#Dead Bots Detectives

[terresdebrume]

Pulled up the persocon/robot!Dead Boy Detectives ficlet I wrote for a prompt here thinking "oh I'll clean it up and post it, it'll be something vaguely creative to do even if I'm busy"

and guess what happened

GUESS

That's right: I was seized by the desire to turn it into a proper story

[cricketmaestro]

okay okay large debate on if i should get my best mate into the smiths or queen

he's, like, super old-fashioned and all, and i want to get him into some newer stuff so we can both listen to music in our office

[flufallo]

I know people were talking about the suspenders on George's Instagram story saying that they need to see them, but they are actually in this scene if you look closely

[olliddy]

i miss lockwood & co so bad its been haunting me for the past few days like i feel sick WHY DID YOU HAVE TO CANCEL IT NETFLIX WHY 😭😭😭😭

[1amchrliee]

Why did everything that can go wrong just go wrong. What.

[shaylogic]

Haiku bot noooooo 🤣😭

"Well, I'm aces with people!" said the boy who was just killed by his friends

"I'm not good with other people..." said the boy who escaped dehumanizing 70+ years of Hell just to comfort a stranger through death

[tragedy-machine]

Genuinely can't express how heartbroken I am over the cancellation of Dead Boy Detectives after just 1 season. It's become such a source of joy and inspiration in my life even though it's been released only a few months ago.

It's been a light during sad and bleak times, and I don't know how to deal with the news other than by saying - tweet at Netflix. They don't care about tumblr, use other platforms to bug the absolute hell out of them. Be polite and don't make multiple social media accounts since it can make you look like a bot.

@netflix everywhere you can, email them, make noise wherever you can. Make #RenewDeadBoyDetectives trend on Twitter!!!

And please, if the show meant something to you, don't stop engaging with the fandom!! I'm truly emotionally destroyed rn, but I don't want to give up what this community has given me so far 💔

Support each other and let netflix know they've made a mistake!!

[alltimefail]

➪ Participate in the current letter-writing and email campaign. The current run started yesterday (12/5) and will go on until Monday (12/9) so PLEASE take the time to participate in that if you can.

➪ Rate and Review Dead Boy Detectives on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, and Google. Make sure to rate each individual episode as well on IMDB, and click "Watched" and like the show on Google.

➪ Take the time to vote for Dead Boy Detectives in TellTale-TV's Favorite TV Shows of 2024 poll. You can vote once a day, but if you use different devices you can vote more than one time!

➪ Sign the petition, and share it frequently.

➪ Comment on Elijah (Not-So-Average-Fangirl) and Alex Myers' recent community posts, and Danny Motta's reel HERE as well to encourage them all (kindly) to react to Dead Boy Detectives (and in Danny's case, to continue reacting).

➪ Continue to talk about the show, create art/analysis/edits/etc. for it; if you're on Twitter, be sure to use the hashtags! #SaveDeadBoyDetectives is my go-to, and our current hashtag is #BrillsAndChills. You can also use #DeadBoyDetectives, obviously, but two hashtags per post are optimal otherwise Twitter might think you're a bot/spam account, so hashtag wisely! There are also a handful of fandom holiday events going on this month, and participating in those is a great way to get the show trending and pour love on Dead Boy Detectives at the same time!

There are so many signs of hope, so please trust those signs and keep streaming and screaming! Pressure breaks the dam, and while we cannot be in the room where negotiations and pitches are made, we can give Steve Yockey and Beth Schwartz ammo when THEY enter those spaces!

WE GOT THIS! 💜

[childofposiden71]

Mine is catwin!

this has probably been said before but lock screens = modern day lockets

[doctorsiren]

what’s gumshoe in your au?? i have to know i love him

Okay so my first doodle request I drew for that big huge doodle request thing I did recently was of a robot design for Gumshoe. I really like this design and I wanted to keep it for the monster AU. I actually have a lot of thoughts for Gumshoe that hit me like a truck this morning when I was brainstorming and so I shall share them :)!!

Detective Dick Gumshoe was actually an investigation robot that Gregory Edgeworth had been building to help the defense (wow! A dad who builds robots? In one of my AUs?? Who would have guessed) but then y’know…DL-6 happened.

And so Gumshoe was shoved into an evidence room and forgotten about until one day 10 years later, Miles Edgeworth stumbles upon him while retrieving some old evidence for something (unimportant)

Miles vaguely remembers this robot as his dad’s side project. In fact, the robot is wearing his father’s tan trench coat. Miles boots him up, and Gumshoe, confused, thinks that Miles is Gregory for a moment (because of their faces and also his tech is worn down), before recognizing that “oh no wait, this is his kid but older??”. Gumshoe doesn’t realize that he’s been shut off for a decade and also doesn’t know that Gregory is dead.

Miles is taken aback when Gumshoe is able to recognize him as Miles because it’s been 10 years and also Miles had been turned into a vampire during that decade. That moment of his father’s robot still recognizing him was one of the foundational moments that would later lead to his complete doubt and uncertainty in von Karma’s ways (which were completely toppled over by Wright in the years to come)

So Miles does his best to patch Gumshoe up, and now he has this robot detective at his side. Von Karma doesn’t approve, but he’s also trying not to alert this detective bot to him being suspicious, just in case it’s able to figure out the truth behind DL-6

Von Karma’s caution surrounding Gumshoe was unfounded, however, since Gregory was never able to finish the robot. This resulted in the not-so-smart detective we all know and love, simply due to his programming never being completed. Although a directive that *was* completed was the programming that Gregory had implemented in Gumshoe to always protect his son Miles. That’s why Gumshoe is always so loyal to the vampire, even when Miles tells him how bad of a detective he is. It’s also why even though Gumshoe had been built originally to be an aid for the defense, he is loyal to the prosecution.

Gumshoe also views Miles as his brother, on the basis that they technically have the same dad. Miles acts annoyed and like he doesn’t agree, but he secretly is happy to have this reminder of his father still around. Gumshoe does end up getting his own trench coat and letting Miles keep the tan one that belonged to Gregory.

Anyways i think I’ve put more thought into Miles and Gumshoe’s characters for this AU than I have put into all the other characters in the AU combined 😭

[terresdebrume]

Nobody sent asks about the persocons AU but fuck it, I'm having visions at 11pm and doing anything more than typing away on the phone would be really unreasonable so here we go for a very short pile of Vibes

Ps: I'm using persocons in reference to the manga Chobits, as a shorthand way of saying that the boys in this are robots with a very solid mimicry of sentience going on + are a normal part of society but ALSO as a way to indicate to those in the know that we are fucking with the laws of robotics a little bit

"Thank you," says Vera as Edwin hands her the crate and the spitting mad cat it contains. "You're very kind."

Charles isn't so far gone yet that he doesn't catch the infinitesimal twitch of Edwin's lips. They're pretty nice lips, plopped in the middle of a classically nice face, paired with a neat haircut and what is probably a classically nice body under all the tweed. The PAYNE line was kind of designed for that, after all. Well, Charles doubts any designer ever planned for the tweed, but the broadly appealing features and physique were definitely discussed for at least ten years down in the bowels of Hilarion Inc. headquarters. All in all: not surprising Charles would look. He's only—well.

Out of the shadows where Charles lurks, Vera steps back towards the next service shaft and the upper levels of London. Edwin watches her go with near perfect immobility, but even Charles' factory-work-oriented eyes don't miss the relaxing in his jaw, the miniscule sag of his shoulders. Edwin, Charles is willing to bet, is satisfied with a job well done... Which means there is no reason for him not to smile when Edwin joins him at the back of the alley.

"She's right you know. You're proper kind."

He falls into step with his newly found work partner, smirking when Edwin throws him a sideway glance and looks back ahead.

"Do not be ridiculous. Kindness is a human trait, and I am not human."

"Plenty of us Robots grow emotions, you know."

Mainstream research currently holds that persocons happen over time. Owner misses a software adjustment here, shakes a bot's servers a little too hard there, and eventually that all messes with the auto-learning routines in ways unpredicted and unpredictable and boom: your fuck off tall toaster now has opinions. Charles, who gave himself a name before he was even out of the factory, would beg to differ if he didn't suspect that would get him shipped straight to the richest R&D department for a nice long play session with his programming. Not exactly an appealing prospect.

"So experience seems to indicate," Edwin says, sounding exceedingly prim. "I however, haven't. It would be illogical for you to pretend I did."

"Sure mate. No worries."

Edwin gives a little nod that Charles decides to go ahead and label as satisfied. He'll keep mum about the whole emotions thing, of course. No point in going against Edwin on it. It's just that he also knows it's a load of tosh, really, and he doesn't know it because of the way Edwin's lips twitch sometimes in response to what other people are saying. It's not because he took one look at Charles' crumbling state—the shot up voice modulator, the stringy red hair falling off his head, the long stripe of skin missing from his jaw to his collarbone—and took Charles under his wings. It's not even because Edwin gave himself a name.

It's because, well. Charles was built as a factory model. He has the specs for thousands of android parts running through his data banks at any given time and access to millions more with the internet. Edwin's eye covers—the pale green of his irises, specifically—haven't been on the market for the past sed venty three years, four months, one week and two days. A normal android his age would have been replaced a long time ago. Crucially: it wouldn't have given a shit.

That's kind of the thing with androids that work like they're supposed to: they mimick emotions real well—as much as the humans want them to, that is—but when the moment comes to have them recycled they treat it like any other day. 'Oh, you want to erase me from existence forever? Okay.' And then they go. But then once in a while, someone like Charles comes along: a defect, a bug in the machine. An everlasting problem to robotics engineer everywhere, whose position on the whole being recycled is a resounding:

"Fuck that."

That's how Charles knows Edwin isn't actually emotionless. Because no matter how many personality protocols he's actually got running—or shut down, really, he sounds like enough of a beautiful freak to actively have played with his own brains—when the time came to be recycled, it is abundantly clear that Edwin's answer in spite of any Robotics Law overrides was also no thank you.

And if Charles is lucky, one of these days, Edwin might even admit it.

[a-very-tired-jew]

Microsoft Cyber Attack Assessment of the I/P Conflict

This was sent my way by a cyber security colleague recently. Microsoft put out an assessment of cyber attacks associated with the I/P conflict and determined that the IRI has had a massive hand in them. Yes we know Russian bots are present whenever this type of conflict happens, but to have a full breakdown of what IRI backed groups (government and non-government) are actively spreading misinformation and committing attacks is good to know. I find this chart particularly interesting.

Fig. 1. Chart depicting the various active cyber groups and their personas online. Cotton Sandstorm is the most active group and if you look on the far right of the chart you will see that they have Jewish Peace Advocate listed as one of their online personas. The report indicates that there are active IRI cyber groups masquerading as Jews and/or Jewish groups online and spreading misinformation (keep in mind this report is from February 2024 and we don't have a public report regarding the continued cyber attacks and misinformation campaign). From the report:

During this phase, Iran’s influence activity used more extensive and sophisticated forms of inauthentic amplification. In the first two weeks of the war, we detected minimal advanced forms of inauthentic amplification—again suggesting operations were reactive. By the third week of the war, Iran’s most prolific influence actor, Cotton Sandstorm, entered the scene launching three cyber-enabled influence operations on October 21. As we often see from the group, they used a network of social media sockpuppets to amplify the operations, though many appeared to be hastily repurposed without authentic covers disguising them as Israelis. On multiple occasions Cotton Sandstorm sent text messages or emails in bulk to amplify or boast about their operations, leveraging compromised accounts to enhance authenticity.

...

Iran’s targeting of Israel during the Israel-Hamas war has increasingly focused on stoking domestic conflict over the Israeli government’s approach to the war. Multiple Iranian influence operations have masqueraded as Israeli activist groups to plant inflammatory messaging that criticizes the government’s approach to those kidnapped and taken hostage on October 7.17 Netanyahu has been a primary target of such messaging, and calls for his removal were a common theme in Iran’s influence operations.

...

There's a lot to the report and I highly recommend you read it. Hopefully another one comes out, apparently these are biannual, this summer with a spring time assessment. Please keep in mind that this war has had a ton of propaganda and bad actors masquerading as good ones. There's so much misinformation out there regarding Israel and Jews that is being amplified by people who want us dead, and when we point this out we're quickly silenced. But more and more the evidence supports the idea that manipulation and misinformation is playing a larger role.

And we told you.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/security-insider/intelligence-reports/iran-surges-cyber-enabled-influence-operations-in-support-of-hamas#section-master-oc1474

[enigmatist17]

Charlie Burns was a simple man with four kids he loved more than life itself, as well an additional four that had come from the stars. Sure, they were older than him if one was being technical, but at the same time, if he blinked, Charlie could see them all as young twenty-somethings who had lost their home and did their best to protect their new one. So when they had their memories stolen from them by Morocco, Charlie felt anger and cold horror twist his heart as they fought to save their home, the trust that both sets of responders...missing from one half. Sure, the instinct was there, and had done wonders to help them save Griffin Rock, but the confusion at simple Earth terms they'd learned was like a stab to the gut.

Cody hurt the worst of all of them however, his youngest was heartbroken when the memory machine seemed to not work on their family members.

Someone however was looking out for them, a game of Rescue Ball kick-starting the memories that bubbled to the surface, Kade even wiping away a tear of relief that he tried to claim was not there. Charlie called in the volunteer rescue crews for the next few days after their game, the entire family, both human and bot, needing rest and time to sort through their emotions. Despite all the smiles and assurances from each other, everyone knew it had been a hard few days, and sooner or later, someone was going to crack.

Unsurprisingly, Cody was the first in the form of a nightmare, waking up the household as he cried out for Heatwave and the others to come back to him, tossing and turning in his bed as the others hurried to his room. Kade was the first to reach his little brother, pulling him up and into his arms as Charlie called out to him; Graham hugged Dani close when Cody woke up, only to burst into tears. The eldest Burns sibling rubbed Cody's back as the youngest cried, explaining in his nightmare between sobs that the bots hadn't come back, that they had left with Morocco and had abandoned them.

"They're all downstairs buddy, safe and sound." Graham did his best to reassure the youngest Burns, their father squeezing Cody's knee reassuringly.

"I know that, I-I just.." Cody sniffled and pressed his face into Kade's chest, the eldest adjusting his hold. "My s-stupid brain doesn't want to listen."

"Well, then why don't we just make this easy." The firefighter shuffled to the edge of the bed and stood, easily carrying Cody as he headed out into the hallway. "Mind grabbing a pillow and blanket, Dad?"

"Of course, son, I'll be right behind you." The trio's trip down and into the bunker was short and quiet, the doors opening with their usual quiet whoosh. Chase was the last bot awake when the elevator arrived with the four Burns children, the bot setting his book aside with a frown when he noticed Cody's distress.

"Are you all alright? Has someone been injured?" The enforcer fired off a comm to the rest of his team as he got up from his chair, worry seeping into his spark bond with the others when the usually boisterous Cody wouldn't look at him, his small frame trembling. "Cody?"

"He had a nightmare about you guys." Dani supplied as she and Graham kept close to Kade and Cody as if protecting them from some threat Chase couldn't detect, even with his sensors at maximum. Charlie arrived with four bags hooked around his arms containing comforter sets the same time Heatwave and the other two rushed into the bots common room, exhausted but alert.

"Is there a family emergency?" Heatwave's voice is slightly staticky with sleep, but he was used to having to jump to the rescue from the dead of recharge, just not one within the fire station.

"Of a sort." Charlie handed off two of the bags to Dani while Graham grabbed another, nudging Kade forward. "Blades, could you help us set these up by the couch? Let's just say we're having...an impromptu sleepover."

"Of course!" Blades' rotor blades twitched in concern for Cody, but he herded Dani and Graham towards the couch without question, grabbing a large platform they kept for nights like this along the way. No one wanted to be under pede by accident, and the plush covering helped make the occasional overnight marathon quite comfortable for their human allies. "Is Cody okay?"

"He will be." Dani patted his leg with a strained smile, sitting down with a slight huff once all the bedding had been set up. "Nightmares are just a way of our brains to work through things."

"Was it about us?" The helicopter took a seat on the floor beside the platform, Dani looking up when she felt the slight buzz of his EMF field wrapping around her like a snug blanket.

"Mhm, he still won't let go of Kade." Heatwave had knelt down in front of Cody and Kade, murmuring something to the shaking Burns while gently rubbing his back with the tip of one digit. "Not that I blame him, I've had a few myself."

"I've had some persistent memory files myself, if it helps." Blades nodded in sympathy, his jerks out of recharge at watching his suspicion and confusion during the memory loss happening more often than not. "Chase has been staying awake due to his, but don't tell him I told you."

"Scouts honor." Dani smiled a little, watching as Cody finally unlatched himself from Kade, the elder Burns gently placing his little brother into Heatwave's awaiting servo. While he was clearly still more than a little upset, it was obvious that being in Heatwave's hold was helping, the rescue bot leader cradling Cody close to his chassis as Charlie and Kade joined the others.

"It's been a minute since we've done a sleepover." Kade yawned as he plopped down beside Dani, grabbing a pillow before lying down. "We outta do this more."

"Maybe you kids can, I might be a little too old." Charlie chuckled as he took his own seat, watching Heatwave and his youngest from the corner of his eye. "Chase, could you dim the lights?"

"Certainly, sir." The common room lights dimmed as the older Burns' settled in for some sleep, trying not to be obvious as they strained to hear what Heatwave was saying to Cody from their spot a few feet away. While Cody was adored by all of the bots, there had always been something a little bit special between the youngest member of the family and Heatwave, for all of the denials Heatwave gave if anyone questioned him about it. The firefighting bot nodded sympathetically when Cody rubbed at his eyes, a small smile crossing his face when the bot murmured something, a rush of affection flooding the shared team bond before he could cut it off.

"I think you do not need to worry anymore, Chief, Cody will be quite alright." Chase murmured as he stood guard over the small family, the three other rescuers asleep despite wanting to keep an eye on their brother. "Please, get your rest."

"You too, partner, you too."

When Charlie wakes hours later, feeling a little sore but rested for the first time since the week previous, he's not surprised by the sight that greets him. Heatwave was in his root mode deep in recharge, his hands resting in his lap, the pattern of Cody's comforter peeking between his fingers. Cody was not fast asleep between his siblings when Charlie took a quick look, smiling to himself as he settled back into his spot, nearly jumping when a book was placed in his field of vision.

"Chase said you were reading this series." Blades whispered with a grin, Charlie taking the book with a nod. "Cody is asleep in Heatwave's servos, and the other two are recharging on the couch. Feel free to ask if you need anything else, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Blades." There's still so much to talk about, and undoubtedly, the night before had probably pushed the uncomfortable elephant in the room to the forefront, but that could wait for later. For now, Charlie Burns was going to read his novel and watch over his sleeping family, just grateful they'd all been brought back together again.

[doubledeadstudio]

Hello! Welcome to the official Double Dead Studio Tumblr, the solodev behind Reanimated Heart, Another Rose in His Garden, and Pygmalion's Folly.

Reanimated Heart is a character-driven horror romance visual novel about finding love in a mysterious small town. There are three monstrous love interests with their own unique personalities and storylines.

Another Rose in His Garden is an 18+ erotic Omegaverse BL visual novel. Abel Valencia is an Omega who's hidden his secondary sex his entire life. Life's alright, until he meets the wealthy tycoon, Mars Rosales, and the two get embroiled in a sexual affair that changes his life forever.

Pygmalion's Folly is a survival murdersim where you play as Roxham Police Department's star detective, hellbent on finding your sister's killer... until he finds you. 

Content Warning: All my games are 18+! They contains dark subject matter such as violence and sexual content. Player discretion is advised.

This blog is ran by Jack, the creator.

Itch | Link Tree | Patreon | Twitter

Guidelines

My policy for fanwork is that anything goes in fiction, but respect my authority and copyright outside it. This means normal fan activity like taking screencaps, posting playthroughs, and making fanart/fanfiction is completely allowed, but selling this game or its assets isn't allowed (selling fanwork of it is fine, though). You are also not allowed to feed any of my assets to AI bots, period, even if it's free.

Do not use my stuff for illegal or hateful content.

Also, I expect everyone to respect the Content Warnings on the page. I'm old and do not tolerate fandom wank.

F.A.Q.

Who are the main Love Interests in Reanimated Heart?

Read their character profiles here!!

Who's the team?

Jack (creator, writer, artist), mostly. I closely work with Exodus (main programmer) and Claira (music composer). My husband edits the drafts.

For Reanimated Heart, my friend Bonny makes art assets. I've also gotten help from outsiders like Sleepy (prologue music + vfx) and my friend Gumjamin (main menu heart animation).

For Reanimated Heart's VOs, Alex Ross voices Crux, Devin McLaughlin voices Vincenzo, Christian Cruz voices Black, Maganda Marie voices Grete, and Zoe D. Lee voices Missy.

Basically, it's mostly just me & outsourcing stuff to my friends and professionals.

How can I support Double Dead Studio productions?

You can pay for the game, or join our monthly Patreon! If you don't have any money, just giving it a nice rating and recommending it to a friend is already good enough. :)

Where do the funds go to?

Almost 100% gets poured back into the game. More voice acting, more music, more trailers, more art, etc. I also like to give my programmer a monthly tip for helping me.

This game is really my insane passion project, and I want to make it better with community support.

I live in the Philippines and the purchasing power of php is not high, especially since many of the people I outsource to prefer USD. (One time I spent P10k of my own money in one month just to get things.) I'll probably still do that, even if no money comes in, until I'm in danger of getting kicked out the street… but maybe even then? (jk)

What platforms will Reanimated Heart be released in?

Itch and then Steam when it's fully finished. Still looking into other options, as I hear both are getting bad.

Will Reanimated Heart be free?

Chapter 1 will be free. The rest will be updated on Patreon exclusively until full release.

Are you doing a mobile version?

Yeah. Just Android for now, but it's in the works.

Where can I listen to Reanimated Heart's OST?

It is currently up on YouTube, Spotify, and Bandcamp!

Why didn't you answer my ask?

A number of things! Two big ones that keep coming up are Spoilers (as in, you asked something that will be put in an update) or it's already been asked. If you're really dying to know, check the character tags or the meta commentary. You might find what you're looking for there. :)

Will there be a sequel to Pygmalion's Folly?

It's not my first concern right now, but I am planning on it.

Tag List for Navigation

Just click the tags to get to where you wanna go!

[lostcybertronian]

Autobot Fool

What continuity is this? IDK. Probably G1. Have some rarepair SoundOP.

---

It took some time. Several covert moves. The discreet dismantling of two security cameras. But Optimus made it out of the Autobot base at Iacon without encountering any other bots or otherwise being detected. He transformed and took the last intact road– easier to defend and protect Iacon if they disabled or destroyed the others, was Prowl’s logic– out of the city, skirting the base of the enormous Ark where it sat in its dock, more silhouette than ship even under the full light of Luna-1. 

All the Autobots’ hopes lay in the Ark. Their futures lay in the Ark. And all that was left here was a dying Cybertron. Surely, Optimus could convince him of that in the time they had left. 

He ended up driving for several hours before a small, falcon-esque figure came swooping in from the shadows of the crumbling skyscrapers, once majestic buildings that boasted the gilded dregs of Cybertron’s Golden Age, to float above him, just inside the range of his motion tracker. Laserbeak. 

The recordicon dipped in and out of his detection for a few klicks, then jetted out in front of him, settling into the blare of his headlights. When he turned off the official road and into the remains of a boulevard, Optimus followed, transforming and carefully picking his way through rubble and around craters, stepping over the remnant parts of dead bots and dead cons. The soft light of the moon cast harsh blankets of shadow that made it easy to get lost.

Laserbeak squawked, jolting him from the looming cascade of dark thoughts, then dove away, tumbling down into a wide crevasse; what used to be the below-ground floor of a building before the war, but, like everything else, had been razed. 

There came the soft chic-chic-whirrr of T-cog activation, then Soundwave climbed out, biolights glowing faintly in the shadows.

Optimus suppressed a smile as he strode over and bent to offer a hand. Soundwave’s ability to find a hiding spot surpassed that of any mech he’d ever known, Autobot or otherwise. “I had hoped you’d come.”

Soundwave took the offered hand and let the Prime pull him from the hole, but when he spoke there was an edge to his usual distorted drone. His visor glinted deadly red in Luna-1’s muted light. “I was sure you wouldn’t.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“‘All our efforts must be directed at the Ark. It is imperative that we leave Cybertron as soon as we are able.’” With a click of a button and the whir of tape he replayed Optimus’s own words back at him. Of course, Optimus didn’t ask how or where he’d gotten that information; it was part of the arrangement they had made, when they first began meeting in secret. Away and apart from everything else.

He looked down at their joined hands. Felt and squashed the urge to squeeze, make it so they couldn’t be parted. “We can’t leave yet. But soon. That’s why I wanted to meet. I want you to come with us. Well-” He huffed a half-chuckle, half weary sigh- “I want you to come with me.”

Soundwave jerked his hand away; the abruptness of the gesture suggested he was truly surprised. “Join your Autobots?” He scoffed. “I am loyal only to Lord Megatron.”

Optimus cringed internally at Lord, but nonetheless forged onward. “You of all mechs must know Cybertron is dying. If you stay, you will die.”

Soundwave crossed his arms and said nothing. He was silent for so long that Optimus began to think he’d stumbled on some piece of intel he wasn’t supposed to have, though for the life of him he didn’t know what. Which was why he wasn’t in Intelligence.

Finally, Soundwave looked up. Reached to tentatively trace fingertips across his chest plate. Even after all this time, he still touched Optimus like he was a bomb that might go off. Or like he was fragile. “Damned Autobot fool,” he muttered.

Optimus smiled and triggered the release on his mask, then paused as the sounds of battle burst out, distant blaster fire lighting up the sky even here. Chatter filled his comms, and from the tilt of Soundwave’s helm, he could hear it, too.

He heaved a sigh, but before he could say anything, Soundwave lifted his hand and gripped Optimus’s chin guard, pulling the surprised bot down to his level. Then, he retracted his own mask and pressed their lips together in a kiss that made Optimus’s head swim and his spark surge.

“I’d - I’d like to see you again, before the launch.” He managed, and for the first time he got to see Soundwave smirk.

“Watch for my signal.” Was all he said as he stepped back, mask sliding back into place, once more the Decepticons’ formidable third-in-command. 

Optimus took that as his cue. He left, unafraid and almost comforted at turning his back on a Decepticon; Soundwave wouldn’t shoot him.

[ratteni-da-rotten]

A Mouse Among Owls? - Chapter 01

Fandom: Murder Drones

Warnings: Background Character Death, accidental baby acquisition

Characters (so far): Serial Designation V, Uzi Doorman

┈┈┈┈

A vibrant yellow cross stared at the small thing on the floor. The feathered beast’s head tilted slightly to the side trying to figure out what it was. She felt her tail gently swishing behind, disturbing the ever-so-frigid snow. Serial Designation V’s thermal sensors detected heat emanating from it, the object’s red-yellow-green colours contrasted against a sea of blue.

Pained and terrified cries were still echoing near her. Their source was a worker who was in the process of dying. The disassembler lacked any care for its pathetic whimpering. In her opinion, their suffering made great background music. Maybe she would record it and add it to her internal audio collection folders so she could listen to it during boredom spells.

There was no need for pity; the gashes inflicted on the lesser drone’s chassis would make it soon go into FATAL ERROR by oil loss. At least, it wouldn’t be a lonely death since the rogue machine would join their fallen peers around them. Dark liquid haphazardly painted the cold surroundings, its tantalising smell as if seducing the killer angel for a taste.

No need to rush things, the workers wouldn’t return to life and flee nor would the winged lass allow any other rival disassembler to steal her sweet spoils. Normally, V would be playing and taunting with the remaining worker on its deathbed but her focus remained on the mysterious item. By reviewing her recent memory files, the metallic beast recalled it had been thrown near her feet when she dove from the sky and attacked the wandering group of toasters.

Perhaps it had been a distraction attempt? SD - V doubted the workers were smart enough for that, they were nothing more than mindless machinery. Maybe their rudimentary AI had come up with the conclusion that less weight meant it could run away faster.

The interesting oval-shaped object was wrapped by a purple and white rabbit-themed blanket, what was once snug around the thing now had noticeably loosed but still concealed the small hidden item’s identity.

She kneeled and leaned forward, both clawed hands on the snowy ground, as if essentially cornering the motionless mystery would improve the inspection. Carefully, a finger-blade lightly tapped the fabric only to feel something solid underneath. V licked her chops and removed the blanket just enough to reveal its contents.

It was like her servos had frozen; even Serial Designation V’s tail stopped dead in the air. Neon purple eyes, hollow and shaking, adorned with stress lines, stared back at her. The stare remained locked into each other’s visors until the nearby sound of sobs stole the smaller robot’s attention. Mangled worker drone carcasses were on full display, and the twin moons’ tender light made their spilt oil gleam beautifully. One had yet to pass away, its off-putting sounds worsening the situation tenfold.

A strangled whine escaped the pill baby’s voicebox, momentarily restraining itself, before scaling into full grating wailing. V’s stringy tail lowered to the ground and curled up around one of her pointy legs, the toxic yellow cross on her visor quickly was replaced by normal drone eyes. The disassembly machine had an unreadable facial expression, her body was as still as a statue except for her quivering claws.

“Shit shit shit shitshitshit,” were the words the murder bot gal started to scream within the confines of her mind. Mind, core, and code began to caterwaul against each other as if trying to bend the rivalling wants to its will by being the loudest.

Drones like her were made to adapt to every environment and situation with the sole goal of completing their mission. Yet this scenario was new; she had no prior experience, and the expected outcome would surely leave a bitter taste in her jaws. What was she supposed to do when every part of her was in conflict?

Serial Designation V’s gaze briefly wandered to the suffering, bleeding, worker not far from them. Its suffering was finally reaching the end, the rogue machine would be of no help if it was dead. The untrained neural network wouldn’t last long if V allowed them to “flee” together, other predatory robots would be attracted by the dark sweet liquid leaking from their wounds. She doubted the thing would even make it very far, a few metres and the drone would undoubtedly collapse back on the polar desert’s cold surface.

“Maybe… maybe I could just leave it he–”, the usually fierce disassembly machine shook her head. Starvation would claim the tiny aluminium infant, a drawn-out demise if not found by others, and terribly agonising for a being who isn’t familiar with neglected hunger pangs. Stabbing through its CPU would be quicker and, hopefully, less painful. Furthermore, it was unlikely another disassembler would terminate the thing if they stumbled on it. “Too little oil, not worth the effort,” they would probably think to themselves.

V lifted a single, trembling, sharp blade ready to spear through the artificial baby’s visor. Seconds passed by, the deadly claws hovering over its smaller form, and she couldn’t compel herself to do what was supposed to be her job. The ferocious hunter, the one who enjoyed prolonging her prey’s misery and experimenting with how much damage it could sustain before permanently shutting down, was reluctant to tear a UNN to shreds. If other squads became aware of this, they would surely crack up at this fact.

Poor thing was crying its speakers out, scrunched LED eyes, wiggling erratically on the ground. So utterly defenceless, they couldn’t even try to turn tail as it lacked any limbs, under the claws of an oilfeeder. Looking closely at the thing, it resembled the– Nope, not thinking about that right now!

No living being stays young forever, untrained neural networks get older and moult from their infantile shape. When this one achieved the milestone, it would die by her claws or by her teammates. And if the pill drone died before that due to someone else’s actions, that would still be alright. V will turn a blind eye, as long it isn’t her fault.

SD - V swapped her claws back to her ordinary hands and gingerly cradled the robot infant close to her chest. The embrace was warm, so different from Copper-9’s freezing winds. For that moment the taller being’s fans were audible to the pill drone, the proximity allowed so. Her cries decreased in intensity, the gentle back rubbing and the ceasing of death gurgles lulled the tiny one into quietness. Bawling took a toll on the pill baby, making it enter SLEEP MODE. Dormant in a monster’s arms, killer of her kind, it was comforting nonetheless.