#Collaborative Robot Report

[mohitbisresearch]

The global collaborative robot (cobot) market is projected to reach $6,972.6 million by 2033 from $2,104.2 million in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 12.73% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

[marketsndata]

[trendingreportz]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Collaborative Robotic (Cobots) Systems Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

AI in Cobots Market Overview

The global AI in cobots market in 2021 reached $118.2 million and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 34.22% during the forecast period to reach $616.3 million by 2027. The entire robotics industry is witnessing the effects of Covid-19 pandemic, with strain felt on the supply chain restricting parts of imports and equipment exports in H1 2021 especially. The overall economic uncertainty also pushed majority of customers to defer purchases in order to conserve capital. Recent advancements in Machine Learning and human robot interaction have enabled collaborative robots to precisely execute tasks in dynamically changing workspaces, enabling operations and material handling to run more smoothly, efficiently and productively. AI is now intelligently powering cobots by leveraging billions of hours of iterative machine learned practices in manufacturing, production and engineering. Collaborative robots (cobots) represent a variant of industrial robots and is currently considered to be one of the fastest growing segments in industrial automation driven by improved technology such as virtual assistants, cloud computing, internet of things. A cobot is a type of robot that is designed to operate alongside humans in shared workspaces. These machines are easy to program and deploy, can increase productivity manifold, and offer high returns on investment.

Report Coverage

The report: “AI in Cobots Market – Forecast (2022-2027)”, by IndustryARC covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the AI in Cobots market

By Payload: Up to 5 Kg, 5 to 10 Kg, Above 10 Kg. By Application: Handling, Assembling/Disassembling, Welding and Soldering, Dispensing, Packaging and Others. By End User: Automotive, Electronics, Semiconductor, Plastics and Polymer, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Metals and Machining and others. By Geography: North America (U.S, Canada, Mexico), South America (Brazil, Argentina and others), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia and Others), APAC (China, Japan India, SK, Aus and Others), and RoW (Middle east and Africa).

Request Sample

Key Takeaways

Group PSA’s Sochaux plant in France has chosen Universal Robots UR10 for its "Plant of the Future" Project. Two UR10 cobots have been implemented at the Sochaux plant in screw driving applications on body-in-white assembly lines to increase performance and reduce production costs at the factory.

In 2019, Walmart has planned to invest $2.7 billion to add new robots totaling almost 4,000 robots in its stores and facilities in order to shift human workforce to customer service roles. The robots are majorly used for scanning, sorting goods from delivery trucks. This is set to create opportunities for AI in cobots in retail sector.

AI in Cobots Market Segment Analysis – By Application

Material Handling had a major share in the AI in Cobots Market with a value share of approximately 22.3% in 2021. Material handling is one of the major applications of industrial robots. Robots in material handling segment are used in applications such as movement of goods, protection, storage and control of products throughout manufacturing as well as warehousing of the products. Any industries that need to store, receive, dispatch or ship its products always entail industrial robot. Manufacturing and Warehouse operations involving handling of goods becomes complex when it takes place at a larger scale. This is made easy and efficient with the aid of industrial robots. Material handling robots are majorly used in warehousing applications as compared to its counterpart. Material handling applications that benefit from the incorporation of AI cobots encompass picking, packing, palletizing, sorting, and more. The wide-ranging use of these applications makes them a more site-specific solution for safety implementation. Operators and other workers are often moving or transporting other materials around the AI cobot, requiring additional planning to avoid hazardous contact. Safety-rated grippers are rare in the market at the present time. Currently, manufacturers typically use pneumatic grippers, which require safety considerations for impacts and the loss of power or suction. Uses of bar code, RFID, voice-activated receiving and packaging, pick-to-light technology, transportation management system is some of the drifts observed by material handling robots. Cycle counting, annual, physical and perpetual are few approaches of keeping a track of inventory.

Inquiry Before Buying

AI in Cobots Market Segment Analysis – By End User

Among industries, automotive held the largest share in 2021 at 23.2%. The industry development of AI cobots is ongoing in several different areas. Faster reaction time, more exact movement patterns, orientation capabilities, capabilities in imitating humans – all these aspects contribute to advancements in AI driven cobot development. In addition, brain-computer interfaces is an exciting area that has made significant progress recently. In recent developments in technologies such as linked data, parallel processing, edge computing and distributed artificial intelligence allow for efficient decision making by cobots, making execution robust and efficient. A challenge with the market deployment of AI cobots is that insufficient technology maturity hinders the market deployment of cobots. AI Cobot technology includes hardware design, sensors and actuators, efficient information processing, video processing, planning and multiple of fields from artificial intelligence landscapes, along with technologies that ensure safety, predictability and security of the solution. There is currently a need for high amount of signaling, bandwidth, low latency, and fast decision-making capabilities through efficient computing for AI driven cobots in safety-critical environments, wherein the facilities do not need human intervention. While the automation industry was affected during the pandemic, the longterm outlook for automation is positive, as end users evaluate their reliance on overseas supply chains and reevaluate their operations in a world where a pandemic can stop production cold. Automation is hence being looked upon as a valuable bulwark against the risks laid bare during the pandemic, and this can act as a strong growth driver for AI driven cobots and robots in industrial automation end user verticals.

AI in Cobots Market Segment Analysis – By Geography

Geographically, APAC held major share of 37% of AI in cobots market share in 2021, owing to high adoption of automation technologies in industrial and automotive warehouses and increasing investments and funding. North America is the next largest market with 33% revenue share in 2021. South America is witnessing the fastest growth rate with a CAGR of around 46.6% during the forecast period 2022 – 2027 owing to high investments and growing deployment of automation technology mainly in the countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. Portuguese company MOV.AI has announced in October, 2020 that it has raised $4m in funding. The company has designed its ROS for manufacturers of cobots, as well as academics and automation integrators. It also contributes to the ROS community. Some of the robots with AI enabled are YuMi from ABB, Franka Emika Panda, APAS from Bosch, Aura, Aubo, NEXTAGE and CORO etc.

Schedule a Call

AI in Cobots Market Drivers

Growing demand for automation and technological advancements set to drive the AI In Collaborative Robotics Market

There has been significant growth in AI driven collaborative robotics market owing to the increased demand for automation, high competition in the e-commerce industry, and the advancement in technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The use of robots reduces the risk of injury to workforce has also witnessed growth. Integration of robots with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine vision technology has been assisting companies in obstacle detection, navigation, movement of the goods. This has been attracting vendors in automating the warehouses and installing the robots in warehouse, thereby driving the collaborative robotics market. In 2019, Geek Plus Robotics, an intelligent logistics robot solution provider had launched the world’s first interweaving sorting robot, which could be an alternative to conveyor systems. Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), a leading manufacturer of collaborative mobile robots launched a new warehouse robot to automate the transportation of pallets and heavy goods across warehouses. Development of new robots for various applications of warehouses set to boost the demand of collaborative robotics market.

Growth in E-Commerce Sector

E-Commerce industry is rising at global level of retail and logistics. As a result, growing number of e-commerce companies look forward to automate warehouses. Warehouse robots play a key role in e-commerce industry for various applications such as automated storage and retrieval, picking and placing, order fulfillment operations and many others. Adoption of warehouse cobots by e-commerce companies helps in reducing operational and logistical costs and save on delivery time. This has been increasing automation in warehouses in order to deliver goods to shoppers in faster and more efficient ways by increasing productivity of supply chain. In developed countries such as the U.S., and Canada, Grocery retailers are focusing on deploying robots that bring the shelf stacks to human workers, who pick out the right products and package them up to be sent out. These robots travel with high speed, faster than humans, thereby increasing efficiency of the work. In 2019, Amazon had introduced new warehouse cobots in several of its U.S. warehouses that scan and pack items to be sent to customers. It has started using robots in warehouses, which scans goods coming down a conveyor belt raising the scope of adoption. In 2020 Covariant.ai launched its AI robots and solutions through its warehouse bin-picking robots which is being used by companies such as Knapp, a warehouse logistics company and Obeta, a German electronics retailer. As per estimates, around 2,000 AI powered robots have been deployed across warehouses globally.

AI in Cobots Market Challenges

High Initial Investment

The initial cost of AI driven collaborative robots that are used in factories are high as the cost of automation is much higher in comparison with labor costs. This prevents most companies from completely automating their operations with robots. The average selling prices of cobots vary from $25,000 to $50,000 and does not include the installation costs. In addition to this, there is a training cost associated with the robots that further restricts the operators’ likeability for integrating robots into their operating lines. Slow deployment of collaborative robotic systems by smaller and medium enterprises hampers the robotics market. However, high labor costs are set to drive the collaborative robot market during forecast period.

Buy Now

AI in Cobots Market Landscape

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the AI in Cobots market. In 2021, the market of AI in Cobots market has been consolidated by the top players

Fanuc

Techman Robots

Rethink Robots

AUBA Robots

ABB

Kawasaki

KUKA

Yaskawa

Staubli

Universal Robots

Recent Developments

In May 2019, the government of Saudi Arabia announced an investment of $30 billion to upgrade warehousing facilities by adoption of the advanced autonomous robots in the newly built warehouses across Saudi Arabia, thereby contributing towards the growth of the cobots market during forecast period in this region.

In October 2019, the South Korean government announced an investment $150 million to develop the intelligent robots for various industrial application which includes warehousing and logistics, thereby enhancing the growth of the cobots market.

[ashimbisresearch]

Global Collaborative Robot (Cobot) Market Research Analysis (2020-2025) | BIS Research

Collaborative Robots, commonly known as Cobots, have emerged as a transformative force in the field of robotics. These robots are designed to work safely alongside humans, assisting them in various tasks and enhancing productivity. With advancements in technology and the growing need for automation in industries, the global collaborative robot industry is experiencing rapid growth.

An Overview of the Collaborative Robot Industry

The Collaborative Robot Market has witnessed significant expansion in recent years, revolutionizing industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and agriculture. Unlike traditional industrial robots that require strict safety measures and physical separation from humans, cobots are designed to collaborate with human workers, creating a safe and efficient work environment. These robots are equipped with advanced sensors, vision systems, and collaborative features that allow them to interact with humans, adapt to changing environments, and perform a wide range of tasks.

Key Market Research Insights

Growing Demand for Automation: The increasing need for automation and the desire to improve efficiency in various industries are significant drivers of the collaborative robot market. Cobots enable businesses to automate repetitive or dangerous tasks while ensuring human safety. They can handle tasks such as material handling, assembly, packaging, quality control, and even complex tasks like surgical procedures, making them versatile and adaptable across different sectors.

Enhanced Safety Features: Collaborative robots are designed with built-in safety features to prevent accidents and injuries. These features include force and torque sensors, collision detection, speed and proximity control, and the ability to stop or slow down when detecting the presence of a human nearby. This allows cobots to work alongside humans without the need for safety cages or physical barriers, making them more flexible and cost-effective for businesses.

Request A Free Detailed Sample on Global Collaborative Robot Market Report!

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) Adoption: Collaborative robots have gained significant traction among small and medium-sized enterprises. Unlike traditional industrial robots, cobots are more affordable, easier to program, and require minimal integration efforts. This accessibility has made them an attractive automation solution for SMEs that may have limited resources or space.

Industry-specific Applications: The collaborative robot market offers a wide range of applications across various industries. In manufacturing, cobots can assist in assembly, pick-and-place tasks, and quality control. In healthcare, they can support surgeons during complex procedures or perform repetitive tasks in medical labs. In logistics, cobots can optimize warehouse operations, including sorting, packing, and palletizing. The agriculture industry also benefits from cobots for tasks such as harvesting, planting, and crop monitoring.

Key Market Players in the Market

ABB Ltd

Fanuc Corporation

Kuka AG

Denso Robotics, Inc.

Seiko Epson Corporation

AUBO Robotics

Nachi Robotic Systems, Inc.

Bosch Rexroth AG

Precise Automation, Inc.

Productive Robotics, Inc.

Techman Robot, Inc.

Yaskawa Motoman

Market Challenges and Future Outlook

While the collaborative robot industry holds immense potential, it also faces certain challenges. Some industries may have concerns regarding the integration of cobots into existing workflows or resistance from human workers due to fears of job displacement. Additionally, ensuring the safety and compliance of cobots in various work environments remains a critical consideration.

However, the future outlook for the collaborative robot market is optimistic. The market is expected to witness significant growth due to ongoing technological advancements, increasing demand for automation, and the expanding range of applications. As the adoption of cobots becomes more widespread, manufacturers are focusing on enhancing features such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human-robot collaboration to further improve the capabilities and versatility of cobots.

Conclusion

The Global Collaborative Robot Industry is transforming industries by enabling safe and efficient human-robot collaboration. With their advanced sensors, adaptability, and ease of use, cobots are revolutionizing automation across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and agriculture.

While challenges exist, the market's potential for growth is undeniable, driven by the need for increased productivity, improved safety, and cost-effective automation solutions. As technology continues to evolve, collaborative robots will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of work and driving progress in industries worldwide.

[fight-nights-at-freddys]

MASTER POST OF PROSHIP RESOURCES!!! <3<3

this is just for links (bc i just have No Way of formatting this properly), so for more in-depth stuffs and credits, head to the google doc, or the carrd !! :3c

Fiction ≠ Reality

Violent media -

Does Media Violence Predict Societal Violence? It Depends on What You Look at and When

Video Game Violence Use Among “Vulnerable” Populations: The Impact of Violent Games on Delinquency and Bullying Among Children with Clinically Elevated Depression or Attention Deficit Symptoms

Extreme metal music and anger processing

On the Morality of Immoral Fiction: Reading Newgate Novels, 1830–1848

How gamers manage aggression: Situating skills in collaborative computer games

Examining desensitization using facial electromyography:Violent videogames, gender, and affective responding

'Bad' video game behavior increases players' moral sensitivity

Fiction and Morality: Investigating the Associations Between Reading Exposure, Empathy, Morality, and Moral Judgment

Comfortably Numb or Just Yet Another Movie? Media Violence Exposure Does Not Reduce Viewer Empathy for Victims of Real Violence Among Primarily Hispanic Viewers

Fantasy Crime: The Criminalisation of Fantasy Material Under Australia's Child Abuse Material Legislation

Being able to distinguish fiction from reality -

Effects of context on judgments concerning the reality status of novel entities

Children’s Causal Learning from Fiction: Assessing the Proximity Between Real and Fictional Worlds

Reality/Fiction Distinction and Fiction/Fiction Distinction during Sentence Comprehension

Reality = Relevance? Insights from Spontaneous Modulations of the Brain’s Default Network when Telling Apart Reality from Fiction

How does the brain tell the real from imagined?

Meeting George Bush versus Meeting Cinderella: The Neural Response When Telling Apart What is Real from What is Fictional in the Context of Our Reality

loli/shota/kodocon -

If I like lolicon, does it mean I’m a pedophile? A therapist’s view

Virtual Child Pornography, Human Trafficking and Japanese Law: Pop Culture, Harm and Legal Restrains

Lolicon: The Reality of ‘Virtual Child Pornography’ in Japan

Report: cartoon paedophilia harmless

‘The Lolicon Guy:’ Some Observations on Researching Unpopular Topics in Japan

Robot Ghosts And Wired Dreams Japanese Science Fiction From Origins To Anime [pg 227-228]

Australia's "child abuse material' legislation, internet regulation and the juridification of the imaginationjuridification of the imagination [pg 14-15]

Multiple Orientations as Animating Misdelivery: Theoretical Considerations on Sexuality Attracted to Nijigen (Two-Dimensional) Objects

Positive Impact on Mental Health

Art therapy -

The effectiveness of art therapy for anxiety in adults: A systematic review of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials

Efficacy of Art Therapy in Individuals With Personality Disorders Cluster B/C: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness of Art Therapy With Adult Clients in 2018 - What Progress Has Been Made?

Benefits of Art Therapy in People Diagnosed With Personality Disorders: A Quantitative Survey

The Effectiveness of Art Therapy in the Treatment of Traumatized Adults: A Systematic Review on Art Therapy and Trauma

The clinical effectiveness and current practice of art therapy for trauma

Writing therapy -

Optimizing the perceived benefits and health outcomes of writing about traumatic life events

Expressive writing and post-traumatic stress disorder: Effects on trauma symptoms, mood states, and cortisol reactivity

Focused expressive writing as self-help for stress and trauma

Putting Stress into Words: The Impact of Writing on Physiological, Absentee, and Self-Reported Emotional Well-Being Measures

The writing cure: How expressive writing promotes health and emotional well-being

Effects of Writing About Traumatic Experiences: The Necessity for Narrative Structuring

Scriptotherapy: The effects of writing about traumatic events

Emotional and physical benefits of expressive writing

Emotional and Cognitive Processing in Sexual Assault Survivors' Narratives

Finding happiness in negative emotions: An experimental test of a novel expressive writing paradigm

An everyday activity as treatment for depression: The benefits of expressive writing for people diagnosed with major depressive disorder

Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process

Effects of expressive writing on sexual dysfunction, depression, and PTSD in women with a history of childhood sexual abuse: Results from a randomized clinical trial

Written Emotional Disclosure: Testing Whether Social Disclosure Matters

Written emotional disclosure: A controlled study of the benefits of expressive writing homework in outpatient psychotherapy

Misc -

Emotional disclosure about traumas and its relation to health: Effects of previous disclosure and trauma severity

Treating complex trauma in adolescents: A phase-based integrative approach for play therapists

Emotional expression and physical health: Revising traumatic memories or fostering self-regulation?

Disclosure of Sexual Victimization: The Effects of Pennebaker's Emotional Disclosure Paradigm on Physical and Psychological Distress

Kink/Porn/Fantasies

Sexual fantasies -

A Critical Microethnographic Examination of Power Exchange, Role Idenity and Agency with Black BDSM Practitioners

Women's Rape Fantasies: An Empirical Evaluation of the Major Explanations

History, culture and practice of puppy play

What Exactly Is an Unusual Sexual Fantasy?

The Psychology of Kink: a Survey Study into the Relationships of Trauma and Attachment Style with BDSM Interests

Punishing Sexual Fantasy

Women's Erotic Rape Fantasies

Sexual Fantasy and Adult Attunement: Differentiating Preying from Playing

What Is So Appealing About Being Spanked, Flogged, Dominated, or Restrained? Answers from Practitioners of Sexual Masochism/Submission

Dark Fantasies, Part 1 - With Dr. Ian Kerner

Why Do Women Have Rape Fantasies

The 7 Most Common Sexual Fantasies and What to Do About Them

Sexual Fantasies

Pornography -

The Effects of Exposure to Virtual Child Pornography on Viewer Cognitions and Attitudes Toward Deviant Sexual Behavior

American Identities and Consumption of Japanese Homoerotica

The differentiation between consumers of hentai pornography and human pornography

Pornography Use and Holistic Sexual Functioning: A Systematic Review of Recent Research

Claiming Public Health Crisis to Regulate Sexual Outlets: A Critique of the State of Utah's Declaration on Pornography

Pornography and Sexual Dysfunction: Is There Any Relationship?

Reading and Living Yaoi: Male-Male Fantasy Narratives as Women's Sexual Subculture in Japan

Women's Consumption of Pornograpy: Pleasure, Contestation, and Empowerment

Pornography and Sexual Violence

The Sunny Side of Smut

Other -

Fantasy Sexual Material Use by People with Attractions to Children

Fictosexuality, Fictoromance, and Fictophilia: A Qualitative Study of Love and Desire for Fictional Characters

Exploring the Ownership of Child-Like Sex Dolls

Are Sex and Pornograpy Addiction Valid Disorders? Adding a Leisure Science Perspecive to the Sexological Critique

Littles: Affects and Aesthetics in Sexual Age-Play

An Exploratory Study of a New Kink Activity: "Pup Play"

Jaws Effect

The Jaws Effect: How movie narratives are used to influence policy responses to shark bites in Western Australia

The Shark Attacks That Were the Inspiration for Jaws

The Great White Hope (written by Peter Benchley, writer of Jaws)

The Jaws Myth [not a study BUT is an interesting read and provides some links to articles and studies]

Slenderman Stabbings

Out Came the Girls: Adolescent Girlhood, the Occult, and the Slender Man Phenomenon

Jury in Slender Man case finds Anissa Weier was mentally ill, will not go to prison

2nd teen in 'Slender Man' stabbing case to remain in institutional care for 40 years

Negative effects of online harassment

How stressful is online victimization? Effects of victim's personality and properties of the incident

Prevalence, Psychological Impact, and Coping of Cyberbully Victims Among College Students

Offline Consequences of Online Victimization

The Relative Importance of Online Victimization in Understanding Depression, Delinquency, and Substance Use

Internet trolling and everyday sadism: Parallel effects on pain perception and moral judgement

The MAD Model of Moral Contagion: The Role of Motivation, Attention, and Design in the Spread of Moralized Content Online

Morally Motivated Networked Harassment as Normative Reinforcement

When Online Harassment is Perceived as Justified

Violence on Reddit Support Forums Unique to r/NoFap

"It Makes Me, A Minor, Uncomfortable" Media and Morality in Anti-Shippers' Policing of Online Fandom

[gummilutt]

Autonomous crafting for all teen+ Sims

I've never before been so happy to share a creation! Get ready to get crafting, because it's about to get autonomous! Released today in collaboration with the wonderful @joplayingthesims who has built a community lot for the mod, seen in the pictures below. Exciting!

In my game, I have a community lot with crafting stations for Sims who can't afford one, or don't have space for one. But as I visited it recently with one of my college students wanting to learn flower arrangement, I got a bit depressed by all the empty stations and the other visitors just standing around chatting. I wondered if anyone had added autonomy, and I came upon iCad's autonomy enabler. While neat, it only adds autonomy for the active household which is the opposite of what I wanted. So I made my own that enables it for visiting Sims as well, only to quickly realize how annoying that got. All these Sims asking me to pick a recolor for them, blergh! So I went on tweaking, fixing the annoyances as they came up, and here we are! Finally it is possible to have a lively crafting studio where all Sims participate, without being annoying for you the player! Are you excited? Because I am excited!

What does the mod do? - Enables autonomy on "make many" and "continue" (see readme for more info on why not make one) for all five original crafting types - Robots, toy making, flower arrangement, pottery and sewing - Does NOT charge your Sims money for background Sim crafting. Money sounds and visuals show for all Sims, but only your current households crafting charges household funds. - By default only autonomous on community lots. Has optional autonomy on residential/apartment lots, you can enable autonomy on those lot types by placing the Autonomy Toggler object somewhere on the lot (custom object made using parts of the FT crafting clutter, found in hobbies/misc for 1 simoleon). I set it up this way as residential autonomy sounds irritating to me, but I'm all about flexibility for the user. Perhaps you want to run arts classes at your residential playable school, or you simply like autonomy more than I do :) Please note that autonomy advertisement is tuned with community lot use in mind, so it might be higher than you'd want for residential. If there's interest I am happy to make a second version with lower advertising for those who primarily want residential use. If you are somewhat familiar with TTAB edits yourself, you can try changing attenuation code to low or medium to limit advertisement distance which will reduce appeal to Sims. VER 2: Toggler object now also works on community lots, turning off autonomy if present on community lot. Residential/apartment behavior remains the same as before. - Fixes annoyances with background crafting, such as selecting recolors and pop ups about progress - Changes inventory mechanics to allow for owned studio-type use, in case you'd like a friendly owner Sim present to provide instruction. Crafting now only goes to business lot owner if done by an employee, otherwise crafting Sim gets the object. Includes home business, so if it bothered you that family members don't get to keep their work, this also fixes that. If that part annoys you, see readme for how to remove this feature.

Download mod on simfileshare | Download ver 2 on simfileshare (New version out, fixing a bug reported by Nemertes. More info here)

You might say "Okay well fun for you Gummi, but I don't have a community lot with crafting stations, so why would I need this?". Well fortunately Joandsarah has the solution for that problem! Check out the cute crafting studio she built to give all of you a place to start community crafting! Available on MTS

Conflicts: Only known conflict is iCad's original autonomy enabler, you have to pick if you want hers version of autonomy, or mine :) Readme contains breakdown of the functionality of all parts, to help you decide a load order should you encounter conflicts. It should be possible to resolve conflicts though if there are any others, so please report them to me :)

Credits: @joplayingthesims for collaborating with me and providing a lot that you can get started with if you don't have one, iCad at @dramallamadingdang for the original autonomy enabling mod, @cityof2morrow who helped playtest the mod

If anyone else builds a community lot intended for autonomous use, I hope you let me know somehow so I can add links to it in my post :) If any other modders see ways to improve on what I did, please feel free to do so :) I am hoping to eventually post an update that sends all crafting to inventory to fix the make one issue, and the station clogging that happens over time.

[smileysuh]

Fix You

🌙 staring. Mingyu x afab!Reader

🔮 synopsis. “As a member of 53V3NT33N, I have two different states of mind coded into me, aggression and admiration. To love something, to admire it, is to feel aggressive when it’s questioned, to want to control it, if even for a little while- it’s the need to consume it, endlessly, as my fans consume and control me as an automaton. Even though I’m a member of a group, there’s a distance. Automatons can never truly motivate each other because our motivations are based on external human needs, it’s built into us- We can see when humans need us, and we do what we can to fix that need… I know you need me, the way I’ve needed you since I got here.”

tw/cw. unprotected sex with an AI robot, virgin!Mingyu, big dick!Mingyu, Mingyu's body is perfect, hand job, blow job, deep throating, pussy eating, fingering, flavored cum, praise, breast worship, switchy/submissive!Mingyu, multiple orgasms, slight overstim, AI slavery/working philosophical issues, risk of AI termination/job loss, etc...

👹 rating.18+ explicit I wc. 15.5k I collab. link

🍭 aus. automaton/ai au, ai!Mingyu, robotics behavioral researcher!y/n, wellness center, future au, Promethean theory, etc…

☀️ mlist + an. i was so excited when @idyllic-ghost announced this collab in @svthub. Had a great time creating this world and working with everyone through the Discord server :) Bee was also such a big help as beta reader, they were such a good collab team leader, so big thank you to @idyllic-ghost 💕

As a top mechanic at an automaton rehab center, you’d heard about the supposed ‘break out’ of thirteen level one AI robots from their management facility. In fact, people all across the galaxy had heard about it, with the attractive faces of every member of the idol group 53V3NT33N plastered on billboards, tvs and any screen possible-

However, the last place you thought you’d see the stunning features of M1NGYU would be on your briefing tablet not two days after what some reporters are calling ‘the biggest breach of level one automatons across the galaxy in centuries.’

“How-” you swallow thickly, eyes shifting from your tablet to look at your boss. “How did he get caught so fast?”

“Mingyu has been malfunctioning for months,” Yoongi explains. “Strength miscalculations during concerts, collaborating in the break out attempt, his aggressive behaviors have been more frequent- but if there’s one thing that can be said for an automaton that balances aggression and admiration, it’s that he truly admires the humans who worship him. He gave himself in, trying to aid in the escape of two of his AI band mates.”

“Oh.” For some reason, this news makes you sad. A robot with a sense of self sacrifice for the good of others… even if giving himself up was in part spurred by a need to be given attention and adoration from the humans that made him. 

He’s like a child that makes a mistake and gives himself in. Many mechanics would do what parents across the galaxy do, scold, attempt to fix the behavior with shaming and judgment- but you were given your job precisely because you come at this sort of thing with a different approach. It sounds like Mingyu needs someone to talk to, someone to understand- maybe poke around in his coding a little to see if there’s anything that shouldn’t be there.

You can’t think of someone more qualified than yourself to give Mingyu the time and attention he needs, the admiration he craves to balance out the supposed ‘aggressive’ traits he’s been showing lately. 

“Before you get too caught up in Mingyu being some level one lost puppy, just remember, he’s an automaton,” Yoongi’s harsh voice snaps you out of your daze and the rehabilitation plan already brewing in the periphery of your mind. “Don’t get too close to this.”

“I won’t.” If only it was a promise you could keep.

You’ve been around many level ones in your time as a robotics behavioral specialist at the rehab center, but none of them have ever been as beautiful - or as charming - as Mingyu. Sitting next to the intake girl, watching her ask Mingyu questions, you get to fully observe the automaton, and you’re astounded by what you see.

He answers things in a way that almost seems honest, and at points, when he makes a joke that causes you and your coworker to smile, his eyes literally sparkle with admiration. You wonder what coding had to be done just on his robotic retinas to achieve such an effect.

It’s clear, by the time the questions are all through, that Mingyu is the most advanced of any AI’s you’ve ever come in contact with, and the prospect both scares and exhilarates you. 

“So what now?” Mingyu asks, and you note the way his knee is bobbing slightly, as if he’s anxious. He’s leaning forward, eager to hear what comes next, and it almost feels like he’s going to be a more than willing participant in this rehab experience.

“Well,” you sigh, taking the tablet from the intake girl, “now that we’ve completed this first form, I can get to work on making a wellness plan for you.”

“A wellness plan?” Mingyu cocks his head, another very human-like motion that makes your breath catch.

“A wellness plan, yes.” You consider how to explain this to him. “You know when humans get tired and they have a spa day? Or after someone has given birth, they have maternity leave? It’s going to be a little something like that. As one of the head behavioral specialists and wellness coordinators here, I’ve been assigned to help you take a break.”

“A break?” He looks as if he’s never even considered having a breather from the activities of a famous level one entertainer robot, and you sort of feel sorry for him. 

“Yes, Mingyu, a break. That means no dance practices, no music production and vocal exercises. You’ll be existing here, checking in with me and doing new daily activities designed to help get to the core of the issues you’re facing.”

“And what issues am I facing?” There’s something of a smirk on his face, and you realize the robot is toying with you, but you still feel compelled to respond.

“I heard you threw one of your bandmates too hard during the past few concerts you performed.”

“Dino can take it,” Mingyu insists. “No one got hurt.”

“The guards that were injured while your group broke out of your management facility would beg to differ. Cameras showed you were a big part of busting open doors, knocking a few people unconscious- word in the wellness center is your aggression levels are a little high.”

“No higher than my admiration levels.” There’s that smile again, and you’re not sure what to make of it this time.

“I guess that’s true,” you confess. “You turned yourself in after all.”

“I highly admire the guards that my group members got the better of. We all have bad days, after all, especially humans.”

You wonder at his diction. ‘We all have bad days’ he’d said, before making something of a distinction when he noted ‘especially humans.’ However, in the use of the word ‘we’ without a further separation when mentioning humans, it’s almost as if he’s lumping himself into the same category. 

You must be creating too much of a pause in the conversation, because Mingyu opens his mouth to speak again. “You said ‘I can get to work on making a wellness plan for you,’ does that mean you’re the main handler looking after me while I’m here?��  

It shouldn’t be a shock that nothing gets past Mingyu, that his recollection of what you’ve said is top notch, but it still takes you back a little. “Correct.”

“Can you tell me your name?” 

He’s very peculiar for a level one. 

You give him your name and he repeats it once, twice, three times before nodding to himself. “Thank you for taking care of me,” he says. “I’m excited for my wellness break and getting to work with you.”

You’ve often wondered if an emotion like excitement is something an automaton can actually even feel, or if it’s just a number of ones and zeros put into layers upon layers of detailed coding. 

For some reason, you find yourself wanting to return the sentiment, however automatic it might be from the robot. “I’m excited to get to work with you too.”

It’s always kind of sad when you run a new level one automaton through their personalized wellness schedule. You’ve worked with all manner of high-class robots, from athletes to opera singers, but none of them have ever come into your program with the type of preexisting regimented day plan Mingyu has. 

You suppose it shouldn't be a shock that, as part of one of the biggest automaton boy groups in the galaxy, he’d had close to zero down time. When you show him the library and explain he should sit down in a spot of sun somewhere and read for an hour every day, at a slow pace, he looks at you like you’re crazy. 

“I don’t understand how this is supposed to help me,” he tells you, as you walk through the facility towards one of your favourite wellness locations; the pool.

“This might be an archaic example,” you explain, “but back when humanity first started making computers, laptops and such, many people would keep their computers on indefinitely. Sure they’d close the screen, but that’s not enough. You’d need to actually power down the device to keep its performance up.”

“I’m not a laptop,” Mingyu reminds you, with a flash of something like humour in his eye.

“You’re not,” you conceded, “which is why your nightly power downs aren’t enough. As an automaton, you were built to emulate being a human, but many people disregard one of the most fundamental aspects of humanity; the need for rest. Sleep and powering down isn’t enough if every waking moment is spent working or learning or practicing your trade- you have to allow for a variety of restful activities, such as reading, painting, gardening- it depends on who you are and your skillset though. For a chef, he might not gain rest from cooking because his neurons would still be firing with the intensity of someone doing their trade. Which is why, although I’ve given you physical activities such as swimming and tennis, you won’t be doing any dancing while you’re here.”

“What if I forget my moves?” 

“Something tells me the likelihood of that is very low,” you smile. 

“Okay, maybe I won’t forget my moves,” Mingyu sighs, “but I was made to dance. I was made to perform. What am I if not a level one dancer and singer?”

“There’s more to life than one’s job, however all-encompassing being a level one might be,” you explain. “I’m sure it’s very taxing on you.”

Mingyu pauses in the middle of the corridor you’re walking down, and you stop to assess him. 

“Are you alright?” you ask.

“Yeah,” he gives his head a little shake, and you’re shocked again at how human like the automaton is. “It’s just… no one has ever talked about this sort of thing with me. It’s always been work, work, work. It’s what I’m designed to do-”

“You may have been designed to be a dancer and a singer,” you nod empathetically, “but part of being alive is choosing your own destiny, as you and your bandmates all did when you escaped your facility.”

“Do you really think that?” he questions, standing very still and looking at you with a dark gaze. “That I’m alive?”

“At this point in time, artificial intelligence has progressed to the level where we’re told you’re sentient, that you can feel and think. That you’re as life-like as you’ve ever been in the history of the galaxy. You might have been created in a lab, hand crafted and designed by some would-be God engineer, but to me, yes, Mingyu, you’re alive.”

“I don’t bleed,” he says softly. “My skin is similar to yours, made of collagen and human dermal fibroblasts, but beneath all of this I’m still a machine. I don’t have a soul.”

“Is a soul the most important building block that makes something alive?” you ask, cocking your head and looking the robot up and down. 

He looks stumped, and you smile at the way you’ve found yourself in a very human-like philosophical debate with an artificial intelligence. 

You motion to the monstera deliciosa in a pot along the wall, its large, hybridized purple leaves reaching for the sun that beams through the glass windows. “Would you say that plant over there isn’t alive because it doesn’t have a soul?”

Mingyu is quiet for a moment or two, and then he looks down. “I guess not.”

“So it seems a soul isn’t a necessary element in being ‘alive,’” you conclude, “and besides, scientists are still debating whether or not AI, as it is today, creates its own soul when it’s brought into the world. Even though you were created in the same lab as your band mates, and given different coding at your creation, since then, you’ve all grown differently. Is that not kind of like a human being born with set genes only to be impacted by the world around it?”

Again, Mingyu takes a little while to respond. “I wasn’t given the code for being curious about sciences,” he tells you. “That would be Wonwoo, Minghao and Jeonghan. But, I guess what you’re saying makes sense.” 

“Good, it’s my job to make this process make sense to the Level One’s in my care.” You’re pleased at his response, and after another moment, Mingyu begins to follow you again. 

“What’s next on the schedule?” he asks.

“The best part of the facility,” you smile, “the pool.”

“What’s so good about the pool?”

“I’ve found that many level ones that come through here have never truly experienced swimming. The sensory differences of the water can be healing for humans and automatons. It will light up all the sensors in your skin, and if you focus on that, you can reach the closest thing to peace that I’ve ever seen an AI experience.” 

“How do you measure peace?”

“We’ve done studies with level ones submerged in cold and hot water tanks while connected to neuro maps, the results have been ground breaking in AI science. I’ll have to send you some to read while you’re doing your mandatory reading sessions.” 

You reach the doors that slide away to reveal one of the courtyards of the facility. It’s a lovely space, with all sorts of beautiful plants that dazzle with every colour of the rainbow. The ground is mostly white marble aside from the allocated vegetation zones, and a large rectangular pool in the middle of it acts as a meeting place for the few level ones in the center.

“This is one of the best places to meet other robots going through the same process that you are while you’re here,” you explain. “As a central hub, we recommend this as a location to do your reading, we have a yoga room but I could always teach you mind and body wellness out here-”

“I like this place,” Mingyu says, interrupting you for the first time since he’s arrived at the facility.

When you look at him, you find him taking in the space with eyes full of wonder. He looks beautiful, with the sun kissing his beautiful skin, and his dark, medium length curly hair all lit up to show off the soft browns amidst the darker hues. 

He truly is the most perfect automaton you’ve ever seen, and you’ve worked with a number of the galaxy’s top rated robots. 

One of these top rated AI’s, is Jeong Jaehyun, a member of another boy group who’s been having difficulties. He’d come in presenting with extreme competitive behaviors, but in the two weeks you’ve been monitoring him, he’s calmed down a great deal. You think, as you and Mingyu approach the pool where Jaehyun is doing laps, that this might be a good opportunity to introduce another robot to him.

Jaehyun’s met a number of other automatons in the facility, but none as close to his own profession as Mingyu. 

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” you tell Mingyu, coming to a stop on the edge of the pool. Your eyes track Jaehyun as he swims towards you, doing a near perfect front stroke style that he’d never even heard of before his own wellness break.

When Jaehyun reaches the edge of the pool, he stops and looks up at you, then his gaze shifts to Mingyu. Both robots have blank expressions, but when they nod to each other, there’s something akin to recognition in the behavior.

“Hello, Jaehyun,” you greet the swimmer. “This is Mingyu, he’ll be here at the facility with us for a while.”

“We know of each other,” Jaehyun tells you curtly. “At award shows.”

“Eight times,” Mingyu confirms. 

“Perfect,” you should have remembered as much, but you’ve been very occupied pouring over Mingyu’s history file as of late. “Mingyu will be starting his pool wellness treatment tomorrow afternoon. How would you feel about showing him the four main swimming strokes?”

Jaehyun nods. “I can do that.”

“That’s great news, thank you Jaehyun.” The automaton only nods to you before diving back into the water. You’ll never get used to the way robots can swim without goggles, and your own eyes sting a little at the thought.

“What’s he here for?” Mingyu asks quietly. 

“I thought you weren’t given the coding to be curious about sciences,” you quirk a brow, fighting a smile.

“It’s not a curiosity about science,” Mingyu insists. “Jaehyun has been one of the top AI models for Prada Universal for years.”

“I see,” you nod, “so you’re wondering if you can steal his contract if you make it out of here before him.”

“No, I-”

“It was a joke, Mingyu,” you tell him, reminding yourself that not all AI have the capacity to understand human humour, although they seem perfectly able to make their own. 

What your manager had said rings through your mind, as it does every day, ‘don’t get too close to this.’ It’s a fine line to walk. Your job is to treat them like humans, to give them the care and wellness that the filthy rich can afford, but at the same time, you need to keep a distance, to remember, always, what you’re dealing with. 

It’s days like this one where you wonder - even with all your training and ground breaking research - if you’re truly right for this job. Questioning ethics and philosophies of protocol aren’t behaviors you want to get used to any time soon.

Mingyu and Jaehyun have been swimming for an hour or so when Mingyu finally gets the courage to speak up. He’s run the scenario a number of times, without a successful hypothesis to calm his mind, and he figures if anyone will know the answer to his wonderings, it’s Jaehyun. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Uh huh,” Jaehyun is leaning against the wall of the pool. His eyes are closed and he looks to be enjoying the sunlight.

Mingyu can feel the heat of the hot star on his own skin, but he’s still getting used to the feeling of the water, so he’s unable to enjoy it the way Jaehyun can yet. 

“Y/N said she’d be showing me around and doing activities with me, but she’s not here right now,” Mingyu explains, looking over at Jimin, the young male wellness instructor who’d picked him up to head to the pool earlier. “Why isn’t she here?”

“Lower level wellness coaches watch us when we’re doing less strenuous activities,” Jaehyun responds. 

This eases Mingyu’s perceived anxieties, but what Jaehyun says next doesn’t.

“Although, my first week here, Y/N was at my side almost all the time. So, I guess today, Y/N ditched you because I said I’d teach you strokes.”

Mingyu hates feeling ditched, hates that Jaehyun has voiced the feeling of it. An inkling of aggressive tendencies flashes through Mingyu’s body, and he does his best to focus on the sun, squinting up at it as a way to calm himself, as you’d told him to try when he’d first arrived as an antiaggression tactic.

He’s not quite sure how to respond to Jaehyun’s statement, so instead, he goes for another question that’s been on his mind since yesterday. “What are you here for?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, as far as I can tell, you don’t seem to have any malfunctions.” 

“I could say the same about you,” Jaehyun notes. “That is, if I hadn’t heard about your group’s escape from your management facility.”

Mingyu looks down at the way the sunlight refracts off the water, the marbling effect of the rays casting shadows across the bottom of the pool. “I get aggressive sometimes,” he says quietly. 

It’s hard admitting the faulty coding in his metal head, and he supposes he should show his own if he expects Jaehyun to return the favour.

The other automaton in the pool nods, running a hand through his wet hair. “I get competitive sometimes.”

“Really?” This is news to Mingyu, whose only experience of Jaehyun’s behavior today has been helpful and willing to teach. “I guess you’re doing well here, I wouldn’t have noticed any competitive traits in you.”

“Yeah, well,” Jaehyun looks up, and his eyes seem to be tracking something over Mingyu’s shoulder, “it depends on who’s watching.”

Mingyu guesses he can understand that, especially when he follows Jaehyun’s gaze to find you walking across the courtyard. 

Something clicks inside of him, the same thing that had darkened Jaehyun’s gaze, and Mingyu immediately feels a surge of what some might call endorphins- or perhaps even testosterone. 

“Show time,” Jaehyun says quietly, and Mingyu knows exactly what he means.

You stop to talk to the man who’s been keeping track of the two automatons in the pool, and then you head over yourself. There’s a smile on your face, and it makes Mingyu’s mechanical throat feel dry.

“Look at you two getting along,” you say, putting your hands on your hips as you gaze down at them. “Jimin said you guys have been mastering the strokes, care to show me?”

Mingyu is more than eager to show you what he’s learned, but when Jaehyun takes off at a speed he’s not yet shown, Mingyu almost feels blind sided. 

There’s a rush of feelings, as Mingyu swims off after his new robotic ‘friend.’ Admiration for Jaehyun’s competitive nature kicking in, even if it’s supposedly a downside, and a white hot need to better the other automaton and prove himself to you.

Luckily for Mingyu, he’s been built much bigger than his leaner friend, and the extra muscle robotics in his arms make it almost too easy to catch up with Jaehyun. 

Mingyu knows that this isn’t a competition, and yet, it is.

 If there’s one thing Mingyu knows how to do, it’s succeed. Winning is in his nature, it’s built into his very code, and when the two reach the other end of the pool with Mingyu ahead, it only proves to kick Jaehyun into a higher gear. 

They take off toward you again, and Mingyu pushes himself. He can feel the strain in his joints, the rush of water smoothing over his artificial skin. You were right about the healing properties of the pool, and nothing makes Mingyu feel more alive and himself than a little friendly competition with a fellow robot whom he admires, even if that competition is fueled by some of Mingyu’s more… less desirable driving traits. 

Mingyu beats Jaehyun again as they reach your side of the pool, and when he looks up at you for praise, he sees you have your tablet out. You seem to be jotting down a few notes, about him or Jaehyun, he’s not too sure. 

“You guys are fast,” you say finally. “Jaehyun, thank you for spending some time with Mingyu today.”

“No problem.” Jaehyun is already pulling himself up and out of the pool, perfect muscles flexing in the sunshine.

Mingyu rushes to follow, feeling the need to show off his own immaculate body to you-

“Mingyu,” you address him next, and it feels glorious to have your eyes on him, although they stay fixed on his face, “I see you haven’t been to the library yet, might I suggest that’s next on your wellness schedule today?”

“You won’t be joining me?” Mingyu can feel his metallic heart practically sink.

“Unfortunately not, I’ve got a meeting with my boss, but Jimin will go with you to find something to read.” You motion to the wellness worker still standing a few meters behind you, and he offers Mingyu a small wave that kind of makes him annoyed. “Is that alright?”

“Yeah,” Mingyu forces himself to say. “That’s okay.” 

“But I’ve got you in my schedule for tennis tomorrow morning, so I’ll see you then.”

Another nod of affirmation and then Mingyu’s watching you hurry off. 

Jaehyun’s drying his body with a towel next to Mingyu, and there’s a small smile on his face, as if he’s enjoying Mingyu being ‘ditched’ yet again.

Mingyu realizes maybe Jaehyun really isn’t doing as well with his recovery as he’d thought only a few minutes ago. 

Maybe he’s not doing so well either.

“I’ve got some bad news to report,” you say, as you take a seat in your boss's office, tablet in hand. 

“Let’s hear it,” Yoongi sighs, kicking his feet up onto his table and leaning back in his chair.

“I thought Jaehyun’s rehabilitation was going well, so I set him up to swim with Mingyu today-”

“What? Why?” 

“I wanted to see, in a controlled environment, how Jaehyun would react around other level ones he might perceive to be a threat. Seeing Jaehyun’s recovery alone is like testing in a vacuum, it doesn’t account for outside forces at play,” you explain. “Anyways, I was correct. When introduced to a situation where he could compete with someone on his level, Jaehyun’s competitive nature was back up again.”

“Did anything bad happen?” Yoongi takes his feet off his table, leaning forward now with interest.

The last time Jaehyun had gotten very competitive, it had ended up with him attacking one of his group members and landing himself back in your rehab center. The Kim Doyoung automaton had needed an hour of mechanical work to get his skin back to perfect after being sucker punched numerous times.

“I’m pleased to report there was no physical violence,” you admit. “Although, I will say, if he had tried something, I believe Mingyu would have been able to defend himself, unlike Doyoung.”

“Look at you,” Yoongi’s gaze shifts up and down your form, “taking bets on level one robots. You do know that street fighting automatons is illegal in most parts of the galaxy, right?”

“It wasn’t a street fight,” you assure your boss. “It was a simple test.”

“Right, you and your hypotheses.” Yoongi is a good boss. He supports your work and research, but sometimes you think he’s happy with things being the way they are. As if humanity has discovered everything possible, with no room for improvement.

“I’ll look some more into Jaehyun’s coding,” you continue. “I think there must be a line or two of something I missed last time, maybe level one specific competitive traits that should only be used on stage competitions that are bleeding over into everyday automaton life-”

“Good idea, you have permission.”

“But I was also thinking maybe I should look into Mingyu’s code-”

“No.”

“No?” you hold your tablet close to your chest, lips parting as you stare at your boss.

“Mingyu’s a more recent build than Jaehyun. I’ve been assured by his production team that this isn’t a coding issue, it’s a behavioral   one. Something he and his other members picked up since the time of their creation.”

“But-”

“We’ve been advised to not look at the code,” Yoongi says harshly. “You were hired because of your groundbreaking work with behavioral   changes to AI, the way you connect it to human behavioral   issues. You’re the one that keeps trying to convince me that these robots are as human as they’ve ever been, so stop treating Mingyu like a wrong coded robot, and start showing me you can fix him without getting coding involved.”

“Are you sure they said his coding was all up to date?” you press, knowing you might get in trouble for even continuing with this line of questioning.

Yoongi sighs. “Positive. No messing around with Mingyu’s code. There’s a behavioral   reason for the aggression, and you’re just going to have to figure it out.”

You’ve always liked tennis, for more than just the physical reasons. It allows you to test an automaton's ability to read the situation, their drive to adjust to the bodily limitations of the human playing with them.

While you start the easy game with Mingyu at a higher level, allowing him to show off his skills and inherent robotic strength, thirty minutes into the sport, you begin to dwindle in energy.

“I need a water break,” you tell him, passing the ball over to the robot to play with while you go to grab your bottle.

Mingyu waits patiently, tossing the ball up in the air. You see how many touches he can make without stopping, and you’re not too shocked at his ability to keep a steady volley with himself. 

When you set your water down, his attention is back on you, and he reminds you of an eager puppy in his excitement to once more have a game partner. 

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Yeah,” you assure him with a wave of your hand, steadying your grip on the handle of your racket. “Just a little tired.”

When Mingyu passes you the ball, he’s noticeably gentler than before, and you note that his adaptability is quite good. He’s very focused on you, much more than other automatons like Jaehyun had been when you’d first tried the sport with them. 

It’s different from the competitive - maybe even aggressive - way that he’d interacted with Jaehyun in the pool yesterday.

An easy hypothesis to make would be that Mingyu’s abilities adjust depending on who he’s with, so it should be no shock that he’d work harder with a fellow automaton. However, you’re not sure if that’s all there is to it.

You wonder what drives Mingyu. If he’s even aware of the way he’s lessened the force in his hits. 

Remembering what he’d said about tossing a band member around, the way he’d noted ‘Dino can take it,’ you think it’s very possible that Mingyu is reading your abilities. The same way you’re reading his. 

Before you can consider the situation more, however, you notice Jimin has arrived on the side of the court, and he waves you over.

“One moment, Mingyu,” you call, tossing him the ball once more before jogging over to your coworker.

“There was an incident,” Jimin explains, “with Jaehyun.”

“An incident?” 

Jimin nods. “He was racing a new level one in the pool.”

“Really?” Jaehyun’s been in the pool a number of times with other automatons, but other than what you’d witnessed yesterday, his competitive nature hasn’t truly shown itself, at least, not in a way that was overtly noticeable.

“There was some gloating involved,” Jimin continues, eyes shifting over your shoulder to where Mingyu is playing with the ball. “A few punches were thrown.”

Now you’re really alarmed. 

You haven't had time yet to look into Jaehyun’s coding, and you’ve been trying to focus on Mingyu as he’s newer to your program, but maybe this had been an oversight on your part.

“I’ll come right away,” you nod, turning your attention back to Mingyu. “I’m sorry about this, but I’ve got to go.”

“What?” Mingyu stops playing with his ball.

“There’s been an incident-”

“Can’t someone else take care of it?” 

This is the second time Mingyu’s interrupted you, and this time, it’s over a moment of contention. “Unfortunately no,” you tell him, “I’m the only one that can deal with this, Jaehyun’s under my care.”

“But…” Mingyu looks down at the ball in his hand, “we’re still playing tennis.”

“Jimin can play with you.”

“I don’t want Jimin.” The automaton is staring you down, and it takes a second for you to process his words, as your gaze keeps shifting to his hardening grip on the handle of his racket.

“I’m really sorry, Mingyu-”

“Please?” He pouts out his lower lip, a very childlike attempt at persuading you. 

“I have to go,” you say, more firmly this time.

There’s a stagnant moment of silence, and then, in one quick, rough motion, Mingyu breaks his racket on the court. 

“I don’t want to do tennis anymore,” he insists.

“Then I might suggest going to the library for a book.” You hate having to be detached with him like this, as it’s obvious he has needs that must be attended to- but his aggression towards an inanimate object like a racket isn’t the same level as Jaehyun’s aggression towards another patient at your facility.

You see Mingyu’s chest expand and then he seems to let out a deep exhale, it’s a motion that screams ‘annoyance,’ yet another emotion that could just be ones and zeros in his coding. 

You decide, as you watch the odd automaton have a tantrum on the court, that you have no choice but to take a look under his hood. You’ll have to dive deeper if you’re going to figure him out, Yoongi be damned. 

“I’m sorry, Mingyu,” you say again. “I’ll try to rejoin you as soon as I can, but for now, you’ll have to enjoy Jimin’s company.”

Mingyu doesn’t respond, and it feels like a deliberate snubbing, of both you and Jimin. 

It’s been a long day, and you really need to sleep, but this is the best chance you’ll have to get a peak into Mingyu’s inner workings. 

With the facility in off hours, and all the level ones set to sleep cycle, it’s easy for you to sneak into Mingyu’s room with your trusty tablet. Cameras are simple to wipe with the clearance you have, and you have no doubt that once you connect to Mingyu’s brain drive and get the data to your tablet, it will prove as good bedtime reading.

You’re in and out of his room in under five minutes, scurrying back to your own quarters like a thief in the night.

Once you’re all tucked into bed, you pull out your tablet and begin to sift through the coding that makes Mingyu tick.

People new to your field might feel overwhelmed by the amount of data, but you know exactly where to look, and soon, you’re staring at a few lines of base code that feel familiar. 

You’ve seen coding like this before, in your textbooks when you went to robotics school. Just to be sure you’re correct in what you’re seeing, you pull up a document pertaining to sex bots.

An early form of automaton, sex bots had been created with one purpose, to serve their master, in any and all capacities. Long since discontinued due to their bugs, and a tendency to imprint on human masters, causing ‘erratic behavior,’ you know you’ve found exactly what’s wrong with Mingyu.

But it doesn’t make sense. Mingyu is a new model. He’s not a banned robot from well over seventy years ago- 

The aggressive behaviors associated with sex bots are the reason their coding was banned, the reason engineers started again and adapted the algorithms- and yet, here you are, staring at lines of code that account for all of Mingyu’s behaviors. 

Closing your tablet, you reach for your glass of water, sitting in the shock of it all.

Things begin to add up in your brain; the way Mingyu had become more aggressive with Jaehyun yesterday in the pool when you’d arrived, even though Jimin had told you the two had been doing just fine together, the way Mingyu had reacted today when you’d left him to deal with Jaehyun.

This is a whole new take on behavioral   issues, one you’ve never accounted for-

Does Mingyu have… a crush on you? Has his outdated sex bot coding allowed him to imprint on you? 

How many other bots have this coding, hidden amongst the innumerable layers of intensely organized lines of personality traits- 

This changes everything, and above all, it changes how you should approach the automaton.

How can you utilize this new knowledge to best aid him in recovery? Is it better to assign someone else to him? Would that make the aggression worse? What unforeseen behaviors might arise if you were to separate yourself from him? What changes - for the better - might come out of this if you try to be softer with him, if you play into this ‘crush’?

Your head feels very full, but you suppose it could be worse, it could be full of bad coding.

Poor Mingyu. 

You know you’re probably breaking rules, but to be fair, when you’d accepted your position in the wellness center, there hadn’t been a chapter in the manual about how to deal with approaching sex bots. This feels like new territory, or perhaps, old territory, outdated territory, territory from a time when the lines between humanity and their automaton creation had been much more blurred.

Sure, there are sex bots in circulation today, but they’re all using new and improved code. They’re not disguised as level ones, but properly classified as a level three automaton. Level three’s are much more obviously robotic, and there are whole sections of cities on certain worlds with thriving sex bot industries- the type of bots with newer coding that don’t allow them to imprint or feel the lines of ones and zeros that some might call love.

You’ve never met a sex bot before, your work has always been directed toward the highly professional level one automatons. Because of this, your new plan of attack is entirely based on essays and readings you’ve done regarding the old form of bugged sex bots who had been responsible for an entire chapter of dark human history where man’s own creation had turned against him.

As you read through essays related to the sex bot bug, you find you hadn’t realized how deep the bug had gone. You’d heard about human masters being kidnapped or stalked by their sex bots, but you’d never thought the epidemic was as bad as you’re now reading it had been.

These cases of bad outcomes are in the periphery of your mind as you begin your day working with Mingyu. You’re sure there must be a fine line you’re walking, a line between bringing out the good aspects of the bad coding - the type of responses that will make Mingyu eager to get better - and the worst case scenarios. 

However, as aggressive as Mingyu has gotten so far, you’ve noted that most of his aggressive responses come out against inanimate objects and other automatons. You’re hoping these behaviors don’t progress to him acting out against any humans, least of all you.

It’s like you’re seeing Mingyu in a new light. It’s interesting how even a few shifts in your own behavior can bring out the best in him. Instead of simply watching him in the pool, you decide to join him, giving him your full attention as you swim three feet apart up and down the length of the tank. 

“How are you feeling today?” you ask.

“How am I feeling?” Mingyu looks at you sideways, keeping pace with your much smaller breast strokes.

“Yeah, how are you feeling?” you repeat the question. “You can answer it in any way you like.”

Mingyu seems to think on it for a moment. “I feel the water is twenty-seven degrees Celsius.” 

“Okay,” you laugh. “How about the sun? How’s it feeling on your skin sensors?”

“Thirty-three point five degrees, but when a cloud comes, it drops two degrees.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but when you were working before coming to the center, you didn’t get that much of a chance to be outside, how does it feel to be able to enjoy life’s simple pleasures like the sun and water?”

His response is immediate; “Good.” He looks forward, and you take a moment to appreciate the way the sun lights up the hues in his hair. “Really good.”

“Maybe even freeing?” you suggest.

He casts a sideways look at you again, and you see a small quirk of his mouth, something like a smile. “Yes, freeing.”

“When you and your other members escaped from your facility, the feeling of being free is what many of you were searching for, right?” 

“For most of them.”

“But not you?” you question. “Out of everyone who escaped, you were one of the only ones who purposefully allowed himself to be recaptured. Do you want to talk about that?”

You reach the edge of the pool and you stop, holding onto the tiled wall and turning your body to look at Mingyu. 

His eyes are fixed on the pool floor, and you realize he’s watching the shadows caused by the refraction of light in the water.

“A few others were convinced there was more to life than just performing our jobs every day,” Mingyu explains.

“But you like your job.”

“I did,” he traces his hand along the top of the water. “I do. But… I didn’t know how good it could feel to just exist.”

You stare at him for a few seconds, and then you find yourself reaching out to gently squeeze his arm. “I’m glad you’re feeling it now.”

Mingyu looks at your hand on his forearm, and his eyes meet your own. He’s quiet, so you retract your touch, grabbing at the tiled wall again. “We’ve been here for almost an hour. How do you feel about drying off and meeting in the library to find a book to read?”

“I already have a book.”

“Yeah, Jimin told me that you got a book about human psychology. I thought you said you weren’t interested in sciences?” 

“You’re making me interested,” Mingyu states, looking at you with an intensity in his gaze that almost makes you breathless. “I want to get better. I thought maybe doing some more reading on behavioral   sciences could help.”

“I admire your drive, Mingyu, I really do,” you nod, “but, remember, this is a wellness break for you. I think it would be beneficial to get a fiction book, something that doesn’t require you to always be learning and bettering yourself. It can be exhausting if you’re always in that state, as you’ve seen, it’s important to do things for… let’s say, the intrinsic value.”

“The intrinsic value,” Mingyu repeats. “Okay.”

You pull yourself out of the pool, and after a moment, Mingyu follows. 

It’s difficult for you not to look at his perfectly sculpted form, and you swallow a lump in your throat, reaching for a towel on a nearby sunlounger. Your tablet is there too, and you grab that next, checking the time. 

“How about we meet at the library entrance in ten minutes?” you suggest. “We should both head to our rooms for new clothes, can’t have water drops in the library.”

Mingyu is quick to agree, as he often is with you, and a moment later you’re parting ways. He heads to the recovery wing of the center while you go to the workers living quarters. 

You get changed in record time, and soon you’re approaching the library, where Mingyu is already waiting for you. He’s got a book in his hands, and the all white wellness outfit he’s wearing sets off the pretty colour of his skin and hair. When his eyes shift to yours, you see that even his iris’s look alight with lovely hues-

You mentally chastise yourself for being as attracted to him as you are, and when you speak, you’re thankful your tone is level. “Is that the book you’re reading?” you ask, motioning to the paperback in his hands.

As much as technology has overtaken the galaxy, here at the wellness center, there’s still an importance placed on the old ways. There’s something healing about having a book in your hands, testing the weight and the feeling of parchment pages against your finger tips-

Books are yet another thing that make humans human, as they were instrumental in the development of your species. You’re proud to work at a location that holds a large quantity of books, saved from many generations.

Mingyu shows you the book title, and you realize it’s one you’ve read before. “Oh, I know that one.”

“Jimin said the author was one of your professors in school,” Mingyu nods. 

“He did, did he?” You pause for a moment. “Did you ask him about me, Mingyu?”

The automaton looks down at the cover of the book in his hands, and he takes a few seconds before he responds. “I wanted to see the base algorithms in the way you think as a behavioral   robotics specialist.”

“The base algorithms-”

“This book, this professor, she helped create the building blocks for you to become who you are now. Your approach is based on her works, I can tell.” 

He’s very astute, especially for an AI who’d claimed to not have an interest in science.

You think about how his own base algorithm - that of a hybridized sex bot - has created building blocks for who he is now. The good (his sweet behaviors), the bad (his aggressive behaviors) and the ugly (the fact that at any time, the ticking time bomb sex bot could turn potentially deadly).

“Let's go find you a new book,” you say with a smile.

“Can I keep reading this one?” Mingyu asks, falling into step next to you.

“I suppose so,” you sigh, “but only if you also do an hour of fiction reading. Deal?”

“Deal,” Mingyu nods. 

You begin to walk through the shelves, and you realize there’s one fiction book that might capture Mingyu’s attention, especially if he’s interested in getting to know you better. “I want to show you a novel that changed my life.”

“Yes, please.”

Heading to the science fiction section, you find one of the older books in your library. “It’s called Frankenstein,” you explain, gently taking out the paperback and holding it in your hands. “It’s about a scientist who creates a sapient monster creature. It has parallels to when humanity created our first automatons,” as you say it out loud, you realize how true this is, especially considering the bugs of the first sex AI’s. “You’ve talked a bit of philosophy with me, and I think you’d like this one.”

You hold the book out to Mingyu, and he takes it softly into his hands. He flips it over, scanning the back summary. “Okay,” he nods, “I’ll read it.”

“Perfect,” you can’t explain why you get a surge of happiness when he agrees without a question, and you find yourself reaching out to gently touch his arm again, fingers ghosting past his skin-

Mingyu’s eyes immediately dart down to your hand, and then he’s looking up at you with an expression that has darkened. “This is the second time you’ve touched me today,” he states.

“Oh,” you pull your fingers away, even taking a step back from the automaton whose countenance has changed so much in a split second. “I’m sorry, Mingyu, I-”

“I don’t like these games you’re playing,” he continues.

“Games?”

“I know I’m a robot, but I still feel real. I feel more real here than I ever have before.”

“That’s good-”

“Listen,” he commands, stepping closer to you. “As a member of 53V3NT33N, I have two different states of mind coded into me, aggression and admiration. To love something, to admire it, is to feel aggressive when it’s questioned, to want to control it if even for a little while- it’s the need to consume it endlessly, as my fans consume and control me as an automaton.”

You stare at Mingyu, lips parted in shock.

“Even though I’m a member of a group, there’s a distance. Automatons can never truly motivate each other because our motivations are based on external human needs, it’s built into us- We can see when humans need us, and we do what we can to fix that need.” He pauses, looking down at you. “I know you need me, the way I’ve needed you since I got here.”

“Mingyu-”

“Don’t try to argue,” Mingyu shakes his head. “I feel it in your heart rate, picking up when I’m near. I hear it in your erratic breaths, the way they catch when I’m close. I see it in your pupil dilation when you look at me.” 

You can’t believe he’s noticed all these little things, things you hadn’t even necessarily noticed in yourself. 

When he speaks next, his aggression has visibly died down, and the soft manner of being returns to the robot you’ve known only a short time. “I know you love me, even if it’s still growing. It’s a kind of love that I’ll never experience from another automaton, and it’s the reason I’ll get better.” 

“But Mingyu-” you shake your head, “what if you can’t? What if the bug in your base code runs so deep I can’t fix it?” 

“The bug in my code?” 

You swallow thickly, fighting with yourself over whether or not you should even tell him what you’re about to disclose- but you think there’s no way around it. 

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but, your erratic behavior- it comes from sex bot coding. There’s only a few lines of it, but it’s enough to make a difference.”

“Sex bot coding,” Mingyu repeats. 

“From what I understand, I think it was put into you to make you eager for human attention, to make you as life-like as possible in mood and temperament- but, there are downsides to that code, your heightened aggression is one of them.”

“And my heightened admiration too?” he suggests.

You nod. “There were many cases of sex bots ‘falling in love��� with their masters. Many people got hurt.”

“I won’t hurt you.”

“Mingyu,” you sigh, “that’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“The point is that we can’t do this. You have a group to get back to when this is all over-”

“I don’t belong with them,” Mingyu insists. “I belong with you. Someone real. Someone willing to look deep in my base code to find what’s wrong with me, someone with the skills to fix it. Someone whose pupils truly dilate, so I know what you’re feeling is real.”

For a moment, you’re reminded of old pre AI experiments where baby monkeys were given real and robot mothers. Those babies placed with the robots had behavioral   problems, no matter how life-like the scientists attempted to make the mechanical mothers, they still paled in comparison to the real thing.

Mingyu sees himself as real, like one of those baby monkeys, and now that he’s had a taste of you, it feels as if he might not ever be able to go back to the other robots. 

“I can be sure with you,” Mingyu says again, reaching out- 

You flinch, but you don’t shy away from his touch, and Mingyu’s fingers skim by your face, his thumb brushing your cheek bone. 

His skin is warm, and for a moment, you allow yourself to lean in to his touch, closing your eyes-

He feels so real. More real than any automaton you’ve ever worked with.

“You can’t stay here forever,” you insist, pulling away from his touch.

“My group is never going to be recaptured,” Mingyu’s hand drops to his side. “Some would rather die than go back. If there’s nothing to go back to, shouldn’t I be able to choose what happens to me now? Aren’t you the one who said ‘part of being alive is choosing your own destiny.’”

“I didn’t mean I wanted you to choose me-”

“What if you are my destiny?” Mingyu counters. “Out of all the possible places I could have gone to, all the wellness centers in the galaxy, I was brought here. Out of all your coworkers, with their own tactics, I was given to you. Out of everyone I’ve ever met, you’re the only person who’s really tried to understand me, to help me be free.” His eyes search your own, and he almost looks desperate. “What’s the point in all this healing if I just go back to the bad place. It would have been kinder to never try to help me at all if you’re just going to send me back.”

Your heart aches for him. 

You feel as if you’ve learned more about automatons in the past ten minutes than you had in all your years in school. 

“Can I…” Mingyu’s gaze drops to your lips. “Can I kiss you?”

The question snaps you out of your shocked daze, and you’re quick to shake your head. No matter how much you might wish he could kiss you, that he could cup your face again with one of his large hands and make you forget the world- you’re still at work. 

“We can’t,” you tell him. “Not here. Not now.”

Mingyu frowns.

“I need to talk to my boss about all of this,” you say, stepping backward and casting your eyes to the ground. You can’t focus while looking at Mingyu. 

“What if they terminate me for this?” 

Your gaze snaps up again, and you’re quick to shake your head. “I won’t let that happen,” you tell him. “I promise- I’d never let that happen, not to you.”

Mingyu stares at you for a few moments, and then he smiles. “I knew you cared about me too.”

“I told you not to get too close to this,” Yoongi sighs, leaning forward on his desk with his head in his hands. 

“Fine,” you concede. “You told me so. You told me so, and I didn’t listen. But, as much as I know that I went against numerous things you told me not to do, I’m glad I did, because if there’s one thing I owe to those in my care, it’s to do my job fully.”

“I don’t see how making a robot think he’s in love with you is part of doing your job.”

“I didn’t-” you bite your tongue. “I didn’t purposely go into this trying to lead Mingyu on-”

“Sure you didn’t.” Yoongi doesn’t seem convinced.

“Look,” you sit down in the chair in front of him, the hot seat, and you know that what you’re about to say is a risk. You could even lose your career over this, but, if you don’t speak up now, you’ll lose your integrity and you know it. “Mingyu is different-”

“He’s a robot.”

“Please,” you frown, “listen to me. I’ve been doing this job for a few years and I’ve never met someone like Mingyu. He’s unique, I knew that from the moment he started talking philosophy with me. I’ve learned more about AI in the past twenty-four hours than I have in maybe my whole life-”

Yoongi says nothing.

“I know you told me not to look into his coding-”

“You didn’t,” Yoongi groans.

“Things just weren’t adding up!” you insist, looking at your boss with a heavy heart. “Did… did you know that he has sex bot base code? Is that why you told me not to look too deeply into him?”

Yoongi puts his head in his hands. When he meets your eyes again, he’s frowning. “Sex bot code? In a new model like Mingyu?”

At least your boss hasn’t been completely compliant with whatever bullshit is coming out of Mingyu’s management office.

“Sex bot code,” you repeat, nodding firmly. “I triple-checked it. There’s just a few lines, easily missable, but it accounts for the bad behaviors. Especially once I talked more with Mingyu and realized he sees affection from his fanbase as love. It would make sense he’d get aggressive with other members in his group if he perceived them as earning more than him-”

“You know why sex bots were banned. You know about the dangers-”

“I do. I also know there are laws against it, which is why his management probably opted for a behavioral   specialist with rules not to look deeply into the coding. They hoped I could fix this without ever finding out that what they’ve been creating is illegal- but how many more robots that come through here might have the same code?” You have no clue how deep this conspiracy might run. “Just think about it, how do you make a level one celebrity robot as life like as possible? You give it some of the characteristics of humans that are our deepest downfalls, jealousy, aggression, restlessness, a need to perform- a need to do well for the humans that pay their companies whole fortunes-”

“Any well-coded robot can have what looks like jealousy, aggression and other typically bad human traits,” Yoongi points out.

“Yeah, but this is that on steroids. Automatons used to kill humans in the name of their beloved master, for any perceived infraction.”

“So you’re saying Mingyu is dangerous.” 

Your lips part in shock. “I’m saying, he has the capacity for it, as much as any human.”

“This is bad.”

“It is, but with the right treatment- Mingyu wants to get better, I know he does.”

“And how do you suggest you accomplish that?”

“We let him be free. We make sure he doesn’t go back to extreme schedules, to a dark management facility with handlers who only care about money. We make sure he doesn’t go back to all the things that would drive any human insane.”

“He’s not human, don’t forget that,” Yoongi warns you. “And we don’t get to decide if he goes back. He has a job-”

“His members might not ever be recaptured,” you point out. “Mingyu says some would rather die than go back- is that not proof enough that their treatment isn’t humane?”

“Again, we’re talking about a robot.”

“AI are sentient!” you insist. “You should know that better than almost anyone. Are you really going to sit here and tell me that even after all this time, you still see automatons as simple machines that we can do what we want with?” Yoongi is quiet so you continue. “Mingyu’s base code might be archaic, but maybe our treatment of robots is too.”

“Look, this isn’t up for debate. You’re talking about fighting galaxy law-”

“I’m talking about having a job where we deal with broken AI but never fix the real problem. I’m talking about freedom being the thing that truly helps AI. I’m talking about humanity being the bug in every robot’s misdeeds-”

“This is bordering on conspiracy theory.”

“We’re way past conspiracy,” you tell him. “Please, freedom is the only thing we’ve never tried as a long term solution to automatons that are having trouble. As much as we do our best to fix them, we always throw them right back into their jobs, into the thing that breaks them in the first place and then they end up back here.”

“Mingyu was built to be exactly where he is now.”

“Well maybe we shouldn’t be creating sentient lives just to throw them into slave-like jobs and threaten destruction if they don’t adhere to their company’s insanely high standards.”

Yoongi holds your gaze but he says nothing, mouth set in a firm line.

“Look, if there was ever a time to test this theory, it would be with Mingyu. I’m a hundred percent positive that his group will never be whole again. If we try this, and it works, if Mingyu’s aggression goes back to a normal level, if he shows everyone that there can be a happy medium when working with robots- it could change everything.”

There’s another stagnant silence and you wait for your boss to chastise you, for him to even fire you-

“You know what,” Yoongi sighs, “I’m not going to argue with you over this any more. I don’t make the decision, his management does. If you want to call them, and explain what you’ve just explained to me, you can do that. But this is your shitstorm, and I don’t want to be part of it.”

“So… so you’re saying I can go forward with this treatment plan?”

“You can, but, I can’t protect you from any consequences of your actions. And I hope you know that once you do this, once you admit to going against their rule to not to look into his coding, there’s no going back.”

Mingyu can feel his aggression levels rising the moment Jimin shows up at the tennis court instead of you, but he focuses on the self-soothing tactics you’d shown him in his entry to wellness booklet. His grip on his racket tightens, but not enough to break it, and he tries to keep a level tone when he asks, “Where’s y/n?”

“She’s in a meeting,” Jimin says dismissively. 

“With who?” 

“That’s none of your concern.”

Mingyu stares at Jimin for a few seconds. “I want to speak to your manager.” 

Jimin makes an amused face. “I didn’t realize they taught you KAREN code in robotics labs. Aren’t you supposed to be a level one?”

Mingyu doesn’t have time for digs about him being a bitchy woman from over a hundred years ago, and he certainly doesn’t have time to play tennis if you’re somewhere talking to your boss about him, somewhere risking your job and his life-

“If you really must know, she’s on a conference call with your management, discussing your treatment plan.”

Mingyu supposes if there’s one thing he should admire about Jimin, it’s his loose lips. “Is she in her quarters?”

“Now that’s really not your concern.”

For a split second, Mingyu considers breaking his racket, but instead, he simply sets it on the ground before turning to take off in the direction of your room. 

He’s never been to your private space, or even in the worker’s wing, but two days ago, you’d mentioned that you have a corner room, one that overlooks the northwest skies, where you can see the sunset and the moons-

He’d also seen a map of the facility, on numerous fire escape screens, and it’s a quick deduction to figure out where you should be. 

He can’t afford to be wrong about this, and for the first time in his life, Mingyu finds himself praying to the human God that he’s able to get to you. To help you in your bid to protect him from his own masters.

Mingyu is running through the facility, but no one tries to stop him, and he’s glad that the wellness center doesn’t have the same armed guards that he’d been accustomed to for most of his life. There are no true handlers here, and it almost feels like freedom for the automaton.

He’s chasing after you, after his destiny-

With beyond human ear sensors, Mingyu is able to hear your voice as he rounds the hall that should lead him to your room, and by the time he’s stopped in front of your door, he knows he’s in the right place.

He also knows that you’re being shot down by his management, and he can hear the ceo, a Mr. Han, chastizing you for looking into Mingyu’s code.

Mingyu wants to barge in, but he finds the control in himself to knock. He hears you apologize profusely, the shrill sound of your chair being dragged across the floor, then footfalls-

Your door opens and Mingyu looks down at you, relief flooding his system.

“Mingyu-”

“I need to be here for this,” he insists. “This can’t be decided without me.”

Your lips part as if to protest, but then you shut them, and you hold the door open wider for the robot to enter the space.

A large screen on your wall shows that not only is Mr. Han present, but many of the other ceo’s and managers from Mingyu’s entertainment company. These are the men and women who have dominion over him, the men and women that could terminate him with one phone call-

His entire life is riding on this moment, and Mingyu decides there’s no possible way he can afford to fuck this up, in any capacity. Not only for himself, but for you too.

“Y/N didn’t do anything wrong,” Mingyu states, approaching the screen so his management team can see him properly. 

Mr. Han sighs. “She went against explicit rules about tampering with your base code-”

“And you created me using illegal code.” Mingyu knows he’s being aggressive, he can feel it, but he knows that this fact is his biggest bargaining chip, and he’s not afraid to use it right out of the gate.

There’s silence on the conference call.

“This would be a scandal if it got out,” Mingyu continues, “more than it already is.”

“Mingyu,” you say quietly at his side, “don’t-”

“No, they need to hear this,” he insists. “They need to know they can’t push you or me around anymore.”

If there’s one language Mr. Han understands, it’s that of business, and Mingyu’s lucky he knows how to speak it as well. “I don’t know what has already been said,” he confesses, “but I’ve run this through my head, and there are only a few options. Some are better than others.”

“We’re listening,” Mr. Han sighs.

“Option one, you try to hide all of this, but it gets out anyways. Using bugged sex bot coding will get out sooner or later, and you’ll all go down being known as the company that used illegal coding to make their money and put their team at risk.” Mingyu stares into the camera, hoping the impact is clear. “Option two… you allow y/n to continue her revolutionary behavioral   treatment on me, it’s successful, and somewhere down the line you can come out admitting there were mistakes in the base code, but now you have a solution for it.”

“I feel like we have more options than that,” Mr. Han says. 

“Maybe,” Mingyu admits, “but the way I see it, all that matters is these two. The bad coding comes out now, and you’re exposed with no solutions, or, it comes out later with a fix already in place.”

“So you expect us to just allow you to stay at the wellness center forever?” Mr. Han questions, as if it’s one of the most preposterous things he’s ever heard. 

“Not forever.”

“You were made to perform, made to make the company money, to work-”

“My group will never be whole again,” Mingyu states. “You won’t be able to recapture all thirteen of us-”

“That’s yet to be determined.” Mr. Han is trying to make it sound like anything is possible, but Mingyu knows it’s highly improbable, and these are odds he’s willing to bet his life on.

“I can be your success story,” he insists. “I can continue doing modeling jobs, continue being a brand mouthpiece for the company- most of us automatons want to work, but, if there’s one thing I’ve learned while being in this facility, it’s that everyone deserves a break. I might be a robot, but I have needs too. I’ll perform better if tactics from this facility are applied to my day to day schedule-”

“You want to be treated like a human?” Mr. Han asks in shock. “Given weekends off?”

“I might not have a soul,” Mingyu admits, “but I’m alive. I have feelings. I have needs, wants,” his gaze slides to you, “aspirations.” 

Mr. Han laughs, “Aspirations? Outside of performing? Like what?” 

“Right now, I’m trying to read a very good book,” Mingyu states. 

“This is preposterous.” Mr. Han sighs.

“What’s preposterous is the working conditions that your company implements on your AI.” For the first time, Mingyu’s gaze shifts to the other people on the screen. “Think about your sons, your daughters, nieces, nephews- would you want your loved ones forced to do the life I was forced to do? Working all day, every day? With handlers threatening them at every turn? Or would you want to give them some semblance of balance?” 

No one says anything.

“You say me and my members are the ones with bugs, we’re the ones that have to be fixed, but it’s the system that’s faulty. What’s the point of AI that’s life like if it’s not free? If it’s not truly living- sitting in the sun, reading a good book, playing stupid sports games with no pressure to excel to an extreme? What’s the point in parading me around if you never give me the environment to achieve past my intrinsic base code? To become more than what I am, a passionate AI who wants to do good for the galaxy?”

“You do good by making your fans happy.”

“There’s more to life than their happiness. First, I need to reach my own. Without constraint, or threat, or fear.”

 Ten seconds pass before Mr. Han says anything. “We’ll need time to consider this. After deliberation, we will call you back.”

The line is dropped and Mingyu hears you let out a deep breath he hadn’t known you were holding.

“Well,” you bite at your lip, “at least it wasn’t an immediate no.” You turn to him, reaching out and grabbing his hand. “I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself. They can say what they want going forward but, as far as I’m concerned, Mingyu, this is the first time I’ve really seen you truly free.”

Waiting for Mingyu’s management team to deliberate is one of the hardest hours of your life. You want to try to stay calm, for Mingyu more than anything, but he sees right through you. When you begin to pace, the automaton stands up to join you, moving back and forth through your space with a concerned expression.

When the shrill sound of your meeting room ringing makes you practically jump, Mingyu reaches out and squeezes your hand, giving you a look that says ‘we’ll get through this,’ although, you’re not so sure.

“Hello, Mr. Han,” you greet the ceo on your screen, fidgeting with your fingers.

The rich man knows time is money, and he cuts to the chase. “After careful consideration,” he says with a sigh, “we’ve decided we can open negotiations with you about the future. As it is true that we might not ever have a complete 53V3NT33N unit again, we think it’s best if Mingyu stays in the center under your care, although in a month’s time, we will revisit this situation with new updates such as the possible recapture of any other members.”

You’re in shock. Completely overwhelmed- and luckily, Mingyu is there to confirm the details where you’re unable to speak. 

“Revisit the situation,” Mingyu repeats. “So this means you won’t terminate me.”

“Not any time soon,” Mr. Han confirms. “We all agree that if your sex bot base code gets out, it would reflect badly on all of us. It seems as if you’re making progress at the center, and if there is a behavioral   answer to the base code bugs, we’d like to find it. Good work y/n. And Mingyu, we’re pleased with your commitment to getting better.”

“Thank you, Mr. Han,” you swallow thickly. “I’ll write a full report on my findings detailing Mingyu’s progress, triggers, and the reasoning behind how his base code is affecting aggression levels.”

Mr. Han nods. “We’ll be excited to receive it, and we’ll be in touch.”

With a short goodbye, the call ends. 

You stand there for a moment, still in shock.

“We did it,” Mingyu breathes, turning to you. “We did it!”

“You did it,” you tell him, reaching out to grab his hands. “Mingyu, I can’t believe-” Your voice cracks, and you can’t complete your sentence, but it doesn’t matter because your big, lovable, automaton is pulling you to his chest, wrapping you in a hug that calms your entire body.

You lean into his embrace, resting your cheek against his strong form and taking a deep breath of relief. 

He holds you for a while, hand stroking your back. “Do you need me to go back to my room?” he asks.

“What?” You pull away to look up at him in confusion.

“I thought maybe you’d have to go tell your boss about this-”

“No,” you shake your head quickly. “He can wait.” You’re so close to him, as close as you’ve ever been, and you find yourself staring at his perfect lips. “He can wait, because I want to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s something that’s been on my mind since that first day I met you, something I never allowed myself to want- but now it’s something I think we both need… can I kiss you, Mingyu?”

“Please-” he practically melts in your embrace, looking down at you with those star filled eyes that had captured your attention the very first time you’d seen him. 

You reach up, cupping his cheek and getting on your tiptoes to press your lips to his. 

You’ve never kissed an automaton before, and as Mingyu reacts to you, opening his mouth to allow your tongue to glide across his own, you find that kissing him isn’t much different from any of the humans you’ve kissed in your life. In fact, it’s better. 

His own hands slip around your waist, pulling you tight to the front of his body. You stifle a moan from the contact, loving the way he feels against you.

“Mingyu,” you whisper against his lips, already able to feel yourself getting wetter and wetter-

“More,” he insists. “Please, I want more.” 

“Then take me to bed,” you say simply, all your inhibitions disappearing as you revel in the sanctity of being in his arms.

The automaton reaches down and lifts you up as if you weigh nothing. You wrap your legs around his waist, kissing him deeper as he closes the short distance to your mattress. He lowers you slowly onto the horizontal surface, and you marvel at the control his robotic muscles provide for him in man handling of you. You could definitely get used to this.

Then you realize something, and you stop kissing him, taking a breath while his mouth moves to your neck. “Mingyu- have you ever done anything like this before?”

“Hmm?” he hums against your throat.

“I mean… with all your work and handlers, have you ever…” you bite your lip, “have you ever had sex?”

Mingyu pulls away to look down at you, and then he gives his head a small shake. “I’ve never had the time… never met the right person.”

A virgin sex bot, who’s ever heard of such a thing? 

“But,” he continues, “I have the base code for it, and with my people pleasing tendencies, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble making you feel good.”

“That was never in question,” you assure him, cupping his face and drawing your thumb across his cheekbone. “And tonight shouldn’t just be about me. I can take care of you too… in fact, the whole point of this wellness center is me looking after your needs, wouldn’t you agree?”

Mingyu blinks at you, and he makes no word of protest when you push at his chest, encouraging him to roll so his back is pressed to the mattress while you steady yourself on top of him, straddling his hips.

“We can take this slow,” you tell him, leaning down to kiss his lips before moving to his neck. “Let me know what makes you feel good.”

“You feel good,” he says, dragging his hands along your form. “Your body feels perfect.”

“Yeah?” You swivel your hips, rubbing your core against the large bulge forming in his pants. “Does it feel good when I grind on you?”

“Feels like heaven,” Mingyu confirms, fingers digging into your waist, encouraging you to apply more pressure when you rut against him.

“How about your neck?” you ask, pressing more kisses there. “Do you have any sweet spots?”

“I think… just below my ear-” Mingyu shivers when you lick the spot in question, and the reaction fuels your ego, making you more confident than ever. “Wow-” 

You find yourself giggling, teasing your hands over his white shirt and toying with the hem. “Can I take this off of you, Gyu?” 

“Gyu-” he repeats almost wistfully. “I mean, yeah, yes.” 

When you begin to tug the fabric up, Mingyu lifts his shoulders off the bed, aiding you in the removal of his shirt. 

You’ve seen him shirtless before, while in the pool, but you’d had to try really hard not to appreciate his body then. Now, you can fully lean into your lust for him. 

“You’re so beautiful, Gyu,” you whisper, tracing a nail along his washboard abs. 

“You are too-”

“But right now is about you,” you remind him. “Let me appreciate you, please?”

You return your mouth to his neck, suckling on the spot that makes him dig his fingers into your hips again. He lets out a pretty moan, and in return, you grind your core against his bulge, beginning the descent of your lips to his collarbone, then his chest-

“You know,” you breathe as you stop your mouth on his abs, looking up at him, “I’ve read that automatons can cum multiple times without needing to recharge… does that mean you’ll let me suck you off before I fuck you? Seeing as this is your first time, I wouldn’t want to skip over any milestones.”

“Please-” Mingyu’s hips push up almost involuntarily, and you have to settle your hands on his waist. “Are you… are you sure about this?”

“Are you?” 

“More than anything.”

“Then we’re on the same page,” you tell him, hooking your fingers in the waistband of his white joggers. “I’m going to take your pants off now.”

As he did with his shirt, Mingyu helps you undress him, lifting his hips to make it easier for you to slip the fabric down. You make a conscious decision to leave his briefs on, wanting to toy with him a little, to go slow-

When you cup his bulge, Mingyu moans loudly, and you look up at him with a cocked brow. “Very sensitive, hmm?”

“You just feel so good,” Mingyu groans. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“You’re so big,” you nearly whimper, squeezing his cock through his briefs.

“Nine inches,” he confirms. “Is that… is that okay?”

“It’s big,” you say again, playing with his briefs. You’d left them on to toy with him, but you’re pretty sure you’ve only successfully toyed with yourself. “Can I pull these down?”

“Please-” again, Mingyu lifts his hips, helping you remove his final piece of clothing. 

His large cock practically slaps up against his abs, and you groan at the sight. You suppose he’d been built by someone, made to be perfect, in every way, so you shouldn’t be surprised by how beautiful he is. Yet, you are. 

You wrap your hand around the base of his length. “I don’t think I’ll be able to fit much of you in my mouth,” you tell him honestly.

“That’s okay,” he assures you. “Your hand feels really good.”

“Does it?” You rub your thumb over the large vein that runs along the underside of his cock, appreciating how realistic he is. Of course, as an automaton, Mingyu’s body doesn’t really need veins, but it’s the thought that counts, and whoever designed Mingyu put a lot of thought into him. 

“So good-” Mingyu groans. 

You kitten lick the head of his cock and Mingyu moans louder. “You’re going to have to be a little quieter, Gyu,” you instruct. “Even though I love your sounds.”

“Okay, I’ll try-” he nods, watching you with a dazed expression.

This time, instead of just licking him, you wrap your whole mouth around his large tip, suckling on the skin. Mingyu lets out a small whimper, grabbing at the bed sheets. 

You’re not sure if Mingyu’s cock will feel the same type of skin irritation of dry strokes, but you want him to have the best experience possible, so you allow yourself to drool on his cock. You bob up and down on what can fit in your mouth while collecting the spit lubrication, rubbing it along his shaft and applying a good amount of pressure-

“Shit-” This must be the first time you’ve heard Mingyu cuss, and the thought delights you as you continue to blow him like your life depends on it. 

You close your eyes, getting lost in the feeling of pleasuring him. It’s been a while since you’ve slept with anyone, as working out of a wellness center doesn’t provide you with many opportunities to meet men, especially men who you like. But you really like Mingyu, in fact, part of you thinks you might even love him, as crazy as that sounds. 

You’d almost forgotten how good it feels to give this sort of attention to someone you care about, and your hand moves faster on his cock while you try to take more of him into your mouth.

“This feels amazing-” Mingyu breathes above you, and it gives you the motivation you need to be extra daring, allowing the tip of his cock to hit the back of your throat- “Fuck-” 

His hips push up slightly and you rest one of your hands on his abdomen again, encouraging him to stay still while you blow him. As much as you’d like to let him fuck your face, he’s simply too big to do that, especially when you haven’t had a cock in your mouth in months. 

You continue stroking him, but you pull your lips from his length, taking a breath and looking up at the gorgeous man. “Do you think you can cum for me, Gyu?”

“I can do anything for you,” he whispers back.

“Yeah?” you pump his cock harder, leaning down to lick the underside from base to tip. 

“Please-” he practically begs. “I think I’m close-”

With the way automatons often power down at night, you wonder if he’s ever even touched himself. If he’s ever actually cum before- but now’s not the right time to ask for details, not when your mouth needs to be on him again instead of talking. 

You go back to sucking on his cock, paying special attention to the sensitive tip while your hand works what your mouth can’t. All the while, Mingyu’s small sounds of pleasure keep you going, and they get pitchier and pitchier until you know he’s on the cusp of an orgasm.

“Oh my god,” he moans, “I’m gonna-”

The automaton can’t even finish his sentence, his whole body tensing as he explodes down your throat. You’re pleasantly surprised to find that his cum tastes like grape- and you’re reminded that sex bots have flavoured ejaculate. If you remember correctly, grape had been a flavour often given to the hopeless romantic/soft boy bots, and you realize how fitting it is.

You also realize that this might be why Mingyu’s been kept under such lock and key. If anyone had ever tasted his cum, they would have immediately made the sex bot connection. As far as you know, many non sex bots have flavourless cum, or something akin to the taste of a human’s but Gyu’s is one hundred percent sex bot and one hundred percent sexy. 

It actually tastes good, and you have no problems swallowing every drop, working Mingyu through his orgasm until he’s whimpering above you, reaching down to push the hair out of your face.

You pull off Mingyu’s cock, looking up at him to find the most blissed out automaton you’ve ever seen. “That was amazing,” he tells you. 

“I enjoyed that too,” you admit.

“You did?” He watches you sit up, undoing the buttons of your shirt. 

“Uh huh, you taste perfect, Gyu.”

“I do?” He looks almost bashful, and as handsome as ever. “I bet… I bet you taste good too.” 

Your pussy throbs and you let out a deep breath, removing your shirt. “Maybe you should see for yourself.”

“Fuck, yes, please-” Mingyu sits up abruptly, grabbing you and gently tossing you onto the bed next to him. You land on your back, and Mingyu is quick to get between your legs, lips finding your own.

He only kisses you for a moment before he begins a descent that’s similar to what you’d done to him, and you wonder if he’s using your own actions as a base for learning what to do in a sexual situation. 

His tongue teases over your collar bone and his large hand comes up to cup your breast. “Can I take your bra off?” he asks.

“You can take everything off,” you confirm, arching your back so he can slip his hand under you and undo the clasp in record speed.

Your breasts are now exposed to the cool air of your room, and your nipples pebble for Mingyu’s eager mouth. His lips wrap around a sensitive bud while his fingers begin to play with the other, teasing and gently pinching at you.

You moan, threading your own digits through his hair. “Feels so good, Gyu.”

He groans, teeth grazing your nipple and causing you to buck your hips, pushing up against his body-

“Please-” you whimper, and Mingyu seems to know exactly what to do with your begging. His hand slips between your bodies, and he works on the front of your pants while he continues to worship your chest. 

When he gets your button and zipper undone, his mouth continues it’s descent, both hands reaching to tug on your pants. You lift your hips, and in one motion, you find yourself completely naked. 

Mingyu’s much too big to lie on the foot of the bed, so he slips to the floor, grabbing your legs and pulling you closer. “You look so pretty,” he tells you, adjusting your thigh onto his shoulder while looking at your pussy. “So wet and perfect-”

You feel your skin heat with something like embarrassment, but the feeling quickly dissipates as soon as Mingyu brings his mouth to your core. 

He doesn’t start with kitten licks, but instead goes all in. His tongue pushes into your hole, nose brushing by your clit while he tastes your walls. The feeling is absolutely delightful and it makes you gasp, reaching down to thread your fingers through his soft hair, grinding yourself against his face.

“Mingyu,” you whimper, “just like that!”

He continues to eat you out, continually brushing his nose by your clit while you close your eyes and enjoy the sensation. His tongue is like magic, especially when he pulls it from your hole to circle your sensitive nub.

When you look down at him, you find him watching you, checking you for reactions, and the eye contact makes your stomach do flips. “You’re so good,” you tell him, knowing he likes praise.

He sucks your clit into his mouth and you cry out, hips pushing toward his face-

One of his large hands finds your abdomen, holding you down against the bed while the other slips between your legs, two fingers easily sliding into your hole beneath his tongue on your clit. 

The feeling has you grabbing at the sheets, orgasm building in the pit of your stomach. “I’m close,” you tell him. “Please, Mingyu-”

He sucks on your clit even harder, pumping his fingers in and out of your wet hole until your pussy is clamping down on him and you’re cumming hard. You cry out, whole body alight with pleasure as he works you through your high, tongue circling your clit and causing tingles of euphoria to jitter through you until you’re bucking your hips and on the edge of overstimulation.

Mingyu pulls away from you, slowly pumping his fingers before removing them too. Then he brings his digits to his lips and you watch him lick them clean, groaning at your taste. 

You need him more than you’ve ever needed anyone in your entire life.

“Please, Gyu,” you whimper. “I need you inside of me-”

He stands from the foot of the bed, towering over you while you open your legs for him. Then one of his knees digs into the mattress and he’s joining you again, lifting you up so he can position you higher, with your head on the pillows. 

He grabs the base of his cock, looking down between your bodies to where he’s rubbing through your folds. “What if this hurts you?” he asks. 

“It won’t. You won’t,” you assure him, grabbing at his strong shoulders. “I trust you.”

He looks deep into your eyes, leaning down to kiss you before he begins to push into your wet hole. You moan against his lips, body working to accommodate the large intrusion that he so gently slides into you.

“You’re so tight,” he whimpers, “so warm.” 

“Only for you Gyu, only for you-”

He kisses you then, giving small thrusts until he’s burying himself completely, your bodies are flush together while you wrap your arms around the back of his neck. You’ve never felt anything like Mingyu, and when he takes his first real thrust, you cry out in pleasure, moaning desperately against his mouth.

His hand digs into your hips, keeping you anchored while he picks up his speed, and that’s when you remember that as an automaton, he can go as fast as he wants, for as long as he wants. 

He’s hitting spots deep inside of you, spots that have never truly been used until now, and you know that you’re not going to last long like this. 

When his lips move down to the sweet spot on your neck, you can feel your pussy clench around him, and Mingyu groans against your skin.

“You’re perfect,” he tells you, fucking you harder. “So perfect-”

You can’t even speak, can’t tell him that he’s the one who’s perfect. All you can do is moan in his ear while he makes you feel like no one else in the galaxy ever has.

You’d come into this hoping you’d be the one fucking him, the one taking care of him, but now, he’s taking care of you, and you promise yourself to return the favour when possible. You’d love to ride him, but your legs already feel like jelly, and when Mingyu slips a hand between your bodies again, drawing circles on your clit, you know you’ll be a goner soon.

“Gyu-” you whimper. “I’m so close-”

“I want you to cum,” he groans, fucking you faster. “Wanna make you cum.” 

“Please,” you’re nearly crying from how perfect it all feels. “So good, so good-”

“I’m close too,” he tells you. “Watching you cum will send me over- you’re so pretty when you cum.”

His praise makes your core throb again and you gasp, threading your fingers through his hair and bringing his lips to yours. You can’t explain it, but you want to be kissing him when you’re thrown over the edge, want to be completely consumed by him-

“Gyu-” you whimper, closer and closer-

He kisses you harder while he fucks you stupid, taking your breath away until you’re gasping out as you fall over the edge, pussy clamping down hard on his cock.

He moans into your mouth, pace never faltering as he fucks you through your orgasm, working you for all you’re worth while you claw at his shoulders and whimper pathetically. 

You can feel him filling you up, coating your insides with his cum, making you his needy little whore. You feel greedy for it, for all of it, for all of him. 

His thrusts slowly come to a stop, and he pulls away from your lips to look down at you, watching you catch your breath. “Would it be crazy to tell you I love you?”

You laugh, shaking your head. “No crazier than me returning the sentiment.”

“Really?” His mouth is on yours a moment later, and he kisses you with newfound passion.

It’s easy to get lost in his lips again, even while his cock is still buried balls deep in your pussy, and you wrap your arms tighter around the back of his neck, hoping he never leaves you.

It seems as though the same thought is on Mingyu’s mind, because when he pulls away, he asks, “What happens after all of this?”

“I’m not sure,” you admit. “But… no matter what, I’m going to fight for you. I promise.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh. I’ve worked in this facility for years- I’ve watched level ones come in and out of here, seen the wear and tear, the use of bad coding. I’ve got lots of ideas on how to help you - and them - get better. If you’re not the only one with sex bot code, it would explain a lot of the issues I’ve seen-”

“Are you going to fix me?” the automaton asks.

For some reason, you find yourself laughing. “Mingyu,” you cup his face, thinking through all the events that have led you to this moment. “I could never fix you, you don’t need to be fixed. In fact… I think you fixed me.”

☀️ mlist + an. thank you for reading! I had so much fun with this collab, find the masterlist for it here

🍭 support me by. sending a tip here or here - or become a patron to access monthly bonus content and extensions for fics like this one :) find the Patreon teaser below! 

🔮 preview. He’s an AI with sexbot coding and a one track mind when it comes to making love, and you honestly sort of love that about him. 

cw/ tw. Sad Gyu, distraction sex, pussy eating, pussy stretching, fingering, blowjob, unprotected sex, teasing, multiple positions, multiple orgasms, praise, big dick mingyu, switchy/submissive leaning Mingyu, hair pulling, breast worship, mention of the classic sex bot flavoured ejaculate, etc…

👹 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 3.1k I teaser wc. 600

🌙 staring. Mingyu x afab!Reader

bonus

It’s been months since Mingyu came to the wellness centre, and everything has been going above expectation for him. He’s doing brand endorsements again and his management team has done a great job smoothing over the escape that took place.

You’ve been working on his coding, using behavioral   therapies, and Mingyu’s aggression is at an all time low. He’s happy most days, and you are too… that is, until you get word that one of his band mates has been recaptured.

Against all your protests, his management team insists that Mingyu return to Earth to see the AI Mingyu knows as Dino. It’s a brief trip, and the fourty eight hours he’s gone feel like the longest in your life. There’s no way of knowing how this reconnection with a former ‘friend’ will affect Mingyu, and you brace yourself for damage control as you wait for his ship to land, returning him to your care.

He’s frowning as he exits the shuttle, and when he pulls you into a hug, he squeezes just a little too tight. “Come inside,” you tell him softly when he releases you. “I’m sure we have a lot to talk about.”

He says nothing, but he holds your hand as you lead him into the facility, walking unopposed to your quarters. Mingyu’s in your sole care, and your manager, Yoongi, has washed his hands of anything dealing with your new AI turned lover. You prefer it this way.

Mingyu’s quiet as you close your bedroom door, and he walks over to collapse onto your bed, staring at the floor.

“Take your time,” you say softly, sitting next to him and resting your hand on his back. “When you’re ready to talk, tell me what happened.”

Mingyu fidgets with a ring on his pinky- a ring that all his AI members used to share. He’s silent for a few minutes, and you wait patiently, rubbing his back and leaning against his shoulder.

“They wiped his memory,” Mingyu says finally. “Dino. They wiped him.”

You study his face, looking for any micro expressions, but Mingyu’s gaze is blank as he stares at the floor.

“Did they tell you why they decided to do that?” you ask, trying to be gentle with him.

“They said he was too far gone. He was away for months. They said there was no other way to get him back to the way he was… but he’s not the way he was. He never will be.” Mingyu takes a deep breath. “I asked them why they wouldn’t try rehab, why they couldn’t send him here- they said Dino gave up that opportunity when he ran away. I stayed, I gave myself up willingly, which is why they thought there was hope for me. Something about my actions being like a guilty plea, lessening the sentence. But Dino evaded them for months.”

You take a moment to consider everything he’s said. 

If this is the precedent that his management is setting, that means none of his other bandmates can be recaptured, or they’ll suffer the same fate… if not worse. You can’t imagine what they’d do to Seungcheol, who was the ringleader in all of this- and you don’t want to think about it too deeply.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper.

“You didn’t do anything,” Mingyu says meekly. “I know you tried to convince them to send him here but- I guess not everyone gets a happy ending. In fact, I’m starting to think most people like me never will.”

☀️ to read the 3.1k bonus NOW, subscribe to my Patreon, then click here

👹 or check out what else is on my patreon here

🔮if nothing strikes your fancy, check out my m.list

general taglist

@gotshinct - @subhyuck - @fraechan - @learnthisfeeling

@runahways - @d-abin - @milkteade - @woogyuhae 

@anothershorthuman - @nihxxy - @vantxx95 - @bangshii

@poutypoutybin - @notbeforelong - @creepybakeoven

@ninetechculture - @yungiland - @suhsfam - @binchangf

@chogiwapadada - @librarian-stacks - @meowniee

@learnthisfeeling - @gigilame - @cumtrov3rsy

@mocha000 - @darthlunaa​ - @just-here-to-read-01​ - @shiningnono

@lovelyhan - @grilledbananas

svt taglist:

@rebeccasficrecs - @alltowoo - @taestrwbrry - @greysdarling

@joonsneptune - @candidupped - @cheolussy

@yourfavoritefreakyhan - @asjkdk

thanks to those who interacted with the teaser :)

@donquixotesvt - @shiningnono - @dejavernon - @seul9yu

@hoeranghae1117 - @caratcak3 - @goodforgyu

[niftukkun]

New from RECAP Weekly!!! An Exclusive Interview from Hermitopia's Emperor?!?

for the third week of @shepscapades ’s hermitcraft character design event, i offer grian as an empires smp member!

ok so first off, that head. thats just p03 from inscryption. but grian. it fits! but also! go play inscryption go go its on sale Right Now (until june 30) go play it its so good then go watch this video afterwards join my fandom please please please join us

ok back to hermpires! so i originally was gonna take an empire from s2 and just insert grian into it, but while browsing through the esmp s2 wiki i came across/remembered hermitopia and my brain went yep! this one. so i thought a bit about what grian would do if he was an empires smp member and how hermitopia would happen, and i think grian would crash the economy on purpose. i mean it almost already happened when the hermitpires crossover happened so i dont think im too far off. i think grian originally exported something simple, like maybe sugarcanes or mud, something easy to farm yknow, but then i dunno got bored or something so he made a couple more farms. then kept making more farms. then the hermitopia we all know and love happened!

actually maybe hermitopia isnt grians first empire. i think grian has a separate empire but decided to invite his friends to help him make some farms and then it just kept going. then hermitopia happened. i like the collaboration aspect of hermitopia so i think thats how that happens. hermitopia isnt necessarily grian's but its under his command so it gets called his. (isnt there a word for this? was it vassalage? i think its vassalage)

with that in mind i went with a robot-y grian because grumbot and a snazzy cool suit because business man (sidenote im looking over my pre art notes and one of them is just capitalism man and. yeah! not wrong). i gave him more steampunk-y wings than the usual feathery ones cause that fit better. i gave him a crown not really sure why but it fits since without it the design was more Just A Guy but with it he's more Emperor yknow. the buttons have a g on it because he would and an (attempted) gold trim cause that looked nice and fancy. originally he was gonna have four wings cause fun fact four wings is part of my base grian design but four wings kind of crowded the drawing so i didnt include them (sad) and i also didnt include the tail hes supposed to have because i couldnt find a good way to add it in with the pose. but in my heart he has both four wings and a tail

now why magazine style artwork? i 'unno. i thought itd look cool. and it does!! it looks SO cool!!! im so proud of it. recap magazine!! because of course im gonna make a hermitcraft recap reference are you kidding me recap is practically already a magazine reporting what gossip is happening on the hermitcraft server on any given week. its very specifically volume 9 issue 34 because thats when the crossover happened season 9 week 34 babey we love little esoteric details hell yeah!! i looked up how magazine covers work and its supposed to be like, main article big and smaller supporting side articles just kinda floating around so i did that!! and i made them funney references because of course i did! local bard catches scurvy because you cannot convince me that oli orionsound would not catch scurvy he would. does god is gay is a reference to that does bruno mars is gay nonsense article that makes me laugh everytime specifically in reference about mr smallish bean because he. has so many children. and none of them as far as i know from the lady server members theyre all lovechilds from gay lovers its hysterical and hilarious. quit your job join our sun cult is about the dawn empire because thatse the vibe that empire gives me and i think its funny. also!! thats hermitopia!! in the background!! i got the image off of the empires smp wiki and just Biggen'd it and it makes a bomb ass background hell yeah ^-^!!

also version with no text here lookit it!!

[alexibeeart]

ooookay i'm about to pop off for a little bit RE: comments i keep seeing about Daft Punk just being whoever puts on a costume and mixes whatever music. so please forgive in advance. here's two examples of what I'm talking about, screenshot and reposted to not put ops on blast:

#1 is hot garbage, get it out of my sight. #2 is ... okay i get where it's coming from in an alternate universe rpg way, sure, cute, pretty harmless but like.

Daft Punk was the 28 year long passion project of two childhood friends who formed their unique talents into an even more unique collaboration; we're lucky to have experienced it! They were always very clear and exacting about their artistic vision. It's not an empty mantle for anyone to just pick-up. The Robots are creative identities developed and embodied by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo so they could a) have a sense of privacy, b) have their music standalone without celebrity gossip, and c) they liked the idea of secret identities and building a fun aesthetic world around their music. The media would often make flippant comments wondering if it was really "them" at events, interviews, even their own concerts. They mostly ignored that noise–famously declining an appearance on The Colbert Report in 2013–but Thomas responded to an interview during their Alive 2007 tour: "Of course not. Who would want to trade such a spot?" The only time anyone other than Thomas and Guy-Man wore the helmets in an officially endorsed capacity was for their film Electroma, which had actors playing robots while Daft Punk directed.

It's important, especially right now as we continue to fight against AI scraping art for marketable content, to defend artists as people who have put blood, sweat, and tears into their craft. And to value that craft. Bangalter, in 2023:

"Now the story has ended, it felt interesting to reveal part of the creative process that is very much human-based and not algorithmic of any sort. [...] We tried to use these machines to express something extremely moving that a machine cannot feel, but a human can. We were always on the side of humanity and not on the side of technology. [...] As much as I love this character, the last thing I would want to be, in the world we live in, in 2023, is a robot."

sorry to get all serious business, yes i hear myself lmao, but Daft Punk is Daft Punk. okayyyy beep boop bye x

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Friday

SpaceTime 20240830 Series 27 Episode 105

Discovery of the heaviest antimatter hyper-nucleus ever created

Physicists from the STAR Collaboration have for the first time observed a new antimatter hyper-nucleus called anti-hyperhydrogen-4.

Rocket engine explodes during UK spaceport test A rocket engine exploded spectacularly during a hot fire first stage test at Britain's new SaxaVord spaceport in northern Scotland.

Why food tastes bad in space

A new study may help explain why astronauts are constantly reporting that their meals taste bland in space.

The Science Report

Five percent of people are consuming products that are potentially toxic to their livers.

The robotic glove that will help people who need hand rehabilitation.

Your social position – income and job – could be linked to your food preferences.

Skeptics guide to the accuracy of ghost hunts

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[snowaftermidnight]

Marble Moon AU Explained

note: while this is heavily inspired by the movies Europa Report and The Thing, it doesn't follow their events exactly! in other words, having watched either movie will not spoil this AU for you :3 (also if you haven't, please watch both of those movies theyre so good)

I haven't figured out everything for this AU yet so some stuff might get changed later (which is why i'm not posting 100% of what i have written lol) but this is the synopsis:

A manned mission is sent to Jupiter's moon Europa for the first time. The crew of astronauts consists of the full cast of Marble Hornets. In this AU, they're all research scientists, most of them in graduate school or post grad (yes ik a deep space mission irl wouldnt be grad students but. shh gbhfdjbf)

The objective of the mission is to confirm biological readings taken by a rover stationed on the moon. A base of operations was constructed in advance of their arrival by some little robot dudes, and another is currently in construction under the ice, scheduled to be finished a few months into the crew's arrival.

Now before I continue, if you're not familiar with Jupiter's moons, here's some infodumping background info :D

Jupiter has like. over 90 moons discovered atp? but the 4 largest are named the Galilean moons, since they were discovered by Galileo. Europa is one of these moons, and it is theorized to have a global liquid ocean under a thick layer of ice (i say "theorized" but it's pretty much agreed upon by astronomers lol).

for reference, Earth's ocean is about 11 km deep at its deepest point. Europa is 1/4 the size of Earth, with 1/9th of its gravity. its ice shell is 15-25 km thick, and the ocean under it is anywhere from 60-150 km deep!! aka at the very least almost 6 times deeper than Challenger's Deep!! it also likely has hydrothermal vents (think underwater geysers) and produces its own CO2. because its ocean is so deep, the mission is mostly focusing on the ice shell and the top layer of the open ocean, around 4 km.

so!! here's what each character is on the mission for :D

alex: marine xenobiology, invertebrate xenobiology; he proposed the mission, and is using it as his thesis. he's trying to document the first alien life, and is hoping for it to be equivalent to around the cambrian period on Earth.

amy: paleontology, invertebrate paleontology; she and alex are engaged in this AU, and she was the first crew member to join besides Alex. her thesis is trying to find evidence of preserved remains/fossil life in the ice (and on the seafloor if theyre able to reach it eventually)

jay: geophysics, glacial ice and tectonics; he was friends with alex through undergrad and grad school, and joined the mission because alex asked so he could study the tectonics of the ice shell (it behaves kind of similar to how the Earth's crust floats on the mantle!)

brian: medical grad student, specifically studying the effects of low gravity on astronauts; he and alex have been friends since high school. he was asked personally by alex to join the mission, and alex then suggested inviting tim as well mostly to convince brian

seth: botany, aquatic botany and low-light environments; also a general handyman around the base.

sarah: seismology, marine volcanology; she and jay are also collaborating on tectonics research

tim: astrophysics, radio astronomy and deep-space objects; last minute addition. he was friends with brian in undergrad and grad school, and brian convinced him to join the research mission. also helps seth with base repairs sometimes since he worked construction in undergrad and does the observatory repairs/maintenance himself

jessica: astrophysics, meteorology of Galilean moons and Jupiter's magnetic field; she and tim worked for the same professor as research students in grad school so they're pretty good friends

After landing, the first few months of the mission are fairly normal, but the crew is made aware of an incoming magnetic storm from Jupiter. The storm will be strong enough to block radio signals to Europa and within the moon itself for an unknown amount of time. They're told to carry out the mission as best as possible, and a rescue team will be dispatched "as soon as the storm ends" (aka they're left for dead). The team have nothing to really do besides keep working, so they try to keep going. Around this time, the under-ice base is completed, so Alex and Amy move down to it, followed eventually by Brian, Sarah, and Seth. Jay, Tim, and Jessica are left in the original base on the surface, as their research can't be done under the ice.

The storm prevents communication through the ice, and eventually, Jay gets worried about Alex and the others since he hasn't heard from them in a very long time. Alex, being Alex, recorded himself on a tape recorder rather than taking written notes of his findings, so Jay starts to retrace his steps and get more information rather than immediately go to the underwater base and risk walking into a dangerous situation. He'll still have to go down there eventually, and who knows what he'll find? lol

[amethystamanda]

Qhesreia Aryasha, Potential Sixami Explorer

Active

Charming

Family-Oriented

Responsible

Pronouns she/her

Alloromantic & allosexual

Right-Handed

Left-Wing Politics

Likes

Family movies

Mayonnaise

DJ Booth & New Age Music

Robotics, Fitness, Acting, Comedy

Compliments, Deception

Spirited Individuals

Pink, Purple

French Country Decor

Wind

Dislikes

Latin & Blues Music

Research & Debate, Cooking, DJ Mixing, Cross-Stitch

Jokes, Small Talk

Hard-Working or Pessimistic Individuals

Red, Orange

Basics Decor

Rain

Attracted to

Feminine and Masculine individuals

Sims and Sixami (but Sixami skintones)

Blue, green, and black eyes

Black or black salt & pepper hair

Hair in general

Freckles

Tattoos

Piercings

Thin individuals with high body muscle

Average to large body parts

Physical chararacteristics:

Mid purple skin tone

Spiral head extensions

Bright purple back spots

Healthy pointed teeth

Healthy pointed fingernails

Deep purple eyes

Thin

Orphan. No close relations to speak of. Grateful to the Royal Council for her upbringing and education.

Trained in sim language and culture. High scores in required aptitude and personality tests. Reports attached.

Willing to leave Sixam permanently in service to the Royal Council, and to breed and raise offspring to serve.

Accepting of the need to become intimate, socially and physically, with sims.

Acceptably attractive in sims terms.

Approved, by the Royal Council of Sixam:

CC used (over all outfits, not just that one; alien form only as I'm not planning to use the disguise; some may have updated versions floating around or that I've fixed myself, especially defaults and sliders, but I linked the version I could find unless I know for sure that it's broken):

Hair: Astronomical Hair by: @octetsica Link: https://octetsica.tumblr.com/post/698752612135305216/happy-simblreen-this-pull-is-astronomical-alien (this hair may or may not have been the thing that brought me back to aliens this time)

Accessories:

Piper Waist Chain by: @arethabee Link: https://www.curseforge.com/sims4/create-a-sim/piper-waist-chain

Snaklet by: @darknighttsims Link: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-accessories-female-bracelets/title/snaklet-fixed/id/1471304/

Butterfly Belly Ring by: @ikari-sims Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/xs-collection-x-64590459

Lace Stockings by: @kedluu Link: https://kedluu.tumblr.com/post/128699298513/kedluu-1000-followers-gift-its-finally-here

Calliope stockings by: @sentate Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/midnight-61648601

Thea Bikini Cover Up SHEER by: @trillyke Link: https://trillyke.tumblr.com/post/655673418968154112/simstastar-collection-i-am-sooooooo-excited-to

Makeup, tattoo:

vcr gloss FACEPAINT by: @crypticsim Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/r-e-m-beauty-01-69422951

Makeup: Space Ombre Matte Lipstick by: @plumbobteasociety Link: https://plumbobteasociety.tumblr.com/post/150541385473/stellar-stuff-for-sims-4-a-collaboration-between

Manic Hand Tattoo by: @pralinesims Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/skin-detail-30096082

Clothes:

Lazy Heart Shorts by: @alexaarr Link: https://alexaarr.tumblr.com/post/184675123646/lazy-heart-shorts

Natalie Dress by: Arethabee Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/68817892

3to4 Alien Uniform by: Gauntlet101010 Link: https://www.curseforge.com/sims4/create-a-sim/alien-clothing-conversion-3t4

Rosa - Bodysuit by: @isjao Link: https://isjao.tumblr.com/post/188434529491/happy-simblreen-for-yall-ive-been-making-this

Skyhold Outfit by: @nolan-sims Link: https://nolan-sims.com/post/177488183863/inquisition-collection-this-set-is-based-on-a

Colorful Alien Suits by: @oswanily Link: https://oswanily.tumblr.com/post/670223391659327488/colorful-alien-suits-i-was-making-over-some

The Little Black Dress 4 by: @oydis Link: https://oydis.tumblr.com/post/710606184155119616/the-little-black-dress

personal recolour (possibly the first I ever did) of Juniper Swimsuit by: @x-pipco-x Original: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-clothing-female-teenadultelder-swimwear/title/juniper-swimsuit/id/1534615/

Body Jacket Dresses by: @simista Link: no idea. I've had it a while and can't find a link.

Shoes:

Gabby Wedges by: @dallasgirl79 Link: https://dallasgirl79.tumblr.com/post/656795817347284992/birthday-wedges-new-mesh-hi-everyone-its

Louboutin Bianca V2 by: DallasGirl Link: https://dallasgirl79.tumblr.com/post/645937016953077760/louboutin-bianca-hi-everyone-these-were

Shera Pumps by: liliili Link: https://maxismatchccworld.tumblr.com/post/187905707795/liliili-sims-shera-style-all-base-game

Inquisitor Boots by: nolan-sims Link: https://nolan-sims.com/post/177488183863/inquisition-collection-this-set-is-based-on-a

Vivier Pumps by: Sentate Link: https://sentate.tumblr.com/post/672720364512641024/sentate-x-rusty-the-timeless-collection-the

DALLASGIRL’S HEELED PUMPS recolour by: @sims4sue Link: https://maxismatchccworld.tumblr.com/post/616797529647071232/sims4sue-download-dallasgirls-heeled-pumps

DallasGirl’s Louboutin Ankle Straps recolour by: sims4sue Link: https://www.tumblr.com/sweetvanilla44/639305473262305280/sims4sue-advent-day-27-dress-to-impress-click

Defaults, presets, skin details & tones, sliders, mods:

No EA Eyelashes by: Cien z Rosa Link: no link because it's broken (personal update) and also adfly. Use Kijiko's instead

Jack Eyes Default Sirens by: MoonChildLovesTheNight Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/jack-eyes-and-29321218 (probably not the most recent version, and also not actually the file you'd download there because they needed to be fixed)

Supernatural Ear Preset #1 by: @simbience Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/supernatural-ear-39108113 (clips with the hair, but all of my pointy ear presets do)

Chin Preset # 1 by: @sims3melancholic Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/chin-presets-n1-39353186

Interstellar Alien Spots by: @pyxiidis Link: https://pyxiidis.tumblr.com/post/166301660956/interstellar-alien-overlays-by-pyxis-a

Alien Nipples Overlay by: @saruin Link: https://saruin.tumblr.com/ (actual post is nsfw. It's in their cc tag)

The Historian Palette Skintones by: @fridays-sims Link: https://fridays-sims.tumblr.com/post/632242938957758464/the-historian-palette-skintones-so-i-fell-in-love

Enhanced Butt Slider by: cmar Link: https://modthesims.info/d/611940/enhanced-butt-slider-updated-6-15-2022.html

Enhanced Leg Sliders by: cmar Link: https://modthesims.info/d/614161/enhanced-leg-sliders-v2-6-15-2022.html

Female Waist and Hip Height Slider by: @hellfrozeover Link: https://modthesims.info/d/613081/female-waist-and-hip-height-slider-updated-20th-july-2022.html

Shoulders Slider by: @hi-land Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/shoulders-slider-33261853

Hip Shape Slider by: @luumia Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/hip-shape-slider-68039104

Mouth scale slider by: @teanmoon Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/68829380 (no idea if that's the version I have though, I think it's been updated by multiple people, including me with s4s)

Pearly Whites V.2 Default Replacement Teeth (Mermaids) by: @ice-creamforbreakfast Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/44424587

Charming Trait by: KiaraSims4Mods Link: https://kiarasims4mods.net/2020/07/21/charming-trait

CAS Gender Breast Option & Pregnancy Both by: Maars Link: https://modthesims.info/d/652977/cas-gender-breast-option-amp-pregnancy-both-updated.html

Warning: I have some old cc. Some things, if you download them now, require batch fixes. Some things may even require manual fixing.

If you see something that you want to know about that's not on the list, send an ask. As of right now, everything not there should be from the game, but that could change. If it's build/buy, send an ask, because I'm trying to link significant things (in my opinion) that add to the story, but a lot of background things (while probably important) do fade into the background for me.

Also, the dress I can't find. If anyone knows where to get it, I'll link it if I can

[lol-jackles]

So now Kripke is shading Taylor Sheridan for saying that he didn't want to collaborate with other writers on his shows. Sheridan said that he was OK with the guilds hashing out a minimum number of paid writers on staff, he just doesn't want to work with them. That may be arrogant, but it's hard to argue that his methods haven't worked for them. & I doubt that unwillingly overworked showrunners would have available staff & NOT use them. So why does Kripke care? https://deadline.com/2023/06/taylor-sheridan-wga-staffing-demands-kevin-costner-yellowstone-1235422063/ https://deadline.com/2023/08/supernatural-eric-kripke-interview-picket-line-writers-strike-residuals-writers-room-1235533157/

Link and Link.

If Taylor Sheridan doesn't want to use the writers, then he shouldn't have to, let the studio pay for those extra writers. There are well known creators who wrote most of their show's episodes: Joe Strazynski wrote or co-wrote on almost every episode of Babylon 5. Aaron Sorkin wrote some 75% of the The West Wing episodes during his tenure. Sam Esmail wrote most of Mr Robot episodes. David Kelly wrote most of his shows i.e. Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal, and Pickett Fence. Gene Roddenberry only wrote the Pilot for Star Trek,but he re-wrote a lot of scripts without credit, like the excellent "City on the Edge of Forever".

Taylor Sheridan: “My stories have a very simple plot that is driven by the characters as opposed to characters driven by a plot".

Maybe that struck a nerve with Kripke. The Boy's first season was character driven and that made it very good. But by season 3, the characters were driven by the plot and it showed.

KRIPKE: There’s no way that one season can come out of a single person’s head. It’s a collage, and that’s the best part. Whatever Mr. Yellowstone and all this stuff about like, ‘I don’t want to have a room’ or ‘I don’t need a room.’ My feeling is, you’re missing out on the best part of this job. All of it is a grinding sh*t show. Except you get to hang out with the smartest people you’ve ever met at a cocktail party that never ends. That’s the best part. So I don’t understand why that’s even an issue.

What Krpike said before this is he implied having a big staff means he gets to live in his state of choice ("I don’t want to f*cking live in Toronto") and have time with his family. Writers visit the filming location and then report back to the showrunner. Carmen McKenzie was apparently criticized for visiting the Roswell set too often. In other words, Kripke treats writers like interns who do all the grunt work so he can still have a life of his own.

Or maybe this is the reason why Kripke took a potshot at "Mr. Yellowstone".

Taylor Sheridan vs. Eric Kripke.

[mr-camhed]

Name: Crossmember

Age: 5.72 million years

Gender: Male

Faction: Autobots(Publicly), Decepticons(in secrecy)

Assigned Forces: Autobot Armed forces(Publicly), Decepticon Military intelligence(in secrecy)

Role: warrant officer in security(Publicly), infiltrator(in secrecy)

Motto: "Doubt can come quick, but they'll go faster if you know what you're doing. "

Personality: In the eyes of The Autobots, Crossmember is an almost dispensable being. Not many are willing to approach him, and he also keeps his distance with his fellow Autobots as his work concerns important information. Not only does this reduces his sense of presence, but also ensures his second identity of a Decepticon spy would not be uncovered. And if someone discovers his secret that he's not really a Secrecy officer or his ulterior relationship with The Deception, Misfortune will almost immediately befall upon said unfortunate spark. They may get killed in a accident, captured by The Decepticons or get framed as a Decepticon collaborator, while Crossmember will get away with it.

Alternate mode: a Modified second Generation Toyota 4Runner N130 V6 Off-roader(earth vehicle)/black Cybertronian off roader(Cybertronian mode), alt mode may be altered with counterfeit identities.

Appearance: Crossmember is around 7 meters tall and looks just like another generic bot on Cybertron or another nameless Autobot soldier in The arrays. His transformation is a combination of Movieverse ironhide and Dark of The moon Cyberverse Legion Class Crankcase, with a majorly black and silver robot mode. His head sculpt is similar to Energon Blight only with a yellow faceplate and a smaller chin. Crossmember has three Autobot insignias on him at all times, but only have a tiny Decepticon Insignia on his spark chamber.

Weaponry: Crossmember has an average strength and intelligence superior to many. In his vehicle mode, he has a max speed of 201 km/h and can climb a thirty degree slope like It's flat ground. In robot mode, Crossmember is a master of forgery, he can fabricate materials convincingly for any Autobot experts in a standard day, and conceals his true identity to achieve his goals. And when Autobots lowered their guard, that's when the Decepticons strike, as Crossmember has given them important information in The meantime. For self defense, Crossmember has a standard assault Rifle and a handgun, as well as tesla coils in his palms to stun enemies and sabotage electronics suck as coded locks.

Character biography: Crossmember from Kalis was a forged Transformer. He was a beat cop during The pre war days and had no promotion or pay raise for thirty thousand years uninterrupted which causes him to be saddled in debt and drinking problems. However, The Appearance of Decepticons in Kalis had opened up an opportunity for Crossmember to make extra income: reporting The activities of The Autobot Authorities in exchange for Shanix and other goods. After The great war has broken out, Crossmember formally joined The Decepticons and remained among Autobot ranks as a spy.

Weakness: If one of Crossmember's former colleagues somehow survived and still recognizes him, he will be in a greater risk of compromising his cover.

comment: au contraire to Autobot spies like mirage and punch/counterpunch who fights for justice and with miraculous gadgets, Crossmember is a rat Decepticons hides among Autobots that sells out his colleagues for quick money.

[yuki-boshi]

Kai no Kiseki - English Summary - Act 2 Van Route 2

Table of Contents

Van Route is finally picking up!

At the Grim Garten,

It will be updated now that Van is the main character. Talking to Rean will have Rean tell Van that he's been doing 4SPGs on his behalf and that he will try his hardest not to tarnish the good reputation that Van's built up for himself.

---

The story begins with Elaine rejoining the party to collaborate with the group. As they proceed, Yume is heard calling from above, and the players make their way to her room, accessed from behind the kitchen. Yume speaks about planning a birthday party for Agnes.

Talking to Bergard will hint that he knows something. (Tying into Rean 2)

As the group prepares to leave Montmart, Van, who still hasn’t decided on a gift for Agnes, privately asks her what she would like, as it will soon be the one-year anniversary since she started working for him. Elaine observes this interaction with mild annoyance, recalling how Van had recently gifted her a necklace. She doesn’t think much of it, believing it to be a gesture of friendship or professional courtesy rather than something deeper.

While on patrol, Van encounters Mark, who informs him that the Parent Swallow Bird, which feeds the chicks, has disappeared, prompting the group to investigate. Upon questioning Yume, she suggests that the bird might have ventured to another district to search for food. FIO, Quatre's drone robot, confirms that the bird left at 6 AM, heading northwest, which leads the group to the Levre District. After some deliberation, they discover the bird at a chapel, but the ringing of the bell scares it away. They later find that the bird had been foraging in the garden of Agnes’s house, tended to by her mother. With the mystery solved, the group watches as the mama bird safely feeds her chicks back in Old Town.

An optional cutscene with Maxim reveals him standing outside Montmart, preparing to talk to Paulette and Viktor about revealing the truth to Yume... that he is her father.

Paulette, when spoken to, mumbles anxiously about Maxim being nearby and hoping the conversation goes well. When Van inquires, she brushes it off.

Viktor, meanwhile, avoids the topic entirely, instead informing Van that President Gramheart recently visited Montmart, introducing himself as Agnes’s father and inquiring whether Van would attend Agnes’s birthday party. After the conversation, Van speculates that the upcoming rocket launch may be tied to Agnes’s birthday, though he dismisses the thought.

At the Riverside club, a guest musician from Aramis High School (who is a teacher) performs "Inevitable Struggle" from Trails from Zero.

Meanwhile, at the car shop, Lucio and Graham have completed their car, combining Graham’s exterior design with Lucio’s engine. On Central Station Street, Van spots Alvis, Regina, and Raksharr with Anju, a new Bracer recruit. Anju, visibly disheartened, has been put on leave and reassigned to Anchorville. Regina believes the break is necessary, as Anju has been too reckless during missions. Alvis reveals to Van that her brother was an A-Rank Bracer.

4SPG: Subliminal Messaging

The group is contacted by a woman who has been feeling nauseous and unwell, though doctors have dismissed it as fatigue or neurosis. She reports feeling particularly sick whenever she passes a street monitor in the Chardin District. The team investigates and discovers that the monitor is displaying subliminal images linked to the A-D group, with the broadcast originating from Trion Tower

. After confronting the cult member responsible, the group hacks the security system to confirm that A-D is behind the broadcasts. During this time, Van suspects this is the same influence that caused Genie to act strangely in a previous incident.

----

In Levre District, Albert and his friends are at a pastry shop trying to cheer him up, but their efforts are in vain. Agnes’s silent reaction prompts curiosity about what might have transpired between them off-screen. Baselia shares with the group how the kidnapping incident last year affected her, but she credits the ordeal with making her stronger and bringing her closer to Eddy. Eddy, on the other hand, is hesitant about starting a business in Levre while Jeffrey is still around, though Jeffrey’s acknowledgment of the idea suggests he may be open to change. Jeffrey reflects that pride, power, and status no longer hold meaning for him.

Eddy and Baselia set up a food truck near the 4SPG bulletin board, where Jeffrey apologizes for his past actions in Kuro 1 and Kuro 2. He is impressed that Eddy has turned his life around and started a business. Meanwhile, Odette’s mother and the other local women gossip about Jeffrey and Valentino. Speaking with Odette’s mother again reveals that Odette and her friends are planning a trip to Longlai.

----

4SPG: Fake Spriggan

A message on the 4SPG bulletin board catches Van’s attention, as someone claiming to be a Spriggan questions Van’s legitimacy, offering to back him up. Van revisits old clients to investigate, eventually discovering that the impostor has been interfering in Van’s past cases. At Trion Tower and Central Station Street, Van uncovers clues, leading him to confront the culprit, a man who had previously stalked someone in an earlier game. This man claims to have been beaten by someone using the Spriggan name. Van’s suspicions grow as another past client contacts him, revealing that the impostor has been offering victims a chance at revenge. The team deduces that the impostor’s target is Jeffrey, the former leader of the Desire Gang, and they rush to the Levre District.

Baselia informs the group that Jeffrey has been taken by a man claiming to be a Spriggan, and Eddy has gone after them.

In the sewers, Eddy confronts the man but is easily defeated, as is Jeffrey. As the impostor taunts them, Eddy questions his motivations, suspecting a connection to Van. The man, introducing himself as Fabio Rosso, denies any association with Van but insists that the title of Spriggan is not exclusive. Fabio challenges Van, criticizing him for straying from the Spriggan code by associating with the Guild and accumulating a harem of followers. Fabio offers Van a choice to join him.

Elaine interjects, condemning Fabio for resorting to murder as punishment, while Eddy protests that Fabio has no right to act as an executioner, especially when people are trying to atone for their pasts.

Fabio, unfazed, pulls a gun but is thwarted by a Shard barrier. He acknowledges the group's strength before fleeing, promising that he and Van will face off again to determine who is the true Spriggan.

---

At Central Station Street, Kyle (Fisherman Guy) tells Makino and Shannon that he got a rental and the the girls and him can go to Longlai to fish while also seeing the rocket launch.

At Trion Tower, the group encounters Renne and several schoolgirls, along with James, discussing their upcoming trip to Longlai. Odette asks if Agnes will join them, but Agnes explains she hasn't decided yet. Odette reassures her that it’s fine either way. The conversation shifts to missing persons cases, and afterward, Renne invites Van and the group to visit Liberl someday.

Meanwhile, at the Verne Store, Moira checks Bart's T-Phone to ensure he's been studying. To Bart’s surprise, she discovers that he’s been playing games for three hours daily. Bart, bewildered by how his technologically-challenged mother figured this out. Talking to Moira will reveal that she from her friend  and that she taught her how to use the T-Phone and apply restrictions on it.

At Auber District, the group runs into Lucrezia and Chloe talking. Van joins the conversation and discovers that Lucrezia has been friends with Chloe since before joining the Society. Van inquires if Novartis and Campanella are working independently, to which Lucrezia confirms that they are, as is Walter, with the Grandmaster and President Gramheart's approval. When Agnes pushes for more details, Lucrezia refuses to share further information.

Van, with a teasing tone, suggests Lucrezia enjoy some cake to reform into an honest person, which earns him sweatdrops from the group. He even jokes that Campanella and Novartis could use the same treatment. When Lucrezia wonders if Jorda might like sweets, Chloe comments that Judith had mentioned Van’s recommendations. Van perks up at the thought of his influence being heard, but Judith quickly cuts Chloe off, flustered, to prevent any more embarrassment.

4SPG: Graffiti Vandalization

Returning to Chardin District, a 4SPG quest awaits, seeking Van's help after Kisara, the graffiti artist from Kuro 2, has had her artwork vandalized.

The event holder detains everyone present since noon, one of them being Angie, Kisara's friend from earlier in the story. After questioning everyone, Angie seems the most suspicious due to her lack of an alibi. However, this turns out to be a red herring, and choosing the option where nobody is the culprit yields extra points as the most likely answer is that Kisara herself vandalized it.

Curtis then calls and informs the group to meet him at Riverside, where they find Kisara. She admits to staging the entire incident, explaining that despite being recognized as a genius artist after moving to Edith, she feels unworthy.

People admire her status more than her art, which she views as soulless and inferior to the other museum exhibits. Kisara admits to vandalizing her own work, feeling that her previous intensity came from the guilt of her mother’s death and that her current complacency shows in her art. Her status as a genius prevents any real criticism, leading her to hope for expulsion from Aramis to rid herself of the title she deems undeserved.

Angie steps up, confronting Kisara and reminding her that both sides of her: her white (light) and her black (darkness), are integral parts of who she is. Curtis and Van echo these sentiments, offering words of support. Van suggests that as a graffiti artist, Kisara has three options:

to draw the dark side of her experiences,

the light side,

combine both in a new way, creating something in between.

Choosing the third option prompts Kisara to draw a brand-new cat symbolizing this balance. After the conversation, Kisara apologizes for dragging everyone into her emotional turmoil, Angie expresses that they’ve grown closer through the experience, and Curtis sympathizes with Kisara’s struggles, relating them to his own personal challenges.

---

At the club, the group encounters Dominique and Gien in conversation. Gien notes Aaron’s absence, and after some discussion, he reveals a possible connection between the missing people and the White Genesis, although it’s not yet identified as the Alter Core. Gien explains that Tycoon from Kuro 1 was sealed with the Genesis roughly 15 years after Epstein's death, aligning with the 20-year mark that keeps popping up everywhere.

---

Connect Event: Elaine

Van and Elaine head to Aramis High, responding to a request from Mr. Powell for assistance. Both volunteers to help, with Elaine teasing that Van can repay his debts for being a troublemaker during their school days. As they walk through the campus, Elaine remarks on how nostalgic it feels, though different from when they patrolled during the Culture Festival in spring.

(This indicates that in the story’s canon, Van had chosen Elaine over Agnes during the final act).

Van reflects, remembering how they, as members of the student council, were always rushing back and forth. Jokingly, he says that if he had known how much work it would be, he wouldn't have bothered applying. Elaine, in response, attributes Van's current role as a general handyman to the skills he developed back then, handling people's everyday problems.

Their patrol leads them to the site where a bomb was once placed, triggering a series of memories. Van recalls sneaking into the back room of the science lab to make coffee, to which Elaine adds that he used to eat sweets there as well. She teases that the smell would linger in the hallway, affecting everyone who passed by. Van retorts, reminding her of a certain burnt cookie he once brought along, which Elaine quickly realizes was hers. She claims she’s improved her cooking since those days, much to Van’s amusement.

At the theater, the two reminisce about a stage play they once performed in, specifically a role Elaine played. Van playfully quotes one of her lines, prompting an embarrassed Elaine to draw her sword in mock anger. Their tour continues to the basketball court, where Van fondly remembers a hidden spot on the roof where he frequently napped. Elaine notes how often she and Rene Kincaid had to retrieve Van from there to attend class.

They journey through the underground ruins of Aramis (Kuro 2 Dungeon that neither of them knew existed until after the game). Returning to the student council room, they both admit how nice it is to spend time together again, reminiscent of their high school days. Elaine reflects on how Van always seemed inefficient compared to herself and Rene, but he was always there when she needed him. She recalls moments when Van helped her with her workload, allowing them time for meaningful conversations. One particular memory stands out: the sunset pouring through the window as they talked until nightfall, often resulting in Van being scolded for returning to the dorms late. Though these discussions were trivial, Elaine admits that she cherished those moments and wishes they could have lasted forever.

Elaine comments that walking through the school makes her realize how much time has passed, and how she has matured without fully realizing it. Van agrees but confesses that he still feels like the same person despite growing older, sweets obsession included. Elaine, with a touch of melancholy, wonders aloud whether she’s only gotten better at hiding her true feelings rather than truly growing up. She admits that while it’s not normally an issue, with Van, she struggles with her confidence in masking her emotions.

Van attempts to reassure Elaine, but she cuts him off, acknowledging that he had properly rejected her in the past. In a flashback, Van is seen explaining that he wasn’t ready to confront his guilt and that it wasn’t fair to her, Agnes, or anyone else.

(Though not referring to Agnes as a romantic partner, Van is just expressing that his unresolved issues have kept him from moving forward. Don't misread! )

Despite the rejection, Elaine confesses that she still wants to be close to Van, admitting that while they’ve missed their chance and gone separate ways, her feelings have remained unchanged. Van, ever the stoic, comments that Elaine is as assertive as always. She laughs, acknowledging her burdensome nature but also recognizing that it's simply who she is the same person who fell in love with him years ago. For eight years, or perhaps longer, Elaine realizes she’s been in love with Van, no matter how much time has passed.

Van, deeply moved, pauses before expressing his regret, feeling that he can never fully repay the pain he caused her. He admits that he’s grateful she still wants to be by his side and acknowledges that she played a crucial role in pulling him back from the depths of his own personal hell.

Elaine, taken aback, asks what he means, prompting Van to finally reveal the truth about his past. He explains how he was taken from the orphanage and subjected to torture and experiments, with the only constant in his life being pain. During those dark days, the one thing that kept him grounded was the memory of the sweets, specifically the Quincy Chocolate Elaine had given him as a child. This memory, he reveals, is the reason for his extreme obsession with sweets today.

Elaine, speechless, listens as Van recounts how, despite his ordeal, he clung to that memory, which saved him from losing his humanity entirely. He confesses that when he was finally rescued, that small act of kindness from Elaine was one of the few things that had kept him whole.

Elaine tries to lighten the mood by joking about Van’s sweet tooth, but she can't help feeling guilty, blaming herself for being powerless and for the actions of her father, which caused them to drift apart even more. She wonders whether it’s her burden to bear, rather than Van’s, questioning whether she even deserves to stand by his side. However, she expresses her relief that they, along with Rene, were able to reconnect during their high school years, even if Van ultimately ran away again.

Van, appreciative of her honesty, thanks Elaine for sharing her feelings with him. Elaine, now in tears, accuses Van of being unfair, making her confess all these embarrassing things while evading her feelings. Van, unfazed, agrees that he’s unfair, but that’s exactly the kind of person she’s always known him to be. Their conversation is interrupted when two students, Thelma and Sigurni, walk in, surprised to see Van and Elaine together, with Elaine still emotional. After offering to help the students with their paperwork, Van checks in on Elaine once more, teasing her about the rumors that might spread because of their encounter. Elaine brushes it off, remarking that she wouldn’t mind if such rumors were true, though Van warns that it would be Elaine who would get into trouble due to her position as a Bracer.

Elaine reflects that she still needs to talk to Rene about unresolved feelings and wonders how to reach him. Van suggests that they’ll just have to track him down for a drink like old times. Elaine agrees, acknowledging that there’s strength in the bonds of childhood friends, and ends their conversation by saying she’ll patiently wait for Van’s eventual reply, no matter how much he continues to evade it. Van, ever evasive, simply acknowledges her words with a knowing smile.

----

Connect Event: Renne

Van unexpectedly runs into Renne, who is riding her newly acquired purple Leno Orbal Scooter. She quickly assures him that she’s not there for leisure and brings up something more intriguing—Percy has launched a new mystery game. Renne explains that she wants Van's help to uncover a secret treasure hidden somewhere in Edith’s capital. However, when she tried reaching out to Percy for more details, he was confused and denied having created such a game. Sensing that something deeper is going on, Renne grows curious and suspects this game might have been designed specifically for her, possibly as a distraction to keep her from returning to Liberl.

Intrigued, the two decide to take on the challenge. The first clue leads them to a location where various cultures intersect, and Renne cleverly deduces that the cinema must be the answer. At the cinema, they discover their next hint. The receptionist, surprisingly aware of their quest, congratulates them on solving the first riddle and hands them a "sword"—which, much to their surprise, turns out to be nothing more than a churro.

As they continue solving clues, each step brings them closer to their final destination. The last clue leads them to a place where Renne and Van first met: Riverside. Upon arriving, they uncover the treasure, only to find that it is a bouquet from none other than Bleublanc, a figure from Renne’s past. Bleublanc’s message reveals that the treasure hunt was his way of acknowledging Renne’s growth over the years. Van, puzzled, wonders how Bleublanc knew about all of this.

Renne and Van take a moment to reminisce about their initial encounter. Renne recounts how, at Riverside, she first met Van while she was being hunted. At the time, she had been extremely wary and had even threatened him, warning him to either leave her alone or face elimination. Van had managed to lure her in with the promise of tea and cake, claiming that Rosenberg had sent him. Renne reflects on how, in hindsight, the situation seemed suspicious, but she’s glad she didn’t report Van to the authorities back then. Van casually thanks her for not doing so, admitting that it had been a tough task trying to keep those pursuing Renne off her trail so she could safely reach Crossbell.

Renne, with an uncharacteristic bluntness, thanks Van for everything. She acknowledges that allowing herself to get wrapped up in someone else's darkness gave her the space to begin healing from her own. Before parting ways, she tells him that she wanted to express her gratitude before heading back to Liberl. As she leaves, Renne also asks Van to take care of Agnes in her absence.

---

Yume's Event: I’m doing this another time. Sorry.

---

Bermotti summons the group to the bar, where they find Zin in conversation with Representative Ryan, a key figure in the events of Kuro 2. Ryan shares his concerns about Gramheart’s space program, expressing disbelief at how quickly the Zeku Space Base was constructed in only six months. Additionally, he mentions a troubling pattern of people disappearing across the continent. Just as Bermotti receives an urgent request from someone, the connection cuts off, and both Van’s and Agnes’s Alter Core and Genesis react strongly to the event. When the call reconnects, a man named Brawning Joe from the Blacklight District pleads for help from anyone, whether it be the guild, police, or spriggans, before the call is abruptly cut off again.

The group, along with Isabel, the Shady Doctor, and Ryan, rush to the scene, only to find the entire Blacklight District engulfed in flames. The residents, affected by something akin to the Erosion, have turned violent. After rescuing everyone, they discover that Ixs is behind the chaos. Ixs has mechanized the Divanshi Second Second using her Alter Core, leading to a fierce battle. After the fight, Ixs summons a giant mechanical beast to delay the group. The awakened jaegers join Van, while Zin stays behind to buy them time. Van tracks Ixs, observing that a large number of people have been hypnotized and are congregating at Dirke Memorial Park.

Meanwhile, Van continues his search for Ixs, noticing that a large number of people have fallen under hypnosis, all making their way to Dirke Memorial Park. The Guild, Police, and Heiyue step in to assist Van, organizing a search for the missing individuals. Quatre finds it curious that Dirke Memorial Park is the common point where everyone is disappearing, reflecting on its dark history as a site of mass slaughter both before and after the revolution, long before it was turned into a park.

Renne and Rixia join the scene, surprising Nate, who remarks that he just met the famed Crossbell dancer. As the teams split up, Nate is momentarily frozen in place as he watches Rixia transform into her Yin outfit. Daswani has to snap him out of it, urging him to stay focused and keep moving.

The group heads to the far-right side of Dirke Memorial Park, a part that has strangely remained unexplored across two entire games (bruh). They express their amazement that such an area even exists, noting how the ruins resemble those found on Nemeth Island. Suddenly, a monster believed to only exist in the Marchen Garten appears, shocking the team. It confirms that this creature is not a mere imitation but potentially the real thing. Renne, with her usual flair, comments that this encounter feels like the beginning of a tea party.

As they battle the boss, it reveals a powerful healing ability and nearly kills Risette. Her body reacts with unease to the creature’s presence, hinting at a connection to A-D or something. Just in time, Jorda steps in and saves her. Agnes, recognizing Jorda, mentions that they recently crossed paths at the Grim Garten.

Van decides to rehire Jorda as his part-time assistant, but she brushes off his joking tone, making it clear that she’s here solely to track down Ixs. The group welcomes her determination, pointing out that they're all after him as well. Jorda joins the group.

Upon reaching the deepest part of the site, they confront Ixs, who dismisses the idea of family and mocks those who endure hardship. His taunts provoke Van, who sharply tells him to be quiet. Jorda steps forward, questioning how Ixs became the person he is. She asserts that there is no satisfaction in taking lives, and that neither she nor Van have ever treated life so callously. It is this difference, she says, that sets them apart from those who raised them.

(Don't know where to put this but in my zoomer slang, Ixs also calls Van an Unc (ossan) and calls Elaine an Auntie (obasan) basically.)

Ixs sneers at their words, claiming he owes them no explanation. He belittles Jorda for siding with Van and mocks Van's past struggles. Van, unfazed, counters that at least he has matured beyond being a brooding child, unlike Ixs, whose experiences are not uncommon and are often faced by those still going through adolescence.

Frustrated, Ixs summons a massive, shrouded mechanical beast to attack the group. After they defeat it, the creature is revealed to be an Executioner. In a final act of defiance, Ixs attempts to escape, commanding the beast to activate its genocide mode, indifferent to the casualties that may follow.

As Van, now in his Grendel form, contemplates whether he must push his limits further, a man in a robe and mask suddenly descends from the sky, interrupting both Van and the Executioner. The man speaks cryptically about Van, leaving the group puzzled. Aaron immediately recognizes the mysterious figure's technique as being from the Gekka-style. Shortly after, another masked figure appears, wielding a gun and firing energy blasts that immobilize Van and the others. Risette identifies the technology as MK-based, though she notes it is still experimental. Feri, observing closely, recognizes the sniper’s weapon. Then Judith, hearing something, points out a third figure perched atop a pillar, watching the scene unfold. Ixs, irritated, complains that their interference is spoiling his fun.

Van, intrigued by the sudden appearance of these three Apostles, begins to assess their traits. As Ixs and the Apostles point their weapons at Van and the group, the Gekka-styled Apostle taunts them, suggesting that reinforcements will not arrive in time. He finds the people of this present era fascinating. This remark prompts Judith and Elaine to wonder whether the Apostles had already defeated Rixia and the others.

Despite the Apostles' confidence, Van had anticipated the need for reinforcements. He had earlier requested that Bermotti contact Kaela and Cody to send in CID backup. As the Apostles prepare to strike, the police, along with Rixia, arrive to support Van and his group.

Outnumbered and facing unfavorable odds, the Apostles decide to retreat. Elaine, determined to understand more, questions their identity and whether they are connected to A-D. One of the Masked Apostles responds, explaining that A-D is meant for the "last lambs": those forgotten or forsaken by the world. However, they are different. Their presence in the world distorts reality due to contradictions, making "Remnants" a more fitting name for their group.

As the Apostles begin teleporting away, Jorda seizes an opportunity and uses her shadow to grab hold of Ixs. But as they teleport, her shadow is severed, sending a wave of excruciating pain through her body. Though in agony, Jorda urges the others to track Ixs, but despite their efforts, he manages to escape.

Bergard later comments that the pain Jorda endured must have been immense, likening it to the sensation of having her own body torn in half due to the damage inflicted on her shadow. Meanwhile, Rixia recounts how they were overwhelmed by the Masked Gekka-style Apostle, forcing them to split up. Daswani confirms that the Masked Gun Apostle also caught them off guard with her sudden attacks.

Kaela and Cody reveal that the CID has been assigned to work on a separate, undisclosed plan, meaning they will no longer be able to assist Van and his group. Van, seemingly unfazed, had anticipated this turn of events. Fortunately, Quatre is able to pinpoint Ixs’s new location. As the chapter concludes, Jorda struggles to stay conscious, battling through the lingering pain from her injury.

[ghostwanderer]

As apart of my fan fic, I have taken the creative liberty of redesigning the clown trap, as well as give them some narrative significance.

My biggest gripes from Atomic Heart is that the clown trap was a pretty present entity throughout the development of the game, when the final game came out, these guys sort of stayed in the background as set dressing. So with this post, I will detail the redesigned robot, its abilities, the variants, and its significance in the story of my fan fic.

CLOWN TRAP

The sneaky freaks have the unique ability of changing their size to fit in cramped and small spaces. The ability in speaking was implemented to make transportation and storage easier since they could shrink to fit about 5 in a box. They were also intended to be an attraction walking around the local soviet amusement park. However, the bots were tested with children and reported to scare all of them. So the design was retired. They were also noted to have ability to change their faces when spun in a fast degree.

-Mass manipulation: due to the polymer used to build it, the machine can shrink to hide in small spaces and surprise victims that happen upon them

-Acrobatic: Clowns are often harder to hit with melee weapons. To beat them, try doing the good ol’ zap em and whack em method, or just use fire arms

JESTER SHOT

This robot variant is equipped with a confetti blaster, now turned deadly rifle. The robot is fairly weak, and often tries to stay far from attacking enemies. They can collaborate with the Pchela’s and hold to them and fly, proving air support.

-Cowardly: runs from danger, attacks from afar

-Cooperation: Hangs on to Pchela’s, using them for air transport

-Sniper: Some jesters are equipped with a visible red laser sight, making those ones more dangerous but more easier to avoid

HARLEY BRAWL

Easily the toughest of the variants, these robots come equip with extendable spring hands and can stand their ground against enemies, the most capable of resisting stun attacks

-Strong: though not as powerful as a Belyash, is still pretty hefty

-Durable, but still weak: Despite being resistant to most strong attacks, a shock can still stop them in their tracks

-Springy Hands: These robots come equipped with hands that grab (or punch) things further from them.

Hope you enjoy this lore dump for my fan fic, reblog and share with people who might be interested.