#and the other half is GLaDOS doing the same (she's no longer pretending but Mind isn't talking to her anymore)

[ant-writes-and-reads]

So fun fact about WOGARABAP's version of Portal 1: Mind is bantering back to GLaDOS for most of the game. He's having fun doing the puzzles, he's just talking

After he’s almost burned alive, he immediately takes off his modulator. He's completely silent for the rest of the game.

It’s kind of a stealth thing (because if he’s found he’ll fucking die), but it’s also a trust thing. Mind trusted/respected GLaDOS, she tried to kill him, that trust/respect is revoked. She no longer deserves to hear his voice

This is most likely never going to come up in the actual fic (because it’s Portal 2, the protagonist is Soul, and she has no reason to bring it up) but it's a really cool detail

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “The Admiral’s Children.”

This is also in response to a request someone made, so hope you you guys like it :) 

Eris floated through the darkness. She had seen the memories of sunrises and sunsets in other people’s heads, but she had never really seen one herself. Noctopolis was a terraformed world kept artificially livable by a great deal of technologies. It didn’t require the warming heat of the sun.

The warm musty breath of Noctopolis’s metal mines washed up into her face, and not for the first time she regretted inheriting that particular sense from her human donor. She turned, long dark hair flowing around her body in great swirling wisps as she floated back into the hybrid compound.

It was mostly quiet around here, and it had been for a while since the news. She knew it was unrealistic, and hardly fair for Commander Vir that the had collectively accepted his DNA role in their existence. After all, he had not been a willing donor, but out of all the people her hybrids had chosen to emulate, they could hardly have picked a better man, though she recognized her opinion was rather biased.

Still, she had seen inside his head at one point, and seen what thoughts lingered there.

While there were some pretty horrible thoughts, harbored in the back of the head and hidden under the conscious folds -- like every other human -- his greatest urges had been nothing more than kindness and duty to upholding what he believed to be right.

She respected that, and was glad to share his genetic signature.

She hoped that the others would take the opportunity to learn from their surrogate. His sacrifice would hopefully push them towards greatness in the future.

Her long flowing locks brushed against the back of her thighs as she floated inward. 

The hair mixed with her sparse ribbons, and hid the strange and useless vestiges from view.

She floated inside smiling reassuringly at her hybrids, who spend their time in various stages of study and play. Play that they were allowed only after all their work was done.

She would not have uneducated hybrids.

Eris herself knew all that she needed to know, as she had the collective memory of anyone who stepped into her circle of thought. It was both a curse and a blessing. A blessing because she had all the life experience she needed to have without ever having to experience it herself, not to mention all of the knowledge that came with it.

On the other hand, she had all the pain and memory of suffering that came with the same, sometimes making it hard to be in the presence of others for too long lest she be overwhelmed by their memories.

Today she sensed sadness and followed its trailed to the next room, where four large figures sat brooding, three of them curled up together and one of them curled up alone in the corner.

The spiderlings were big now, probably as big as they were going to get somewhere between human size and the size of the adaptids. At the shoulder Glados was nearly five and a half feet tall with her ten spidery appendages and doglike head. The soft peach fuzz of human hair that had grown atop her skin had thickened in recent months giving her a light coating of hair so the skin was no longer showing. It was a more pleasant look now that it had been before.

Eris floated over and rested a hand on Glados’s back.

Glados tried to pull away, but Eris kept hr hand there.

She knew what the spiderling wanted despite the spiderling not wanting to admit it.

“I know you miss him.”

“Go away.”

“I know he would miss you too.”

Glados snarled, “No he doesn’t. He left us here to rot.”

She didn’t mean it, but Glados often said things she did not mean in the heat of the moment, so eris did not take it personally.

“He knew what was est for you, so don’t even give me that. And we both know that he loved you.”

“I’m not human.”

Eris sighed inwardly. She sure thought and acted like a human if her raging mood swings were anything to judge by. Eris scooted closer and cradled the large soft head in her arms resisting when Glados tried to get away, “He was unprepared, no more than a child himself when he was asked to take care of you. And he did love you.”

“Then why didn’t he come back?” She wondered softly, her strange robotic voice filling the room with it’s forlorn echo.

Eris went quiet, “I am sure he tried his best little one.”

The news of his memorial had reached them weeks after it had all happened. Granted there were plenty of ways in which the information could have reached them, but somehow things always seemed to come slowly to Noctopolis.

Eris remained there, stroking a hand through Glados’s hair as she sat in contemplation. 

His absence had been hard on the entire galaxy. Things had happened that no one had expected to happen following his disappearance including, but not limited to a sudden slow in commerce between worlds, a drop in interstellar tourism, and increasing tensions between specific nations.

The only reason she knew they were managing to hold together had something to do with the burg war.

It was funny how the universe seemed to hinge on the ability of one man to keep himself alive, and one rather dumbass man at that. The thought sort of mad her smile in a sad way, because she knew her thought process wasn’t the truth. It was hardly giving him as much credit as he deserved.

She had chosen to accept him after all.

There was a soft scuttling at the door and she looked up to find the spiderthing walking into the room.

He had grown up quickly, and aside from having a lower half that looked like an adapted, his upper half looked like a gangly tweenage human boy.

“Eris, a ship is coming. They want to talk to you.’

“Do you know them?”

“No, their name is the Omen.”

She had never heard the name before, but she assumed it was her job to go and greet them despite not wanting anything to do with other people at this current moment in time.

She got to her feet patting Glados’s ears before hoving into the next room with a sigh.

She couldn’t sense any thoughts yet, though her range was actually way more limited than she would have liked to admit.

The spiderthing followed along with her as they walked outside and watched the slow descent of the ship.

She floated there adjusting her long, dark tresses.

She liked them long, and hoped that one day she could grow it down to her ankles, despite knowing that was probably a bad idea.

A sharp clattered allerted her to the shuttle touchdown, and she moved forward, barely listening to the inner voices of the people inside. She was sure she would be able to read their intentions when they stepped out.

Eris was not often surprised, but when she was, she really was.

Because she recognized those thoughts the moment they stepped out onto the tarmac.

-I wonder how Glados is going to react to me being alive…. Lets be honest, she is either going to kill me or hug me…. Or totally both-

She froze on the spot, and the spiderthing turned to look at her with great confusion and concern.

-And Eris, she can read minds so she will totally know about how me and Su- no no, don’t think about that, don’t think about that, don’t think about that. Conn already knows, that twinkly bastard, and the less people who know right now the better-

Eris still did not move as another voice intruded on her thoughts.

-I wonder how happy they will be to see him. Will they be angry because that is something I can completely understand…. Still he is rather adorable, it is hard to be mad at him for more than five seconds-- an internal sigh of frustration followed -He is a great exercise of my patience though, if things between us continue to advance this slowly, I am going to be old and desaturated by the time he figures himself out-

Eris shook herself staring forward at the figure who walked up the little walkway towards them.

He had on a beaming bright smile.

When she didn’t move, he simply walked forward and folded his arms around her. He was warm and inviting.

--I hope she is ok with me hugging her. I probably should have asked--

She hugged him back in response, so tight she thought maybe she was going to break him and half hoping that she would.

She pulled back blinking in shock as Adam smiled back at her. 

Memories came rushing into her head, and she had to blink a few times to figure it out.

“Wow, a lot has happened to you since you last visited.” She said breathily.

Admiral Vir tilted his head, “Didn’t you know I was coming, I would assume the entire universe would have known by now.”

Eris sighed in frustration and mild anger, “No one tells us anything on Noctropolis, and even less people come and tell US what is going on.”

Behind him, a young woman stood staring wide eyed and nervous at her.

Her thoughts were everywhere -- who is this! The admiral never mentioned a starborn with hair, or a starborn that isn’t wearing clothes…. Am I supposed to look away? I don’t know. And is it just me or do they sort of look alike in some weird way….--

Eris chose to ignore her for the moment. She touched hands on his shoulders and hugged him tight again, “I am so glad you're alive. Everyone was devastated when we got the news the first time…. Glados has been… well she…”

“I missed her too. I missed all of them.”

Eris continued to beam in disbelief.

His radiant smile seemed to lighten up her day as he took her by the elbow, hand resting comfortingly over hers. He was more comfortable with that that he had been before and the reaction made her heart beat just a little faster. For a moment she could almost pretend like she didn’t have the needs of so many people resting on her shoulders

With him there it felt like everything was going to be alright,

She could hear it too, echoing in his own head, the need to take care of everyone just like she felt.

Maybe it ran in the family.

“This place looks amazing, Eris. I can’t believe what you’ve accomplished.”

His compliment spread warmth through her insides like he was pouring warm water down through the tp of her head She beamed, “It’s all thanks to you.”

“You always give me more credit than I am worth.” He laughed 

They turned the corner and Admiral vir paused just outside the room looking in, not sure how he was supposed to feel about that was to come next. He wasn’t entirely sure if he should be expecting to get hit or not.

Eris smiled, “I think you are ok to go in.”

***

Glados lay by herself staring at the corner wall her legs tucked underneath her. It just wasn’t fair.

It just wasn’t fair that everyone else was finding all of this so much easier than she was.

Everyone else had always found everything so much easier than she did,

They weren’t so angry all the time like she was and they didn’t miss dad like she did, and no one seemed to see how annoying it was that he had gone and left them here to learn and do school things without even coming to visit, and no one else seemed annoyed that he had stupidly gone off and died without even really thinking about them in the first place.

She thought it was selfish of him.

She hated him for it, but even thinking about hating him just made her want to cry which made her even more angry. None of the others could cry, none of the other had inherited tear ducts like she had. None of the others had to deal with all the stupid human problems than she had inherited above them

None of them got it,

She just wanted to scream in frustration and rage because no one understood her, and even when they did understand her, lke Eris, and sai all the things sh wanted them to say, that didn’t mean she wanted to hear them say the things that she wanted them to say.

Eris was cheating anyway. She didn’t have to try and figure things out like everyone else.

It wasn't hard for her, but it was for Glados.

“Wow, you…. You’ve all gotten big. I remember when you guys hatched you were no bigger than my ifst. Now you might as well be taller than me.”

Glados paused in her musings just long enough to be angry, and then she went back to her brooding.

Another annoying person that she didn’t care to talk to

Behind her the others began to squeal and shout which just made her even more annoyed on top of all the annoyance that she already had. She just wanted them all to SHUT UP.

In anger she turned around, waiting to chase anyone out of the room who dare intrude on her anger and solitude, but as soon as she did that, she froze in place, eyes wide and staring at the figure who knelt on the floor Next to Hal and Cortana. 

Before she knew what she was doing, she rushed forward bowling the other two to the side and then mashing the third figure into the floor.

The familiar smell was overwhelming, comforting, and she hated every second of it.

“WHERE WERE YOU!”

She shrieked.

He grunted, “Wow, you talk better than I remember.”

“You were gone FOREVER.”

“I am really sorry about that, but I didn’t mean to.”

Glados snarled, and host pulled back hands raised, “I’m sorry Glados, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to go missing and I am sure you have to know that.” Her hearts were hamming inside her SHe didn’t know mother, and she didn’t know father, but she did know host, and he had left her alone here thinking that he was dead, and now he just turned up

“I hate you.” She snarled 

His single green eye softened slightly, and she could see that she hurt him, and though she didn’t want to care, she very much did

She wanted to run away to go feel bad somewhere else, but he sat up tightening his arms around her body until she couldn't move, “Well it doesn't' after if you do hate me alright. I just want to say i am sorry and I love you and there isn’t anything you can do about it.

Her anger melted after a moment ans she gave in in frustration. He was so small now, she could probably rip Host’s throat out with her teeth though the thought made her physically ill to think about. The others scooted forward and pushed at her.

:Move over Glados.”

“Yeah you remember what they said about sharing.”

She snarled but knew that she would only get in trouble if she tried to tell them what she really thought. She tired to move away but Host grabbed her foot and she was unable to move anywhere.

He hugged the others while still keeping her pinned in place, “I missed you all, and wow have you gotten big, what has Eris been feeding you.” Glados finally gave in at some point, knowing there was nothing that she was going to be able to do about this

He had won.

She lay down on the floor and rested her head in his lap as he stroked a hand over her ears.

She listened to him talk without really paying attention.

Humans had such nice voices, and Host had the nicest voice of all.

This was not an opinion, it was a fact and anyone who disagreed with her could take it up with her teeth.

***

Off on the  other side of the room Sunny leaned back against the wall arms crossed over her chest smiling internally to herself as she watched Adam reunited with the spiderlings. Glados didn’t like her much so she decided to stay back, but it was a pretty endearing reunion all the same.

The young lieutenant stood wide eyed off to the side clutching her holo-pad in front of her chest.

Sunny smirked.

“What…. Is all this?” the young Lt asked.

Sunny shrugged.

“Oh those are the spidelrings.”

“The who?”

“The spiderlings. They are the product of an adapted using his body to hatch eggs not long ago.”

“What!” her voice went up a few octaves Sunny reckoned, and she hissed slightly through the breathing holes at the base of her neck. A deep rumble of amusement broke through her chest, “Listen most of the hybrids here are technically his children if you want to mince about with words I suppose.”

Lt Simon just stared at her, “Is this a problem that occurs often?”

“Yes,, you will likely have many alien hybrid children.”

Simon stared at her, and Sunny stared back determined not to let simon know if she was bluffing or not.

It was probably mean to do this to the kid like she had, but it was still kind of funny, and she left her stewing as she walked over to speak with Eris.

They were going to stay for a week or two to make up things to the spiderlings, but then they were going to have to be off again.

Space, wile ancient, waited for no one,