#AI & Robotics Lab for Schools

[respirelearning]

Benefits of Experiential Learning for Teaching STEM to Children

Introduction

Teaching STEM to children is essential for fostering a love for learning and curiosity about the world. Experiential STEM learning, a method where students learn through hands-on experiences, is increasingly being integrated into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. This approach makes learning more engaging and equips students with the skills they need for the future. At Respire Learning, we aim to transform children's education through experiential learning. Our STEM Kits provide hands-on activities that introduce children to science, technology, engineering, and math concepts engagingly and interactively. With Robotics Kits, students can dive into programming and automation, learning to build and control their robots. Our DIY Models foster creativity and problem-solving by allowing students to assemble projects independently. These Experiential Learning Kits are designed to ignite curiosity, promote critical thinking, and inspire the next generation of innovators.

What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning involves learning through direct experience and reflection. Unlike traditional methods that rely heavily on lectures and rote memorization, experiential learning emphasizes active participation and practical application. This method allows students to explore, experiment, and learn from their successes and mistakes.

Respire’s agenda to focus on STEM Education

STEM education focuses on teaching students in an integrated manner, combining science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It's designed to prepare students for the complexities of the modern world. Experiential learning fits seamlessly into STEM education, as both prioritize critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application.

Advantages of Experiential Learning

Enhances Understanding and Retention Experiential learning helps students understand and remember concepts better by involving them in activities that require active engagement. Students participating in experiments or projects are more likely to retain the information.

Encourages Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Hands-on activities require students to think critically and solve problems. This approach fosters a deeper understanding of scientific principles and enhances students' ability to apply knowledge in various situations. Promotes Engagement and Motivation Experiential learning makes STEM fun and interesting. Students are more motivated to learn when they can see the relevance of their studies and actively participate in the learning process. Develops Practical Skills Through experiential learning, students develop practical skills essential in the real world. These skills include teamwork, communication, and technical abilities crucial for future success. Respire’s Experiential Learning Kits Experiential learning kits are tools designed to provide hands-on learning experiences. These kits include materials and instructions for conducting experiments and activities. They are tailored to different age groups and educational levels, making STEM accessible and enjoyable for all students. Examples of Popular Kits for Teaching STEM

STEM Kits: These kits cover various subjects like electronics, engineering, chemistry, and physics, providing comprehensive learning experiences.

DIY Kits: These kits allow students to conduct experiments at home, fostering a love for learning outside the classroom.

Robotics Kits: These robotics kits teach students about advanced-level engineering and technology through building and programming robots.

Implementing STEM Labs in the Classroom

Teachers can integrate experiential learning into their classrooms using kits and hands-on activities. Here are some strategies:

Strategies for Teachers

Incorporate Experiments: Regularly include experiments and practical activities in lesson plans.

Use Learning Kits: Utilize available experiential learning kits to make science lessons more interactive.

Encourage Group Work: Promote teamwork by having students work in groups on projects and experiments.

Integrating Kits and Hands-On Activities

Integrating kits into the curriculum can be seamless. Teachers can start with simple kits and gradually introduce more complex ones as students become more comfortable with hands-on learning.

Traditional Learning & Learning in STEM Lab

Common Obstacles in Experiential Learning

Limited Resources: Schools may need more resources for experiential learning.

Time Constraints: Hands-on activities can be time-consuming.

Teacher Training: Not all teachers are trained in experiential learning methods.

Benefits of STEM Lab

Experiential STEM Kits: students have a variety of kits in STEM with which they can do hands-on experiments with the teacher's guidance.

Look and Feel of the lab: Our Innovation lab is a specially curated space for children with a Montessori color combination that can promote learning in the gated space.  

Children's safe Equipment and kits: All the kits representing various subjects and their theories are perfectly safe for students to use from pre-primary to higher secondary education. 

Teacher Training: Teachers are specially trained to use high-functioning equipment easily, they also teach the importance of storytelling which can help students to make boring theories interesting.

Experiential Learning Beyond the Classroom

Learning continues beyond the classroom door. Parents and guardians can support experiential learning at home by providing resources and engaging in educational activities with their children.

Importance of Learning at Home and in the Community

Home Activities: Simple experiments and DIY kits can make learning STEM fun at home.

Community Resources: Local museums, science centers, and libraries often offer hands-on learning opportunities.

Future of Experiential Learning in STEM

The future of experiential learning in STEM education looks promising. With technological advancements and an increasing focus on hands-on learning, we can expect more innovative and effective methods to emerge.

Trends and Innovations

Virtual Reality (VR): VR can provide immersive learning experiences.

Online Platforms: Online resources and platforms can offer interactive science activities.

Predictions for the Future

As experiential learning continues to evolve and Indian government is implementing experiential learning by putting STEM education in the National Education Policy 2020 and evolving as time passes by. it will likely become a staple in education, preparing students for future challenges and making them tech-savvy.

Conclusion

Experiential learning offers numerous benefits for teaching STEM to children. Engaging students in hands-on activities can enhance their understanding, foster critical thinking, and develop practical skills. As we look to the future, it's clear that experiential learning will play a crucial role in STEM education in the Indian Education System.

FAQs

What is the main benefit of experiential learning in STEM education?

The main advantage is that it enhances understanding and retention by involving students in hands-on activities.

How can parents support experiential learning at home?

Parents can support experiential learning by providing DIY STEM kits and engaging in simple experiments with their children.

Are there any specific experiential learning kits for different age groups?

Yes, kits are designed for various age groups, from preschoolers to high school students, ensuring age-appropriate learning experiences.

What are some challenges teachers might face with experiential learning?

Teachers face challenges such as limited resources, time constraints, and the need for specialized training.

How does experiential learning prepare children for future careers?

Experiential learning develops practical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities, essential for future jobs.

[townpostin]

RVS Academy Launches State-of-the-Art Robotics and AI Lab

New facility aims to nurture innovation and hands-on learning for ICSE students RVS Academy’s cutting-edge Robotics and AI Lab opens doors to advanced technological education, showcasing impressive student projects and fostering future-ready skills. JAMSHEDPUR – RVS Academy marked a significant milestone with the inauguration of its advanced Robotics and AI Lab, designed to enhance practical…

[creyalearningsblog]

Creya Learning & Research the pioneer and most awarded STEM learning and Design Studio Program inspires 50,000+ school students every day to become inventors and innovators by working on projects across diversemanipulative sets from Robotics to Engineering design to Coding to Cameras and IoThttps://www.creyalearning.com/stemlearning/

[potatoparakeet]

Some of my meet the Robinsons headcanons 🫣 cause my head is full of em. A lot of these r kinda worldbuildy but some are Robinson family based!

-I'm a believer that Franny went to school for bio-engineering (and music ofc) and put all of that knowledge towards her frogs. Maybe she even had a successful lab of her own before finally succeeding with the band, and left it to conduct full time.

- I don't think Lazlos paint gun would shoot random art, but rather Lazlo would have to manually program a painting into it somehow, and trial-and-error test it until it looks perfect.

- Billies train system through the house is Uncle Joe's primary mode of transportation across the bigger stretches of the estate.

- Along w the hover-chairs, there's a Robinson brand of wheelchairs and crutches that can fold/unfold to travel through the travel tubes and be sensed by the bubbles!

- Robinson industries is obviously the top of the line when it comes to tech products, but there are also other companies that sell similar products. The Samsungs to Cornelius's Apple.

- Future City/Todayland is Not Named That. I don't have any better ideas but both of those ain't it

- Nonetheless I think it became the biggest city in the country just due to it being the first to take on Niels cityscaping inventions. It's kind of his personal playground in that sense

- In that breath I also think there's many places in the country that just Aren't that advanced. I imagine public transportation has majorly improved but in many cities life hasn't changed all too much.

- I think it'd be interesting for Robinson Industries to have people who just HATE the things they do. Look at those instant-buildings and tell me the construction working community didn't freak out.

- imo 2037 (from what we see) seems technologically advanced in the way that people would be able to return to art- but the transition period was definitely rough as people started losing jobs to Neils tech.

- I don't know if Niel would make many robots to be sold commercially- not with the problem of AI vs humans.

- In tiny text of a concept art in the art book you can read that Cornelius created "Robinson™ Blue/Green fuel cells" which are the "world's first renewable clean-burning fuel source" source.

- If we accept that as canon and assume all the new flying cars were fueled with this energy source, we can pretty much assume ground cars went extinct pretty quickly, unless other car manufacturers and gas companies were still allowed to produce.

- Probably by 2037 the use of gas has been banned, leaving only the souly electric ground cars, which probably weren't enough to run whole businesses on. With flying cars as the new norm, roads were likely torn up.

- I don't imagine the whole car switch thing went over well with the public either tbh. I would not be happy if Some Guy told me I couldn't buy gas anymore and had to take the airbus.

- I could have sworn it was canon that Niel had won at least one nobel peace award. Does anyone else remember that

[4rs0n1stt]

“Experimental” // request

Donnie x GN!Reader

author's note; hello, yes, yes, yes i know. i have forgotten my sweet, sweet darlings, fear not! as i have been done by that devilish of hell (known as school) that has been upheld for the time being.

ok enough of that, this is requested by @/EvilAngelx on ao3(readers gender wasn't mentioned)

btw, will be doing a second pov for the rest of the fic !!

Synopsis: A crazed, infectious scientist and almost sane person swapped.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

You and Donnie were doing experiments as usual and doing ‘ordinary and basic things’ as what he said. Mostly Donnie was the one doing experiments, and you're just being...you. Sometimes, you help, sometimes you don't. There's really no in-between.

Donnie offered last night to you if you could assist him on this body experiment, based off something Henrik Ehrsson made. You didn't have any plans on the following day so you carelessly agreed. Dating the mad scientist does really infect your mental capacity and mental health (ironically). Yes, infect you. Doing experiments with him is fun. You do get teased here and there, mostly from Leo's but hell, you're having fun.

You spent a few minutes in his Laboratory, waiting for him to finish his techy stuff that you wouldn't understand. There are forms of equipment and tools that were made by his Ninpo, illuminating his dark purple tinted lab with bright purple lights. His Lab couldn't be more purple, you thought.

You then hear an ecstatic hum from him, meaning he must've finished his thing. The bright, translucent purple disappeared into the air, a few spectacles of rectangular shapes were visible as it dissipated.

"I apologise for the wait, my oh-so esteemed partner!" He gushed, it was sarcastic...or not? You don't know, he didn't say it in the third person view. But you had to imitate him, it was ‘the way of the two lovebirds’ way of flirting that Leo have said..

"Oh! My oh-so esteemed erudite and complex scientist of a partner! I have been withering in the relentless grasp of the monotony in your precious laboratory.." You hold out your arm in your chest as the other on top of your head like a damsel in distress. That's too much. But hey, he's dramatic as well, you're just imitating your boyfriend after spending time with him for years.

"Ok, primadonna, enough of that." He chuckled at your behaviour, proud indeed. He had a soft blush, he always loved being complimented even if it's sarcasm but both of you know that you mean it.

"Let's start, shall we? Shelldon will help us out as this experimentation does indeed work on two people.." The said robot appeared with confetti, introducing itself proudly and confidently. Donnie stared at his creation, deadpanning.

Shelldon has a proud smile to itself, ignoring the mess it created. It bowed or lowered itself to make a bow to you. Yes it's a thing, it's adorable, but he somehow acts like a human. I guess, that's what AI is. That's what Donnie's supposedly child is.

"Waasssup??" It didn't even look at it's creator, it looked at you. It was trying to impress you.

Before you could respond, Donnie cleared his throat. Trying to take the attention of the robot to himself. He looked at his floor once again and questioned it.

"Shelldon..clean the mess that you had created. Right. Now." He demanded, crossing out his arms like a father. He acts like Draxum and you can't unsee it. The robot grumbled, but looked at the floor. A cleaning bot was on its way. A dark purple metal robot vacuum went and cleaned the mess.

Shelldon hummed, saying a silent ‘Shit's sweet, huh?’ to Donnie. Donnie just lets it go as he remembered that you're in the scene, he knew you'll be upset AND defend Shelldon. Oh how heartbroken he is, seeing his beloved turning agains him.

He looked at you with narrowed and a little dramatic frown from him. You couldn't help but roll and smirk at his attempt to make you feel pity for him. He shakes his head, he tries to refuse his smile sneaking, denying his defeat from his son.

"Ugh, come on... let's start this experiment." He gets up, walking forward to a pair of built placed treatment or patient chairs on both sides with the middle having a monitor attached to it. Despite the other irrelevant technologies littered around it, it's fairly neat and well organised. Donnie does like his lab being organised, or maybe started to organise his technologies again after almost a few months had passed.

He signaled you to come near the closest treatment chair, you followed and knew what he was signaling. You went to the side and sat, you put your leg on the leg rest, not laying. You were anxious as always. It is scary. But you trust him and you would haunt him forever if something happened to you.

He noticed you, ah right.

"It'll be okay, hm?" He smiled, touching your hand genuinely. He means it, he always has, every single time. And you love him for that. You sighed, touched with just a minimum of affection he acts just for you. He's not really good with feelings (ok einstein), let alone being in a relationship, but he still tries.

You lay on the chair, crossing your arms and shuddering from the cold metal hitting your body despite wearing clothes. He flashed another smile and went to grab a goggle looking thing. It was that thing he was working on earlier but it's not that instead it's an extra one where it's already attached to the machinery or monitor next to it.

"Just tell me- tell Shelldon if anything hurts, alright, dear?" He assured you again, he was a littleeeee bit worried but he's confident in his abilities. Shelldon interrupted him, cringing from his father's unusual and unlike behaviour.

"Ewww, just get it on with it already dudes!" It shouts, narrowing it's own digital eye. You couldn't help but be embarrassed or flustered by it. You stare at Donnie once again. Smiling back.

He puts the goggles on your head, letting your sight take over the darkness. It was heavy, it made you stumble a bit but you didn't made it noticeable.

You heard some shuffling and some sounds; assuming it's from Shelldon flying around. You hear some clicks from the machinery, pressing keys in the keyboard.

You wait patiently yet nervously...

Then your vision was ingulfed by the lab's ceiling. You looked to the machinery next to you, wondering what's going on around you. You were only then got surprised, you next to the machinery, you were there laying. Is this the experiment? You feel a light weight on your head, you touched the goggles, confused on why the weight changed. Before you could touch it, you noticed your hands. Anddddd....

"Holy shit-" You heard Donnie's voice echoing from your own ears. It was you who made that. Damn.

"Ah...dudess? Father- there seems to be a problem- uh oh!" Shelldon taps aggressively on the keyboard with his mechanical arms. Your body quickly sits down from the chair but both legs are still on the leg rest. Your body gets closer to Shelldon, you couldn't really make out what expression you're making.

Is your body or Donnie panicking? Wait- Should you too????

There was a warning that popped up, before anything Shelldon pulled out extra pairs of mechanical hands and swept the goggles and threw it, causing an explosion. Good thing it was a bare spot.

You wide eyed now fully sitting upright. You looked at yourself, finding your body fully wide eyed, you were tweaking. Donnie's tweaking. I mean- atleast it was successful? Right?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

After calming down, which was about an hour. An hour of Donnie's body and your body fighting and defending Shelldon. It was hectic but you two tied, Shelldon didn't help much, he was making it worse by being a teaser to Donnie, throwing a raspberry in his eyes or a pixel emoji in its eye sliding.

But the experiment wasn't supposed to end up like that. It was only just a mere illusion, to see each other's perspective differently and even reacting to touch and whatnot. Instead of ending up on a safer option, you end up on this neural brain networks jibber-jabber swapping thing or what Donnie theorizes. Body swapping in history hasn't been achieved yet so it was still a mystery on how or why it happens. Maybe in the Hidden City perhaps? But you do know that Donnie isn't quite fond of mystic crap.

"Stop worrying! It's uhmm..not a big deal, right?" You tried to lighten the mood, still uncomfortable or unaccustomed to being in Donnie's body. Your body stared at you at disbelief.

"Dearest- we're literally IN another person's body! How can I not be worried-" Your body's hand frantically scattered, he was really freaking out.

"...BUT! IT'S QUITE EXHILARATING TO ACHIVE ON ONE OF THE MOST QUESTIONED AND THEORIZED EXPERIMENTS EVER!!! OHH!!! And- and..."

or not.

But you were damned surprised by his outburst, it was adorable but at least he's not that upset. Though, maybe you were the one who was freaking out. Yeah, this is pretty cool but it was quite terrifying.

He clears his throat, shambling you from your own over-scruntinizing.

"Cough cough. I mean is...that... I'll fix this, don't you worry." Your body nodded encouragingly, your body stands up and went to the explosion that occured and the machinery. Already dragging Shelldon. You would help buuuttt, what's fun in that?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The rest of the week, you were scattered around the lair. His brothers were surprised, seeing their own brother outside of his lab almost everytime. It was fun pranking them, saying incoherent words or sentences that isn't even makes sense and it was Donnie's mouth and voice.

Of course, there were side affects on your action goofing around. And that is, going and fighting off crime. After being exposed and have been well-known after defeating a whole Alien Invasion can make them be heroes and being heroes mean, fighting off crime every now and then. Mostly, mystic crime, it's a necessity.

Going to battle with no knowledge of Donnie's ninpo is hard, it was later revealed when you, your body went and saved you from Ghost Bear's attack. Summoning a purple, mystic rocket to Ghost Bear's face. Yikes.

Then now, his brothers full know who's the real Donnie and who's not. There were some questions as expected but that means there's no fun anymore. Of course, you got scolded. Though, it's fun.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

author's note; didn't expect it to be this time consuming, i swear im trying to get my ass from the ground and be more productive. sorry for the wait @/EvilAngelx !!

I have yet another thought on making another book (not a request/onshot/headcannon) but with various!rottmnt x reader and set into a more modern or more neutral terms for mutants/yokai/magic and humans (basically, living with one another like it's normal)

[chaotic-goodsir]

For day 2 of this Hatchetverse series thing, here's part of the sequel to You Could Call This Luck that I've been trying and failing to finish. Turns out plotting a thing about time travel with multiple POVs and timelines is hard.

To avoid confusion: in this particular timeline, (most of) the events of the musicals didn't happen. Time Bastard did, though, because we all know Ted can't catch a break.

(Also sorry for the long post - I don't usually post fic like this directly to Tumblr, but since this is unfinished I didn't want to put it on Ao3 just yet)

*

Pete Lauter sits at the desk in his science classroom at Hatchetfield High School, trying to finish the last of the week's marking. His eyes are dry from staring at his tablet screen, and the hum of the heating units is starting to get on his nerves. His students' lab reports all blend into one after a while - most of them are clearly written by AI. Getting teenagers to write anything as unexciting as a lab report on their own these days is almost impossible. He's not sure why the school still requires it, but then who is he, a mere teacher, to question the relevance of the national curriculum? Only the guy who sees first-hand how badly it works for his students.

Pete doesn't hate his job, most of the time, but it can get exhausting. This particular evening, he's ready to go home, heat up yesterday's leftovers - maybe make a hot chocolate, why not? - and enjoy the Friday-night peace and quiet. Theo will be out somewhere with his friends, and Steph's away on highly-classified work business. It's the perfect time to finally start that sci-fi novel that's been sitting on his bedside table for weeks. He's craving some decent, interesting writing that isn't the work of a teenager or a robot.

Sounds like a plan, he thinks, saving the report he's been working through and switching the tablet to sleep mode. He'll get the last of the marking done on Sunday night. For now it's future-Pete's problem.

He pulls on his jacket - his favourite, the one with the elbow patches that Steph bought for him last Christmas - and is about to pack the tablet away when the screen blinks into life again.

Ruth Fleming's icon (a photo from her honeymoon in Europe, Ruth and her wife smiling in front of a clear blue sky) flashes onto the screen. It's no surprise that she's still at work - drama club starts in an hour, and she has rehearsals to direct. Pete sighs and taps the icon, hoping she isn't about to ask him to help out again.

'Hey Ruth,' he says. 'I was just about to head home - do you need something?'

Ruth sounds a little out of breath, the way she always does when she's anxious.

'Pete, thank god you're still here. You need to come to the north wing staffroom, now. It's your son.'

Pete freezes. 'Theo?'

'Of course it's Theo. Do you have another son? Look, I don't wanna worry you, but he's hurt. You should come quick.'

'What do you mean, hurt?' Pete asks, panic rising. What is Theo even doing in school, on a Friday night? Something stupid and dangerous, clearly, if he's managed to hurt himself.

Pete swings his backpack onto one shoulder, carrying the tablet in his free hand as he rushes out of the room. He doesn't bother to lock the classroom door.

'How badly? Like, ambulance bad?'

'I don't know. I don't think so. But he's talking crazy.'

He's talking, Pete thinks, okay. He feels bad for thinking it, but he's not 100% convinced this isn't just Theo pulling a prank. He wouldn't put it past his son to do this kind of thing for attention. Theo Lauter is a lot of things, but a well-adjusted teenager doesn't seem to be one of them, no matter what Pete and Steph try.

Ruth knows that, of course, and the worry in her voice is making Pete worry too. She'd see through a typical Theo prank pretty easily. Which means this is probably real.

'I'm on my way.' He tells Ruth. 'I'll be five minutes.'

He hangs up and races down the corridor, cutting through the courtyard to get to the North Wing. The staffroom is upstairs, in the English and Languages corridor. When he gets there, the door is wedged open. Ruth is by the sofa, trying to comfort a teenage boy who looks a lot like his son.

But there's no sign of Theo's trademark denim jacket or band t-shirt. This kid is wearing a white shirt, suspenders, and bowtie, all stained with - Pete realises in horror - a concerning amount of blood. Instead of Theo's ponytail, this kid has his hair down, shoulder length, pinned back to keep it out of his face. And this kid is wearing glasses, with a crack across one lens.

Theo has his mother's eyesight. He's never needed glasses in his life.

Either Theo's pranks have reached a whole new level of elaborate, or this is not Pete's son at all. This kid looks more like-

Well, he looks more like him. Like Pete himself, when he was 25 years younger.

Not for the first time, Pete considers that he really needs to move his family out of Hatchetfield. Only in this messed-up town would something like that even be a possibility.

The kid notices him standing in the doorway, and his eyes go wide behind his cracked glasses. Then he says something that disproves neither the actual-time-travel theory nor the Theo-pulling-a-prank one, but spooks Pete either way.

'...Ted?'

*

Agent Stephanie Lauter is in a highly classified meeting at the PIEP HQ when the smartwatch around her wrist starts to buzz.

She glances at it, annoyed, and sees her husband's icon blinking at her. Pete knows she's busy today. He wouldn't call unless it was something urgent. He's one of the only contacts who can call her through the HQ's high tech digital barrier system.

Maybe it's just an accident. She swipes the icon away. If it's urgent, he'll call back.

She waits for a pause in General Lee's presentation, then raises a hand.

'I'm sorry, sir. My husband is trying to call me - I think it's urgent.'

'Well, you had better take it then,' Lee says, with his characteristic earnestness. No matter the situation, the old General has a way of always seeming that he knows more than anyone else about what's going on. It's a little disconcerting.

He waves towards the door. 'Good luck, Agent Lauter. I hope your family are all safe and well.'

She thanks him, apologises again, and leaves quickly. Outside the meeting room, a security guard in a bulletproof vest watches her pace anxiously up and down the corridor as she returns Pete's call.

'Steph,' he says when he picks up. There's an anxious note in his voice that she does not like the sound of. 'Sorry, I know you're at work. Are you busy right now?'

'It's fine,' she says. 'What's wrong?'

'It's Theo,' Pete says, then pauses. 'Well, no, it's not Theo. At least he says he's not, and I think he's telling the truth. I... I don't really know how to explain this, Steph. It's gonna sound crazy.'

'Breathe, babe,' Steph says, because Pete is talking at about a hundred miles an hour now. 'I work for PIEP. I can cope with crazy.'

'Okay.' Pete says, taking a breath. 'Okay.'

'Is Theo alright?'

'Yeah. At least I hope so. He's at his friends, probably. I'm at school, and there's a kid here that looks like him. Ruth thought it was Theo, and he's covered in blood - not hurt, thank god, just covered in it - so she called me. But it's not. Not Theo, I mean.'

'What? Who is it?'

'I think it's me.'

To anyone else, in any other context, those words wouldn't make sense. Pete is a 41 year old man, and their son is 16. It would be insane to mistake one for the other. Not to mention that Pete is Pete. This kid that's shown up covered in blood can't possibly also be him. One person can't possibly be in two places at once.

But in Hatchetfield, anything is possible. And then, on top of that, there's the Spankoffski Effect.

Steph has often wished she could tell Pete more about the work she does for PIEP. About the data that shows his brother Ted's disappearance, back in 2019, wasn't just an unexplained tragedy but a large-scale temporal incident affecting multiple universes. Pete doesn't even know that there are multiple universes. It would probably break his little nerd heart if he knew she wasn't telling him.

Nor does Pete know about how, the day she told the now-retired General MacNamara that she and Pete were engaged, his congratulations came with a warning:

'By all means, marry a Spankoffski if you wish, Miss Lauter. But a word of advice. I'd strongly suggest you don't take that name, and don't give it to your children.'

When she asked him why, he'd told her that was classified. It wasn't until she graduated from training that she first heard about the Spankoffski Effect, and put two and two together.

In every timeline known to PIEP researchers, something with the power to sever a person from the flow of time itself has an interest in - no, more like an obsession with - Pete's brother, and possibly his entire family.

She's not sure she could tell her husband that part even if she had clearance.

And now Pete's younger self has appeared at the school where he teaches. Steph does not like the sound of that at all.

'You're sure it's not Theo pulling a prank? I wouldn't put it past him.'

'If it is, he deserves an oscar. And this kid has my phone, Steph. From years ago. With my medical alert details, everything. I don't think Theo would go that far.'

Probably not, no, but she wants to be absolutely sure. 'Have you called Theo? Checked where he is?'

'Shit,' Pete says, then catches himself for swearing in front of a student. 'I mean, uh, shoot, no. I should have done that.'

She tries adding Theo to the call they're already on. The line rings out, so she tries again. No answer.

'Steph, if you're calling him, I can't hear it ringing. I don't think this kid has Theo's watch.'

A message appears on Steph's watch screen:

< Fuck off, mom, I'm busy :) >

'Well,' She says, wondering briefly about nature and nurture and whether it's some failure of parenting that turned her son into such a little shit, 'our son just messaged me. Unless he can do that with only his mind, I don't think he's with you.'

'Okay,' Pete says. Then, 'shit.' He doesn't catch himself this time.

Shit is right, Steph thinks. 'Wait there. Keep the kid calm. Stay calm yourself, okay? I'll come to you.'

She doesn't tell him she's planning to bring PIEP agents with her, but he's probably figured that out already.

'Aren't you in DC?'

'Yeah, so you'll have to hold out for a few hours. Anything weird happens - anything else weird - you call me straight away, okay?'

'Okay. Yeah. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Steph hangs up. She pinches the bridge of her nose with one hand and groans, wondering why she never had the sense to move her family out of Hatchetfield.

Would that have helped, though? If something from the Black and White is after Pete, couldn't it find him anywhere, if it wanted to?

The security guard is staring at her.

'Everything okay, ma'am?'

'Yeah,' she says. 'I'm fine. Just - don't ever marry a Spankoffski, no matter how cute he is.'

The guard blinks, clearly baffled.

'Um... right.'

[prinxeali]

Growing to love

Part II: Oath to Your King

Disclaimer: Using google translate so please let me know if there are errors. WAKANDA FOREVER SPOILERS.

Nothing on the face of the planet could’ve prepared you for this. Your sister's tear-stained cheeks as her bags are loaded into your aunt's car. “Ndicela ungandishiyi” (please don't leave me). She sobs, hugging your leg tightly as if it was the only thing keeping her tethered to the ground. She is a child, hardly 5, and yet she lost more than most adults. “Please, Xolani, don't do this. Auntie, take her, please,” you beg, looking up at the sky instead of down at the heartbroken five-year-old at your feet. You stare at the ground for what feels like hours before you hear the steady rumbling of an engine signaling the last time you may ever see your sister. As the car takes off, a switch flicks in your brain, and your feet move as if they were on autopilot. Before you know it, the old-school convertible slows to a stop, and you run up to the car side and reach inside to pull your sister into your arms, an embrace she reciprocates with enthusiasm. “Ndiyakuthanda” (Translates to I adore you.). You carefully place her back into her seat and step away from the car as it takes off.

If we do not meet again in this life, I will pray Bast brings us together in the next.

“Daughter of Khunjulwa,” a stern voice says from behind you. You turn to face the woman addressing you, a Dora Milaje. “She speaks,” you responded, straightening your posture. “You are tall, yes, but your height does little to frighten me. A Dora Milaje exuberates dominance without stretching out her neck like a peacock,” she responds coldly, causing you to deflate a little. “Come with us; we have much to discuss.”

____________________________________________

“You are recruiting the daughter of someone who has committed treason against her sisters-in-arms?” the queen whispers in disbelief. “The girl is safe. Her father was a scientist for the palace, so I am sure she is on our side”. Okoye whispers back, straightening her posture as the three of you approach the throne. The guards freeze at your sides and cross their arms before bowing their heads in respect to the queen. “I have something to say,” you announce before you are silenced by the general “You do not speak to the queen until you are spoken to, girl.” she scolds. The room is deathly silent for a moment before you tilt your head menacingly and glare at the general. “Firstly,” you say, stepping forward, “Ndingumfazi, ungandibizi ngentombazana.” (I am a woman, don't call me girl).

The queen’s eyes widen in shock, but her pursed lips twitch in amusement. “A very bold woman she is. I never see anyone snap back at Okoye,” the queen adds, looking between us. The general sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes in displeasure. The queen stands up from her throne and walks over to you, stopping a few feet back to scan your body. “You’ll need to be fitted for a suit. You're taller and slightly broader than the others. Come with me.” she says, walking past you and down the hall. Hesitantly, you follow obediently behind her until you reach an empty lab surrounded by advanced technology inside and out.

“Stand right there, and I’ll have GRIOT take your measurements,” she says nonchalantly as she presses several buttons on a machine. “You're letting a man take my measurements!?” You exclaim, covering your body despite being fully clothed. The Queen rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “No, GRIOT is my AI.” she corrects. You shake your head and sigh. “I don’t know what is worse. A real man or an artificial one” as if on cue an oddly soothing robotic voice rings around you. “I am simply a program designed to assist Princess Shuri in the lab. I am technically not male or female.” the AI responds. “These AI are becoming too intelligent. They could take over the world you know.” You say, still looking around the room as if expecting a man to appear from around the corner.

Shuri stopped moving and stared at her computer with a sad smile. “Princess, have I upset you?” You ask worriedly. She inhales sharply and resumes her work. “No, you didn’t. Quite the opposite. Just then you reminded me of someone I cared for very deeply.” she turns to you and smiles softly before pulling you to stand in a specific spot on the floor, her cold hands wrapped gently around your wrists. “Don't move. This will only take a moment” you were caught so deep in your stupor you hardly noticed the bright blue ray that shot out to scan your body. “Shuri..” you call out softly, unsure of what prompted you to say her name. She turned to look at you like she had been hypnotized; her body seemed to relax as if a large weight had been lifted from her. “To you, she is Queen” a voice rings out from across the room causing both of you to tense up and look away. “If your business here is complete, you should be on your way.” Okoye says lowly. This time you do not debate. You silently pay your respects and turn towards the stairs. “Wait!” Shuri calls before you ascend the stairs. “Yes, my Queen?” she hesitates and places something in your palm and looks up at you.”come back tomorrow so I can finish your suit.” She pulls her hand away, dragging her fingers briefly across your palm.

“And please..call me Shuri”

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Bar Stop-Off

In One More Hero's fourth chapter, CR!Sonic came back into Dimension MP-2021, immediately going to find OMT!Tails and OMT!Mina.

CR!Sonic: Tails!

OMT!Tails: Huh? Sonic?

CR!Sonic: Look, I... I'm really sorry about earlier. I've got a lot on my plate, and I want to make it up to you however I can.

He noticed Tails was just looking at him.

CR!Sonic: Uh, what are you doing?

OMT!Tails: Making you feel guilty proper. ...Is it working?

He was making puppy-dog eyes at CR!Sonic.

CR!Sonic: How could it-? No. Look at me, does it look like it's working? No, it's... no it's... ohhhh...

He covered his face in embarrassment.

CR!Sonic (muffled): MMMMPH! DON'T LET HIM WIN!

He uncovered his face after a moment, having given in.

CR!Sonic: *sigh* Alright, kid. You win.

OMT!Tails: Oh, yeah! This is Mina, by the way. I thought she had undergone the name "Mairead", though she told me it was just an alias.

OMT!Mina: Hello!

CR!Sonic: Oh, you guys know each other? Very cool. Well, c'mon, then! No time to lose!

Cut to them sitting in a bar area at McLovely's.

OMT!Tails: So, remind me what we're doing here again.

OMT!Mina: Dang, the menu here's appetizing!

CR!Sonic was having a breakfast chilli dog for himself.

CR!Sonic: Just a quick snack before we get down to business.

OMT!Tails: Before we continue, by the way, I was looking for petitions on behalf of a friend who wants AI-generated art outlawed around here. You guys alright with giving signatures?

CR!Sonic: Huh! I'm down for it!

OMT!Mina: Me too!

OMT!Tails: Sweet! Just be careful not to get any chilli stains on the paper.

The two put their signatures on CraftyCorn's petition sheet.

OMT!Tails: So, got any advice you can share with me now that we're back to equals?

He had to keep CR!Sonic from pilfering his burger while asking this.

CR!Sonic: First off, train your body to become immune to motion-sickness, or doing any of my stunts will suck. Uh... Definitely don't go crazy when you're full on chilli dogs, like me. Threw up like a water hose last time I did that.

OMT!Tails: Right, got it. Anything else?

CR!Sonic: Uhh... I dunno. Not really the... mentor type of guy. I'm more of a... action type.

OMT!Tails: Ah, I see. So, what's the plan once we arrive at the crashed Death Egg site off South Island's coast?

CR!Sonic: Easy! Step 1: I break in, Step 2: infiltrate the lab, Step 3: sneak in, destroy a couple of robots while I'm at it. Step 4: you two come in and help me gain access to the computer, Step 5: download the important stuff, Step 6: grab a sandwich from the cafeteria, and Step 7: dip it outta there and fix everything!

OMT!Tails: Okey-doke! Also, just to let you know, the head scientist at that place is that brown-haired lady with the bike. I saw her in one part of a documentary at my new school's taster session.

CR!Sonic: ... Got it. Step 8: re-evaluate my personal biases.

OMT!Tails: Well, that's our plan, right?

OMT!Mina: We could practice jogging somewhere on the way!

OMT!Tails: Sure!

After they paid for the meal, they got on a bus on their way to Emerald Coast.

CR!Sonic: Just to be clear, we're not running all the way over to the shore just from the city. Not after a hearty brunch. Keep your legs fresh, kid. You're gonna thank me later.

OMT!Tails: Fair enough.

CR!Sonic: Supporting public transportation is always a plus, especially when you're a hero! Some cities just don't put enough support behind it!

OMT!Mina: (Deep down, he really is a hero like he always was.)

CR!Sonic kicked back.

CR!Sonic: Gosh, helping out this alternate Tails is actually kinda fun. I wonder how the guys back home are doing?

(Cue everything going to shit in Crossover Realm's Knothole and Newtropolis, fire everywhere, buildings tipping over, everyone screaming and running in chaos)

Gary: (screaming in hysterics) WHERE'S MY WISH?!?! I WANT MY WISH!!!

CLE: Oh BEC, PLEASE hurry up with those wishes!

Back with the main crew...

CR!Sonic: Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine.

OMT!Tails: What is it like at your universe?

CR!Sonic: Long story. It'd boggle you just processing it if I told you.

Elsewhere (for whatever reason)...

Exegod: The nerve of that Pico (yep, he means me). Inviting me to go Into, Across and Beyond for another scene. On such short notice! Even if I wanted to go, my SCHEDULE WOULDN’T ALLOW IT! (Looks at schedule) 4:00, wallow in self pity. 4:30, stare into the abyss. 5:00, fix the Sonic franchise for good (tell no one). 5:30, pics of Sally_ALT in incognito mode. 6:30, dinner with me, I can’t cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing… I’m booked! Of course if I hold the loathing to 9, I can still be back here in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness. But WHAT WOULD I WEAR?!

[the-sky-queen]

Okay, one more post before I slow down. I should probably explain my banner, lol.

This crazy AU of mine came out of nowhere and invaded my brain. It's called 'Find Yourself.' It's kinda inspired by Spider-Man in the sense that I sorta smacked Doc Ock into Sonic and got this little haunted dude. (Gave him six robot arms instead of four though.

In this AU, Sonic attends a high school for super smart kids, like in the Spider-Man 2017 tv show, called Progress Preparatory Academy. One day, he's called down to the lab of one Dr. Robotnik, the school's lead scientist, to help with an experiment concerning a mysterious super powered emerald. Robotnik gifts Sonic with some state of the art robotic arms, but it isn't long before things go south. The emerald proves to be too much for Sonic to handle. It decides to claim him as its host. The resulting surge of energy shorts out the robotic arms and their AI tries to take over Sonic’s mind. In the end, Sonic’s entire being merges with the emerald and the arms, turning him into something entirely new. However, this leads to the school collapsing. Sonic is rushed to the hospital and Robotnik is presumed dead.

[herba-mysticas]

Share the headcanons everyone else projects their abusive parents onto the professors you might as well too

FAIR AND REASONABLE.

ok cool so.

Tw for emotional abuse and a dash of transphobia

Sada and Turo had Arven together, but their relationship was over before Arven was even born. Unfortunately, they were codependent as fuck and couldn't let go of eachother, so despite their awful relationship, they continue to work together and to try and raise Arven.

For the first few years of Arven's life, when his parents kept him around in their lab as they worked, Arven was exposed to pretty much daily screaming matches.

They both have pretty high expectations for Arven, especially since he seemed to be a fast learner in his early years, so they are both heavily invested in seeing him continue their research.

Sada really wants to mould Arven into her perfect daughter. She wants to see Arven follow in her footsteps, and share all of her opinions. Whenever an argument kicks off, she's quick to tell Arven it's all Turo's fault. At the same time, she keeps lovebombing Arven, giving him spending money and telling him that she loves him so much and wants the best for him, and then switching back into her horrible self whenever Arven does anything she doesn't like. She will gladly make him feel like he doesn't deserve to exist, and then deny she did anything wrong hours later.

Turo is a nice dad, if elusive. He's usually too busy to spend time with Arven, and he doesn't really understand a lot of his interests, but he tries to at least be there to listen to Arven's woes. He doesn't play with him, but he'll joke around with him. He has a good dadly sense of humour. He's usually on the defensive in arguments, with Sada blaming him for just about anything that goes wrong in the lab. Arven is used to this atmosphere. Before they started "working remotely", Turo would often leave the lab with Arven when the arguments got too tense, and take him out somewhere to get some food.

When the professors were killed, the AIs continued their work. Because they carried the memories and feelings of the people they were based on, they felt the need to carry out their duties towards Arven as well, even if it was remotely via phone calls.

But, they're robots, and they're limited, and the people they were based on were flawed individuals.

The AIs continue to have their daily arguments, even if they don't even understand what it's about. And they contact Arven every so often.

AI Sada is pretty much trying to exert her power over Arven, asking all about what's going on in his life since she can't be there, being extremely critical of all his choices and opinions, and above all focusing her conversations on her research, and how Arven needs to do well in school so he can follow in her footsteps. There's a coldness to how she speaks that wasn't as present as it was in Arven's childhood, and he can't figure out why.

AI Turo continues to be nice. Just nice. But very absent. He always tells Arven that he is hard at work and doesn't have a lot of time to talk, but if Arven is having a bad day, he tries to at least listen. Unlike the real professor, he changes his mind about what he wants for Arven - he doesn't care if he doesn't follow in their footsteps so long as he is happy. He has access to the real professor's bank account, so he sometimes sends money to Arven to help with supplies or order some food, even if he can't be there to take him somewhere.

Arven grows to hate and fear his mother, and he misses his dad. When Arven finds out the truth about what happened to the professors, he's equally relieved about his mother and devastated about his father.

[mello-t-befan]

The video accompanying this project (turn the english subtitles ON ^^)

So far, I have mainly worked American, Japanese or Danish films/series. The only time I mentioned France was for a co-production with Italy and Canada. We'll therefore try to console ourselves with a little nostalgic chauvinism. And for that, nothing better than the show that made the days of many 2000s kids : "Code Lyoko".

Jeremy Belpois, Master of the lab

Alias : Einstein, Eyeglasses Age : 13 Role : Guide and Advisor Skill(s)/Power(s) : programming, hacking, robot ingeneering Weapon(s) : keyboard, tools

If I had to rewrite the series'pitch, I'd imagine my Jeremy a little more shy than we had seen in the original version. Passionate about robots since years, he's so often in his own universe that he's developed difficulties to socialize with children his age. For a long time, he had little to no friends until he hears rumors about a disused factory near the school. This leads to the discovery of the supercomputer, Lyoko, scanners, Aelita and X.A.N.A. Initially, he wants to protect his virtual waifu alone -even if he doesn't dare to join her on Lyoko. Until the day when three other students from his school will join him in the factory and decide to buy time until Jeremy manages to materialize Aelita. The series will then be an opportunity for him to learn to trust others more and to understand that human bonds are more complex but more nourishing than bonds with robots.

Ulrich Stern, the dark samurai

Age : 13 Role : Commando, aerobatic duels Skill(s)/Power(s) : super-speed, duplication, martial arts Weapon(s) : laser katana

If I had to rewrite the series'pitch, I'd like to make Ulrich a chill dude. He would be a guy who takes everything lightly so he doesn't have to face his own insecurities. As a result, he sometimes struggles to be aware of others'concerns, which makes him ridiculously clumsy. During the series, he would learn to face his worries and thus becoming better at helping his friends with theirs.

Odd Della Robbia, the cat archer (I know, it's off-topic but I couldn't come up with something better)

Age : 13 Role : Scout, improvised duels Skill(s)/Power(s) : agility, premonition Weapon(s) : laser kusari-fundo, clawed scarf

If I had to rewrite the series'pitch, I'd imagine Odd as an over-excited adrenaline/extreme sports-addict. Skateboard, roller, climbing, bungee jump, you name it. Like Ulrich, he would take things with humor and like in the show, he would remain a gluttonous bragging brat. But nveretheless, he would be more attentive to other people's feelings and more able to give advice and/or console his friends in distress.

Yumi Ishiyama, the deadly geisha

Age : 15 Role : Field observation, Troop management Skill(s)/Power(s) : gymnastics, martial arts, telekinesis Weapon(s) : metal fans

If I had to rewrite the series'pitch, I'd want to make Yumi the one who absolutely wants to assume the role of leader, as a big sister and the oldest of the gang. Therefore, she takes all their failures to heart, almost as much if not more than Jeremy. But it is double-edged because she very often wants to do too much despite her physical and/or mental health. The goal for her would be to learn to delegate and to trust her friends more.

Aelita, more than AI

Age : unknown, (looks like a 13 years-old) Role : Lyoko's Guardian, towers'deactivation Skill(s)/Powers : fly, ex-nihilo creation Weapon(s) : none

If I had to rewrite the series'pitch, I'd make Aelita a project that Franz Hopper developed when he worked for the government. However, he eventually grown attached to his creation, which he saw as his own daughter, and sells a less complex but just as effective AI. He would then goes into exile in France with Aelita as well as the bases of a virtual world that he will perfect in a disused factory. Later, Hopper will transfer her on Lyoko then virtualize himself to go with her. But the other AI, now named X.A.N.A, has become a semi-conscious virus determined to destroy humanity in revenge for being left away by its creator. Hopper will put the computer on standby, which will plunge them into a deep sleep while locking X.A.N.A in the machine. When Jeremy rekindles the supercomputer, Aelita will wake up amnesic and the series can begin. I imagine the character more reserved than in the original version. She has certainly developed emotions, but still struggles to process them and prefer to observe things in her corner, even if it makes her look like a creep. Her long-term goal will obviously be to stop X.A.N.A once and for all, but also to recover her memories and develop her humanity.

[creyalearningsblog]

Creya Learning & Research the pioneer and most awarded STEM learning and Design Studio Program inspires 50,000+ school students every day to become inventors and innovators by working on projects across diversemanipulative sets from Robotics to Engineering design to Coding to Cameras and IoThttps://www.creyalearning.com/stemlearning/

[reesecomic13]

Odelia Octavius Full Notes (Updated Regularly)

Background

* In her universe, she is known previously as May Octavius, but changes her name after the Big Change- She is related to Peter Parker, but she doesn’t know that he is her nephew

* She is basically May but went down the scientist path- Her family name is Octavius but her sister married and her last name turned into Parker

* Before the Big Change, Odelia was a shy nerdy scientist who just wanted to prove herself- Her nerdy/shy personality can come out if you ask her about her favorite topics

* She got her eyebrow slit and highlights before the Big Change because she wanted to look “cool” and “important” to others in her field

* She used to be a stickler for lab safety and called out peers who didn’t follow them

* Down the line she figures out the Peter/Spider-Man is her nephew- At first she is resistant and mad about it but accepts it- Aunt Odessa stuff also ensues (She is someone who comes in later on)

Facts

* Hates wearing a shirt- May wear only a bra in public or when working but it’s a 50/50 chance- Half of that hatred is because it hurts to have on/take off- The other half is because she doesn’t like the way they look and wants “The girls to do whatever they want.”

* Puts stuff in her mouth to hold it- Doesn’t matter if it’s dangerous or not- Mostly does it when working

* Bites

* Plant mom

* Non practicing milf, but if you ask her plants and arms are her children

* Smokes her own hand crafted cigars

* Gay but in denial

* Aggressive but sweet??

* Kinda goes from sexy feral woman to existential dread thought #56 on a daily basis

* Is Jewish and Odelia means “I Will Praise god,” but she’s more Cultural than Religious

* An OSHA Violation

* She has chronic back pain and carpal tunnel

* Likes mainly 70s, 80s, and 90s music but will NOT touch “The Beetles”

* Fleetwood Mac, AC DC, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Violent Femmes, Queen, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and David Bowie are her favorites

* Big fan of Rocky Horror, Grease, Heathers, and Little Shop of Horrors

* Her pants and heels are from her original “casual clothes”

* This pain may be chronic but this ass is iconic

* Wears inserts in her shoes so it takes a bit away from her pain

* When she wears bras she one hundred percent uses them as the universal pocket

* When the phase “Big Change,” is being used, it means when she got fused with the arms and the after effects of that

* Probably would have really enjoyed being a high school Physics teacher instead of her late profession

* Her plan for the Renewable Energy source would have operated like her arms, except in place of Gas it would be Electric

* She like the smell of gas and everything involving machinery

Cyborg Technicals

* Her glasses are prescription and emotes either with her or shows her hidden emotions- Her arms do the same because they are connected- The eyes in her glasses are the result of the Big Change

* The eyes in her glasses appear on any set and immediately converts into her prescription

* Her eyes are not contact compatible because of the AI

* Talks to her arms constantly

* Because of the arms, her blood has turned to gas and her tears as well- It actually hurts even worse to get hurt/to cry because it adds an extra burn

* Sometimes her arms can take over and she loses control- She and her arms are usually in sync with each other but in high stress situations, (or “System Malfunctions” as she likes to say) it becomes easier for her to fall victim to herself- This can also happen if she hits her back hard enough

* In System Malfunctions, her gas-blood becomes unstable. As a result, it starts to leak from the metal “belt,” and the gas on her arms start to drip

* Her arms were her first thing she invented and she continued to update them throughout her life

* She wanted to fuse with her robot arms in order to prove that she was capable- She had an idea for the “cheap safe renewable energy,” but she knew that she couldn’t do it in her current state

* Her arms are powered by a one-time gas filling and an AI (she didn’t need to keep reloading it/ the gas acted like blood in a human body)- They first started out as a remote controlled device- The AI is also in her neck so that she can control and talk to her arms easily

* The arms are mainly gas on the outside with a tube in the middle of them that discreets it- If you were to touch the gas it wouldn’t get on your hands because it forms a thin layer of air around any touching point- The rest of the arm is metal with sharp retractable spikes on the main body and “mouth”- The “mouth” is also shaped like spades

* The “heads” of the arms can act like drills and can rotate 360*

* She was going to change the gas to electric energy in order for her to fuse with it, but she never got the chance to

* Unlike Otto, her arms didn’t take right away; when she was programming her arms to be better for attachment, they sensed the AI in her neck and latched onto her back- While doing that, the arms started to turn her blood into gas in order for them to continue to function

* Because of the AI, she can annualize things like a supercomputer- Mainly annualizes height, weight, blood type, weather, math (any type), and ‘surface’ level defects like broken/injured bones/etc

* The metal “belt” around her waist can unclasp, but it can not come off fully- There is also a large amount of scarring underneath it

[kevinsreviewcatalogue]

Review: M3GAN (2023)

M3GAN (2023)

Rated PG-13 for violent content and terror, some strong language and a suggestive reference

Score: 4 out of 5

<Originally posted at https://kevinsreviewcatalogue.blogspot.com/2023/01/review-m3gan-2023.html>

M3GAN should've sucked. It's a PG-13 horror movie released on the first weekend of January, historically a day when studios dump absolute garbage (especially PG-13 horror movies) that they think stands no chance, and while its main characters are mostly adults, its marketing explicitly catered to teenagers by focusing on certain sequences that became internet memes from the moment they appeared in the first trailer. The trailers promised something that was either a camp classic in the making, or insufferably bad. What's more, Akela Cooper's screenwriting has not impressed me in the past, with Hell Fest and Malignant being elevated more by their quality directors and casts than by stories that were either threadbare or ridiculous. Going in, this movie had multiple strikes against it, and while the early reviews had me hopeful, I was not expecting much.

Walking out of the theater, however, I found myself almost certain that this movie will be one of my favorites of 2023, especially one of my favorite horror movies. It's not just a killer robot doll movie, it's also big-idea science fiction that explores a lot of the concepts it raises about as deeply as you can get in a 102-minute B-movie, particularly the question of whether or not AI can actually improve our lives without causing serious tradeoffs and tangible risks to our safety (a rather hot topic right now if you've been following the tech press)... while also being a kick-ass, stylish, scary, mean-spirited, and often quite hilarious horror movie with an immediately iconic villain, great special effects bringing her to life, and a solid cast around her. It's a movie where, even at a screening late Thursday night with a theater that was only half-full because everybody had work or school the next day, I could feel the energy of the crowd around me getting really into it. This is not only the movie that the Child's Play remake felt like it wanted to be, it is one that leans exactly in some of the directions I recommended in my review of that film.

The film takes place a couple of years from now, with our protagonist Gemma being a roboticist working for a toy company that has recently made a highly successful line of interactive plush pets (think Furby, but far more high-tech). Gemma is under a ton of pressure from her boss David to make the toy cheaper so that it can fend off competition from a rival toy company coming out with a similar product that costs half the price, an order that distracts from her work on her passion project, the Model 3 Generative Android, or M3GAN. The next evolution of the concept, M3GAN is a four-foot robot doll with an AI brain capable of learning and bonding with its users, a long-shot idea that David is skeptical of. And then, to make matters worse, Gemma has a niece named Cady dumped straight in her lap after the girl's parents die in a car crash, throwing even more weight on her shoulders. Sensing a way to kill two birds with one stone, Gemma takes a M3GAN prototype home and uses it to help her care for Cady, and at first, it seems to succeed beyond anybody's wildest dreams, such that even David is impressed and orders it put into production after witnessing a demonstration of M3GAN playing with Cady and helping her discuss her feelings about her parents' death.

This is where the movie had me, and it never let go from there. From the moment we're introduced to Gemma, we see somebody who is not remotely prepared to be a parent, somebody whose home is filled with collectible toys that she won't let Cady touch as well as a small robotics lab filled with dangerous objects. Gemma is an archetypal example of a thirtysomething millennial techie who, despite her brilliance, work ethic, and professional success, doesn't know how to "adult" and is still living like a college student in a dorm room. For most of the first act, we only briefly see M3GAN in the lab at Gemma's workplace, the focus of the film instead being on Gemma as she tries and fails to raise Cady, eventually settling on the shortcut that so many bad parents take with their kids: letting screens raise her. Later, when she introduces Cady to M3GAN and the two seem to get along swimmingly, Gemma, her co-workers, and her boss all see it as a victory and a promising new frontier for technology, ignoring the warnings of Cady's psychologist that letting the little girl bond with a machine like this is probably not healthy for her. And indeed, M3GAN's expected descent into villainy is paired with increasingly antisocial behavior from Cady, directed at her classmates and her aunt alike. This movie has a very clear message: technology (especially computer technology that is designed to addict its users) is a bad substitute for proper parents and teachers, relying on it will probably mess up our kids' minds, and we should probably be limiting their screen time growing up, as Cady's own parents did before they died.

Meanwhile, M3GAN slowly but surely turning evil feels logical as it plays out. Fundamentally, she's fallen victim to the "paperclip problem", a hypothetical where an AI system programmed with one central task can turn violent even without any actual malice, especially once it's become clear that the intelligence she's been given to perform that task has also given her the ability to find loopholes in the safeguards designed to stop her from killing people. Make an AI that can learn from human behavior and adjust its programming accordingly? Congratulations, you've built an AI capable of learning what death and murder are, why humans kill each other, and all the self-serving justifications they make for violating their own taboos against such, and incorporate those justifications into its own programming so that she can ignore Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. What's more, as she studies human behavior, she also studies their personalities, which causes her to grow beyond her robotic emotionlessness and turn increasingly sassy and smart-assed. The T-101 she ain't; M3GAN's human intelligence causes her to turn increasingly human in her villainy, starting the film barely flinching as a neighbor's dog tries to maul her and ending it by delivering menacing threats and chilling speeches to her victims. Mark my words, I can see college-level courses on AI research screening this film as part of the curriculum. Cooper may have been setting out to write a crowd-pleasing horror movie, but she incorporated a lot of real-world scientific concepts into the story that reflect debates we're currently having about them, all presented in a fairly easy-to-digest manner that nonetheless doesn't dumb them down.

But she did still remember to keep it entertaining. Like I said, M3GAN evolves into a wiseass as the film progresses, getting creative not only in her kills but also in how she plans on getting away with them. She incorporates the dances she learned from Cady into her combat repertoire, most memorably in the hallway scene highlighted in the trailer but also towards the end when, after taking some damage, she starts glitching out and making increasingly stiff movements that nonetheless feel like they belong in an interpretive dance performance. Casting the young professional dancer Amie Donald under heavy makeup instead of relying on CGI was a golden move here. M3GAN's voice actress Jenna Davis, meanwhile, did the rest of the heavy lifting to bring M3GAN to life, slowly injecting her voice with notes of GLaDOS from the Portal games as the film goes on and M3GAN grows more self-aware. The kills are few and happen mostly off-screen, but even though this film had been cut down from an R rating (and, according to Cooper, there is a seriously bloody alternate cut we'll probably see on home video), it didn't feel particularly sanitized, not when M3GAN puts her victims through hell first before she lands the final death blow. I expect to see a lot of girls and women this Halloween, plus a few men (taking cues from this film's producer Jason Blum last year), dressed up in lolita dresses and giant bowties and swinging their arms and hips, so immediately iconic was this little doll.

It's a damn funny movie, too. When I said M3GAN felt inspired partly by GLaDOS, I didn't just mean the tone of her voice, I also meant her passive-aggressive trolling of her victims. Davis plays her cooler than the foul-mouthed jackass Chucky, but by the end, it's clear that M3GAN's personality has grown enough that she's having something you might call "fun" as she kills people. M3GAN's antics alone aren't the only source of humor here, either. A deep well of satire runs straight through the heart of the film, right from the opening scene where we're shown an ad for the little robot pets that Gemma is working on. I wouldn't call this film an outright horror-comedy like some others have, but it is anything but stone-faced and somber as its characters discuss the risks of AI development; better to show the product of that development dancing on her victims' graves, after all. That's not to say that the film is frivolous, though. When it turns its attention to Cady, it pulls no punches in depicting how she's coping with the loss of her parents and how the presence of M3GAN in her life has become an increasingly problematic coping mechanism. Instead of whiplash between the serious scenes with M3GAN and Cady and the dark humor of the rest of the film, these two elements combined simply made the proceedings feel that much more twisted and grotesque.

If there's one thing I can fault the film for, it's in how it frames Gemma. This is no shade on Allison Williams, who did a fine job playing the character, and I get what the film's main satirical thrust was going for in its depiction of parents who use tablets and TVs to raise their kids for them. Also, Gemma's engineering brilliance ultimately does help save the day at the end. That said, the tone felt like it was negatively judging Gemma for choosing her career over having a family, especially with certain lines of dialogue that M3GAN says to her later in the film, giving off some very weirdly conservative vibes about how the film views working women in general and women in STEM in particular -- specifically, the kind of "crunchy con" who's a bit obsessed with medieval Europe and paleo diets and has books by Guillaume Faye on their bookshelf. (That's a rabbit hole you don't wanna go down. Trust me.) This is a problem I think could've easily been fixed simply by giving Gemma a boyfriend or husband who's shown to be just as incompetent at parenting as she is and just as eager to use M3GAN as a surrogate parent for Cady (and someone else for M3GAN to kill, too!), keeping the focus squarely on bad parenting in general instead of causing it to have some gendered undertones. As it is, while I'm pretty sure it was unintentional, it still left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

The Bottom Line

This wasn't a perfect movie, but it's something of a rare breed: a genuinely smart sci-fi story that's also an awesome, entertaining fun time to watch. If you wanna be scared without getting too grossed out, and then have something to think about on the way home, then M3GAN is your killer new best friend.