#Friendship Cores

[nuttersincorporated]

A Day in the Life of Robot Seventeen

Hi @genericdragon I’m your @portal-secret-santa! Sorry, that your present is a little late.

I’ve written you a short fanfic about the Robot Seventeen (previously the Protocol Core) from The Underground. I hope you like it.

Title: A Day in the Life of Robot Seventeen

Summary: Robot Seventeen tries to remember who they used to be. They do as they're told but not always what the Mainframe wants them to do.

Word Count: 1,126

Characters: Robot Seventeen AKA the Protocol Core, the Mainframe AKA Cave Johnson, the Ego Core and the Optimism Core. The Interview Core AKA Sifter Seven, Robots Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three and Twenty-Four (the Paranoia and Friendship Cores) are mentioned but don’t appear.

AO3 Link: Here

Author’s Note: I love Portal extended fan lore. I’d somehow never come across The Underground before so thank you for introducing me to it!

A Day in the Life of Robot Seventeen

Robot Seventeen’s life was a living Android Hell. They wondered if that was where they were. It would certainly explain a lot. They couldn’t remember their old life very well but they knew it had been very different from this.

In reality, they knew it made no difference if this was Android Hell or not. It didn’t change anything about their situation one way or the other.

Seventeen braced themselves as much as they could before stepping into the Mainframe Chamber. They dragged a mop and bucket over to the coolant leak on the floor and began cleaning.

They worked as quickly as their stiff limbs would allow. It still wasn’t particularly fast but it was the best that they could manage. It was a bad idea to spend too much time in the Mainframe Chamber. It risked drawing unwanted attention.

Above them, Seventeen heard the Mainframe sigh in annoyance. They tried not to react. The Mainframe had eyes almost everywhere. There was no reason to believe that his irritation was directed at Seventeen specifically.

“Seventeen!” the Mainframe snapped. They froze. So much for this not being the subject of the Mainframe’s anger. “When you’re done mopping up, go throw Sifter Seven into the incinerator. He’s gone off script again.”

‘No, please not that!’ Seventeen wanted to argue. They didn’t want to hurt anyone. They looked up for a moment and tried to chitter back some sort of answer but… they couldn’t.

They should have known better. When had been done to them when they’d been turned into this, their programming it didn’t allow them to disobey orders or talk back.

They looked down at the black coolant sludge on the floor and began mopping again. This time, they didn’t bother trying to get the job done quickly. In fact, they began working as slowly as they dared.

It wasn’t much but it was the only small act of resistance they were still able to make. However, if they were too slow, the Mainframe would tell them to go faster and they’d have to obey.

Luckly, one of the cores hooked up to the Mainframe (the one that seemed to think a lot of himself), distracted the Mainframe by questioning his order, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“How many times have I have told you to shut up?” the Mainframe asked irritably.

As they continued slowly mopping, Seventeen listened to the conversation going on above them.

“I know,” the self-important core answered nervously. “It’s just… it’s just that Bran… I mean Sifter Seven is your best sifter.”

“That’s ridiculous! None of the others go off script this much.”

“You have twenty-three sifters working nonstop but Seven is the only one who’s given you any cores you’ve liked enough to incorporate into yourself,” the egotistical core – Onathan, Robot Seventeen’s fractured memory corrected – pointed out. “Obviously, he had some luck because I was one of the cores he happened to sift. Nevertheless, none of the others have given you any suitable cores at all.”

“Hmm, much as I hate to admit it, you do have a point,” the Mainframe grudgingly admitted. “Seventeen, don’t throw Seven into the incinerator. When you’re done mopping, just give him a good defrag again instead.”

Seventeen’s eye momentarily shone slightly brighter, in relief. It was the closest thing they had to a smile. Luckly, this went unnoticed.

Above them, Onathan let out a relieved sigh. In a slightly manic voice, the peppy core said, “I like him! Just stay positive and I’m sure he can do an even better job of finding new friends to join us!”

“Both of you, be quiet! I can’t stand your constant jabbering. If you don’t stop talking, I’ll disconnect you and find someone else to fill your spots.”

Both cores stopped talking immediately.

Seventeen didn’t look up but they could feel Onathan and… Onathan and… the Happy Core? They could feel Onathan and the other core looking down at them and dreading meeting their same fate.

Seventeen didn’t blame them. They knew they were seen as the lowest of the low, even among the other repurposed robots.

At best, the other repurposed robots left them alone. At worst, they actively took pleasure in making Seventeen’s life even worse than it already was.

Robots Twenty-Three and Twenty-Four were the closest thing Seventeen had to friends and they both mostly ignored them.

Twenty-Four seemed to struggle with even the simplest of tasks but it didn’t matter. Twenty-Three worked hard to fix any mistakes he made. Twenty-Three and Twenty-Four seemed happy enough in their new lives, as long as they were near each other. They always worked as a team.

On the other hand, Robot Twenty-Two was particularly vindictive. She delighted in making Seventeen’s life as miserable and painful as possible. If they hadn’t heard Twenty-Two laughing maliciously while causing other cores pain, Seventeen would have suspected that Twenty-Two hated them specifically. As it was, they tried not to take it personally.

They continued slowly mopping and tried to recall their old life. It was all so hard to remember now but they knew that they hadn’t always been this way. Seventeen believed that they used to love following instructions the way they were intended to be followed. Maybe, they’d been the Rules Core? That seemed about right.

Whatever they had been before, more of their old memories and intelligence seemed to have survived the transformation than any of the other repurposed robots. Seventeen could sometimes creatively misinterpret their instructions and avoid doing what they were actually meant to do.

They were pretty sure everyone thought that they were stupid. That was fine by them. They preferred for everyone to think of them as dumb, rather than defiant. It was safer that way.

As Seventeen continued to mop the floor, they started to plan. Surely, it was only a matter of time before the Mainframe got angry at Sifter Seven again.

Sif… no, the Interview Core, they mentally corrected themselves. The Interview Core had a way of annoying the Mainframe like no one else. At some point, Seventeen knew they were going to be ordered to throw the Interview Core into the incinerator again and they’d be powerless to disobey.

Maybe, if they could find an incinerator tube out of sight of any camaras, they could put some netting just under the edge. That way, they could throw cores in without actually harming them. Then they could take them out again, all while technically following their orders.

“Hurry up, Seventeen!” the Mainframe shouted.

Seventeen started mopping quicker. They considered ‘accidently’ knocking over the bucket but decided against it. After all, they had a specific sort of incinerator tube to find and the sooner they started looking the better.

[fanmade-cores-competion]

ROUND 1

[hopelessvalentines]

on friends, who maybe want to be a little more than that

@fuckitloveu @mothicalspoken

[liexpressway]

But once he is gone who will I have?

tiktok / icarly / unknown / @/mothman / An Oresteia: Agamemnon, Aiskhylos / Bumble Ardy, Maurice Sendak / icarly / A Little Life, Hanya Yaragihara / The Fall Of The House Of Usher, Steven Berkoff / A living Chattel, Anton Chekhov

[jackwhiteprophetic]

Buck CLINGS to people. He got scared Taylor would leave, he asked her to move in. He got scared Tommy would leave (like how Tommy left Abby, like how Abby left him), he asked him to move in.

At the well, Buck tried to bury himself with Eddie too. After the shooting, he despised himself for surviving without Eddie.

But after the well Eddie SAW how tightly Buck holds onto people and saw how he would probably rather die than be left behind.

AND HE PUT BUCK IN HIS FUCKING WILL AND HE ESSENTIALLY LEGALLY GRABBED HIM BY THE SHOULDERS AND SAID "YOU MATTER TO ME AND YOU ARE STAYING NO MATTER WHAT BECAUSE YOU CAN STAY BEYOND ME".

And when Buck was let go again (in 8x06), he KNEW to find Eddie and that there was a space where he could settle and be held without asking.

No explanations because Eddie has told Buck he can hold his hand gently and that he can trust that Eddie isn't letting go, he is meeting Buck where he's at always.

The tenderness in knowing that the door will be answered and having no expectations of the person on the other side other than to meet them exactly where they are at, because they are fully and completely enough as they are.

[wiishopwednesday]

i lost a close friend in a really irregular, frustrating way recently. i lost a friend.

[royalarchivist]

Bad: I don’t think people understand the effect QSMP had on some of the streamers in terms of like… The real raw mental impact, so I’m gonna set the stage for you. [...] Imagine that you were given a friend to play Minecraft with — like your best friend — BUT if this person dies, if they die in the game, you never get to talk to them again. Can you imagine what that’s like?

Bad: If you did not live through the QSMP, if you did not live through that, it almost sounds like, crazy. But I don’t think people realize how much of a joyous experience the Eggs were. They were SO awesome! They were literally so awesome to just hang out with and spend time with.

Bad: I’m not saying I regret it. To this day, I loved the experience. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Even knowing how everything went, I would still do it all over again. [...] I would still do it all over again, because — even knowing like, all the trauma and suffering and stuff like that — because it was just… It was just that fun, it was just that fun.

Earlier today during his stream, Bad shared his experience and thoughts about the Eggs and the significant emotional (and traumatic) impact they had on him and his fellow QSMP members.

This clip a very edited-down version since his commentary was ~13 minutes long, so I highly recommend checking out Bad's VOD if you have the time. (Timestamp: 47:36 - 1:00:14)

[ Full Transcript ↓ ]

———

Bad: To be fair Chat, I really think the QSMP... I don't think anyone really can relate to it, Chat. It's something that's so... I've told people this before, like– but it's hard to understand. Right? Like...

Where was I? Sorry Chat, I'm losing my train of thought. Look, let me explain Chat– here's the dealio, ok? Here's the dealio, and this is what I mean when I say like, it's important to keep this in mind, Chat. Ok? It's important to keep this in mind:

I don’t think people understand the effect that the QSMP had on like, some of the streamers, in terms of like… The real raw mental impact, so I’m gonna set the stage for you. This is the analogy I’ve given to every person who I’ve like, shared this with. Imagine you meet somebody– [He hears a strange noise] What the fudge was that? Did you hear that?

Anyway– Chip! The story I was just relaying to Chat, Chip, was this: I was sharing this story with them, I said–  I was giving them an analogy. 

Imagine Chat, for example, imagine that you were… playing Minecraft, with like– you were given a friend to play Minecraft with, Chat, like your best friend, and [unintelligible] were like, “Hey, you get to play Minecraft with this person, right? BUT if this person dies – they’re currently your best friend, Chip – but if they die in the game, you never get to talk to them again. Ever again.” Can you imagine what that’s like, Chip?

I don’t think a lot of people understand like, what that does, right? I’m not gonna say that like, it creates this situation, Chip, that like, messes with your head, but it– Chip – but it totally, totally does, Chip. It messes with your head! It literally puts you in a position where you’re second-guessing and thinking about everything, Chip! You’re thinking about EVERYTHING Chip! Ok? And that’s the problem, Chip– is you turn into a paranoid monster because of it, Chip! Like, you don’t understand Chip– I was- I was so afraid of every dirt block, I used to carry a shovel with me Chip, and I would specifically right-click dirt blocks that looked suspicious because mines, Chip– mines could not be shoveled! Like, I was crazy, Chip! But here’s the problem, Chip: that craziness is still there. I’m genuinely like–

I remember thinking Chip, that I would one day– I was like, “I’m going to move past–” here, let’s go up here, Chip. I remember thinking one day Chip, I was like, “I’m gonna move past the underground base, one of these days. You know, one of these days, I feel like I’ll be able to grow and achieve the desire to build a base that doesn’t have to be underground.” But I don’t think it’s possible now Chip, because I think… I just don’t know. I feel like the paranoia– there’s still like, residual leftover trauma from that situation, Chip.

But here’s the problem Chip: I don’t think I don’t think– I don’t think people understand it. Like, I just really don’t. But I also don’t blame them Chip, ‘cuz I don’t think it’s possible to fully understand it if you haven’t lived through it. Like, if you did not live through the QSMP… I’m talking about the QSMP, I don’t- I don’t know if that was obvious– if you did not live through that, it almost sounds like, crazy. But I don’t think people realize how much of a joyous experience like, the Eggs were. Right? I don’t think people realize it. Like, they were SO awesome! They were literally so awesome to just hang out with and spend time with, Chip. So, it’s just one of those things that–

[He’s interrupted by a loud rumble of thunder above them]

Did lightning just strike here? Is it thunderstorming out…? But anyway, Chip. That’s the food for thought.

But that’s the problem– Like, every time it rains in Minecraft, I have to like, look at the sky, and I get this weird, like, second--hand vibe because of the trauma. The trauma, Chip! The trauma is real! But that’s the point– I’m not saying I regret it. I, to this day Chip, I loved the experience. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Even knowing how everything went, I would still do it all over again. 

[He falls down] Dangit, don’t come over here Chip, ‘cuz I’m coming back up! Ok.

I would still do it all over again, because — even knowing like, all the trauma and suffering  and stuff like that — because it was just… It was just that fun, Chip, it was just that fun. I really wi– I don’t think it’s ever gonna be possible, Chip, to give people that same energy, like that same experience. You know what I mean, Chip? I don’t think it’s ever gonna be possible again. Like, EVER.

Because… because like, one: I will say on one level Chip, I will say on one level, like– it’s sort of emotionally like… It’s emotionally devastating, and I think to actually go through that– and this is where like, if I ever do end up going to a– see a therapist, if I ever do end up going to see a therapist at any point, I’ll talk it over with them and be like, “Hey, what do you think about this?” Because I genuinely think on one level, like– it’s created this fear of forming attachments because of like, how things can go. You know what I mean? Like, the fear of getting attached to something and then potentially losing it. Like, it’s- it’s a genuine thing. I think people forget about that.

Like, at the end of the day, everything was RP, right? On the server. You know what I mean? Like, everything was RP, Chip. BUT at the same point, even though it was RP Chip, it was still like– there the reality of you were still playing like, with another person, and you were still getting that experience, and it felt like you were genuinely attached to someone and you didn’t want anything bad to happen to them. It was GENUINELY stressful, Chip.

But at the same point, I don’t regret it, and I don’t think it was a bad experience. I’m– 

Sometimes in life Chip, you go through stuff, and maybe you have a certain amount of like, things that like, can happen, that you’re like, “You know what, maybe this wasn’t a good thing that this happened,” but at the same point, you still aren’t necessarily upset about it, because… it’s like growing as a person, right? Here’s the thing Chip; even bad situations, Chip, can lead to an overall good outcome. Like–

Even if you’re going through something bad Chip, just because a bad thing happens doesn’t mean that only bad things have to come from that. That’s one of the things I tell people all the time, Chip, is that if you go through a bad situation, you can learn from it, and you can use your experience to help others. And you can be that– you can be, at the worst-case scenario, you can be someone for other people who are going through that same experience to lean on when they go through that.I think there’s a certain amount of comfort that comes from that; from knowing no matter how bad your situation is, you’re not the only person who’s experienced it. You know what I mean?

[krazieka2]

I've played the Fire Emblem Husbando Dating Simulator Games

[glassroo]

btw this was from DannyMay day 8, u know the DannyMay I said id finish but didnt (i got depressed again)

very upset at yall for not remembering to include a mentor to replace Frostbite in your electric core AUs 😔

[ninjautizm]

I don't remember this but HOLY FUCKING SHIIIIIITT LLOYD WAS CONFIRMED TO BE AT LEAST 9 YEARS OLD HERE AND HE WAS ABLE TO DO THAT??? JESUS FUCK

[rosy-crow]

🎶Cmon angelll, let’s exchange the experienceee

[rottenpumpkin13]

How Sephiroth first looked at Angeal

Vs. How he later looked at Angeal (and Genesis)

He's literally grinning :')

[cyra-kingg]

see no evil

(id in alt)

[theresoneicouldcallking]

ABC reading ryan's interview and understanding why Fox put him in press jail these past few years.

[reesieroo-spark]

RaritY2K

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 71

Klarion is delighted, excited, impatient, and so very happy. He’s found a friend, not the justice league baby-crew who don’t know how to make friends properly or the order-magician who doesn’t play right, but another realm-being his age! They’re even around the same death-date, his is just a couple years earlier! But to beings who aren’t adults until they’re well into the hundreds that’s practically nothing!

His new friend even has a familiar too- even if he has to explain what a familiar is- and, and even shares his two other friends with him! 

He’s been in this world for what feels like so long trying to make friends and he’s made three in just a month! And they even know how to properly play and wrestle without targeting Teekl like a certain order lord who he doesn’t like. 

Oh! Hey it’s the justice league kiddy-crew! Were they feeling neglected or something?