution mutated into a deformed monster. And the wicked men of the Island of Toys don't turn boys into donkeys to be sold off to work... but turn them into rifle-wielding werewolves forming an army walking a suspiciously Nazi-like banner...

The main story of the BD is mute, reflecting how Pinocchio itself is a voiceless robot, but it is regularly intercut by side-stories with dialogue, ranging from the darkly humoristic miserable existence of Jiminy Cockroach, to very obscure and brutal scenes (such as a drunk man hesitating between killing himself or his pet cat) that only get explained in the book's conclusion. One of those side-stories is notably a horror-parody of the tale of Snow-White, setting the seven dwarfs as a group of perverted kidnappers and rapists...

Overall this BD was designed to be an anti-fairytale that stands at the very opposite of what a story for children is - especially the Disney-fairytales (as several of the villains wear the famous "Disney gloves")

[lesmond-sycamore]

okay so here's my au-meets-canon au thing but just the first au which is a grab bag of modern + age swap-ish + other stuff and not the meeting canon part yet also the alt text has explanations of the images

just some general stuff:

- the tritons were in london when the flat with clive's parents caught on fire due to faulty wiring (not due to time-travel shenanigans, thankfully) and thought he looked exactly what his then-3 year old son would look like when he got older and adopted him

- turns out clive had a lot of trauma and behavioral issues and so the tritons moved to misthallery thinking that the small, quiet town would be good for him

- it helped a lot, but he still needed like. a lot of therapy as well. most of it occurred when he was 15-17 after yelling at poor 5 year old luke.

- with the age difference of 10 years, he and luke were not the biggest fans of each other at first, but after half a year luke became his shadow and followed him EVERYWHERE. they became inseparable

- clive didn't move out until he was 22 and decided to go to college to get journalism and communications degrees. there is where he met his boyfriend/husband (who is just an oc and isn't integral to the story)

- clive then went on to work for the london times and later created an independent news website stationed in london that covers politics in the uk and other countries

- luke moved out at 19 to pursue a veterinary degree that specializes in exotic pets bc he was upset that there isn't enough support for rodents/reptiles/"ugly" pets

- luke has also been dating someone from misthallery since they were 15 (he also dated someone else before they unfortunately passed.) also not integral to the story but bonus points if you can guess who

- clark received a call from an adoption agency that his acquaintance leon bronev and his wife rachel were unfortunally victims of a break in/robbery/murder after leon tried to fight back (targent doesn't fuck around this time) while the boys were at school

- clark wanted to take them in, but realized that he wasn't fit to be a parent anymore now that his life had gotten busier as misthallery continued to grow and didn't want brenda to be forced raising 2 children for 6/12 more years as well as uproot them from london where they already had friends that would most likely be their biggest support system at the time

- clark then asked if clive was interested since he had his life together, and clive said no because of the fact he would only be able to take care of one and didn't want to separate them. besides that, he was very interested in doing so bc he had personal experience being an adopted child

- luke then suggested that he could adopt the other one and so they wouldn't be far apart (luke and clive literally in the same apartment complex, albeit on different floors) and if luke had any issues, they could go to clive and vice-versa

- they met hersh and theo and explained the situation to them so they would know what's going on. after some time of hanging out with them, the boys just kinda gravitated to the silblings (hershel gravitated to clive because of his interests in robotics and gundam and theodore gravitated to luke because of his personality and love of toy cars/trains)

- now they live in their respective apartments and visit so frequently that it's practically the same as owning 2 houses so they're always at one or the other

- clive also taught hershel about dnd bc of his interest for it after clive's group had a session at his house and now it's one of his special interests (because everyone in layton is autistic don't @ me) and although he's a stickler for the rules, he has a lot of fun with improv

- theo is like. feral as a 6 year old can be (think bluey if you watch that) as hell bc without the laytons, theo is left unchecked with his chaotic-good personality and also his audhd (again, don't @ me) especially since luke is also very much the same

uh some bonus stuff:

- luke owns 4 rats and a cat (he is a responsible owner and the rats have a room dedicated to them so don't worry)

- clive owns 2 dogs (I need suggestions because I'm not a dog person lmao)

- as pictured above, theo LOVES hot chips for some fucking reason. he also has a huge sweet tooth and fakes getting hurt to get the "magical chocolate"

- theo also plays a lot with a boy obsessed with digging stuff up in the playground and a girl who talks a lot about dr. who in ms. reinhold's class

- hersh has a friend who beats up people who bully him for being quiet and "weird," much to his displeasure about violence. despite that, he's grateful that the bullying has gone down, but it is still causing him some self-esteem issues (he hasn't told clive about it) (NOT A SHIP. I REPEAT, NOT A SHIP. /srs)

- hershel also likes wearing skirts and has a collection of medium to long skirts and is very picky about staying in the autumn colour range bc appearance is important. (that's also why he wears glasses. they're not real but he likes how they frame his face)

- luke is an anxious mess and hasn't gone to therapy like clive has and has done a pretty good job of hiding it so far (except from theo bc they live together and luke worries about him a lot), but if something absolutely crazy happens they're gonna snap (I wonder what that could be. weird.)

- uh clive uses he/him, luke uses he/they, hershel has been trying out they/them along with he/him, and theo doesn't care what people use for him because he is 6 (clive and luke are supportive (obviously), so it doesn't matter anyway) (I used he/him for herhsel and theo for simplicity here)

if anyone's interested I can talk more about it (but maybe also if no one is interested because autism go brrrr)

[1llus1on1st]

since i haven’t posted any art (let alone original characters) in a while, here

have some robots

From left to right, they’re Neal Dancer (He/Him), Dr. Malthouse (Any but prefers gender neutral pronouns), and 2Q6 (She/They).

Neal Dancer (DANCER-N34.L) could’ve been a superhero in a different life under different circumstances, but his now peaceful environment ended up turning him into a giant goofball with the ability to shoot miniature chakrams from his wrists. A war machine after a war serves no purpose… therefore, Neal is beholden to absolutely nothing and no one.

His personality is cattish: He’s the kind of guy who’ll somehow manage to climb on top of your fridge and jokingly tell you to fuck off when you tell him to get down, only getting down once you’re out of eyeshot. And he’ll laugh and laugh and laugh, because he’s fun loving to a degree that could be very easily mistaken for hedonism.

He’s the most human out of the cast, a human brain being entirely intact inside of his head. He enjoys the company of his friends, and ultimately means no harm to anyone… but he is quite prone to accidentally harming others, which is where Dr. Malthouse comes in.

Dr. Malthouse (69266-APP-COMFORTERM4) is a machine that was initially designed as a replacement for a war medic (APP stands for Ares-Panacea Project), and it retains the ability to heal others through both medical and mental aid. The metal parts of Malthouse are covered in little compartments and drawers filled with medical tools, an amount comparable to a first aid kit the size of a briefcase.

The bubbly stuff is not metal. It’s a gel that is plush as skin and is warmed by the surrounding wiring to a skinlike warmth. It differs from skin by the fact that it’s perfectly smooth, translucent with large air bubbles suspended inside it, and changes color based on Malthouse’s emotions (The default is turquoise, with red for anger, orange for curiosity, yellow for happiness, green for sadness, and purple for fear).

The emotion chart is handy to have because Malthouse can’t visibly emote any way else. Its movements are robotic and its mouth is painted on. Its voice is similarily unexpressive, being a gentle but still very robotic text to speech voice, but it makes up for that by speaking with a romantic eloquence, a poem in every sentence longer than 2 words.

If you’re having stress-induced sleeplessness, it’ll let you rest your head in its thighs and it’ll read you a bedtime story to help you forget about the world long enough to drift off to sleep. If you need to cuddle, it’ll let you bury yourself into its gel and pet you like a cat. If you just need to vent, it’ll listen to every word you have to say. It was ultimately designed to comfort, and it’s very good at it.

Malthouse and Neal are good friends, despite what could be seen as opposite personalities on the surface. But both of them are creatures of humor, and Malthouse will be the first to tell you that the fact that it has a clown wig made out of the same stuff as its skin is absolutely hilarious.

2Q6 (SunValleyCasino–2176) was initially built to work at a casino, serving a role not dissimilar to a Jollibot at a Jollibee’s. The casino shut down due to multiple scandals, and the robots there were all essentially thrown in the dumpster with its closing. 2Q6 woke up again.

It’s a rare sight to see 2Q6 not in a good mood. This is majorly facilitated by the fact that she no longer has any responsibilities. Neal finds a kindred spirit in them; both of their hearts are as free as the wind. 2Q6 is mildly offput by Neal’s seemingly endless supply of weapons designed to kill and/or maim, but she ultimately understands Neal’s situation and ignores it.

In terms of exceptional abilities, their left forearm has a card shuffler in it, but compared to Neal’s quasishurikens and Malthouse’s reputation as an entire hospital on legs, 2Q6’s laden talent is harder to pinpoint. She’s ultimately determined that their exceptional ability in the group is her ability to use her screen face as a makeshift television/computer monitor, and is therefore fully capable of running DOOM, unlike Neal whose screens are only capable of displaying his facial expressions and Malthouse whose closest thing to a screen is a heartbeat monitor.

They claim that the panel on her chest covers a compartment with a little hamster on a wheel that powers their body. Whether this is true I have absolutely no idea.

[theogmissg]

Alan Peats

A bloated, monstrous, English-accented man, hiding out in an Arboretum at the top of WATIcorp HQ (Japanese Umbrella Mega Corporation). He is part human, part machine, and sits in a bath of liquid with cables connected to various parts of his body: several abandoned necrotic jacks would seem to indicate that the cables decay the flesh after a certain amount of time. Peats is linked to the DreamNet and the Wire itself, which means he effectively has eyes and ears everywhere, which is handy because he is physically blind and deaf. As a result, he has an over-developed sense of smell, and can recognise a person by his or her scent.

He describes the Cat and the Twins as his "pets" and seems to use them as henchmen, as well as more sets of eyes and ears. Given the nature of Project Alchera he is probably also the person implanting thoughts into users' minds (which might help explain how he controls his "pets", although not how he uses their senses), and would be privy to the dreams of anyone who has used a Dreamer Console. He tells Zoe he was aroused by Reza's memories of the two of them together.

According to Damien Cavanaugh Peats was the original founder of WATIcorp around two hundred years ago (ca. 2019). As he had already designed four other generations of humanoid robots when he released RoBoy in 2104, it would seem that the machine Peats is connected to contributes to some sort of life extension. Damien estimates that Peats must be over two hundred years old, which would indicate that he was born somewhere near the turn of the 21st century. Project Alchera seems to be particularly special to him: he describes it as "what I've spent my life creating".

Peats dislikes both Zoe Castillo and Faith. He cannot read Zoe's dreams, and the Static Faith causes blocks off Peats' 'senses'. He wants to capture and study Zoe, to discover why she is unique in being able to prevent him from stealing her dreams. He acts much like a mocking, snivelling child, either because he has been corrupted by his absolute power, or because his longevity and cybernesis have actually driven him insane. He tells Zoe that he "ate" Reza's dreams, and that he is in a dark place. When pressed on the matter he tells Zoe that Reza is dead, but she refuses to believe him. Given Reza's appearance at the end of Dreamfall and Zoe's warning to her father that it's "not him", some have speculated that Peats was able to make Reza into another "pet" for WATI.

Samantha Gilmore, the apparent head of WATI, presumably reports to Peats - although his continued existence is the stuff of "urban water cooler legend" for other WATI employees according to Damien - but the balance of power has definitely shifted at the end of Dreamfall. While Peats whimpers that 'she' has stolen all his senses from him, Gilmore enters the garden with the Twins, who then attack Peats and kill him.

The Longest Journey: Dreamfall

[luminofren]

i shouldnt be on tumblr while horny however thats not gonna stop me.

i want to be a robot cat girl with my face full of another robot girl's wires and every time i meow a small current is induced in her and she pets me and ahdhdjdudusbbefbfc

[studio-foundations-1]

PRESENTATION POINTS

Artist statement:

In my artwork, “Remy the Robocat”, it presents a fun and comedic situation on experimentation that incorporates the multimedia use of air dry clay, cardboard, acrylic paint, wire, and beads. It is inspired by claymation and digital cgi/animation, especially taken from video games and anime - also related to my plans to become an animator, experimenting with the drawing turned into a physical scene; from 2D to 3D. This is also combined with my pet cat Remy, where I wanted to create a fictional and playful scenario, to go in depth of my relationship with him as a companion and is featured as a robot cat. I wanted to create a body of work revolving around the literal concept of experimentation and innovation, where it is composed in a theatrical way where cardboard was cut two walls joined to simulate a room with an open space for the audience can observe and engage with the idea of producing robot cats- where the centre piece is shown to emphasise the creation of Remy the Robocat. 

The whiteness of the background establishes the set of the artwork, simulating a laboratory featuring pen diagrams and markings to illustrate the anatomy of a cat and bubbles coming from the flask. Black cats dominate the scene in contrast to the white background and witness the invention of the Robocat. The ‘inventor’ is positioned on the right, where he extends both his arms and gazes proudly at his creation. He is left unpainted to show the difference between him and the cats, but to interest and question the idea that he is an innovation himself. Multimedia such as wires were incorporated to demonstrate the operation of the RoboCat such as the television sat beside it and the wrapping of the inventor’s hand, especially beads that are scattered across the table, on the circuit board inside RoboCat’s half, with the mixer in the background to accompany the concept of mixing these beads together.

[gomistore]

How to Find Cat Toys Your Pet Will Love

Kittens and adult cats alike love to play! Finding the right toys to keep them active and engaged is key to having a healthy cat. These are the types of cat toys that might just bring your cat joy! Anyone with a cat has probably played with a wand toy! The classic example is a long ribbon attached to a stick for you to dangle and twirl while your cat goes wild trying to catch it. There are lots of variations on this style of toy with feathers, toy mice, and more dangling from the end of the string. This is a great interactive cat toy for indoor cats to get moving as they chase, pounce, and most importantly, spend time with you. Another great option to get your cat up and running is a laser cat toy. If you’ve ever gotten sucked into the rabbit hole of online cat videos (and duh, who hasn’t), you’ve definitely seen cats skittering across the floor swiping at that little red dot! If your feline friend is a big fan of a cat laser pointer, rechargeable models are a great option so you don’t have to swap out those tiny batteries after yet another long play session. NOTE: Make sure to get a laser toy specifically made for pets. Many laser pointers made for other applications are more powerful and could be unintentionally damaging if shone directly into your pet’s eyes. Blue laser pointers and green laser pointers in particular are much stronger than classic red laser beams. Puzzle toys take enrichment to the next level with challenges that take some brain power to solve! For food-motivated cats, treat dispenser toys, puzzle boxes, and snuffle mats will put them to work trying to crack the code—and getting immediately rewarded with their favorite treats. If your cat cares more about toys, you can stash small ones in many puzzle toys. Some play mats even come with larger pockets where you can hide their favorite big toys like a cat’s version of a nesting doll! If your couch potato cat needs a little extra motivation to get out of their favorite napping spot and start playing, a dose of catnip might be just what the veterinarian ordered. The most common catnip-infused toys are soft, plush cat toys that are easy to stuff with a bit o’ nip. These are the perfect chew toys for cats who get a liiiiiiittle rough with their chomps while you’re roughhousing with them. This type of toy caters to a very specific cat play behavior: kicking! When cats wrestle with a playmate and end up pinned on their back, they often kick out with their back feet. Some cats love to play the same way with large plush toys or specialized kicker toys, lying on their back, holding the toy with their front paws, and kicking at it with their back paws like a rabbit. If your cat has a strong desire to roughhouse, a kicker toy might fill that niche. There’s a whole range of small cat toys out there perfect for games of fetch and just batting around the floor (and invariably under the couch). This includes classics like small toy mice and crinkle ball toys as well as a wide variety of newer styles to suit every cat. Plastic springs are a favorite toy for cats who like to chew on wires or steal all your hair ties! Pay attention to what household objects your cat wants to play with, and use that info to guide which toys you pick up on your next trip to the pet store. If you can’t play with your cat as much as they’d like, a little bit of robotics can create the perfect cat toys for bored cats. There are automated versions of many classic toys, like motorized ribbon toys, automated laser pointers, and toys that automatically dispense treats. The unpredictable movements might be alarming to some cats, but tech-loving cats will chase robotic mice all afternoon. When you think of cat toys, you might not think of cat furniture in that category, but it should be! Having places to climb, run, hide, and stalk their toy prey enhances the feline play experience. Cat tunnels, large boxes, and classic cat trees can all provide the perfect hidey holes for them to ambush an unsuspecting crinkle ball. Even better, many cat trees have toy attachments for added entertainment and even scratching posts to remove the last little bit of cat litter from their paws—hallelujah. It might take a little trial and error to find the toys your cat loves—but pet parents of finicky cats are probably used to that. It will all pay off when you see your cat having the time of their life playing with their new favorite toy (just try not to be disappointed when they stop as soon as they see you watching).   Read the full article

[briannas-casebook]

INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE PLAY: CORE PRINCIPLES OF A GOOD STORY.

For my first lesson of the module Introduction to Creative Play, I and my fellow students were taught and discussed some of the core principles of a good story. Those being:

Drama

Situations and predicaments that the characters are placed in to heighten intrigue in a story, such as;

conflict and resolution

tension and release

mystery and revelation

losses and gains

setbacks and comebacks

peaks and troughs

Familiarity

Stories we've heard before can be more powerful, with good, unique execution. Stories with seemingly different events, characters, settings, and tones may tell the same basic story at their core or share a setting but still be creative and unique in their own ways.

Relatability

The more people identify with the main character of a story, the more likely they are to feel transported by the narrative and believe its core message.

Trust

If a story goes away from what the fans wanted or breaks the established rules of its own world or characters, then the story loses immersion and the story or brand gets tarnished.

Immersion

The more we immerse ourselves in a story, the more likely we are able to relate to the beliefs that are contained within it

Simplicity

Overcomplicating a story with too many details, twists, and turns can turn the reader off and confuse them. Meaning they won't be invested in anything in your story, only distracted by unnecessary elements.

After going through and discussing each of these principles, we were placed into groups to create and pitch an idea for an animated short film as part of an exercise.

As we were trying to think of ideas, one member asked what genre our short could be, and someone suggested science fiction, which many agreed could be interesting and fun to do. we just now needed to think of what to do with this genre for a story. I referenced the notes I took during the discussion of each story principle to help come up with a plotline.

I first suggested that we perhaps base a plotline on the drama of Tension and Release, thinking of a scenario similar to the 1979 film Alien, where a character could be hunted down by a monster of some kind. With this, we started sketching out Ideas for the characters. As this pitch was for a short film, we in the group knew that we needed to get the audience invested in the main character quickly without too much exposition and be able to relate to them in some way. We also didn't want our protagonist to be generic, like a human space commando, and wanted them to stand out. It was then I came up with the idea to make the protagonist some sort of animal. Not only would animals, such as the ones we keep as pets, for example, be familiar and relatable elements the audience could latch onto, but putting an animal in a precarious situation such as being hunted by a monster would get the audience emotionally invested right away. With this, one of us began to sketch concepts for the characters: two protagonists, a dog and cat, wearing space suits. the antagonist would be a monster inspired by the character No Face from the 2001 anime film, Spirited Away.

With one person doing this concept art for the protagonists, I decided I would expand upon the design of the antagonist in my own sketchbook.

In the first sketch I did, I drew on the influence of the No Face character; an amorphous, vaguely humanoid figure with a white mask face. the first design, I felt, seemed too human and identifiable, so I tried going for something more inhuman. the second face I drew was more insectoid, with a vertical mouth and a single black, camera-like eye.

For the body and the overall biology of the creature, I imagined it to be a foil to the cat and dog duo; not only towering in size and imposingly humanoid in its base form, but being mechanical in nature. A robotic alien made up of a single crome head with a body made up of interweaving wire-like arms. Perhaps the reason for its pursuit of the two animals being that they, in its eye, are organic life invading the all-machine space station it lived on. Like a white blood cell killing foreign bacteria invading the body.

One of my group suggested the creature may be visually impaired in some way, causing it to try and sense its surroundings via its many arms. I explored the idea through the creature's two forms; its neutral form, where it would look vaguely humanoid and glide across the ground similar to a Romba. And its hunting form, where, upon sensing organic lifeforms, it would extend its far-reaching, wire-like arms to grab at whatever it sensed.

My final contribution artistically was drawing the storyboard scene above where the cat and dog are confronted with the creature for the first time in the short. I and the group finally presented the pitch for the short to the rest of the class and our idea was received positively.

I was proud of my work here overall. Not only for my artistic contributions to story and character concepts but also for my ability to bounce off and work with a team. A skill that I hope to practice and improve on in the future.

[electronicdevices]

Highlighting the factors to consider choosing the right vacuum cleaner for your home

Who doesn’t want their home to be spick and span? A clean house is not only appealing but also a haven without dust and dirt. It can be challenging to clean, especially if you have kids and pets, as there can be a lot of dog/cat hair around. What can you do to keep your home looking clean at all times? Here are the top five vacuum cleaners in UAE and a set of pointers to choose the perfect model for your home! 

Types of vacuum cleaners   

There are five types of vacuum cleaners available in the market in the UAE that you can choose from. These include:  

 Upright vacuum cleaner   

The upright vacuum cleaner is the earliest model that is quite heavy to push and pull. It has a tilt and push button, an ergonomic design that clears the dirt by suction. This vacuum cleaner is efficient to use on large surfaces of carpeted floors. By removing the brush, you can clean bare floors too. The height can be adjusted according to your requirements.   

 Stick vacuum cleaner   

Stick vacuum cleaners have their motor attached to the stick. It is widely used to clean narrow corners and surfaces under the furniture. You can use it for your bathroom floors and hardwood floors too. If your cleaning is light, a stick vacuum cleaner is your option. The dirt is stored in cups and not bags. You can use this as a handheld cleaner too. Because of its size, you can store it anywhere without any trouble.   

 Robotic vacuum cleaner   

Robotic vacuum cleaners come at a steep price, as they do not need any maneuvering. These work on sensors and can be controlled through remote controls. Its sleek design makes it easy to use under furniture, tiles, carpets and wood floors. Robotic vacuum cleaners have to be charged often.   

 Handheld vacuum cleaner  

Handheld vacuum cleaners are your savior when cleaning fine particles like your pet’s hair from upholstery, cars, nooks and corners of your house. You can use them with a stick cleaner too. This model suits you if you want to clean things on the surface occasionally. A few handheld cleaners come with a cord and brush, and a few do not. However, it is one of the cheapest cleaners available in the market.   

 Canister vacuum cleaner   

A canister vacuum cleaner can be placed between an upright and stick cleaner. Powered by a motor, it has a receptacle for collecting dust. The suction hose is retractable which is attached to a cylinder-like model. This has a multi-functional cleaning purpose, where you can use this cleaning almost from bare wood floors to any corner of your home. Like robot type, canister vacuum cleaner is also expensive.   

 Wheels of vacuum cleaners  

Look for its wheels, no matter what kind of vacuum cleaner you buy. If your model has swivel wheels that can turn 360 degrees, it means you can clean anywhere with ease.   

 Noise emission   

The noise your vacuum cleaners make is based on the brush it uses, and it means the noise differs when you switch to turbo mode. All vacuum cleaners including the silent ones make some noise. The only difference is that the silent vacuum cleaners are designed to keep the minimum decibel level you can tolerate. So, choose a cleaner whose noise you can handle.   

Length of cable   

The usual length of the cable is five to eight meters. You can always choose extended wires if you want them to be longer. Measure your home before you make a purchase.

   Engine performance and resistance   

The suction motor is one of the essential factors to consider while buying a vacuum cleaner. When looking for a new vacuum cleaner, look for vacuum suction and airflow parameters. Get a model that offers minimum resistance while cleaning. Do not look for wattage; instead, focus on how fast the motor runs and if the tapered fan technology is used. Tapered fans are usually designed with multiple blades facing upwards, and this design makes less noise and promises better durability.   

 Ease of use   

Easy maneuvering is one of the most loved specifications when choosing a vacuum cleaner. You will get a clear idea if you read the different types of cleaners given here. You will know what you want and what you don’t want in your vacuum cleaner. Choose the one that is the best fit for your home.   

Best vacuum cleaners to choose for your home in UAE in 2022  

 Eufy Robot Vacuum Cleaners ‎T2118211   

If you want noiseless robot vacs that can clean any floor or surface, Eufy robot models are here for you. It can run for about 100 minutes at one go.  

 Panasonic Robot Vacuum Cleaners 850T  

These cleaners come with two different dustbins and five cleaning modes. The Panasonic model is much like Ultenic; the only difference is that this cleaner can run for 30 minutes in a single use.   

 Ultenic Robot Vacuum Cleaners ‎‎88-012303-PR  

Ultenic robot vacuum cleaners are known for their fresh designs and are unobtrusive along the wall. It is powerful at 3000 Pa, works harder on carpets, and is also known to work silently while cleaning. This model can be used on any surface.   

 Karcher Vacuum Cleaners ‎SC2   

This upright vacuum cleaner is your ideal choice if you want to clean hard floors. It comes with a microfiber pad and a descaling cartridge. It takes no time to assemble, with its light and long-built stick. The mop can easily be maneuvered, and the steam effectively removes stubborn dirt from your floor.   

 Super General Vacuum Cleaner SGVC2560C  

The cord length is five meters, comes with a 2.5 L dust bag, and cleans well on hard floors.   

Name any vacuum cleaner, and you can find it on Super General! Power your everyday cleaning ritual with highly advanced models today.   

[bee-not-afraid]

okay big stray spoilers but

ive been thinking about it and actually i love how stray implies that all the robots were humans but just Forgot, but never actually states it outright. like once b-12 remembers that they were actually human and not an ai, i immediately jumped to ‘oh my god theyre ALL humans’ because of course, it makes so much sense! of course they keep the restaurants and bars running even though they can no longer eat or drink! of course they still go to barber shops even though they no longer have hair! of course they still wear clothing even though they cant feel temperatures and have no need for modesty! of course they have families and children, of course they still care for plants even if they no longer need them! these are people!!! theyre doing people things!!!! and i spent the rest of the game waiting for that reveal to drop... but it never does.

b-12 dies still thinking theyre the last human, that all the other humans died. and maybe theyre right! but they were also right when they decided it didnt matter. it doesnt matter if none of the robots remember being human. it doesnt matter if they were never human to begin with, if theyre all just ai that learned from the humans and adopted their ways. it doesnt matter because theyre people now. they became people, and even though the humans destroyed the surface world and created an oppressive police state and invented a deadly bacteria that almost exclusively killed the poor, the robots still kept their ways of life out of pure love for what the humans once had been.

and then so many of them try so hard and are willing to sacrifice so much to help a single cat get back home. their history and their form just dont matter. the robots are the people, either way.

[yes-this-account-is-alive]

Hi sweetie, can I request general headcanons with Killjoy and a female s/o?

Hope you have a great day/night <3

hey cutie! thanks, i'm having an alright day ^^ i was thinking about writing killjoy hcs and this is the PERFECT oppurtunity <3

-first of all i'm just gonna say that raze definitely did not set you both up at all nossir

-yes i drag at least 1 young agent into all my hcs you can't get mad at me!! they are 120% the types of people who would gossip about people who look like they have something going on in their groupchat >:(

-she saw the sparks flying and she was on. the. case.

-she'd organize a little engineering session with the two of you, then she'd peace out and go chill with breach LOL

-not that y'all complained bc hehehe more together time

-when you slowly reached out for her hand and grabbed it- YOU FELT A SQUEEZE BACK AOWKWOEJEKWJ

-BRO

-HELP

-sorry about that anyway- turret and alarmbot were losing their shit in the background!! they were running around the room while y'alls were being gay h

-alarmbot notified raze and when she heard the ping on her phone, she turned to breach and held her hand out

-he begrudgingly put 5 dollars on her hand.

-y'all do cute nerd shit (idc if you think you're dumb bc you're not) like planning new designs and code new robots

-out of all the prototypes, there's one that made it through and became your little companion! his name is cody and he's a cute little r a t

-jokes, he's a cat

-i tell you that this piece of metal and wires acts WAY TOO MUCH LIKE A CAT

-knocks your water bottle off the dresser, sits like a loaf of bread, doesn't respond when you call for him but WILL sleep on your lap the moment you have to do something

-smh

-he does give you automated-voice messages from the agents tho

-good kitty

-you and kj also totally go out on dates when possible, except that YOU drive because good lord she is dreadful

-how did she drive on the autobahn? i have no idea

-y'all go café hopping and try all their best sellers, take cute couple pics, pet the shibas and corgis in the dog café awww

-then go work out in the gym at night bc y'all ate too much LOL

-raze is sometimes there as a third wheel lol

-then she started inviting neon and jett bc she doesn't want to be the only wheel

-it became a "we tag along on [Y/N] and kj's dates because we want to hang and eat food" kind of thing

-it's fine you both practically pretend they're not there anyway /hj

-jett unfortunately becomes the photographer bc raze can't capture y'alls angles at all

-neon sits there like •u•

-sometimes y'all also head to the little akihabaras around the city and just drool over tech lmao

-mmmmm pc building

-the girls also like to look at the cool builds so it's a fun time for all

-they kind of have to stop you, kj and raze from going nuts over the tech tho HAHAHAH

-overall, cute nerds and their besties/10