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‘Humans’ Summer Send-Off > Characters > Astrid x Niska

@channel4humans

…

Nistrid ficlet, set between s2 and s3. Niska gets some human advice on their relationship and how to say those three important words.

A/N: [ ] represents the brief pause a synth makes when it’s selecting the right verbal response.

…

See A Rainbow

‘Welcome to NetPsych,’ says the smoothly bland synthetic voice. ‘Your details have been accepted. Do you wish to have an anonymous consultation?’

‘No,’ replies Niska, with more force than is necessary. Then, remembering how she is supposed to be; softer: ‘No.’

‘Thank you, [ ] Niska. Your credit card details have been checked and you will be charged [ ] 40 Euros for [ ] 15 minutes. Do you wish to proceed?’

Niska stares in frustration at the laptop screen on the table in front of her, willing it to crumple and break. ‘Yes! Yes, I wish to proceed. Proceed. Proceed, now.’ For an intelligent machine, Niska can get incredibly tetchy with her own kind.

Another synth interrupts synthily: ‘Session beginning.’

Keep reading

[channel4humans]

‘Humans’ Summer Send-Off > Characters > Stanley (and Sam!)

@channel4humans

…

There’s no doubt about it: I’m a Stan stan

The lovable Hubot, embodied by Dino Fetscher, was introduced as Laura Hawkins’ bodyguard in s3. 

Some of Stanley’s sweetest moments were between him and Sam. The physically much larger Unit was like the younger brother in emotional and intellectual terms, compared with Sam’s slightly wiser but diminutive synth, who has to constantly tell people: ‘I’m actually not a child; I’m only a facsimile of one!’

At the end of 3.08, the pair remained at the Railyard, the drawing of a human home and family tacked up on a pillar, suggesting that they will become their own little family, the s4 equivalent of the Elster siblings. It seemed to be a hopeful conclusion. 

But what might happen next for Stanley and Sam? 

In a fic I’ve half-written, Stanley, Sam and Sophie join together and become – in Sophie’s words: ‘The Unstoppable Force’ – a trio who aim to rescue Mia’s body and resuscitate her, using the historic root code that’s stored on Mattie’s laptop. Stanley’s the brawn, Sophie’s the brains and Sam is the cute but crafty ‘child’ decoy who will get them into the secure facility. The fic will end with Mia coming back to life :D

[channel4humans]

‘Humans’ Summer Send-Off > Characters > Flash

@channel4humans

…

The Permanence of Memory

“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.”

Flash was bending down near the train car, sing-songing these words to herself as she picked the flowers. Not wild thyme or violets; only daisies, cowslips and other weeds growing in abundance under the hot sun.

Max, sitting in the shade on the metal steps of the carriage, leaned forward with interest: ‘Where did you learn those words?’

‘From the children,’ replied Flash mildly, not looking up from her concentrated task. She would arrange the flowers carefully in a jam jar and leave them on the table, just so. The world was filled with such beauty, all in plain sight. ‘They were taught the rhyme by their teacher. Their teacher was taught it by Mr Shakespeare.’

Max chuckled. Mr Shakespeare, that famous educator. He remembered the many times when Niska would force the two of them – Leo and Max both highly disinclined – to listen to those speeches, retold in Niska’s strident, purposeful tone, before she’d allow them to escape and build their den in the woods.

But he hadn’t heard this one before. This speech was full of wonder and amazement at a world where things of such beauty grew. He gazed at Flash, dressed in such bright colours, a dazzlement of everything he’d ever looked for, and knew that they could make a home here, the two of them.

…

‘Max. Maxie…? Max.’ Leo’s voice, calling him back. ‘Max?’

‘It’s OK. I’m…’

‘You were lost in thought.’ Leo is regarding him quizzically. His brother. He can hide nothing from him.

‘I was remembering.’ Max pauses, looking around the grey interior canopy of the Railyard. ‘No. I was trying to forget. I cannot forget.’ He shakes his head, attempting to rid it of the permafrost of memory.

Leo lets his forehead fall softly against his brother’s and breathes out his name like a sigh: ‘Maxie.’

…

Written for @wellamarke A/N: Quote from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

[channel4humans]

12th June: Flash

Look at this sweet, pure angel, picking flowers... my beautiful daughter who deserved the absolute world...

Ahem, anyway. It’s Flash Appreciation Day!

[channel4humans]

11th June: Anatole

Oh, Anatole! Such a beautiful, beautiful traitor. 7 episodes really wasn’t enough to explore what was going on inside his computer brain, bless him. Long live Anatole and all the puns we made on his name during the run...

[channel4humans]

10th June: Neha Patel

Badass QC, Nistrid shipper, government rebel and queen of snark, Neha really is That Character and I’m so glad they brought her back for the third series. Thanks, Thusitha, for bringing this excellent lady to life! 💚

[channel4humans]

9th June: Neil Sommer

A new addition to the cast for series 3, Dr. Sommer was party to the Basswoood conspiracy, and his change of heart came a little too late to do much good. Still, he’s not a bad guy. He had some great banter with both Laura and Joe.

Remember to tag @channel4humans in your appreciation posts :)

[channel4humans]

8th June: Renie

Time to appreciate the original Synthie, the lovely Renie. Happily for the world but sadly for Humans series 3, Letitia Wright is now a global superstar as Princess Shuri, so the last we saw of Renie, she was watching a synthetic ice cream seller come to life at the end of series 2.

[channel4humans]

7th June: Athena Morrow

Not sure where this post went yesterday... buuuut it’s never too late to appreciate the amazing Doctor Morrow, who added a whole new dimension to series 2 with her covert AI research and fascinating relationship with newly-uploaded daughter V. Absolute goddess.

[channel4humans]

‘Humans’ Summer Send-Off > Characters > Athena

@channel4humans

…

Lips are turning blue / A kiss that can’t renew / I only dream of you / My beautiful (Sing for Absolution - Muse)

When we meet Dr Athena Morrow, she’s a highly successful academic who’s being wooed by Milo Khoury to work for him on a dubious Big Business artificial intelligence project. Hmmm. What’s her real motivation? 

Via a slow reveal over the course of series two, we find out that Athena has lost a daughter and is endlessly trying to get her back, via experiments with synthetics. The smooth A.I. voice on her computer is the girl’s consciousness that Athena is aiming to engage in a synthetic body: and in doing so, reincarnate her daughter. 

But Athena Morrow is more than a modern-day Dr Frankenstein. As a grieving mother, she offers yet another example across the series’ longer arc of how female characters, whether programmed to or otherwise, are motivated to protect their children – seen also in the actions of Laura, Mia and Beatrice/Karen. 

Athena trying to reinsert the consciousness of her comatose daughter is also clearly a parallel storyline to the dubious actions of David Elster, and what he did to Leo’s memory. Both plotlines ask fundamental questions: What lengths would you go to, to keep your child alive? and What makes a human being, truly human? 

To be honest though, the best thing for me about Athena was the fact she was played by Carrie-Anne Moss, who was also the ass-kicking heroine Trinity in ‘The Matrix’ series of films. The casting was deliberate imho. At the start, Athena is seemingly stone-cold and intellectually kick-ass. But by the time she sets V free at the end of series two, you know she’s made the toughest, most emotional decision she’s ever had to make: because in a way, she’s losing for good what was once her daughter; and doing it unselfishly – for V’s future existence. 

[channel4humans]

‘Humans’ Summer Send-Off > Characters > Agnes

@channel4humans​

…

Arrival

Agnes had spent the journey to the Railyard wondering. Wondering at the sky so blue, a slash of bright colour striding over clouds, the wind bursting into her non-lungs and realising she’d never felt more awakened, post-confinement. Smiling without bounds at the wide, free world; she was reinvigorated, renewed: ready to join their renegade band and turn the universe synthetic.

The reality disappointed her. First, the gates, which seemed designed to keep them in rather than prevent others from breaching their compound. Next, the formality of the welcome, Max’s famed smile absent as he ran through the many rules of their living space. Agnes stood throughout: diminutive, unblinking, her data streams bubbling over with a trillion unanswered questions.

‘What’s that?’ she asked, gazing at an unopened door in the far corner, its blank surface telling nothing. (The prone figure of Leo lay beyond the smooth wall.)

‘A store room,’ replied Max and Flash in too-perfect unison, causing Agnes to log this as a lie. A human trait. The synths had learned human ways too quickly after Zero and in her opinion, they should reassert their otherness to survive.

Agnes smiled – another concealment – and pretended to be satisfied by their answer. ‘Thank you for accepting me here. I will do my best to return your trust, I promise.’

Then she turned and walked away resolutely, an indiscernible spring in her smooth synth step, ready to meet her comrades and take on this fight.

‘She might cause trouble,’ pondered Max doubtfully, looking after Agnes’ retreating form and running through a thousand permutations of what might happen to her, the settlement, his sisters and brothers; his hidden other brother.

‘You always used to see only the good in people,’ chided Flash, tipping down his chin for a kiss and briefly restoring the happiness once again.

[channel4humans]

6th June: Agnes

The voice of the series 3 trailer, the scariest clown going, a tiny little ball of rage who nonetheless deserved much better, I give you... Agnes!

Look at her, she’s so tiny...

Remember to tag your Agnes Appreciation with @channel4humans!

[channel4humans]

5th June: Vera

George’s designated NHS carer synth, chillingly played by the magnificent Rebecca Front. Let’s appreciate our favourite ‘tugboat’ 😂

Tag @channel4humans in your post!

[channel4humans]

humans summer send-off: [4] harun

@channel4humans

••••

When Mattie turns up on his doorstep, he’s not even surprised, just worried for her. If he’s her best option, things must be bad.

They hug, brief and formal at first as far as Harun’s concerned, but then she doesn’t let go immediately, pulls it just over the threshold. Not that he knows exactly where that threshold is, mind. Only that this has gone beyond nice-to-see-you and into the nebulous space just beyond it.

Before he’s finished noticing, though, she’s pulled away. “Hi,” she says. “Are you busy?”

Even if he had been, “No. Come in. What’s going on?”

She follows him into the flat, nonchalant. “Does something have to be going on?”

He shrugs. “I mean, kinda. This isn’t exactly routine.”

She glances at herself in a mirror on the wall, combs some of her hair with her hands. For the first time he notices that she’s kind of a mess, compared to her normal. She gives it up quickly though, walks on, then slumps down into his couch.

“Yeah. Sorry. We did say we’d meet up, though.”

Harun thinks back to the last time they’d met, decides she’s probably right. Well. Something is clearly bothering her, but he’s not going to push it. Historically, that’s never worked well with Mattie.

He makes tea, which has been known to have better results. While he’s in the kitchenette, her phone goes, and he kind of has to overhear. For one thing, the flat is small, and for another, after the first few blunt remarks she’s practically shouting.

“Who gave you this number? Who gave you the right, you VULTURE?”

After a few more, rather colourful, choice words she cuts off the call, and while he’s waiting for the kettle Harun flicks through the headlines on his phone, on a hunch. If someone wants information out of Mattie, then…

There it is. Laura Hawkins’ face, staring out from underneath the word “ARREST”. He scans the first few paragraphs of the article, and wonders how he’d managed to miss this yesterday. To be fair, he’d been quite hungover for most of it.

He pours the tea and takes out the mugs, watches Mattie studying his face, trying to determine what he knows.

“Reporters,” she says, after a bit. “That’s like… the twentieth phone call I’ve had. They only want the dirt. It’s all trick questions.”

Harun nods, sips.

“Sorry to land on you like this. But can I hide out here? I’m kind of on the run.”

His eyes widen.

“Not from the police or anything. I’m just trying to figure out some shit.”

“Stay as long as you want,” he says.

“Thanks.”

“Should I know who to keep out, though? Is someone, like, stalking you?”

Mattie considers the question. “She very easily could, but she’s not dangerous or anything. Well. No, she’s very dangerous, but not to me.”

“This is really reassuring,” Harun comments. “Keep it coming.”

“Just don’t let in anybody with purple eyes,” she says. “For now, anyway. Sooner or later I’ll work out what I’m doing.”

“Okay,” he says. For a while, they sit.

“I missed you, you know,” she says.

He smiles. He doubts it, but it’s nice of her to say. “I missed you to.”

[channel4humans]

MILO APPRECIATION DAY

well here’s something that i definitely posted yesterday for @channel4humans, yep

Milo! Is… kind of an idiot. But he had lines that hinted at a more interesting backstory, so he was interesting to watch, and, as I waxed ficsical about yesterday, as of the end of s2 he has a family of seraphs to look after now so I’m sure he grew up, stopped being creepy, and put his money somewhere better after proliferation, yep, yep. 

[channel4humans]

humans summer send-off: [3] Milo

(based on a premise i’ve written about once before which involves Milo reforming, with the help of one of the seraphs we see him with at the end of s2)

@channel4humans

~~~

Angel wears black for the memorial, because, in her words, ‘it’s the expected convention, when somebody important to you dies.’

Milo looks down at the tiny satin bow in her hair and feels his heart break. He can’t argue, though. It might have happened on the other side of the world, but Mia’s sacrifice is as important here as anywhere. In the months since Qualia fell, he’s been immersed in a whole new world, thanks to Angel, and now one of the pillars of that world is gone.

So he wears black, too.

Paparazzi follow them to the place, as always - he might not be Golden Boy anymore, not since he rebranded as a pro-synth ambassador, but he’s still a public figure. If anything, he seems to get more heat now than ever, because now there are people who hate him rather than just disapproving of his work, and nothing, apparently, sells like dirty laundry.

Milo keeps a tight hold of Angel’s hand. As usual, she’s wearing her Hello Kitty sunglasses, hiding the green glow from prying eyes. There have been reports, these last few days… some fragments circulating about a child at the Railyard, a boy, almost certainly another seraph. That makes four, that Milo knows of, who survived the first few weeks after Day Zero. Wherever Angel’s brother is, Milo hopes he’s got someone’s hand to hold.

Angel doesn’t take her glasses off until they’re inside the building, surrounded mainly by green-eyed synths. A large screen is showing a picture of Mia, although on closer examination it’s not a photograph, but thousands of repeated 1s and 0s spaced meticulously to create the image of her features. Angel stands before it, looking up.

“I want to be like her, Milo,” she says.

And although that makes him shiver, he’s always known he’s raising a revolutionary. Avenging Angel, he calls her sometimes. And, although he’s becoming more of an altruist these days, at first that was what it was all for: pumping money into a broken system, in hopes that Angel wouldn’t be martyred, too.

Milo meets the eyes that stare from the screen and hopes it just a little harder.

[channel4humans]

4th June: Harun Khan

Awww, look at this ray of sunshine! Harun is Mattie’s friend and partner in crime throughout series 1 but when she entered the Twisty Timeline they lost contact (possibly because weeks don’t pass the same for her as— wait, but I’m over the timeline thing).

Tag @channel4humans in your Harun appreciation today ✨