#My beautiful robot with a malfunction

[gigglefriend]

aigisssssssss

[xiao-come-home]

Even MORE pre-release Boothill. Please bear with me im doing my best,, slightly sug/gestive in one paragraph 🤸‍♀️

I've read somewhere that Boothill short-circuits when he's embarrassed AND I STAND BY IT. 1000%. I am here to spread this like a disease. His system is definitely able to process his emotions, but when you do something that makes his heart skip a beat, he freezes in his spot, his cheeks gain the most beautiful scarlet color... And then you hear the worst combination of malfunctioning robotic noises, AND then sparks fly off of him. Might have to wait a few minutes until he comes back...

Boothill might look like he's calm outside, but he just FEELS the blue screen coming when things get too heated with no break whatsoever or too much fluids go past the protective metal plates. His body stops in place, is absolutely unresponsive, and his eyes flash blue.

Don't worry though, your Boothill has a restart button, right in the middle of his upper back, hidden by his half-vest (or.. whatever that is). He might overheat a little bit though, so be careful not to give yourself unnecessary burns.

In rare cases when his blue screens get REAL bad, you have to stick a USB drive he gave you in those special slots he has on the left side of his hips to bring him back.

Boothill most definitely does not sleep, but gets recharged by electricity or fuel instead. Perhaps that's the reason for the hole he has on his back? Either way, it gives you an opportunity to "plug him up", which he hates, despises even, to hear from you when he feels low on energy (he still wants a goodnight kiss btw).

Boothill swallows bullets. He also spits them out when needed.. usually, he's very careful not to spit them into your mouth when you kiss, but gravity betrays him on his worst days.

Boothill probably works like Siri or Alexa when battles leave him a bit too wounded. You might wonder about something, say it out loud, and then Boothill just can't stop reading the first thing that came up on Google.

"What's the best recipe for carrot cake?"

"2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt—" Boothill gasps and covers his mouth, "1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 ¼ cups (295ml) vegetable oil, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar—"

He just can't stop.

[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.”

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🔮 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…

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🌙 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.”

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@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

[shroudedunderworld]

Hair

What I think it would be like to play with the hair of the boys with long hair

Characters: Jamil Viper, Idia Shroud, Malleus Draconia, Leona Kingscholar

A/N: Nobody begged me not to write anything else so I'm assuming my last fic was okay, anyways here's my second thingie enjoy it :3

Gender neutral reader, you/your pronouns

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamil Viper

You know his hair is silky smooth and super soft fjfkdhdkfhd

Just imagine braiding it for him

Sitting on his bed while he's kneeling on a pillow on the floor

And as you start to do his hair he closes his eyes and leans back

He feels so relaxed for once

"Just don't pull too hard, okay?" Jamil was incredibly hesitant to allow you to lay even a finger on his hair. As a retainer, he has to keep up his appearance to set an example, so although he trusted you, he couldn't afford to have something bad happen to ruin said appearance.

"Also don't take too long," he mumbled. "The game against Royal Sword Academy starts in around forty five minutes."

"Relax, you'll be fine!" You said cheerfully. "Just trust in my abilities!"

Jamil raised an eyebrow before turning his back to you, allowing you access to his hair. Carefully and patiently, you began your work, starting by creating a couple of thin French braids on the left side of his head. Jamil shuddered slightly. He usually did his own hair, and therefor the feeling of someone else doing it for him was very foreign.

Gently, you gathered up his hair atop his head, securing it in place in a neat bun. The braids snug but not uncomfortable, he felt somewhat relaxed and comforted by the fact that you were so gentle and caring with him.

"It looks nice," he complimented your work as he looked in the mirror. "It doesn't feel loose but it's not uncomfortable. Thank you."

"Of course!" You beamed. "Now go kick RSA's ass!"

Idia Shroud

Please it would take SO long for him to not freak out over you even looking at him, let alone playing with his hair

But his hair is warm and soft, and the way it moves is very flamelike

Of course, it's not hot enough to burn you

Even though blue flames are the hottest flame-

But still, his hair would be super soft and the feeling of it would be almost like running your hand through water

Like yeah it feels and acts like normal hair but it still has that sort of flowy liquid behavior to it if ykwim

"Idiaaaaa," you said in a singsongy voice. "When are you gonna be done with that game?"

"Just give me like...ten minutes," Idia didn't look away from the screen, but you could tell he was super excited. "I've been trying to complete this Elden Ring quest for like two days now and I keep on failing but this is the closest I've ever gotten to doing it!"

You smiled and stood from his bed, walking over and watching from behind him. You noticed his hair moving a bit quicker than usual, as it typically does when he's hyped up about something. Reaching out your hand, you felt his hair flow around it, gently caressing your hand. He didn't notice at first, but then you reached higher and ran your fingers down his scalp into his tresses, staring in awe at how they carefully danced around.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" He nearly shrieked as he realized you were there. The tips of his hair began to glow a bright pink.

"Your hair is so beautiful..." You said, mesmerized.

Idia's hair went from pink tipped to nearly pink throughout as he became even more flustered at you complimenting him so easily. He brought his hoodie up to his face to hide his uncontrollable grin as your fingers danced through his hair.

"Do you like when I do this?" You asked him. He felt his face heat up and he couldn't speak, so he nodded, kind of aggressively. You giggled and gathered it into a ponytail before combing through it, feeling its lazy flow and comforting heat.

You could swear he's the robot and not Ortho from how he literally malfunctioned.

Malleus Draconia

Okay so idk I feel like his hair is super soft but kind of tangled

No bc hear me out

Lilia usually brushes it for him but he's been slacking a bit so it's a little tangled

So you go to do it for him

And you're shocked at how soft his hair is even though it's so tangled up

Lemme paint the picture rq

"Do you have a hairbrush?" You asked Malleus as you sat on his bed. He nodded and picked up probably the most extravagant hairbrush you had ever seen from atop a dresser. Made of what looked like pure silver and twisted in a Victorian Era style, it looked like an antique. He handed it to you and you took it carefully.

"Lilia used to use this to brush my hair for me but he's become a bit preoccupied with his other responsibilities," Malleus explained. "Therefore, he hasn't had much time to do some of the things he used to."

"Come here, sit in front of me," you beckoned him and tossed a throw pillow onto the floor in front of where your legs dangled. Malleus cocked his head slightly but did as you asked. Even sitting on his knees, he was almost at the same height as you sitting on the bed.

"What are you doing, child of man?" Malleus asked cautiously.

"Just trust me, Tsunotaro," you said reassuringly. He seemed to visibly relax then, and you began working. Gently untangling his hair, brushing slowly, starting from the bottom and working your way to the top. Malleus had incredibly thin and smooth hair, and not very much of it, just enough for a long, thin ponytail. Or...a braid...

Once his hair was untangled (no thanks to his horns getting in the way), you brushed your fingers through it, separated it into equal sections, and begun to braid.

Malleus was enjoying himself. He could bear with the slightly numb legs if it meant having his child of man work the magic they were. After you finished the braid, you smoothed down and fixed his bangs and showed him in the mirror.

He loved it.

Leona Kingscholar

Oh

Oh no

Bestie wyd I hope you have a lot of free time cuz this bitch has tangles for YEARS

I'm sorry Leona I love you but tame that literal mane

Ik you're lazy but for Yuu's sake-

But if you're gonna untangle his hair it'll hurt so PLEASE PET HIS EARS AND MAYBE GIVE THEM A ✨KITH✨ OR TWO

"Ow!" Leona yelled. "What'd ya go an' do that for, herbivore?!"

"Sorry!" You protested. "How is your hair even this tangled in the first place?"

Leona huffed and closed his eyes again.

"I don't have time to take care of it," he muttered. You held back a laugh. If he had enough time for all of the sleeping he does he SURELY had enough time to spare two minutes to brush his hair out every once in a while.

You continued your seemingly futile attempts at untangling Leona's wild locks. Little by little, you combed through and worked out as many knots as you could. Soon enough (not soon at all), his hair was smooth and without any tangles. Leona had to admit, the lack of tangles made him feel good, especially when you gently massaged his scalp and pet his ears.

"We're all done," you said softly. "If you need it taken care of again, please just ask. I don't want you to have to suffer like that again."

You gently kissed the top of his head and he felt his face heat up immensely.

"Whatever herbivore..." He paused for a second before burying his face in your stomach. "Thank you..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok so that's done finally

Any requests? Feel free to ask!

💥Akira💥

[wraithsoutlaws]

[ SUBJECT INTERVIEW: "DRAGULA" ]

NAME? I was given a name that is no longer relevant. NICKNAME? Dragula has existed in the net since 2071. GENDER? I never put stock into it. Male, I suppose. STAR SIGN? It spans 330 to 360 degrees of celestial longitude.  HEIGHT? Six feet. Or 182 centimeters. I find the metric system to be more appealing.  ORIENTATION? Meat is meat, it serves a function either way. FAVORITE FRUIT? I can almost remember the taste of a pear but the harder I think about it, the more it feels like ash on my tongue. FAVORITE SEASON? I’m partial to the autumnal equinox. Cooler temperatures provide the illusion of cleaner air and the cooling system in my unit is perpetually malfunctioning in the heat, but all things considered, I like to watch the leaves die. FAVORITE FLOWER? The Titan Arum, which blooms only once every decade and smells of rotting flesh. I would very much like to see one some day.  FAVORITE SCENT? Fresh rain on the concrete. For a few brief moments it covers the city in something real.  COFFEE OR TEA? Matcha. I’ve blackmailed a cafe in Kabuki to supply it to me free of charge.  AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP? I try for several. I rarely get more than few.  DOG OR CAT PERSON? My mother had a dog when I was still a child, a relentless creature that barked at every whisper. One day the door was left open and I watched it run into the street where a Mackinaw eviscerated it on the pavement. I’ve not seen one since, nor would I want to. Felines have a calmer presence. Quieter, too.  DREAM TRIP? Away. FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER? I used to watch a cartoon robot on tv. He would take his head off to end unfavorable conversations. I wish I could do that now. NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH? I don’t. This city is an inferno, in fact, I’m not convinced these aren’t the very fires of Hell.  RANDOM FACT? A snake driven mad will devour itself whole. Like a glitch in it’s self-preservation, something inside compels it. Have you ever witnessed such a beautiful act of destruction?

tagged by: @chevvy-yates (ty for giving me a reason to do this again!). not tagging anyone specifically now, but if you'd like to participate (or play again) please feel free to tag me!

[duckchu]

I've literally been on the fence about submitting this request for a week now.

Well…

Only if it's possible, I would like a request for Sett Heartsteel with a girlfriend who is like Hiro Hamada… I'll try to explain it… let's say that Reader is an intelligent inventor (her older brother is still alive, I don't want to cry here), and she lives and works in her aunt's cafeteria, goes to university from time to time and she spends sleepless nights improving her older brother's medical robot. Let's say that reader met Sett when she was going to visit her older brother recovering from burns, and Sett was only accompanying her mother to a medical checkup for pain in her shoulder.

bye bye

I kinda got inspired by the old Inventor trait from tft so reader is friends with Ezreal

Heartsteel Sett x Inventor!reader

If you kept on working like this, you would end up in the hospital like your brother. You knew that. Especially with the way you were getting restless at night and started messing up during university and your work. But oh well. You made really good progress on the bot! You had to tell your brother about that! After your work you went into the hospital, but you felt hungry...so you visited the cafeteria, looking for something to eat. It wasn't crowded, only you and a lady with purple, almost white hair. You went to the vending machine and decided on what to get. And of course it got stuck. You tried shaking it, but you were too weak, especially since you were skipping meals to work on the robot...then the machine shook again, finally letting your food out. You looked to your left, and saw a tall, muscular guy with pink hair and a cute cat-ear beanie

- Thanks - you smiled, retrieving your meal and sitting down next to the woman, since the other tables were dirty. You didn't expect the guy to also sit down

- Momma, they said you're gonna have to wait half an hour.- he looked annoyed at the queues to the doctor.

- Oh, that's not so bad. Other wait longer - the woman smiled

You didn't want to interrupt their conversation, but the woman asked

- And how long for you?-

- Oh...I'm...here to see my brother...but he had to wait for like an hour. With burns.-

- Oh my...-

-Just an invention malfunctioning, I'm working on it right now -

- Ezreal's friend also had an accident like that -

- Wait you know Ezreal? - you pulled out your phone, showing a photo of you, Ezreal and Seraphine with the little crab bot you three made.

Sett looked at you, eyes lighting up as you finished your food and stood up.

- Well I got to go see my brother...- you left the room, going to your brothers room. You excitedly rambled about how you upgraded his bot. Also mentioned meeting Ezreal's friend

After you left, you went to your room, prepared to spend another night with barely any sleep, when you heard a notification from your phone. It was Ezreal

"Hey, just wanted to let you know my friend wants your number, mind if I give it?😘"

You smiled at your phone

"Not at all, tell him I'm waiting for a call 💦💦💦"

You laughed at yourself for sending those emojis. But that was the charm of texting Ezreal

After the exchange you went to get some work on the bot, making another batch of improvements. You then heard your phone ring. Unknown number. You picked up

- Heeey, I got your number from Ez, care to tell me your name beautiful?- you laughed at how straightforward he was

- Y/N - you said, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips as you set your phone on speaker and went back to work.

After that, you and Sett talked about well, everything. For the whole night. You were surprised when you realised the hour

- Not asleep yet? -

- Nah, too busy talking to you~ - he really had the audacity...but you liked it.

Maybe he wasn't a bad idea at all...

[pastxlscorp]

Palia Character Impressions (pt.2)

I wasn't expecting my last Palia post to attract the fandom! I actually have played hours of it since then but because of college haven't had the time to get to writing another post! Thankfully I just finished my finals, so I'm back to being chronically online. Hope you all enjoy :)

Einar

A lot of people asked me about my thoughts on Einar, which was super surprising! I honestly didn't have many thoughts on him when I first started playing Palia. His dialogue was not very engaging to me. After HOURS (and I mean hours) of playing AND the most recent Ancient ruins that got added to the main storyline, I see why he is so well loved! He is such a fucking cutie! I find how much he enjoys the beauty of the world he is around so sweet, especially trying to understand the culture of the humans and engage with them in it. The recent story quest was sooooooo good at characterizing him.

*Spoilers*

In the most recent ruins added to the game, we meet another Galdur called the Gardener. His setup is so dystopian, I fucking adored it. Essentially, The Gardener is an AI of sorts that is able to control all Galdurs because he created them. That is his Oneness. He was abandoned by his human and was rarely acknowledged as a sentient being, thus he cannot understand the purpose of life if not to fulfill ones Oneness. When first meeting them, Gardener reveals that Einar is malfunctioning. I initially thought it was something serious, but the Gardener considers Einar a malfunction because he has more than one Oneness. He thinks Einar must be suffering from a lack of fulfillment and purpose and thus tries to reset his system. He continues to refer to Einar as "The Carpenter" (also calls him the "vertically gifted" one which I thought was fucking hilarious), which heavily implies Einar's oneness was something related to construction and he likely was a builder robot. I find that really wholesome compared to the Einar we know now, someone who finds fulfillment in fishing, something so far from his original Oneness. The Gardener also confirms that Einar likely has so many Onenesses because of his relationships with the humans he's met along the way, which put Einar in a whole new light for me. I didn't find my interactions with Einar anything special but now knowing that he does think fondly of the humans he is friends with really shows that his dry demeanor does have a lot of sweetness and thoughts behind it. Especially taking useless items to him, like carrots (that I always gift him) and using them as decor. I wouldn't romance Einar personally, but I can see why anyone would. Total cutie, and easily one of my favorite NPCS now.

Hekla

HEKLA MY BELOVED!! I love she. She became one of my favorites early on when I first started playing Palia. She is just so cute! She is so loving and kind and her adoration for Jina is so sweet. *Somewhat spoilers* I thought her lore was really depressing and it's somewhat angsty when you realize she latched on to Jina because she failed her prior child. It's even more angsty when you do her friendship quests and find out she is aware her attachment to Jina initially started because of her instinct to find a new Oneness. She's such a mom with her awkwardness sometimes and lack of awareness of social cues. I thought her friendship with Einar was always cute since she confirms she plays mental chess with him, but the recent quest shows that they really do respect each other in a high regard. They have somewhat of a familial relationship, almost like brother and sister. I think having Hekla be so spherical is a really nice contrast to her character. She is big like a shield, providing protection but also comfort and companionship-- like the whole idea around loving someone who can give "bear hugs."

Tamala

I love her design. I actually did not know Tamala was a NPC until I began engaging with Hassian and found out they were ex-lovers. She gave me witch vibes and I was right, not disappointed since they nailed that perfectly with her design (or at least an alchemist of sorts). She's a flirt and my first impression was honestly "Wow, I know why so many people love her. She's a milf." That changed when I found out she is hundreds of years old, using magic to rejuvenate herself. Makes sense since she does give off Mother Gothel vibes! Not only did she ignore all of Hassian's letters but she also laughs about it in the player's face. I feel even more bad for Hassian after learning this since Sifuu is implied to be somewhat of a neglectful mother and his other mom died. Poor dude already has mommy issues and gets groomed by a witch (I think it was also implied they had been intimate, considering Hassian wanted to marry her). I wonder if Hassian was always so closed in and it was encouraged by his heartbreak with Tamala, or if he became reclusive because of her. Very interesting background characterization, but this bitch is a predator since Hassian is most likely in his early or late 20s. Aside from her very obvious character flaws, I do love the choice of having a morally incorrect character. Most of the other villagers warm up to you, and even Eshe I would mark in the morally grey category. I also love the detail that most of the village is aware of her relationship with Hassian and doesn't fuck with her for what she did, or they just don't fuck with her period. Imagine being practically immortal and spending each century or so being hated by everyone.

Najuma

MY DAUGHTER! I love Najuma she's basically my kid. The parental figure you become to her has me weak in the heart every time she comes to you for help. I felt so bad when she comes to your housing plot after getting into a fight with her dad in one of her friendship quests. She even apologizes, not being sure you would kick her out or be bothered by her presence. She heavily confides in the player and even Hodari acknowledges this. When you try and talk to him about banning Najuma from the mines, he's firm on his answer and appreciates you looking out for her but that won't change his mind. I really wanna make a separate post on what NPCS would have a crush on the player despite not being romanced and Hodari is absolutely up there. ANYWAYS back to Najuma. I love how socially awkward she is too, really does a good job characterizing that she's just a teenager. I didn't even notice this until a friend who plays Palia pointed it out, but the fact she lost her leg in the explosion makes sense as to why there is such a big maturity gap between her and Auni. Auni has a good chunk of angst (which I will soon discuss) but he is certainly more on the carefree and energetic side compared to Najuma. Her intelligence is off the charts and makes sense considering she was hands-on working with both her father and mother. Her relationship with Auni is adorable, and I love how he looks up to Najuma. She's got the whole "Ahh you're so annoying but you can stay" dynamic with him and she clearly tries to act like she's annoyed by his energetic behavior with the player despite clearly hanging out with Auni enough to know a lot about him. Auni even has one of his friendship quests about Gardenia's, who he learned about from Najuma and wanted you to verify if it was true or not since she likes messing with him. Her bond with Zeki too was fairly surprising, and I like how Najuma is essentially an apprentice for him. He does not patronize her because she is a kid, however he does acknowledge that she has grown up too fast because of her experiences and is softer on her compared to the other villagers.

Auni

Last one for this post! Auni was always adorable to me, but his quests got him to be one of my favorite NPCS! I actually thought he was around the same age as Najuma because he has some pretty heavy inner turmoil for his age. He has a whole quest about wanting to run away because he feels so distant from his older brother, Nai'O. I absolutely adore their brotherly bond and Nai'O after this quest continuously mentions that's worried about Auni or mentions he appreciates you looking out for him. Nai'O (my impression of him has changed, I mind redo my initial impressions later on after I've written by impressions on everyone) is a super hard-worker and can't say no to people and frequently overworks himself (ex. that one bakery festival with his mom and the concert with Kenyatta). He has already confirmed his path as a farmer. His family is dirt-broke poor and frequently is behind on their taxes, which makes sense why Auni feels distant from him. Not to mention Nai'O is also dating Kenyatta, where some of his free time does seem to go. In addition to a less-than satisfactory relationship with his brother, Auni also is already having an identity crisis. He has an obsession with magic and is instantly enamored by the player upon meeting them because he thinks humans are all magical. His dream is to join the Order when he's older, but that would mean straying from his Path as a farmer. We already know what happens to villagers that stray from their path-- Look at Reth! He was not good at his path and went with something else and despite being good at it, he still receives a lot of judgment and shame. Then you have the angst with going along with your path, like with Jel. He is the only son in his family and all of his sisters are successful, creating a rivalry and tension between them all. Not to mention, his mom is still working as a high-end tailor present day. He has not been accepted by his mother and has been feeling the pressure since he was young, even going as far to steal one of his sister's designs. Despite having an obvious passion for tailoring, it makes sense why he's so melancholic. Imagine having this angst at Auni's age, especially seeing that his family is struggling and this Path is leading them into the ground. Not only does he have to acknowledge that this Path is not successful for his family currently, but that abandoning this path means it will die out (especially with the implications that Nai'O does not really wanna do this for the rest of his life). Aside from all that turmoil, his child-like innocence and his love for insects is so adorable. He admires Najuma (platonically or romantically as a little school-boy crush, who knows) and I love how he learns a lot from her. His relationship with Hassian too is also super adorable, since they seem to play cards every day. I was super confused when Auni tells you that Hassian is mad at you and then Hassian denies it-- for a good bit I couldn't tell if Auni had misread the situation or Hassian had gotten vulnerable and wasn't expecting Auni to tattle. In either interpretation, he clearly trusts Auni and I think that makes his whole situation with Tamala even more tragic. He was young and naive, and likely a lot more social-able before she broke his heart. I would say Auni is my son but my player would get jumped by Delilah and Badruu, so he's my surrogate son for the time being.

[elwenyere]

hey! this is more of a general question, do you have any book recommendations for someone who wants to start writing and get a better handle on language? if that’s too silly of a question, can you maybe just list your favorite novels/non-fiction books that influenced your writing? :)

Hello Anon! Thank you so much for this great ask: I think reading is an essential part of growing as a writer, and when I'm feeling blocked or dry or burned out, there are very few things that refresh my mind like spending time with beautiful, startling, upsetting, moving prose and poetry.

If you'll permit a momentary digression, I think one of the key parts of reading like a writer, no matter what the text, is to develop your sense of what you can pay attention to, in order to understand what the language is doing and how:

What effect is the text having on me? Is it disorienting me or producing a sudden sense of clarity? Revolting me or seeking to attract me? Asking me to make a connection or to draw a distinction? Drawing me in for a closer inspection or obscuring something in distance? Cultivating intimacy or refusing disclosure?

How is the text doing that? Through the way words are used (familiar or unusual, concrete or abstract)? The way sentences are put together and sequenced? The way the narration shifts (from a close focalization to a distant one, from present to past, from a blow-by-blow account to a summary)?

These are questions that help deepen textual analysis, and they can also be used to enhance your ability to riff on what other authors do that you dig - like disassembling a machine to see how the parts fit together, so that when you build your own, you have a wider array of components to draw from and functions to employ.

Beyond that, which texts scratch our brains in the most inspiring way probably depends on a number of things - like taste and prior exposure and what styles open up a new way of looking at the stories you need to tell - so your mileage may vary. But here is a non-exhaustive list of texts that have taught me something about various aspects of craft (revision, setting, plotting, narration, etc.). I've tried to pick some different options than the ones in this list from a while ago, but feel free to check those out as well!

Kiese Laymon, Heavy: a memoir that combines gorgeous writing in its own right with incredibly compelling reflections on revision and the work of memory. I love the way Laymon talks about revisiting and rearranging words as a way to revisit and rearrange thought patterns.

Patricia Lockwood, "Malfunctioning Sex Robot": Lockwood (of Miette internet fame) is one of the funniest people alive, and this review essay (about John Updike's writing) is one of the most remarkable examples I've seen of joining uncompromising clarity with capacious generosity in reflecting on another author's work.

Tracy K. Smith, Life on Mars: Smith described this poetry collection as an elegy for her father, who worked on the Hubble Telescope, and it also explores how we represent/picture space in other forms (in the family home, in racial segregation, in the sci-fi cultural imaginary). I love the way the poems play with scale and the way they mix kitschy particulars with existential abstraction.

Jorge Luis Borges, Ficciones: Borges collections are master classes in what stories can do, in part because they are often meta-explorations of storytelling (like a review of an imaginary book or the description of an infinite library), informed by the incredible amount of literature Borges read. Layered, allusive, and genre-bending, each story is like trying to see language with an extra dimension.

Ling Ma, Severance: a fascinating novel in many ways, including a non-linear plot, an uncannily prescient speculative premise, and a deliberately elusive narrator, Candace, about whom I change my mind every time I reread. Ma creates one of my favorite examples of what sometimes gets called "an unreliable narrator," and a strong contrast to the omniscient style in the next entry.

George Eliot, Middlemarch: in my heart of hearts, the greatest novel ever written. There's so much to admire in Eliot, but in terms of narration in particular - and the narrator's movement from tracing the contours of a particular fictional mind to knitting together reflections on the web of human connections - she has very few peers.

I hope this post is helpful, Anon! Thank you again for the wonderful ask, and happy reading/writing. <3

[winter-dayz]

Capable

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Reader Android AU Genre: Smut Words: 1408 Warnings: sexual content (female receiving oral); strong language

Masterlist | Fictober Masterpost

Taglist:  @soobin-chois

He would be taken to a junkyard. I couldn’t just watch him be thrown away. A perfectly good android like him would be a crime to waste away and rust.

Sure, he was covered in oil. Some of his pieces weren’t properly screwed on, and he definitely needed new clothes and his hair brushed; but, it was nothing a little elbow-grease and effort couldn’t handle.

So of course I took him home.

🎃

It took plenty of time to get him into actual working order, but once I finished, I was glad I chose to rescue him. He was gorgeous. Not only was he physically beautiful, but his hardware was extremely high quality and mostly fully functional. I had fine-tuned any bits that seemed off, but overall, he seemed to be perfect.

I took pride in my passion projects, and he would be no different. Sadly, I hadn’t had time to boot him up, but patience is a virtue.

But finally, I had time.

He stood before me, five-foot-ten of wires, metal, and artificial skin. His hair was softer than mine, and he had facial features to die for. I turned him on, but it seemed to take longer than it should, and I wondered if I wasn’t as good at robotics as I thought.

His eyes flashed with the standard blue bootup before settling into a realistic humanoid version of eyes. The color was a deep, rich brown that was easy to get lost in. His head slowly lifted up until he stared straight ahead. And then he was still, waiting.

🎃

It took some getting used to. I had lived with roommates before, but an android was not the same. He was much quieter when moving around and was not a great conversationalist. He was a great listener though.

But something else was different about him. He seemed rather clingy for a being that was supposed to be without emotions or attachments. Maybe it didn’t help that I had named him… Maybe androids are like pets, and if you name them then you’re doomed to be attached. But I couldn’t help myself.

I refused to walk around referring to him as “android” or “robot” or anything else of the sort. So I named him Taehyung, and he seemed to like it if the tiny upturn of his lips was any indication. Then I worked on helping him with new slang, tweaking his vocabulary and speech to sound more human-like.

But that still didn’t explain the touchiness. It started out with him occasionally laying a hand on my shoulder. Then, he began sitting closer to me when I relaxed in my living space, and he would brush his hand along my back when he passed by me in the kitchen. Eventually, he worked all the way up to resting his hand on my thigh, hugging me from behind, and petting my head.

He was acting like a lover would despite me never asking that of him. I had never seen such behavior in an android before, but I couldn’t deny that it was getting to me. I don’t know what he was trying to accomplish, but if he continued to act that way for much longer then I’d likely let him get away with whatever he desired.

🎃

“Why do you never use me for my purpose?” He finally asked me one night. It was rare that he spoke, let alone without me addressing him first.

“Your… purpose?” I stared up at him from my place on the couch, cross-legged and comfortable in my raggedy sweats and oversized tee. He moved to kneel in front of me, placing his hands gently on either of my knees.

“I was originally created as an android for sexual pleasure.” The words were monotone, but they still managed to send shockwaves through my stomach, settling in the pit of my abdomen and leaving behind an uncomfortable warmth. He had to know how attractive he was—how attracted I am to him. “I heard them say they were going to throw me away because something malfunctioned in my system code, but I can still serve my purpose. I know I can; I just need to prove it.”

“Taehyung…” I began to speak; but, one of his hands tightened ever so slightly, and he peered up at me through his lashes in a way that rendered me speechless.

“Y/N. Let me prove myself worthy of the care you gave me. I need to show you that I am not a useless hunk of metal. I was programmed to provide pleasure for my owner, and I’ve been trying to get you to initiate. However, you have seemed uninterested in my capabilities.” I stared at him in shock, quite unsure how to respond.

Apparently no response was close enough to non-refusal in his eyes, because the next minute his lips were capturing my own. He kissed well, with sensuality and care, and it became quickly obvious that this was indeed his “purpose.”

Taehyung kissed with the perfect balance between firm and gentle—not too slow or fast—and since he didn’t need to breathe himself, he monitored my breaths in order to give me time to catch my own breath.

If kissing him was that magnificent then I couldn’t imagine what fucking him would be like.

His hands slid from their place on my knees and he uncrossed my legs, draping them over his shoulders. He drew the left leg of my pants up and pressed wet, warm kisses up the length of my calf before he repeated the action on the other side. His fingers slid slowly up the inner seam of the sweats until they caught on a couple holes in the thighs—worn down from rubbing together for so long.

Taehyung easily wiggled his fingers into the holes, despite the fabrics protest, and then he promptly ripped the crotch of my sweats away. I could feel myself clench at the action, which he caught of course.

My panties were no match either, which was not surprising after the beating my old sweats took. He stared at my cunt with a hunger in his eyes that shouldn’t be possible for an android. Or maybe I imagined it in the haze of my arousal. Regardless, he didn’t hold back for much longer.

His tongue swiped through my folds, eagerly stealing away the wetness he was to blame for. His lips attached to my clit shortly after, and my back lifted from the couch in response.

He sucked at the button, rolling his tongue around it several times, before pulling away and grazing it with his teeth. My hips bucked forward into his face at the pleasure, and I expected to be pinned to the couch for doing so. Instead, he smirked up at me and dove right in.

His tongue penetrated me, licking along the walls of my insides. His hands squeezed at the flesh of my thighs, pinching at spots that he knew were sensitive. I wouldn’t last much longer at this rate and he knew it.

His right hand slid higher, joining his face to meet my pussy. His thumb rubbed slow and steady circles against my clit, teasing, as he pulled his face away from my hole. I assumed he was going to move on to fingering me, but again he surprised me. He blew cold air directly into me, causing me to clench and squirm at the temperature change. I was too sensitive, but I didn’t dare ask him to stop. I only wanted more.

His mouth connected with my pussy again; his tongue reaching impossibly deeper and curling against the spot I needed most. At the same time, his thumb increased in both speed and pressure until I felt my toes curl against his back.

My hips were lifting off the couch and one of my hands flew to fist at the curls atop his perfect head. My vision went white and dotted with black stars. Never in my life had I orgasmed so hard, so perfectly.

He pulled away when he sensed I was becoming overstimulated, and I could tell he was waiting for a performance review. I could only pant up at my ceiling, still coming down from my high.

“If it wasn’t satisfactory, I could show you some of the other things I am programmed to do.”

“Oh trust me, we’ll be going through all of your capabilities, Tae.”

[slightlyunconventional]

more snzcanons!! but this time not for characters i was requested lmfao. in this post you will find b/oothill and a/rgenti ❤️ my beloveds

b/oothill (no grey for text? boring)

i like cowboys and i like robots. isnt that nice

also i have no idea about the logistics of Cyborg Snz. is it even possible?!? this is snzblr so im making it possible.

i can see him covering/shielding his face with his hat on occasion when he snzs

↳ and it’s probably pretty soft-sounding? not overly quiet but softer than you’d expect from someone like him

↳ “hAH’tCHSHh’uh!” <- like so, first and last syllables are decently vocal but the snz itself is not does this make sense

↳ listening really closely and you can hear some kind of static/electric sounding buzz when he sneezes. robot things man idk

he doesnt like sneezing. like he just doesn’t. like the whole being completely inhibited by it till its over, the way it feels ….. Hate

not Allergic to anything per se, but with him being metal from the neck down i’d guess he has some kind of fan system for respiratory instead of lungs??

↳ so if any irritant (mainly dust i would say? seems the only logical one) infiltrated his fans then that’d make him snz

a cold for him would probably manifest as like. malware or a malfunction

↳ so not the kind of thing that just goes away on its own. he’d have to manually fix it or get it repaired otherwise he’d be stuck not functioning properly with a side of sneezing and chills

absolutely TERRIFIES people by sneezing while shooting. but his aim never wavers, even if the snz really catches him off guard right as he pulls the trigger - it’s pretty impressive !

↳ honestly something just so beautiful about the mental image of him hiding behind his hat as a snz explodes from him at the very moment a bullet explodes from his gun ….. weow

a/rgenti

knight of beauty a/rgenti hes my wife

his snz is. desperate, kind of unrestrained (not of his own will though), and doesn’t really match his put-togetherness and elegance. often has drawn-out, stuttery buildups that he just cant help and he’s kind of a little embarrassed about it

↳ also sneezes in doubles, 100% of the time. an allergic fit will consist of several spaced out pairs of harsh sneezed

↳ “hh’haah! hheh—heH’IISHH! oh, oh— hHISHHShhiew!”

apologises/excuses himself afterwards too very polite !

covers w steepled hands; it’s kind of the only practical way since the crook of an armoured elbow isnt exactly comfortable

definitely the kind of guy to absolutely love cats but also be allergic .. lmao

↳ him praising the beauty of things as he does but in between allergic sneezes ……. hhhhh

↳ he tries so hard to appreciate these things but they’re really affecting him!!

sensitive to very strong scents especially incense

whenever he falls ill, he’s very diligent when it comes to taking care of himself - he will be getting ample rest and taking time off if he isn’t fit to travel

anyway!!!! that is all for those two i hope u liked it :) remember my asks are still open for g/enshin and h/sr snzcanons !! i really enjoy doing these and i have a few more in progress too

[alfredosauce50]

Passengers

[America x reader] 02

Wordcount: 4, 278

Rating: M for mature themes

Disclaimer: This is a crossover with the film Passengers (2016). I do not own the plot.

The reader is referred to as she/her.

Alfred ambled through the grand concourse with his head hanging like a scolded dog. And his lips, pursed in a deep frown. With all his focus on his feet, he managed to walk right past the ship’s bar, which was miraculously open in his time of need. And he would’ve kept walking if it weren’t for the human figure in the corner of his vision--wait a second.

He stopped abruptly, feet skidding against the floor, then paced back a few steps. His eyes went wide to take in what he saw, or what he thought he saw, and sure enough, there was a bartender polishing a glass!

“Oh, man!” Alfred gasped, running to him with glee. The other smiled curtly, welcoming their guest into their kingdom. A classy jazz bar. “It’s so good to see another face! I thought I was the only one awake.”

“Who wants to sleep on a beautiful day like this?”

He had short, choppy blonde hair, a roundish face, and bright green eyes. If his accent didn’t give it away, those features certainly did. There was always something about the British he could pinpoint off the bat. Either way, he felt strangely at ease, taken by the charm of the staff and the establishment alike.

Bottles of all the liquor you could possibly want were stacked neatly on shelves, and behind them was a glowing panel of white marble. The rest of the interior was space gray with gold accents, and one wall was dedicated entirely to a mural of a spaceship.

“No, I mean we’re in trouble,” He slowed down as he got to the counter. “We’re not supposed to be here.”

“Well, I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Huh?”

“Our little secret.” The bartender put down the glass he’d been polishing ceaselessly for the past minute. Then, he placed both hands on the counter invitingly, beaming at the man. “What can I get for you?”

“What?”

“You look like a whiskey man.”

“Uh, okay?” He finally gave in to their relentless hospitality, but the decision never had him backtracking so fast. His only other companion, a stranger, moved to another side of the bar without taking a single step, or more accurately put, whirred, almost like he was attached to the ground. Alfred ran forward and slammed his hands on the counter with next to no grace, then peered over it. Just as he suspected, a metal rod was going up the guy’s ass. And so, he slid onto one of the barstools with the most disappointed glower. “Oh. You’re a robot.”

“Android, technically.” They corrected, filling a glass with brownish-orange liquid. “Arthur’s the name.”

“Alfred,” He took the cup, raising it briefly as a gesture of thanks. Giving that a longer sip than he would have, he leaned back and thought for a bit. The spaced-out look in his eyes never left as he popped the question, which captured the bane of his existence. “How much do you know about this ship?”

“I don’t know,” Arthur blinked inquisitively, glancing up, then down at him again. “I know some things.”

“What do I do if my hibernation pod malfunctions?”

“Oh, hibernation pods are fail-safe,” The man smiled assuringly. “They never malfunction.”

“Well, I woke up early.” Alfred countered.

“Can’t happen,” He picked up another glass and polished it, just as he did the second he got here.

“How long until we get to Homestead II?”

“About 90 years or so.”

“And when are all the passengers supposed to wake up?” Alfred smiled tightly, feigning curiosity.

“Not till the last four months.”

“How is it that I’m sitting here with you, with ninety years to go?” He spoke slowly like he would with a child. There, he watched the other’s reality, lines and lines of delicate code, shatter like glass. Arthur stared at him blankly, expression frozen with perpetual friendliness. Then, he glitched once, his face jolting a fraction of an inch before carrying on like normal.

“Ah. It’s not possible for you to be here.”

“Well, I am.” He grumbled, slamming his cup down.

The next morning, Alfred awoke to the Homestead radio. As he lay in a fetal position, that perky Atlantic accent filled his ear. Was it going to be like this every day from now on? He threw his pillow over his head and held it there, groaning as--“it’s a beautiful day here on the Avalon. So wake up, sunshine!”

He hit the cafeteria, watching the ceiling light up at his arrival, panel by panel. A white room stretched on ceaselessly before him, and it looked more sterile than a hospital. Not exactly the homey vibe he was going after, but food was food. He approached one of the unmanned vendors, hexagonal dispensers designed to serve six at a time, and scanned his ID.

“Please make a selection.”

He pressed the first widget, an icon with a mug.

“Sorry. The Mocha Cappuccino Extreme is reserved for gold-class passengers.” It spoke, prompting him to press it again. “Sorry. The Mocha Cappuccino Extreme is reserved for gold-class passengers.”

“I want the Mocha Cappuccino Extreme. Bill my room please,” Alfred spoke firmly.

“Food can be purchased in the ship’s…”

He pressed another widget.

“Sorry. The French Roast…”

Then another.

“Sorry. The Pumpkin Spice…”

And another and another until he went down the list.

“Sorry. The Vanilla Chai… Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.” His face scrunched up in irritation as he began punching each widget, all giving the same response until he got to the very last option. “Large Coffee.”

“Cream, sugar—” He said loudly.

“Please enjoy your coffee.”

A cup of black coffee was dispensed before him.

“Oh, really?” Alfred scoffed.

He sorted through a shelf of manuals, and sure enough, he came across one for hibernation pods. Taking that with him, he made a quick journey to the storage facility to retrieve some tools. Now, all he had to do was fix his sleeper and be well on his way ninety years in the future like he was supposed to.

Dropping his heavy duffel of knick-knacks in front of his pod, he got on his knees to open up the disk slot. He connected the wiring for a quick spark and fizz, causing the machine to power up again. The screen lit up, showing his diagnostics, and so did the inside of the pod. A huge smile broke out across his face as he rose to his feet, hopped inside, and lay down.

The glass hatch closed around him.

He closed his eyes and shifted to get comfortable, happy as a lark. Only he didn’t fall asleep, let alone get close to cryosleep. Alfred opened his eyes, stone-faced. This wasn’t going to work, was it?

Now, to get out of this thing.

He pushed the hatch in different places, but it didn’t budge in any of them. Panic shot through him as he came to the realization he had trapped himself in what was slowly turning into a hotbox. He didn’t hesitate to start banging frantically on the glass with his fist, even kneeing it in multiple places to set himself free.

Once the hatch opened, he shot up, hyperventilating.

Alfred tried the command ring, next. Dropping his bag of tools in front of the heavy, metal door, he began his work. He’d hack at it with a sledgehammer, and when that didn’t work, he’d try cutting through it. Holding a welding mask over his face, he turned on an industrial laser cutter and let it do its thing.

Sparks flew, but he barely made a scratch.

He lowered his mask, revealing his sunken eyes and unshaven face. After weeks of unleashing hell on the door, it stood firm, a badge of his failures and reminder that he was never getting off this ship alive. Only that begged the question, what would he do if he did manage to break through this tonne of steel?

Wake up someone else to help him?

He would be a fish out of water, having jumped so desperately to get out of a pond with no thought of what to do once he got to land. Yet, he persisted, fearing the worse if he ever decided to give up.

More errors popped up on the ship’s diagnostics.

Just after he left the elevator to the grand concourse, the whole thing went haywire. The doors slammed together, opening, closing, opening, and closing. Even the lights started to flash on and off. He stared back at it, gravely unsettled, watching it spazz out.

“G-Ground concourse. Going down. P-Please make.”

Looks like he wasn’t the only thing breaking down.

“I’m screwed, Arthur,” Alfred uttered hoarsely at the man, eyes red and irritated. With nowhere to be and nothing to do, he found himself in the bar again, as did all. “Completely and ridiculously screwed.”

“Come on, now.” Arthur chided, polishing the inside of a glass. “Every cloud has its silver lining.”

Alfred tilted his head as if to go, fair enough.

“Guess I am gonna die of old age on this ship.”

“Oh, we all die,” The other said as-a-matter-of-factly. “Even androids end up on the scrap heap.”

He scoffed through his nose, swallowing another gulp of his whiskey. Like he’d understand how that felt. A few moments of comfortable silence droned on between the bartender and their patron, one of which, kept scrubbing around the outside of a cup.

“I’m your only customer. Why are you always polishing a glass?” He asked, brows furrowed.

“Trick of the trade. Makes people nervous when the bartender just stands there.” Arthur explained.

“So lay some bartender wisdom on me,” He placed his drink on the counter. “I’m lost in space, here.”

The android came over in an instant, his movement letting out a soft mechanical whir. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, piecing together his next few sentences as carefully as he could for the troubled man. And this was the best he could come up with.

“You’re not where you want to be. You feel like you’re supposed to be… Somewhere else,” He spoke.

Alfred raised his brows and snorted--yeah, no shit. But his amused expression quickly fell away for a serious one. He had to humor the guy, at least.

“You said it.” He nodded with a squint.

“Say you could snap your fingers and be wherever you wanted to be. I bet you’d still feel this way,” Arthur continued, getting him to lower his gaze in thought. “Not in the right place. Point is, you can’t get so hung up on where you’d rather be, that you forget how to make the most of where you are!”

“What are you telling me?”

“Take a break from worrying about what you can’t control,” The other glanced up from the things in his hands. Then, with the most subtle, yet, suggestive smile, he added this in a whisper. “Live a little.”

“Live a little,” Alfred whispered, spacing out as the words repeated in his head like a tape. The next thing he knew, he was breaking into the most luxurious accommodation the ship had to offer. He wedged a crowbar between a double door and pried it open.

He gritted his teeth and strained for a good few seconds before it slid apart. What was inside didn’t impress him at first, a room shrouded in darkness, but he was blown away when he stepped inside. What slowly lit up before him was a palatial suite fully furnished with modern homeware and decor.

“Welcome to the Vienna Suite.”

“Oh, yeah!” He laughed breathily. Alfred walked in with his head tilted back to take it all in--the highest ceilings he’d ever seen, and white stairs that folded one after the other like a fan. It led to a mezzanine, the designated sleeping space with a double bed. Adjacent to that was a panoramic screen displaying an image of an American forest, shrouded in a mist.

He ran upstairs to check it out, going past these golden, hexagonal honeycomb lights on the wall.

“What?” He exclaimed in amazement.

Flopping onto the mattress, he rolled onto his back with the biggest grin. This ship had been holding out on him, a lowly second-class passenger, but he was about to enjoy every spoil until he got sick of them.

He just never imagined how sick.

He dribbled a basketball across the floor, jumped up, and tossed it into the hoop. A horn sounded, and an electric blue wave of pixels went around the walls. While he celebrated his point with a fist pump, neon pink silhouettes of cheerleaders danced around him, throwing up their pom poms and chanting his name.

Alfred stopped by the restaurants next.

“Make that double jumbo shrimp--triple.”

“あいがとう ございます,” The robot waiter took the menu and left to the kitchen, leaving him to his own devices. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and nicked at the holographic koi fish that swam above his table. He watched them scatter, much to his amusement.

“Dance off,” He grimaced, folding his arms at the 3D game character across him.

They busted a move, and Alfred copied them with the most concentrated look, lips puckered in an ‘O’. He swung his arms and spun on the spot, only for him to lose all his points. The character made a face and shook their head, giving him a thumbs-down.

“I did exactly what you just did!” He exasperated.

His short stubble turned into an unkempt beard.

“Uno más margerita, por favor.” Alfred requested in a funny voice, finger up. How he was still conscious after that many drinks was beyond him, but it had to be the huge enchilada that buffered the alcohol.

“You have had many, señor.” The robot waiter said.

“Oh, Hector, por favor, otra vez!”

“Sí, señor.”

He leaned over and followed it with his gaze.

“Gracias,” He called in his normal voice.

Alfred was back on the basketball court. His hair had grown around his ears, the dry, sandy blonde frizz making him look nothing short of homeless. After he managed to toss the ball into the hoop one more time, he didn’t react to the avid cheers around him. He kept a poker face, exhausted by the repetitive lifestyle of indulgence he’d been cycling through.

When the ball rolled back, he picked it up, turned around, then dropkicked it into the distance.

In the end, there was still a finite number of things to do even on the Avalon, and nowhere near enough to burn a lifetime here. Alfred was losing his mind to boredom, and, eventually, despair. He’d feed the ship’s vacuum bots breakfast, tossing them soggy cereal bits. He’d order ridiculous amounts of takeout, then sleep in a nest of takeaway boxes. He’d walk the hallways buck naked with his crumpled shirt in hand.

With nothing to do, and nobody to talk to, he was trapped forever in a state of limbo. His existence was all but internalized. The only reality he’d ever know was his mind, and this steel ship, a thousand meters long--the former of which, had finally come apart. Because no matter how hard he tried to stray from his fate, he always found himself in the pod room.

As he wandered down the aisles, watching each and every passenger sleep with a peace he’d never know, his heart festered with sadness, envy, and, eventually, poisonous anger for what his life had become, or failed to. He tossed an empty vodka bottle as far as he could, letting out a guttural yell. And to think he came here with more excitement than anybody had for the Avalon. A ship of dreams, now all but dead.

He opened a door attached to the pod room.

“Welcome, Alfred.”

He arrived in another room with metal flooring and walls. There were these clunky, navy space suits standing in the center, for what he assumed to be the spacewalking attraction he heard about. But that wasn’t what piqued his interest. He approached one of the suits and pressed his head to the chest, and for just a few seconds, he’d pretend it was a person.

“Please turn your attention to the screens displaying safety tips. These spacesuits are designed to withstand the harsh environment of space. The carbon fiber and polyamide construction means your suit is both flexible and durable. The suit will…”

He even held onto the gloves, the closest he’d get to holding someone else’s hands again.

“Remember, your space suit is your lifeline.”

He clicked a big green button on the control panel, getting one of the suits to spin to him. Giving that a thoughtful gaze, he walked over and took it off the mannequin. After putting on the suit, he entered the airlock, a silvery chute that led to the great outdoors.

“Slide the handle on the right to release the air pressure,” The voice spoke, turning his head to said handle. He slid the protective casing down, feeling a sucking on his feet. “your magnetic boots are now engaged. Press the red button to open the airlock door.” And press it he did, watching the chute open.

The air around him got sucked out as he stood firm. Out there was the vast sea of space. A pool of stars, cosmic dust, and distant planets he’d never know. Interstellar travel had been common for decades now, the universe outside the solar system made accessible to the human race, but he still gazed up at the stars with the same wonder as people did back in sixty-nine. When they first put man on the moon, one tiny step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Fuck. He’d never get tired of repeating that quote, accent and all--just like he’d never let himself get indifferent to space. The endless beauty and horror of it, the trifling insignificance he posed to the universe.

These truths lay bare in front of him as he floated in his suit, surrounded by a star-speckled abyss in all directions. He was overwhelmed by the power of it, so much so that he started crying. He always had been, he just never imagined it would be like this.

Terrifying, lonely, and at the mercy of Mother Nature.

He returned to the ship, looking like Hell.

What he experienced gave him a lot to think about. The bigger picture, the ultimatum. He really was going to spend the rest of his life here, or whatever was left of it. He froze, having a thought occur to him he never would’ve entertained outside of these circumstances. He didn’t have to suffer for another twenty, thirty years. He could end it all, right here.

In the airlock, where he could get sucked out into space. The vacuum would hurl him out so far out, he’d never dream of returning. But that wasn’t as fast as he wanted it to be. Without his space suit, it would be instant. His lungs would collapse, he would swell up, then freeze to death--whichever came first.

And he was about to find out.

He stood in the airlock in nothing but his shirt and boxers. Then, he slid the safety handle, exposing the red button. As he reached for it, his eyes went as wide as he could get them. And his heart, racing out of his chest. His fingers barely grazed the top before he pulled away, having returned to his senses.

Then, he made a run for it, horrified by what he was about to do himself. And he kept running even in the pod room, desperate to get as far away from that thought as possible. In his delirium, he missed the vodka bottle rolling on the ground and slid on it.

Alfred fell on his back with a heavy thump.

He didn’t get up right away, but lay there, groaning from the pain. Once it subsided, he was met with another kind of pain, one that would last forever. After a year of being alone, he nearly took his life.

But the next second saw an upheaval to that.

When he got up, he saw a woman sleeping in her pod just across from him. He never would’ve given her the light of day a year ago, or at least, not in the right context. Like at a bar, two drinks in. Any man in their sound mind would’ve approached her then. She was young and attractive, just like a lot of the passengers here. One could only imagine what a man in their unsound mind would do, lost and alone for the rest of his days.

“(F/N),” He muttered, reading the name tag.

“Searching passenger profiles,” The computer said. Alfred leaned forward in his chair to scan the list for your name. Sure enough, there was only one of you. The lesser-known daughter of a Pulitzer-prize winning author, but eager to take on their mantle.

You appeared on the screen, awake and perky.

“My dad used to say, if you live an ordinary life, all you’ll have are ordinary stories. So, here I am.”

Alfred brought his cereal from the cafeteria.

“Good morning.” He pulled a chair next to you. Taking a seat beside your head, he turned on his tablet to watch your interview. He was finally having a meal with someone, even if that someone didn’t know that. And it was nicer than he remembered.

“We’re starting over in every way,” You shook your head at the weight of that statement. “I’ll have to figure out where to live, how to live, who my friends will be--it’s like the first day of school, if the school bus took a hundred and twenty years to get there.”

He laughed some, his throat hoarse from his daily rendezvous with his robot bartender. Regardless of where you were headed, you were still down to Earth, and your excitement for the unknown was refreshing.

It reminded him of how he used to be.

“Everything’s gonna be different to how we do things on Earth. But we’re still the same.”

Alfred purchased your book.

“We’d want to make something for ourselves, only we actually get to do it under blue skies.”

He opened the first page and started reading.

“This should be interesting,” He murmured, popping a grape in his mouth. Thus begun his little flirtation, his connection to another human being without ever having to talk to them. If only this could remain as such, a flirtation, but the deeper he plunged, the harder it would be to swim to the surface.

“Do you ever read something and feel like it’s written just for you?” Alfred asked, never tearing his gaze away from his tablet. This was the second book of yours he’d powered through, and the last.

You were new to the game but immensely talented, just the kind of customer the Homestead company wanted. But as a person? He could imagine himself being close to you. Whether that was a delusion fabricated out of loneliness, or a genuine feeling, that distinction didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t do a lot of reading,” Arthur pondered.

“She’s good.”

“Who’s that?”

“(F/N).” He hummed.

“Ah. The sleeping girl.”

Alfred slid off his stool to pace around a bit. He blew his cheeks out as he came to this conclusion, as hard as it was for him to accept. And he relayed that well without saying a word, glowering at his friend.

“You know, I’m not saying the universe is evil, but it sure has a nasty sense of humor.” He muttered.

“How is that?” Arthur asked.

“You get to fly to another planet, but you’ll die along the way,” His eyes burned as he verbalized his sobering realities, his second one, even more so. “And you find this amazing girl right in front of you, but she’s completely out of reach.”

Even at nighttime, he found himself watching you. He liked the idea of having a conversation with you, just as he’d been pretending to these past several weeks. He liked the idea of you. Fantasizing was the closest he’d ever get to those desires, so he may as well knock himself out doing it--or was it?

When he put his cup down, his gaze went to the hibernation manual beside. And God forbid what ideas it gave him. His smile faded into an unsettled look, disturbed by the contents of his own mind.

He slammed the manual on the bar counter.

“Say you were trapped on a desert island, and you had the power to wish somebody there with you,” Alfred spoke restlessly like he’d lose his nerve the second he hesitated. “Then you wouldn’t be alone anymore. But you’d be stranding the person on the island. How do you… Would you make that wish?”

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been on an island.”

“Okay, yeah, well, er, forget the island,” He relented.

“Ah.” The android nodded.

“Let’s say you… Figured out how to do something…” He began cautiously one second, only to lose his composure in the next. “That would make your life a million times better, but you knew it was wrong, and there’s no taking it back. How do you do the math?”

“Alfred, these are not robot questions,” The other warned, getting the man to exhale deeply.

He’d been reasoning with himself the whole time, trying to find some sort of justification for what couldn’t be justified. That became all the apparent when his stare grew haunted as he admitted what had been on his mind since it first occurred to him.

“I know how to wake (F/N) up.”

Next chapter: The sleeping girl

Tag list: @twilightlover2007, @my2phetaliaheadcanons, @chickenpecks, @sunnysssol

[zirawrites]

How would companions react to getting pulled into an alley on their way home by a Mr Handy? (The Mr Handy has surprising strength!)

They think it’s like a surprise attack and they’re about to die but the Mr Handy swiftly gives them either a Haircut (Beautiful hair) or a shave (growing a beard) or a tune up, and it comes out really well!

Cait: The Mr. Handy barely kept Cait still as she kicked and clawed from its grasp. Even when the robot showed her a mirror to admire her haircut, she still took a hard swing at its metal body, narrowly missing it (and breaking her hand). When Cait caught her reflection, she watched her cheeks burn red. She looked... pretty. "Never fuckn' do that again, robot." Cait spat beside it. "I don't care if you make me look like a damn pre-war supermodel. I'll bust yer face in."

Codsworth: "Why, I never!" Codsworth didn't struggle much. He hoped to persuade the Mr. Handy to unhand him before it came to violence. Then Codsworth realized it had given him a tune up. "Oh, I see what you did there. Thank you, good sir! It's nice to see some kindness still in the Commonwealth."

Curie: The haircut was over before Curie could even scold the Mr. Handy. When it held up a mirror, Curie primped her hair and smiled kindly. "Thank you, little robot. But please, do not do that again. I could have harmed you in my struggle."

Danse: "Unhand me, robot!" Danse threw the Mr. Handy off before it could style his new haircut. Even when it showed him a mirror, Danse shoved its mechanical hand away. "Where is your human? Who do you belong to? They need to be aware of your unsanctioned actions against military personale." It was only when he returned to the Prydwyn did Danse notice the Mr. Handy gave him a wonderful haircut. He felt a little bad about his rudeness.

Deacon: "Where are we going, buddy?" Deacon held still when the Mr. Handy pulled out a razor, unsure if the robot was malfunctioning and dangerous. Then the Mr. Handy gave him a wonderful shave, which he had been sorely needing after a mission. Deacon hated when his ginger stubble ruined a disguise. "Gee, thanks, pal." He rubbed his smooth face and smiled. "So do I tip you in motor oil or something?"

MacCready: "Knock it off!" MacCready swatted at the Mr. Handy as it took his hat off and clipped the sides of his hair. Before MacCready could finally pull away, the Mr. Handy showed him a mirror. "Well, I'll be damned. I'm lookin' pretty good." He ran a hand through the new hairstyle and smiled. "You're alright, robot."

Preston: "Oh boy." Preston let the Mr. Handy fix his stubble, but only because he felt like jerking away while it had a razor to his neck was a bad idea. Preston was glad he was patient. The Mr. Handy had given him the closet shave of his life. "Would you like to come back to the Castle with me? If you don't belong to somebody, that is. There are a lot of other Minutemen who'd really appreciate your magic touch."

Piper: Piper got in a few good smacks against the Mr. Handy before it finished her haircut. She didn't appreciate being pulled into an alley. When it showed her the new hairstyle, she paused briefly to admire the layers it had expertly created to frame her face, then crossed her arms. "That was real stupid of you. One of us could have gotten hurt." Piper assumed it was malfunctioning. She was just grateful it used its scissors to style her hair and not anything more violent.

X6-88: The Mr. Handy barely shaved X6's face before the courser threw it against the wall. "I'm the only robot who gets to groom me."

[diltonsstrangescience]

I was thinking about Dilton’s insane garage laboratory again, and I got an idea for a comic. I would draw it, but I draw so slowly that it would take forever to finish a 6+ page comic, and I have too many other ideas to work on. So all you get is a written summary:

— Dilton’s dad hears from the other parents (or the newspaper) that multiple cars have been broken into or stolen in the past few weeks, and he decides the family needs to keep their car safely in the garage instead of the driveway, at least until the perpetrator is caught.

— He informs Dilton that this means Dilt needs to clear all his science stuff out of the garage to make room for the car.

— “You want me to dismantle my lab? Dad, please, don’t do this to me! Anything else!”

— “This isn’t a punishment, it’s just how things have to be for the foreseeable future. Your lab was our garage first, and we need a garage more than we need a lab right now.”

— “But how can you expect me to transport all of my equipment within the day? Where can I possibly store it all? How can I continue my experiments under these conditions?”

— “Why don’t you ask those friends of yours for help? I’m sure they’d be more than happy to lend a hand. That boy Moose, especially, should be useful in carrying your computers around.”

— So Dilton asks the gang for help, and they agree to help him clear out his lab, as well as each taking a portion of his science stuff to look after (there wasn’t enough space in Dilton’s room for all of it). They also agree to keep Dilton’s experiments going themselves, in small ways like taking notes on observations, or adding three drops of such and such to this concoction each day… etc. They’re all excited, thinking it’s going to be fun to try their hand at mad science for a while.

— Next comes a series of little Disasters caused by Dilton’s science in the hands of his inexperienced friends over the next few days.

— One of his friends ends up drinking some sort of potion (or multiple), either on accident or on purpose, and there’s some kind of weird effect—I’m not sure what yet, but almost definitely a minor transformation of some sort, on the same level as turning green or growing a tail or only talking in parrot squawks. This causes humorous problems in their life. (Jug wouldn’t drink unknown potions on purpose, because he has common sense, but Archie has none, so it would make more sense for him to do it intentionally.)

— One of his friends has to look after some animal test subjects, like mice in cages or something, but it turns out the animals have been made superintelligent, and they break out and start sabotaging the character with clever plots. The character fights back, mostly unsuccessfully, and things descend into Tom & Jerry territory. (I think this would be funny with Jug, especially since Hot Dog could be there too, animal vs animals.)

— One of his friends (maybe Betty?) has to look after a robot, and all seems cool and fine until it malfunctions (not her fault) and turns evil or chaotic and starts destroying things. (Its glowing eyes turn from green to red, so it’s clear that it’s evil now. This was an intentional design choice on Dilton’s part, as a warning sign in case of malfunction, and because it looks cool.)

— Veronica is given something she doesn’t need to observe or use, just store somewhere and not mess with. But at a fancy party, she tries to show off to her rich friends that she’s smart as well as beautiful and wealthy by showing off ”””her””” cool new invention, and she turns it on. She immediately loses control of it, whatever it does, and it causes a Disaster. This one’s working correctly, but Veronica doesn’t understand how it works or how it turns off, so it’s still causing a problem. (Hmm… maybe a weather-creating machine? Imagine a blizzard packed into a ballroom.)

— (Midge and Moose also helped Dilton, so I need to think of two more disasters. Or maybe, since they’re closer friends to Dilton, they know a thing or two about science and following instructions, so they don’t do anything they’re not supposed to, and they happen not to meet with any malfunction-type accidents. Everything goes fine with them.)

— The comic ends with Dilton’s dad reading in the newspaper that the crook who was breaking into and stealing all these cars has been caught and put in jail. He says to Dilton that this means their car is safe (because problems are very simple in this world), and so Dilton can have the garage back for his lab. (Let’s say it’s been like a week since the start of the comic.) Dilton is excited, and says he’ll go find his friends right away and tell them, and get his science stuff back. He rushes out the front door, only to find all his friends running up his sidewalk together, all carrying the science stuff he gave them and begging him to please take it all back! (Dilton is surprised, because he had no clue about all their problems, but everybody else looks like a wreck from their individual ordeals. This is all in stark contrast to how excited they seemed in the beginning to take on the science.)

— The end! That last scene was the punchline and final panel.

[sassenashsworld]

Aaaaaand Overthinking Nick again!

"I am sick, doctor?"

"No, just crazy."

Even if he tries to convince himself that he is a man, it is stronger than him; he can only view himself as a synth. And, perceiving himself as a synth, he can't just get the picture of his nasty "cousins" with their evident metallic bodies out of his mind. And, unable to wipe the vision of the bodies of the evil "cousins" from his mind, he truly fails to understand what Nora sees in him.

It's simply not doable.

It is simply unattainable.

Incomprehensible.

It's like conceptualizing that a cat develops a special affinity with a toaster.

The most perfect animal in any point among all the creation with a machine that has barely evolved over time.

Something all in grace, suppleness, softness and magnificence linking with an object whose usefulness was hardly proved, and all the more useless for this something all in grace, suppleness, softness and magnificence.

A cat and a toaster.

A beautiful young feline and an old rusty kitchen tool.

And deficient.

Because he has so many disabilities.

The first, and most visible; his skin. What should serve as his skin. This strange alloy of plastic and rubber, indefinable, full of sensors, which vulgarly tries to imitate the kind of men. This comedy of semi-flexible material but far from being enough flexible that should hide from the view of others the ingrate structure of his person. The ingrate structure of his being...

The ingrate structure of his conception?

A synth. He is a synth. Something halfway between a robot and a man. But closer to the robot than to the man. Because he doesn’t have the grace to be one of those fancy gen3. So, probably very close to Codsworth.

He shudders at this thought.

“I don’t even want to know,” Nora comments as she hears his kind of disbelieving sigh. “But not hearing you at all for at least twenty minutes worries me.”

“I was thinking.”

“Well, you’re used to thinking out loud. Since I’m not trying to sleep, have you finally found the function to do it in your head?”

“Or my processor, or my motherboard...”

“I shouldn’t have even mentioned.”

“But it’s what you mentioned that makes me think.”

“As if you need encouragement... You think about what?”

He opens his mouth to answer but picks himself up in time. After a moment of floating, he answers what comes in his mind a little more acceptable.

“To Codsworth.”

“Oh my God!”

Nora raises her arms in exasperation.

“Can’t you let go of my poor butler? I don’t know why you’re so hard on him. He never did anything to you, and I think he’s pretty good for a robot. He managed to develop his own personality matrix on his own, which is pretty impressive.”

“Is it, now?”

Nick is holding back from this. At the very least, Nora thinks he’s thinking about how to roast her robot. Or maybe just denigrate him in his head. Somehow, anything better than the truth.

Better than him comparing himself to this robot.

Which involves two branches of thoughts that make him shudder.

First, and horribly, if Nora is attracted to him, she might as well be attracted to the robot. And that would explain everything.

The woman’s brain is fried.

Her spirit is completely down west, and she just doesn’t make sense with the reality.

As it is acceptable to conceive this way her mind could function, it’s also brought the fact that his best friend and only human to have bring something almost human in his sense is just a very malfunctioning human.

And again, it could explain a lot.

But in the other branch of thoughts, it’s also brought back the fact that he is barely more than a robot. And then, how can he think, feel, fear...?

Is Codsworth also think, feel, fear?

Yeah, the obvious answer, proved truth, is yeah.

Codsworth think, Codsworth feel, Codsworth fear. He has proved this often.

Then how Nick can be something more than Codsworth? More than just a robot? Is him more than a robot? Is him...

“I really don’t get why you are so relentless on this poor guy.”

“Because it’s funny. And nothing personal about the poor guy. More about all the General Atomic proudest conception.”

"Don't you think, as you like to pounder and turn and return anything from scratch to finish product and possibilities, that you relentless is just a way to try to dissociate yourself from the fact you may have lot in common with them?"

He can't help but gasp and lose a step. Nora stops in turn and stare at him carefully.

"Sorry, no, it's improperly express."

"Sunken hit."

His partner raises her hand and strokes his, a sorrowful expression on her face.

"Oh shit, Nick. Pardon me. I did not mean to... I was just trying to humor you.”

He shrugs and walk away but she doesn’t let go just like that. She follows him.

“Nick, please!”

“What to add? You are awfully right. Like, you can’t even be more on the mark even if you try again until the dawn of time.”

“But it was NOT what I wanted to mean. Not that way.”

She seems so sad; he slightly smiles at her.

“Don’t mind none, it’s okay, Doll. I have long ago accepted that I AM more of a robot than a man.”

“Is it true? Because first, you are wrong. And more importantly, you are wrong.”

“Then how can you just bring that so easily if it’s wrong?”

“Because it’s so wrong I never doubt for a second you could be so off the track. How can you only try to conceive you as a robot?”

He extends his bad appendices—so battered and worn out that his metal skeleton is apparent—in front of him. Between them. And with this gesture, he speaks loud without opening his mouth.

Nora quickly grasps the instrument as if it were a hand rather than a disgusting device, her fingers caressing it, her gaze focused on his.

"No, dare not go there. I refuse. You must stop thinking this way."

"What other way can I go? Codsworth and I were both manufactured at a factory. Codsworth is made of metal, circuits, and plastic, and I am also formed of these materials. Codsworth was programmed, as was I."

“You were not programmed! Not just programmed! You are so, so much than just this. I can’t accept you to feel that way.”

She may sound upset, he more and more feels annoyed, angry. Downright angry. He gives a dry shake of his hand to encourage her to let go, but she holds on. He raises a so annoyed glance at her, but she glares back with fear and sadness.

And it’s broke his heart.

His core...

His whatever that didn’t understand he is just a conception and try to trick him to think otherwise.

To feel otherwise.

And she raises one hand and caress his cheek.

And he leans on it.

And he realizes at that moment that he is just unable to win the argument.

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - July 2

 It’s a quiet week of reading, but I really enjoyed everything I read this week. Check it out and be sure to leave comments and kudos for your authors! 

~*~ 

Two Hands and a Map by isozyme

Tonia sighed and leaned back with a clang of armor on galvanized steel railing. “I’m ready to go home, take a bath, and relieve some stress, if you know what I mean.”

Eve did not know what Tonia meant. She frowned, trying not to be annoyed that she’d missed another joke. Tonia raised one eyebrow and made a filthy gesture, jerking her fist up and down over her crotch. Someone across the aisle whistled, and Tonia responded by exaggerating the pantomime, rolling her hips into it and licking her lips.

“Don’t make fun of me,” Eve said, reaching out and grabbing Tonia’s armor-less bicep so she’d stop being gross. “I know women don’t do that.”

The sexual education of Eve “The Female Orgasm Is a Myth” Rogers, courtesy of Tonia Stark.

the girl with the modern face by isozyme

“Nice to meet you.  I’m Steve Rogers,” Steve said, sticking his hand out and trying to wrestle the interaction back into something normal.

“I know, sweetheart,” Tony said, ignoring his hand.  “Rescue told me all about you.”

“Did you make her?” Steve asked.  It had been implied that Tony was a tech-man, and she said he was her boss.  It would fit together.

“Yes, the armor, that was me; she’s my bodyguard,” Tony said archly.  “Impressed?”

The only good thing about the future is Tony Stark's bodyguard, Rescue. She's beautiful in her red and gold armor, and Steve will never know who she is.

(i need a) touch up by isozyme

Manicures are a girl thing.  Not to Tony, exactly; taking care of his body is neutral, and he’s always liked his creature comforts.  But to Steve, nail care is definitely a girl thing.

And Steve likes girl things on Tony, but —

Start slow, Stark, Tony thinks, and takes a deep breath.

“Give me your hand, sugar,” Tony suggests, already pulling one of Steve’s big hands into his lap.  He turns it over, digging both thumbs into the meat of Steve’s palm and rubbing at the sore muscles there.  Steve’s eyes flutter shut. “That feels good, doesn’t it?”

A sequel to the girl with the modern face. What it says on the tin: Tony discovers they’re both very into Steve in femme things, but it’s a touchy subject for hyper-masculine Captain America.

then sirens, then bells (the broadcast remix) by isozyme 

“I tire of this,” Amora says, and with a casual gesture the entire team is pinned in place, frozen in mid-air. Steve has the unsettling, half-familiar feeling of someone rifling through his head like it’s a card catalogue. A mind-reader as well as a witch, then.

A female voice whispers into his mind’s ear. It’s very tragic in here, dearheart, but I think your armored friend is, somehow, more psychically toxic than even you.

What’s wrong with Tony? Steve thinks, but the presence is gone, leaving his memories of war stirred up like flying insects rising off a lake in at dawn.

The Enchantress opens Tony's mind to anyone and everyone near him. Steve knows he should let Tony keep his secrets, but he's not noble enough to stay away.

Good Vibrations by isozyme

Steve had sounded like he really genuinely wanted to see Tony and hear about the new robot-heart and Stark Solutions, so Tony decided that a weekend trip was worth it to see his friend in person.

His friend, Tony had reminded himself. Not anything else. It wasn’t fair to Steve if Tony spent their entire visit thinking un-friend-like thoughts about him, and his muscles, and his sweet smile and his careful, firm hugs. However, Tony had a plan. All he needed to do was to tire his dick out on the way over, and he’d be fine. Fortuitously, the Mark 20 had a few brand-new bells and whistles that would help him blow off some steam before meeting up with Steve.

◈

Tony built a fucking machine inside the armor. It would be a shame if it malfunctioned in the worst possible way, at the worst possible time, in front of the worst possible person.

not gruesome, just human by isozyme

“I need to crash on someone’s couch for a while. Your couch. I need to crash on your couch,” Tony says.

Steve’s mouth opens. If he asks why Tony’s going to bolt, he can feel the certainty of it under his sternum. He doesn’t have a sternum anymore, just a tangle of metal under his skin. Too many things have punched through it to get to his heart. There hasn’t been enough bone left to reconstruct anything made of flesh in a long time.

“There’s borscht on the stove,” Steve says.

what it looks like (from the outside) by isozyme

“I talked to Rogers,” Tony said. His tone was edged with wheedling — Tony was building up towards asking for something. “And now I need your opinion: what are your feelings on threesomes?”

“With Rogers?” Steve asked, surprised. Steve certainly — surely — probably — didn’t approve of threesomes. Even if Tony asked for it, in his haughty, affected way, the way that said it was all a joke until you said yes, Steve would — he wouldn’t say yes. He certainly wouldn’t have thought other-him would go for it.

“No, with a platypus,” Tony teased. “Yes, obviously, with Rogers.”

Commander Rogers from Earth 616 comes to visit Ultimates Steve and Tony. They have a threesome with feelings. That’s it, that’s the fic.

Very Good Bad Thing by isozyme

Sometimes Tony came back from his weekly Tuesday evenings with Whitney with scabs on his back and chest. He seemed hazy and touch-shy those nights. Steve was certain he was making it up. Any misgivings plaguing Steve were evidence he was selfish in his relationship with Tony and, by extension, Whitney. Nothing more.

When Tony and Whitney open their relationship so Tony can date Steve as well, Steve struggles to adjust to modern ideas about polyamory and kink. But no matter how hard he tries not to be jealous, it feels like something's wrong.

The Power of a Reframe by viklikesfic (v_angelique)

“So no one knew about the relationship you were in, and you’re starting to think you imagined it, or how he hurt you, and you want to see it on your body to know that it’s real. Do I have the jist?”

Steve nods. “My… life before,” he manages after a long pause, his voice sounding raspy to his ears. “It’s starting to fade. I don’t… think I know how to handle it. There’s no real tangible reminder of it, any of it. Everything’s changed. I feel like a ghost sometimes.”

“That sounds terrifying,” Tony acknowledges. Steve’s glad he doesn’t offer platitudes or shame Steve about how he’s chosen to cope. 

“It is.”

The Devil You Know by shetlandowl

Best selling author Tony Stark revives the bodice ripper genre for a modern audience. From frisky gay cowboys to ravenous lesbian pirate queens, he consistently delivers riveting thrillers full of romance, drama, and the filthy, unapologetically kinky sex that has become his trademark specialty.

Tony has everything a man could dream of - horny, adoring fans, and boatloads of money. Or that's what he thought, until Detective Steve Rogers walks into his life and turns it all upside down.

My Known Unknown by shetlandowl

That True Lies AU nobody asked for, set in a world where Stane Inc is the world's foremost weapons manufacturer, and Tony's employer.

Under God by isozyme

“Captain America represents the values of our country. The recent allegations about his sexuality are specious and designed to smear an American icon. Captain Rogers regularly attends the Church of Saint Agnes and invites the citizens of New York to attend worship with him this Sunday, April 14th. God bless America.”

Nobody was ever going to know. Steve would be a good husband, a good father, and he’d never give in to sin and touch another man.

But Steve makes two mistakes, one after the other: he leaves two words out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and he doesn’t notice a camera flash among the strobe lights of a dark club, because he’s dancing with his clumsy hands on Tony’s hips.

Holding Out for a Hero by mariana_oconnor

The serum did a lot of things to Steve, but one thing he hates about it is how sensitive it made him, too sensitive. After it contributes to the end of his relationship with Jan, Tony offers to help him out.

Who Wouldn't Go? by isozyme 

“But it’ll help you?” Steve asks.

“Yes,” Tony replies, even as he knows this is going to break his fragile, smitten heart. Steve, on his arm, coming up with some sweet story of how they met, having to pretend to Steve afterwards that it had all been an act on Tony’s part as well, cock-blocked Tantalus hoist on his own petard.

“Then I’ll do it,” Steve says. “Anything for -- for a friend.”

Figure It Out As You Go by viklikesfic (v_angelique)

Steve is a straight-identified guy, but has a fetish for men's feet. Tony is super helpful. Nearly 7,000 words of porn and not much else, kids!

Sugar Sweet by viklikesfic (v_angelique)

Part figuring out how to assimilate Steve's sexuality into modern ideas of orientation and gender, part burgeoning D/s relationship, part mild-to-moderate sugar daddy exploration. Basically, Tony's creative and Steve is a very, very good boy.

Sugar, Spice, and Spankings Are Nice by viklikesfic (v_angelique)

“Y’know… that was sweet of you, Steven. Offering my coat in public like a sweet little sugar baby.” His voice goes sharper, and he slides one glass across the counter, gesturing with a flick of his eyes. Steve approaches, cautious even though Tony’s physically smaller and weaker than him. He knows who the prey actually is in this relationship. “Let’s toast… to our friends,” Tony offers, mild, holding up his glass. Steve clinks, suspicious.

“To friends.”

“You know… they’re not going to be able to decide whether to see you as Captain America or as Stark’s little bit of something on the side, now.” Tony smirks as he delivers the punchline, and Steve inhales sharply. He still takes a sip as Tony does, the liquid smooth and smokey on his tongue and warm going down. “You wanna be my trophy husband? A prize I can show off? Cause we could do that.”

There's a First Time for Everything by viklikesfic (v_angelique)

"What are you, Cap, some kind of masochist?"

Later, Steve will blame his response to Stark's quip on the heavy-duty painkillers Bruce is administering via IV in serum-resistant doses. He smirks, hissing just a little at the way the motion pulls at the cuts on his face, and looks at Tony dead-on with his one open eye.

"Buy me a drink and maybe I'll tell you."

i was put together wrong by suchmadnesss 

Even in his anger, in his misjudgment, or even in the barest glimpses of inadvertent cruelty, everything Tony did was with passion. No matter what, he was always graceful, grandiose, effusive. Incandescent.

Tony grows in front of the cameras and keeps a world of expectations balanced on the tightrope of his shoulders, but nothing ever seems to be enough. The hubris is a fallacy and the smirk Steve had always known to be a front isn’t whimsy, as he’d expected; instead, it’s bred. As he follows a couple of his steps, Steve feels as Tony does, which is to say: intensely. Every happiness is a marvel, every pain is acute.

The higher they fly, the harder they fall.

 (In which the stones beckon Steve into a glimpse of Tony's past, and it proves to be his unraveling.)

Deep End by FestiveFerret 

SHIELD has found a way to make Project Rebirth work - something Tony's father was never able to accomplish. An unexpected side effect has Fury begging Tony for some rather unusual help: the painful procedure has put their volunteer, a sub called Steve Rogers, so deep into subspace he can't come up on his own.

The Least Difficult of Men by isozyme

It isn’t until Tony watches Steve lean into the punch that he thinks oh, this is going to be a problem.

Steve’s taking hits on purpose in the field, so Tony suggests a safer option. It's simple: Tony smacks Steve around, Steve gets the pain fix he’s looking for, everyone leaves happy. Things do not stay simple.

The one with repressed masochist Steve and sadist Tony and everyone getting off on pain a whole bunch.

[kalena-henden]

I haven’t done a major tv watching update since last June. It almost feels overwhelming at this point but I really love writing down my thoughts. So I’ve decided to break it up into two posts. This post will be all of the shows I watched from June through December 2022.

finished: 

The Uncanny Counter - A misfit teen is randomly chosen to join a group of demon hunters. A supernatural, found family, action adventure with heart. 

Age of Youth (Hello My Twenties!) - An off-campus house for female college students as they navigate school, work, love, friendship and potential murder. Interesting characters but the plot is as messy as some of their rooms.

Link: Eat, Kill, Love - A chef develops a mysterious psychic connection with a young woman who enters his life causing him to feel all her turbulent emotions as he searches for his long lost twin sister. Another show that mixes love and murder. I love the main couple and all the food porn as the chef preps to open a new restaurant. Less happy about the murder plotline.

Abyss - I hate watched this for Ahn Hyo Seop. I’m a completionist. lol This is my lowest-rated kdrama so far.

Hotel Del Luna - A woman with a tragic past is magically tied to hotel for ghost on their way to the afterlife until a young man is summoned to fulfill his father’s debt to help her run the hotel and possibly set her free. A gender-swapped Beauty and the Beast retelling with ghosts. 

I’m Not a Robot - A young chaebol with an allergy to humans is interested in financing a humanoid robot but, after a malfunction with the prototype, the scientist in charge recruits his ex-girlfriend to pose as the robot until it’s fixed. Enemies to lovers and star-crossed lovers as their fates align to heal their wounds and let their love blossom. I’ve watched it twice so far.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo - An autistic attorney fresh out of school joins her first law firm as she struggles to pursue her career and unexpectedly falls in love. Cute and heartwarming.

Café Minamdang - A former profiler becomes a shaman to investigate his friend’s death and runs into his friend’s sister who is searching for the truth herself. Even Seo In Guk couldn’t save this mess.

Alchemy of Souls - An assassin magically swaps bodies to stay alive and is secretly recruited to train a young mage and unlock his powers. This show is a Top 3 Kdrama for me. I LOVE IT. Fantasy, Romance, Humor, Action, Symbolism. A great ensemble cast but Lee Jae Wook really carries this drama. The ride or die main ship is everything.

While You Were Sleeping - Three people’s fates are tied together as they try to stop the bad premonitions they have from happening. It got a little cumbersome every time a new bad potential thing was revealed but I love the cast: Lee Jong Suk, Bae Suzy, Jung Hae In.

Never Have I Ever (S3) - This show is still firing on all cylinders and I’m here for the ride. Can’t wait for the finale season. 

Pinocchio - A boy who lost his family in a tragedy gets adopted into a family that has a girl his own age who can’t lie. They grow up to be reporters to uncover the truth of everyday events and their simmering feelings for each other. I really enjoyed the found family, mystery and romance here. 

Reacher - A lone wolf stumbles into a small town murder that hits closer to home that he could expect. A fun mystery and action jaunt through the countryside.

Dali and the Cocky Prince - A boisterous uncultured business man with alot of bravado crosses paths with a reserved art gallery director looking for investors. A sweet romance blossoms and the meaning of real family is explored. There was a lot of great comedy and romance but also some gut wrenching drama. 

Little Women - Three sisters get entangled in a web of conspiracy surrounding a secret organization. There were some interesting things here but I was mostly bored.

Flower of Evil - A man who may be a serial killer and his wife who’s investigating the decades old murders as the truth slowly unravels their relationship. Sadly, this wasn’t for me. There were a few things that were interesting but again mostly bored. Also, when we got to the end I had the epiphany that I’ve seen this story before and I have: Fringe Season 3 Episode 2 is basically the whole main plot in one episode. 

The Law Cafe - Two longtime but estranged friends end up using their law degrees to help everyday folks and go up against a big corporation together as they finally allow the sparks between them to ignite. A really cute romance with a few good cases but the overall show is a bit lacking. 

W: Two Worlds - Fiction and reality begin to blend as the daughter of a comic book author is sucked into her father’s popular comic and is thrust into the life of the main character, a handsome adventurous CEO. An interesting premise with excellent chemistry between the leads, but gets repetitive in the second half and stunts the growth of our leads. 

Love Between Fairy and Devil - My first cdrama and already one of my favorite shows ever! It’s literally a fairy tale with amazing bickering enemy to lovers leads, gorgeous costumes, sets and vfx, and a fantastic story with great foreshadowing, parallels and symbolism that pays off. I’m currently on my 5th rewatch. I regret nothing.

Star Trek: Picard (S1 & S2) - While I’m happy to see the og characters back on my screen and get to know a few new ones, I had major but differing issues for both of these seasons of Picard. 

Bad Prosecutor - While I really like Do Kyung Soo and Lee Se Hee, the story was rather flat. Even the action couldn’t save it.

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim - I now understand the hype for Park Seo Joon and Park Min Young. They are fantastic in their roles of chaebol and his assistant falling in love. I really enjoyed it but there was something I couldn’t put my finger on that held me back from loving it.

Kiss Goblin - I wanted to watch Bae In Hyuk in something while I was waiting for new episodes of Cheer Up. This cute web series was the perfect little show to get my fix.

Do You Like Brahms? - Park Eun Bin and Kim Min Jae star as a pair of introverted classical musicians with their own set of problems that find light in each other to grow in confidence as their relationship progresses. This is a very low-key show but it kept my attention throughout. 

Fanletter, Please - A cute romcom mini-series about a widower, his ailing daughter, and the actress the daughter adores, who comes to visit the hospital where she’s being treated. 

Cheer Up - If Bring It On was slightly more realistic and set in college but upped the spirit stick curse to a “someone will die” slasher movie prophecy. I loved the team spirit and the romance between the plucky yet reluctant new recruit and the practical dreamer Team Captain. There were a few things I wasn’t crazy about but I had a fun time. 

May I Help You - If Lee Junyoung is in it, I will eventually watch it. lol This is about a young woman who gets the power to talk with the dead in the funeral parlor she works in to help them fix something they didn’t accomplish in their life. She keeps crossing path with a young man who works for an errand service company. As they fall in love, past secrets and present heartbreaks unfold putting their relationship to the test. I had a really good time until the last few episodes but it did end well. 

Summer Strike - Another love story for introverts. A depressed city dweller decides to sell all her possessions that don’t fit in her backpack and travel the country. She lands in a small town, where she begins to heal as she’s slowly creates a new family for herself and falls in love with the local reclusive librarian who is a former math wiz, played by Im Siwan. This one was tough at times but very sweet too. Plus a great soundtrack. I had ‘Color’ by Sunnie on repeat.

Love is for Suckers - A variety show producer convinces her longtime friend to be a contestant on the dating show she’s producing right as they start to realize they are in deeply in love with each other. This had so much potential and started off strong but quickly became a mess when the dating show began filming. The romance between chef and the cartoonist kinda ended up stealing the show.