#and then not have any roboticism in it?

[raavenb2619]

So I just finished watching “Blade Runner” (The Final Cut) for the first time after re-reading “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, and I just feel like…they took all of the best, interesting, thought provoking parts of the book and decided they didn’t belong in the movie?

The first seven pages of DADoES I was constantly remarking “oh this is an interesting thing to say about humans/robots/aromanticism-as-tied-to-robots”, and at that point I had to stop myself from making detailed notes so I could actually finish the book in a reasonable time frame. After BR, I don’t really have anything to analyze or remark upon except “they took all of the roboticism out of the allegedly robot movie, and now there’s no aromanticism either”.

[inamindfarfaraway]

Team Chaotix in Sonic Prime

My headcanons for what Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee are like in the Shatterspaces.

New Yoke City

Vector’s variant is called Missile (a missile is a vector, having direction and magnitude). He embodies Vector’s responsibility, practicality and seriousness. He was trying to make a difference as a teenage detective when the dystopian city appeared around him four years ago and it became clear that, with the Chaos Council’s control of the new justice system and law enforcement, the person he aspired to be would never make it. Of course he wants to fight, but the Council is brutal and their absolute power seems impossible to overthrow. He soon ended up with two children in his care, one only a toddler. If he got arrested, killed or roboticized, what would happen to them? If the three of them had the Council’s protection, on the other hand, as per the contract of an exclusive, specialized detective agency who would do whatever dirty work they were ordered to… he knows that those tyrants are the reason his kids have nobody else. He knows that the vast majority of people he leads the robotic police to don’t deserve any punishment, and none of them could deserve the cruel horrors they get. He knows that he isn’t a hero - that he may even be the exact opposite. And he hates it. But any money that keeps his family alive is money worth having, he’s regretfully decided. Big concepts like good and evil are none of his concern. He’s just trying to pay the rent. It’s too late to back out now, anyway. Now that the people are rebelling en masse and the Council is busy exploring the Shatterverse, he’s desperately waiting for things to stabilize and daring to hope against hope that some positive change occurs. And that the citizens don’t recognize the collaborateurs in their midst and turn on them.

Espio’s variant is called Trace. He embodies Espio’s stoicism and pragmatism. His ninja training was cut short - and his village razed and everyone he knew killed or taken prisoner - when the Chaos Council remade the world in their image. But he’s gained plenty of experience in stealth, deception, infiltration, espionage and combat working in the Chaos Detective Agency. Dishonour means nothing to a ninja. That’s what he tells himself, at least. On the outside, he’s reserved and aloof, a cold, ruthless foe. He will only show his family the slightest show of emotion. Internally, however, his repressed grief for his old family, community, home and life; guilt, shame and self-loathing due to his service to the Council; and years of accumulated trauma are brewing into a storm that he barely keeps contained under the surface. He’s afraid of his feelings burdening his teammates and distracting them from what’s most important: survival.

Charmy’s variant is called Sting. He embodies Charmy’s eagerness to be helpful and fighting spirit. He can’t remember anything except New Yoke and doesn’t understand much of how his society works, but he knows that his family’s work is very important to them being alive and wants to be a part of it. He does notice their stress and the general unpleasantness everywhere and can infer that circumstances could be improved. But their work being dangerous is all the more reason he should help! Teamwork makes the dream work, right? Danger just adds to the fun of stopping ‘bad guys’. He’s also terrified that if they leave him behind, they might not come back. So he kept breaking out and running away when Missile and Trace went on missions until they agreed to train him and let him join them. He revels in the thrill of action and finds people getting hurt amusing the way a six-year-old boy can, not emotionally connecting to anyone he’s told they need to catch and earnestly believing that their enemies must be in the wrong. He often imitates Missile when trying to be tough and intimidating.

Boscage Maze

Vector’s variant is called Reed. He embodies Vector’s optimism, lightheartedness and musical side, and tends to have his coarser manners too. He, the other two and Cream and Vanilla’s variants are in a different small tribe to the Scavengers and haven’t yet met them, so Thorn Rose didn’t banish them to the emergent layer; they are nomadic and moving toward the Scavengers’ territory. He’s cheerful and generous, always ready to raise the tribe’s morale. He can be immature and irresponsible at times, more focused on enjoying life and entertaining his companions than applying maximum effort to practical tasks. He’s highly resourceful when it comes to instruments and has invented drums and a reed flute. He loves to play them and sing. He’s also bold enough to flirt with Vanilla’s variant and the casual first stage of a romance is budding between them.

Espio’s variant is called Berry. He embodies Espio’s caution, wisdom and love of art and culture. Yes, that’s in this dimension. The tribe took him in after they crossed paths when he was eight, him having previously been surviving on his own for as long as he can remember. He’s mature beyond his years, highly knowledgeable about the forest’s flora and fauna, wary and prepared to defend his tribe from any threat using his carved flint blades and hand-to-hand skills. He used to find it difficult to relax, but has learned to unwind through playing a shamisen-esque string instrument Reed built for him and painting with plant pigments. While acutely aware of nature’s hazards, he can still appreciate its wonder and majesty and respects it.

Charmy’s variant is called Honey. He embodies Charmy’s innocent kindness, friendliness and trusting nature. He and Cream’s variant are best friends and adoptive siblings, since his parents entrusted her mother with him when they left on an exploratory expedition in his infancy. They didn’t return. But Honey doesn’t mind. He has everything he needs right here. The one thing he can think of that would make his life better is a friend who can fly like he can.

No Place

Vector’s variant is called Bullion (because of precious metal and a male crocodile is a bull). He embodies Vector’s sharp intelligence, charisma, greed and courage. He left his home island in a modest but sturdy vessel, dubbed the Treasure Trove, to seek his fortune and established himself as a travelling merchant. Cunning, socially savvy and theatrical, he is willing to (if you insist on using such accusatory language) ‘scam’ customers and has an endless supply of get-rich-quick schemes. He and his crew live in a fiercely competitive, unpredictable environment full of pirates! Material wealth is essential! That being said, he isn’t all talk. He will brave high seas and stormy weather, chart uncharted waters and do business with anyone to obtain the best goods and things no other merchant is selling, and the genuine quality and rarity of a lot of his stock keep people endeared to him despite his rough edges and occasional bad deal. He takes pride in his competence as a salesman and seafarer and part of him is more fulfilled by honest work. Not that he’ll admit that. He’s very attached to his swashbuckling rogue self-image.

Espio’s variant is called Fathom (a measure of water depth and a verb for contemplative thought and understanding). He embodies Espio’s firm sense of morality and diligence. He met Bullion when the crocodile docked at his home island and, struck with wanderlust and needing a job to get by, Fathom offered to manage his finances with his advanced mathematical ability and do some manual labour. Bullion agreed, but it didn’t take Fathom long to figure out that he was both running a con and a broke mess. A weirdly likeable broke mess. In the aftermath of Fathom exposing the con, the customers angrily demanding refunds and the Treasure Trove being hastily undocked, they made a deal to support and protect each other, with Fathom promising to follow his boss’s lead on the strict condition that Bullion stayed on the straight and narrow. He’s a dutiful hard worker, patient and polite. He tries to remain calm and be civil to everyone no matter how wild things get. He grounds his crewmates, restraining their more energetic, eccentric and, most frustratingly for him, selfish and amoral behaviour. He knows they can be better. And when they are, it’s extremely rewarding. But they certainly test him - though he won’t deny that the motley crew all truly care about each other and would stick together through anything.

Charmy’s variant is called Dodger. He embodies Charmy’s mischievous, irreverent side. He was born to pirates and left at an orphanage on one of the larger islands, but could never follow the rules or be satisfied with a simple, mundane life in one place. He wanted excitement, and made his own by causing trouble and playing tricks. He totally wasn’t lonely. One day he stowed away on a ship. His plan was to steal all the stuff he could carry on him and fly off. Bullion and Fathom, the sailors who caught him, took a liking to him and were hesitant to send him back to his boring, miserable old home once he explained his life before. They were nice and cool and made him feel wanted and like he belonged more than anyone else ever had, so he hung around. Bullion makes him do chores, but respects his pranking prowess and nerve. Fathom is a great listener and playmate, albeit sometimes a killjoy.

[sonknuxadow]

so at the end of the trailer for sonic prime season 2 we saw something that looks like a new yoke version of metal sonic. but is that an actual counterpart of The metal sonic or is that a robot that somebody in new yoke built after meeting sonic. and if they Are the real metal sonic, i have to wonder what that means for other characters we haven't seen in the show at all yet... maybe hope isn't completely lost for blaze

[willyhoos]

i read a fic that changed my brain chemistry and now i can't stop thinking about a universe where amy works for eggman... and metamy ensues. naturally. you know the drill by now. also roboticized sonic theory because it makes it more deliciously potent.

DESERT ROSE: A prickly young girl with terrifying strength and a love for the finer things in life, like frilly dresses and deadly high-powered machinery. She thinks maintenance is a romantic couples activity. Not only is the "desert rose" highly poisonous, it can't really be considered a rose, can it…? However, its resilience means it could bloom even in a rusty scrapyard...

notes for the au under cut!

rose believes metal sonic when he says he is the original. he hasn't told her what happened. that he failed to save her. that he failed to save everyone. that there was a time when he was organic like she is. he just said "the other sonic is the copy" and she said "okay! let's kill him :)"

metal sonic is constantly torn between guilt and adoration at who rose has grown into. she became so much stronger. strong enough to protect herself - strong enough, even, to protect him (if he ever let her, that is. he might not be a hero any more but it's burned into his core forever that > KEEP AMY ROSE SAFE is a KEY goal.) on the other hand... he feels like he remembers someone different. a girl who loved animals and flowers and sunshine. who would give her life to protect everything she's now destroying. but his memories are so fuzzy...

i'm not so sure that amy would be big on programming and constructing machines herself, but she's always eager to "test" them... and it goes without saying she is frankly terrifying when she wants to be and is a beast on the battlefield

what a helpful young lady! im so glad i didn't just kill her!! - eggman probably.

"wait if rose calls metal sonic 'sonic' then. what does she call sonic" -> she calls him faker. copycat. knockoff. off-brand. etc. in short, she doesn't acknowledge him by name

i have the feeling that metal sonic is a bit more... enthusiastic? i guess? about his mission in this universe. it's not "ME VS. EVERYONE WHO COULD HAVE LOVED ME HAD I NOT FAILED" its "ROSE AND I VS. THEM" don't get me wrong he's furious and undead and vengeful and jealous and still insane. but. i think rose helps jog the vaguest of memories of who he used to be? unfortunately the person he used to be is a hero so i also imagine he's ever so slightly more conflicted in this universe... ("the old amy wouldn't have liked this, would the old me feel the same?")

codependence is my favorite flavor so i imagine metal really, really, REALLY appreciates having rose around. someone who is kind to him. someone who believes that he used to be more than this, and treats him like maybe he isn't worth less after all... i imagine if sonic ever tried recruiting amy, metal would go BALLISTIC. "YOU ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING ELSE. YOU CAN'T HAVE HER TOO." she's mine -> she's my (partner) she's my (memory) she's my (friend) she's my (tether) she's my (hope) she's my (rose)

metal sonic is. (gestures) metal. and he lives in a metal box on a metal ship surrounded by metal debris. but down the hall there is a single remaining rose. and in this state she is perfectly preserved. nothing can hurt her. eggman can't hurt her if she's on his payroll, huh...?

i can't put it into words properly (and ive tried) but the idea of "killer metal robot (whose objective is to destroy natural life) falls in love with a gentle girl named rose" makes me start frothing at the mouth. just shut up. why don't you hold his hand too. and he can't FEEL it like he should . and it hurts. and it's infuriating. but he Can tell that her pulse is higher than average and the temperature of her cheeks are strangely high. and he supposes that can comfort him for now.

i feel a little "if i had to choose between the world and sonic i would choose sonic" vibe.

this took me so incredibly long so if it flops im dropping out of college.

i wanna update these designs later, these are just the beginning concepts for the au :)

[eggs-attorney]

[<<< First]

Reiker: (Oh, right... Introductions. I was never good at those...)

Reiker: My name is Reiker Strait, and I'm going to be your defense attorney today.

???: O-oh, hello... Th-they told me you might not show up and I was waiting and I... I...

Reiker: Well, I showed up! Got here as soon as I could. Anything for someone in need, miss... Come to think of it, what is your name?

???: He... Didn't tell you my name...?

Reiker: I'm afraid not... I just got this assignment, and it was kind of rushed. Today's actually my first day as Sunnyside's public defender.

???: Oh, I see... My name is Yanshu - Yanshu Dryll - and I-

Yanshu: You only started today!?

Reiker: (Shoot, my badge!)

Reiker: Well, yeah, but don't say it like that! I'm qualified!

Reiker: [Sigh]... Listen, I'd like to help you with this case. I spent the past 8 years of my life working my tail off so I could get this job, and every lawyer has to have a first client, so... May I help you? For both our sakes?

Yanshu: I-I mean... It's not like I know what I'm doing, and the thought of going in there alone terrifies me, but... You didn't even know my name. Do you know anything about the case?

Reiker: Right… We should probably talk about what we're doing here.

Yanshu: W-well, I'm on trial for the, um… Dismantlement? Of my b-best friend.

Reiker: Wh… Do you mean dismemberment?

Yanshu: I… Yes. No? The terminology surrounding Robians is still pretty vague, despite everything.

Reiker: Alright, um… So your best friend is a robot?

Yanshu: Yes, his name is Flash, and he's very important to me. I'm worried sick… Whoever did this, they stole his parts. Took everything that made him him...

Reiker: So like… His face?

Yanshu: No, no… His personality, his memories, everything that makes him unique! ... Everything I can't replace...

Reiker: I… Didn't know that could be taken away.

Yanshu: Well... You've used a computer, haven't you?

Reiker: Of course.

Yanshu: So... When you're roboticized, you turn into a computer. Your body becomes the case, and your brain the technical components. Instead of storing data biologically through neuronal connections, information is written to several storage disks as raw code, and can be accessed at any time. Since it's a physical storage unit, these disks can be removed. This is usually only done during maintenance where units have to be repaired or replaced, in which case the data is backed up and transferred, but if someone has bad intentions, they can just... Take them. Doing that while the system is active can damage the hardware, or corrupt the data, or... I can't stand thinking about it.

Reiker: ... That's upsetting.

Yanshu: It really is, and if I'm found guilty, they… They'll probably roboticize me, too.

Reiker: What? You can't be serious!

Yanshu: I am, and if they don't figure out where those components went, they'll assume I destroyed them - that I truly killed him - and that's why I need your help finding them! I-if I can find them, I can fix him, and he can tell them what happened! That I didn't do it!

Reiker: I'm afraid that's going to be hard to do from a courtroom...

Yanshu: Please, Mr. Strait! He-… He's all I have…

Guard-Bot: CURRENT TIME: 0900 HOURS. ALL TRIAL PARTICIPANTS ARE TO RELOCATE TO THE COURTROOM EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

Yanshu: … I guess that's us, but… Before we go in, please, take this.

Friendship Photo has been added to the Court Record.

Reiker: Oh, is this your friend?

Yanshu: [Sniff] Y-yeah, it is. He knows I don't like being in photos, but he took and printed it before I could take my phone back. He kept asking me to keep it - to put it on my desk or something - but I didn't have a frame on hand, so...

Reiker: So… Why are you giving this to me?

Yanshu: I don't know, it just… Feels important. Maybe you could put it to good use? I don't think I'll be needing it if I'm... Y'know...

Reiker: Don't worry, Ms. Dryll, I won't let that happen. I promise.

Reiker: (Now here's hoping I can follow through…)

[Next >]

______________________________________________________________

We received a good number of replies this round! We don't have a Thought Pool Point for this post, but feel free to share your thoughts, and stay tuned for the start of the trial next week!

[yessir-rightawaysir]

SatAM Snivster mah dude

What in the hell was up with your hair detaching so easily and blowing away?

And why no growing it back? Was Robotnik too jealous to let you? 😂

Stress. It just never grew back. Julian shaves his head on purpose. There's no jealousy there, only laughter. Er, not that he'd have a full, beautiful head of hair either... I'm reasonably sure he's also bald, just not as bald as I am. Ugh.

Anonymous asked: Yo SatAM! Sniv One thing I noticed was you referred to Princess Sally as the leader of the Freedom Fighters. Yet she, some time later, told Sonic he was their leader. I found that interesting that she'd bestow that title on him and that you believed her deserving of it. Maybe it's just because she's the heir to the now defunct throne? Anyways, it seems to me you've got at least some respect for her, maybe even admiration? Would you feel any remorse if you had to kill her or that you have to be enemies?

Isn't she? The hedgehog is far too stupid to be their leader.

I have no respect for any of their lot, you are mistaken. But I would never kill her... I'd have a robot do it. Any remorse I would feel would be the product of Robotnik's fists as I doubt he would appreciate his lackey doing something he believes is his right. And he'd prefer her roboticized, not dead.

Anonymous asked: Hey satam!Snivley, a lot of your plans go fairly well until Robotnik lets his ego get in the way. Why do you keep putting up with it?

I have no where else to go. I'm a prisoner. What am I supposed to do, plot behind his back to overthrow him and then take over mobius myself? I would never!

Anonymous asked: [SaTAM Snively] What's your thoughts/opinions on Sally Acorn? Like what do you think about her?

Hhhhhhhhhh. Lord. I think she's intelligent and clever and a far too capable adversary. She's also been quite cruel to me. She's also the reason for some rather vicious repercussions from my uncle. I wish she was gone. I wish all of the freedom fighters were gone. I have no love for her or any of her ilk.

Anonymous asked: so, satam!sniv... in your last post, you mentioned that your uncle had to deafen himself-- I suppose that explains the prosthetics that replace his ears-- but if you didn't already know where I was going with this, do you know what's up with his eyes? something related, or something totally different?

This happened when I was far too young to remember quite clearly, but I believe he had degenerative eye problems? And they were only getting worse and worse over the years, so eventually he had them replaced. His vision is quite sharp now.

Anonymous asked: CHOP CHOP RAT-BOY WE WANT LORE

Do you have ANY IDEA how busy I am?! Of course you don't. No one does. I don't get a lot of free time. I should be sleeping right now, but unfortunately I'm a bit, uh, over energized from the little helpers I take throughout the day. Tomorrow is going to be quite awful.

Also, rat boy?? If you wish for correspondence from me perhaps you might try being kinder.

Except... I suppose I did respond to this. Hell.

[carcassarkis]

Underground: Revamped

#2

Information about some supporting cast!

Knuckles

The last of the echidna

Considered one of Robotnik’s “lackeys,” though more often acts in his own interests

Quills glow due to unknown causes; Robotnik believes it has to do with his medallion

Lived in the flourishing remnants of Mobius under Stripes’ leadership. No one knew he existed in their vicinity, as he was in a hidden grotto attempting to keep his ancestors’ history alive. He was an older puggle when Robotnik struck his deal with Stripes. Knuckles grew upset and intercepted Robotnik’s machinations. The scientist, seeing potential in taking the last of the echidna, took him under his wing and spoke of others trying to steal the echidna’s “life purpose.” He immediately sticks to the scientist like a nervous-yet-bullheaded child.

Knuckles grows up as Robotnik’s unofficial ward. He has his medallion, though he doesn’t know exactly what it does. He finds the Sonic Underground to be disrespectful to his ancestors and their protection of chaos energy. He refuses to show Robotnik his first home.

Age: 14-16

Shadow Robotnik

Robotnik’s “official” ward

Considered one of Robotnik’s “lackeys,” though ignores most of the scientist’s whims

Wears mechanical gloves to give the illusion of roboticization

Technically is Robotnik’s nephew, but neither make that public knowledge. Maria Robotnik was his cousin, but the pair had a close sibling relationship. She took over their grandfather’s project, Shadow, and started caring for him as if he were her own. Her sudden death brought Shadow and the doctor under the same roof. Shadow doesn’t care about Robotnik’s designs for the future, he just wants his mom back.

Shadow and Knuckles have a stepbrother-esque relationship. The pair team up if Robotnik requires it, but they don’t care how sloppily they do it. They have better things to do. Shadow has been granted the privilege to see Knuckles’ original home. He goes there to stare up at the stars, sometimes.

Age: 15-17

Miles “Tails” Prower

Mechanic under Robotnik

Dingo’s little brother

Violinist, secret fan of the Sonic Underground

Came with Dingo when he started working for Robotnik. Scared that they might be kicked out and/or roboticized at any moment. He started tinkering in biomechanics after Dingo was experimentally roboticized with biological nanobots that allow for his physical form to change. He constructed an electronic violin to try and help counter the brainwashing that common forms of roboticizing cause.

He started sneaking into resistance meetings to try and catch the attention of the Sonic Underground. He is a very big fan and wants to work up the courage to ask them for help with getting he and his brother out of Robotnik’s reach.

Age: 8-10

Frye “Dingo” Prower

Mercenary under Robotnik

Tails’ older brother

Experimental biomechanical roboticization used on him

Recruited by Sleet under the promise of providing for his brother. Views Sleet as a fatherly figure. Has a good conscience, but ignores it at Sleet’s behest. Frequently threatened with harm to Tails if he doesn’t comply. Encourages Tails’ interest in music, but tries not to think about it too hard for fear that Sleet or Robotnik will find out.

Frequently gets into scraps with people over Sleet’s reputation. Tries not to let Tails see how the roboticization affects him (intense physical pain, mental strain).

Age: 19-23

Sleet

Well-known mercenary

Works under Robotnik for the thrill

Likes pushing the limits of Dingo’s enhancements

Interplanetary mercenary with a bloody reputation. He doesn’t have the brightest of minds, but his physical prowess and agility prove difficult to overcome. Keeps his left hand uncovered for easy access to the controller over Dingo. His right hand is often used to threaten and maim.

Has a deep dislike for Knuckles, Shadow, and Tails. Finds their presence annoying and detestable. The only reason he doesn’t obliterate them is because he wants to keep a tight leash on Dingo and stay on Robotnik’s good side.

Age: 37-42

Other Notes:

Knuckles, Shadow, and Tails leave each other be. They have no malicious feelings toward each other. Shadow is well aware of Tails’ involvement with the resistance, but couldn’t care less. Knuckles doesn’t care at all, merely complains about the misuse of medallions.

Sleet uses Dingo’s naivety to deflect his crimes. Aside from being a mercenary, he commits petty theft and kidnappings. Dingo’s hero worship proves a good alibi.

Dingo refuses to tell Tails how he got the scar over his eye. Tails suspects it was from a scrap on the streets trying to survive. He actually got it from their mother after she threw them out for being a burden, but he wants Tails to believe their parents were kind.

Dingo’s spots are patches of fur that have lightened due to the stress and physical pain of his roboticization.

[eclipsedcrystalstar]

Vee Deep Analysis

Showmanship

Vee is shown to continue her show related persona outside of the actual show, like most of the toons. Her show persona is heightened by running a gameshow, unlike the others who seemed to be derived more from part of the general show. It's seen in her lines after finishing a machine, descending in the elevator, and interactions. Despite this, only one toon actually treats her as a celebrity of any kind, Boxten, who is known to be shy. Everyone else treats her as a friend, acquaintance, or annoyance, so it can be inferred that Boxten just has not interacted with her much and she is generally seen as an equal. She does not put herself above others except Glisten and Dandy, and the Glisten interaction reads as more playful than a true insult. 

Roboticism

Vee being a robot is an important aspect of her character, it sets her apart from other toons that all seem to be just ichor and whatever else toons are made of. It’s referenced in finishing machines {comparing them to binary code}, descending the elevator, and a few of the interactions she has. Being a robot also affects how she talks to people, her wording can come off blunt, and she has a poor grasp on connotations of phrases that if taken literally would be used the way she uses it, such as not getting the connotations of asking if Shelly is free after this implying a hang out when she was just wanting to make sure Shelly was free to help her before asking. She takes things very literally, even if they seem to have been as a joke, such as making a mild threat towards Connie when she mentions possibly possessing her screen, likely in a joking manner. Vee, despite struggling with these things, is also capable of joking, as seen in her interaction with Poppy, but does it in a way she thinks is a very clear joke rather than a more subtle or plausible way. 

Warning before you press keep reading: The entire doc was 2k words {including the above}. This is a long read.

Other toons forgetting it

Something that I see talked about very little is how other toons interact with the fact she is a robot. Other toons just forget that Vee is a robot sometimes. Finn, Bobette, and Shelly in their interactions forget Vee is a robot, despite it being an important part of her design and who she is. Finn forgets that him being too close is dangerous for her, Bobette unintentionally invites her to something she can’t do, and Shelly forgets the fact Vee has programming and would know the information already. 

Robotic does not equal Emotionless 

Many people, both people who hate and try to defend Vee, try to act like she is emotionless due to being a robot. Vee is a robot, but she is also a toon, and a sapient being. Vee can feel emotions and express them, as seen in multiple interactions such as her ones with Astro, Scraps, Ginger, Connie, Brightney, and Sprout. Vee is blunt, and bad at emotions, but she does not LACK emotions.  

Autistic coding

Honestly this just could’ve been the robotic section. Fictional robots tend to end up neurodivergent coded due to the typical writing strategies employed with them, and Vee is no exception, coming off as heavily autistic coded. Her issues with tone, connotation, and reading emotions all point to this coding. Along with her more literal interpretations of things and being serious when others are more joking. I’ve been asked “how can Vee be autistic she’s a TV” so I want some of the fandom to put their thinking skills to the test and think about the fact every other toon is also an object and she is a living, sapient being before trying to use that as a reason she can’t be autistic

Interactions with Others

The Mains

Astro

Vee displays a reckless protectiveness towards Astro. She offers to deal with anything bothering him like other toons or even twisteds, despite the fact that she has lower survivability against twisteds. Further showing her recklessness in their second conversation, she tries to deflect his concern for her, by telling him he should worry more about himself when he asks about her tail. Vee, despite her clear dislike of Dandy and the knowledge we have that she knows Astro is still talking to him, does not bring him up once, implying a respect for him having his own opinions and relationships even if she may not agree. 

Bobette

Vee’s interaction with Bobette displays how Vee’s roboticism is overlooked by some, with Bobette forgetting she is incapable of eating or drinking. Despite being unable to participate, Vee tries to be helpful by directing Bobette to Teagan for what she is looking for, implying that she does pay attention to what the other toons do and host even if she can’t attend. It also shows that some toons may not avoid talking about things that they know she can’t do in front of her.

Pebble 

Vee’s interactions with Pebble, like most with him, are simple. She feigns interest in what he’s saying like many people do when animals make noises, showing a slightly playful behavior. Her other interaction establishes her as a generally busy person, and makes clear her annoyance at being asked for things when she doesn’t have time. 

Shelly

Vee’s interactions with Shelly are awkward and display Vee’s difficulty with connotation, tone, and emotion. Vee does not dislike Shelly, and the interactions are not meant to be read as mean, as stated multiple times by Qwel. Vee’s interaction about moving the boxes shows her lack of connotational awareness, denotationally speaking asking if someone has free time does not imply a hang out, even though many people, including Shelly, may interpret it as such. We know from the interaction with Pebble that Vee dislikes being asked for things when she doesn’t have time, so she may have been ensuring she wasn’t bothering Shelly by making sure she had time first. The interaction about the dinosaur facts displays the issue of other toons forgetting that Vee is a robot, as Shelly forgets that she would have information programmed into her and likely would not want to hear things she already knows. 

Sprout

Vee’s two interactions with Sprout vary in their tone. Her interaction with Sprout about Dandy takes a more serious tone and implies a stubbornness in Vee, as she continues to try to argue with Dandy despite him walking away whenever she tries. She’s clearly frustrated that Dandy continues to talk to Astro while ignoring her. Vee’s second interaction with Sprout she is bothering him with a nickname that he seems annoyed about but not hurt by, and reacts negatively when Sprout actually insults her by calling her outdated. Sprout acknowledges that he went too far, implying they may playfully insult or annoy each other but don’t want to hurt each other's feelings. 

Dandy

Dandy is the only character that Vee shows explicit dislike for, presenting herself as above him in her machine completion voice lines. The dislike is mutual and the tensions between them seem high, with even Sprout being involved in whatever is happening there. It is not said what is the reason for their arguing, though some guesses can be made. She treats her dislike of Dandy as a self contained thing, aside from when speaking with Sprout who seems on her side about it. She does not let the dislike of Dandy affect other relationships such as those with Astro or Pebble. 

Commons

Boxten

As mentioned earlier, Boxten is the only toon who really treats Vee as a celebrity. Despite this, Vee does not talk like she’s better than him, instead engaging in his interest in her game show and asking if he’s a fan of it. Then making a friendly comment asking who doesn’t, and immediately clarifying when Boxten is confused by the comment. 

Looey

Vee tries to start the conversation about something Looey likes, asking about his circus acts. She does realize her flat out “no” to watching him was too blunt, and tries to soften it by clarifying that she is busy and that she may come watch another time. 

Poppy

In her interaction with Poppy, she attempts to make a joke by saying something she presumably believed was obviously false, saying that Poppy won a car. When Poppy believes her, Vee is quick to clarify the joke and express how she thought it was obvious. 

Shrimpo

Vee does not take Shrimpo seriously. Like at all. She even just asks if he’s done yet, it's clear he doesn’t bother her because she knows how he is. 

Tisha

A lot of people take their interaction really negatively, even saying they hate each other. Despite this, the interaction doesn’t indicate much about her feelings towards Tisha, except possibly annoyance. She only says Tisha’s name in response to Tisha saying hers, and is silent the rest of the interaction. Qwel has said it is notable that the two don’t insult each other directly. It is implied that it was one situation that they may still have conflict about by the wording of “What’s gone on” instead of “What’s going on” 

Uncommons

Brightney

As her favorite contestant and seemingly a close friend, Vee has two interactions with Brightney. In one Vee’s lack of proper wording is shown as she has difficulty giving compliments. Brightney tries to help her clarify it but it turns a bit awkward. In the second, Vee offers to set up a small thing for Brightney, seeming to enjoy her company with her offer of doing stuff for her and like she admires her intelligence by saying she is her best contestant. 

Connie

Her interaction with Connie shows how Vee doesn’t take non-obvious jokes that well, as despite the tone of Connie reading as more joking and mischievous, especially in her second line, Vee remains extremely serious and firm, even threatening to get Brightney to make Connie stop. 

Finn

Finn is another that forgets that Vee is a robot, as his first thought when Vee wants to be away from him due to the smell. Vee is straightforward that it is not because of any fault of his that she wants him away from her, but rather the fact it is dangerous for her to be too close and she doesn't want to need repairs. Despite not really being able to be near each other, Vee shows no dislike of him. 

Ginger

When Ginger says that she binges Vee’s gameshow, Vee is surprised that she just watches the game show segments in the seasons. Possibly implying that she doesn’t think much of her show being very significant. She also shows her care for other toons, being happy that the Holiday Toons have things they like all year round, while not knowing that they are hiding and isolated out of the Christmas season. 

Rares

Gigi

Her interaction with Gigi shows that Vee cares for the general well being of the others, wanting to make sure Gigi does not take everything that might help the others. It also makes a contrast with Vee’s game show personality of giving out prizes and Gigi’s more mischievous hoarder behavior.

Glisten

Vee’s interactions with Glisten might initially be taken as mean, but Glisten’s reactions seem to indicate that her insults are not serious. Glisten is completely unhurt by her words, exaggerating offense and taking a chance to call himself perfect at her insult. Vee also clearly knows Glisten’s exaggerated behavior, as when he calls her his bestest closest friend she knows he wants something. She does offer to get him set up with a new mic later, showing she does not actually dislike him. She is also seen reacting with a fond-seeming eye roll to something he says in the animation in the warehouse map.

Scraps

Vee is irritated at Scraps for having won her game through luck, likely because Vee admires intelligence in her contestants, as seen in her compliments to Brightney. She is not mean about it though, more sarcastic in the interaction where she does talk to Scraps.

[button-phobia-is-real]

thinking about rusty rose again and how sad i am Sonic Prime didnt go as far with her as they couldve

like holy SHIT an amy who got roboticized - to the point she could be overtaken and puppeteered by whoever got admin access - powered by a FLICKIE. in fact the ONLY new yoke robot we see not powered directly by the prism and then they never delve into her backstory!!

like come ON the TRAGEDY the PAIN is RIGHT THERE on a silver platter. her very existence is such a nice callback to her arcs in the games and YET-

like was she the first one brave (and rash) enough to go against the council and they made an example out of her? (either by showing off the robotization or having her completely disappear from the publics view) was she on deaths door due to an accident and they promised a second chance in exchange for her loyalty? did she beg to keep birdie alive by any means necessary? (kinda debunked by the finale but i thought that was a really cool theory going around)

not to mention how insanely OP she is in the first season and how she got nerfed for seemingly no reason (i couldve accepted her getting injured somehow). her first fight scene in the lab is such a delight to watch, with the way she absolutes decimates any foe in her way and utilizes her extendable limbs effortlessly in place of her usual hammer. showcasing how powerful she really is and the only things "holding her back" being her compassion and empathy

im not the biggest shadow fan but i wouldve killed to see them meet and him just completely break down at what she has become: so far from the kind and stubborn girl who reminded him of maria and helped him change his mind about destroying the world

i wouldve loved for rusty rose to get a glimpse of the original amy and see everything she couldve been and try to understand why sonic introduced her as the sweetest friend you could ever ask for despite viewing herself as a killing machine

as a whole i wish the show focused just a bit less on the action and more on the worlds and characters because there is so much cool shit there! (also black rose shouldve wielded a giant anchor instead of a sable i dont make the rules)

[opbackgrounds]

If Kuma was above Sentomaru, that’s also above anyone with an authority chip (meaning CP0 and any marines) and just below the Vegapunks. Do you think the Warlords had that level of authority before disbandment? Or could Kuma have been that high on the hierarchy on his own and was just taken off when he was fully roboticized since he wouldn’t be giving any orders anymore anyway?

Its a good question, and I think in theory the Warlords should be somewhere on the food chain since they're technically a part of the WG, but also it seems like a terrible idea so maybe not. Then again, the WG makes a lot of terrible decisions.

Also the Pacifistas are just really new and to some extent incomplete? With how unknown they are on Sabaody and Marineford you get the impression they haven't been used much before. Could be whatever the protocol is supposed to be hasn't been hashed out yet.

Either way, giving Kuma especially high control seems like something Vegapunk would do so if I were forced to guess I'd say it's that and not all the Warlords generally

[oncewhenalongtimeago]

Sorry, but I Think I Lost Your Plot pt 18

Pairing: Onesided!Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III x Modern!Fem!Reader

Words: 5041

The two of you are irresponsible. Things end up fine, anyways.

Tags: Time Travel, Reader into Movieverse, Dragons: Defenders of Berk, Race To Fireworm Island, unedited, part one

<Previous - Next>

“Yak dung, if ye brew’t ri’gh, yae can-”

You stared out at sea, legs stood apart, fur boots planted firmly against the wooden deck, fists on your hips and smelt the sea, which was a lot less fishy and foul than it had been by the docks, where stall owners tended to drop their fish guts.

Listening to the other two sailors talk was kind of boring. Apparently Yaks weren’t native to this part of the world. They were a far off import from a long time ago, which explained why Gobber and the other Vikings treated them like they were the ultimate cure-all.

“Aye, how abou’ we talk about something besides yak dung, you old frigate? I ‘prom I can’ ‘nit bear one more momen’ of- of-” The younger man spoke, voice tinged with a bit of roboticism and a definite note of disinterest. 

The last you checked, he was quite gruffly doing his best to untangle the knotted fronts of an old, frayed net, probably rife with holes.

Everyone was a warrior, few got to be nothing besides that.

Berk’s close knit community kept anyone from really falling into poverty unless they sucked or were new, but the few fishermen here on Berk that were unlucky enough to end up poor tended to have heavier accents than everyone else, spending most of their pay on their dying ships, in contrast to some of the other boats, with hardy shiphands and large decorated, painted sides.

This one, the one you were on, was old and small but incredibly hardy, though it felt like it might sink down in still waters. As you heard, it did surprisingly well during a storm.

Family boats died hard, it seemed. And he was very insistent that that boat ran in his family.

It took a while for you to ascertain the knowledge that here, you were actually supposed to poop on a poop deck, not that you wanted to. It was more like you’d been shown how they did it which was very similar to just leaning their butt over the side railing and roughing it in front of everyone.

You did not enjoy that show.

You didn’t think anyone here was there for that boat trip. You found that very good.

You were at sea with two other sailors, an old man, large but frail as his boat, and a younger middle aged man who had very little interest in anything but the nets.

The sea was oddly still though still windy as you felt through your very casual tunic and trousers. You figured it would be a waste to wear more.

A thick pouch attached to your hip bounced against your waist as the ship rocked. 

Today, you were a fisherman’s hired helping hand. It was a while since you’d helped on a ship. It was usually the poorer ones who couldn’t afford anyone hardier who pulled you up.

You were slightly pleased with it, though, as you raked across the sky with your eyes. Lunch was cheaper when you were part of the team catching it.

In the sky, you spotted the few birds brave enough to squeak and squeal and flip with dragons lurking around the clouds.

With a burst of enthusiasm, you waved up at them as they dotted the sky.

There were a few groups, not all clear enough for you to make out any more than a dot. And a little further back… There were what looked like the Riders.

You could make out the bright blur form of Stormfly and Astrid’s blonde head of hair on top. Behind her is who you thought were the twins.

You wondered where they were off to.

You eep-ed as a dot separated from the flock.

As the dot grew larger on the horizon, as you recognized the dark, swooping wings of the Night Fury and as it came closer, you realized, of course, that it was Hiccup and Toothless.

“Alr’gh, lass, You grab one end of the net and I’ll-” The old fisherman grumbled from behind, before cutting himself off, “By jove, what’s he want from ‘ere?”

His long, gray beard and ponytail shifted with the wind, and bald spot, which you presumed was caused prematurely a long time ago, half marred by a barely noticeable burn scar, slightly reflected the glare of the sun.

“Speak not of the Romans here, ol’ man,” The younger fisherman grumbled as you glanced back, his unevenly chopped, short brown hair blowing wildly as he limped and dragging his feet up behind him.

The old fishermen’s thin, threadbare brown fur tunic bollywood in the wind. It was patchy, something most Vikings on Berk could relate to but none would be bothered by besides the poorer, without the coin or resources to procure a new bit of fabric to replace.

Your own clothes were thin and not enough during the best of times.

You turned back up to the sky, nearly startled to see how far both Hiccup and Toothless had traveled in such little time, then backed up as they got nearer and nearer, quickly moving to compensate as they pul;led right up to the side.

The ship rocked dangerously as Toothless landed against the side, this fishing boat being a bit smaller than was typical, also positioned dangerously close to a set of rocks just barely peeking out of the water.

“Oi!” The old fisherman shouted angrily, as a spray of water rained down on them from above, just barely missing you, “Watch it, you-!”

“You watch i’, yae old man,” The brown haired fisherman said abruptly, scowling and fixing his accent and twisting his torso, sort of lanky but not nearly enough to be ousted from viking hood, dropping his net and coming over to cover the old man’s mouth, “Tha’s the Chief’s son.”

You winced, imagining his fishy breath over your own fingers, holding some pity for him though he didn’t look like he wanted or needed it.

Hiccup laughed awkwardly and winced, peering back at the rocks as Toothless sniffed around disinterestedly. 

“We go’ no fish for ye, beast!” The old man yowled raspily, throwing off the younger man’s hand and shaking his fist.

Hiccup looked at the fisherman with a slight grimace though he didn’t say anything.

You blew a puff of air out into the ether, looking to the side and inhaling a new, fresh breath and feeling the lungs in your chest expand as you did.

These kinds of spats were not something you had a particular interest in.

Hiccup neither, it seemed.

“Hi?” He asked awkwardly, turning his attention away from them and looking down at you from where he was seated on Toothless, whose claws were digging into the railing, which you were sure was going to give the old fisherman an ulcer later.

“Hello,” You responded. You supposed that by now you should be feeling at least a little bit of Deja Vu but you really did not at all, “Where are you off to?”

“So, ah, how’s…?” Hiccup asked awkwardly, “Is now a bad time?”

You both stared back at the older fisherman who was now squabbling with the brown haired guy, who was busy holding him back, his arms hooked under the back of the old fisherman’s.

“It’s been… fine,” You said, “He’s kind of crazy, I think. Don’t mind it much.”

“Right…”

You heard a loud sniff as what must’ve been Toothless knocked over a small barrel on the other end of the ship, causing some weird-smelling liquid to spill over onto the deck.

“Shouldn’t they be doing better, with all the dragons nearby? You know…” Hiccup gentured down towards the head of his dragon, sniffing at a few closed baskets by the side of the boat, “...Fish?”

“No, ah,” You hummed, nodding to the dingy floorboards and the frayed everything; this vessel wasn’t even painted, a great deal smaller than the other ships, “There’s more fish now because of the dragons doing less hunting, which means an easier catch, food has to cost less in order to feed more and to sell and because most people can probably catch their own fish, and also this boat is kind of…” 

You cleared your throat, shaking off the remnants of the fisherman’s accent, lingering along the edges of your voice.

You didn’t pick up on the whole thing until very, very recently but on the regular, you spoke in a way that was more formal than the rest of Berk.Of course, you knew you had an accent, but often you found that as you spent more time with the villagers, in an effort to be more polite, you tried to adapt the accents of the people you were speaking to in order to mask your own foreign one.

  It helped, some.

“Right,” Hiccup said again, “We’re- we’re looking for Fireworms. The others and I. I should probably…”

“For Snotlout?” You asked.

You looked back and then up towards Hiccup again. They usually managed just fine without you, and it was an awfully calm day.

Would you leave them behind? 

To be fair, if you stayed, you were sure to get an earful. So you didn’t feel bad about it at all.

“How did you know?” Hiccup asked. 

You squinted. 

Hiccup was positioned just so that the sun glared down from around him, which was a bit painful to your eyes.

“Well…” You started.

There wasn’t much the Riders did that had anything to do with the Jorgensons when Snotlout wasn’t involved and the ‘Louts had been particularly grabby recently. What wasn’t for them?

They took the island very seriously and themselves even more so as the ‘protectors of the island.’

From your interactions with the rest of the Jorgenson house and, more importantly, the head, you knew Spitelout was very rough on Snotlout.  

Depending on the Jorgenson, they were either sort of wasteful or wasteless to an unreasonable degree, throwing things out before they could be fixed and using old, broken tools even after it became incredibly dangerous to do so, but they were also very rich compared to some of the other families on Berk so it didn’t really matter. 

They had to have the best of everything in people and things, or something like that. Which usually left only crumbs for the rest of everybody.

You’d heard some of the women by the square complaining as you scoured over their crumbs and dry pickings.

You didn’t mind it. Berk was pretty first-come first-serve, anyways.

Until it came to dragons.

Everyone on Berk stuck to the typical types of dragons whenever they were forced to find a mount, not because they preferred it that way, though it wasn’t something you found to cause any dissent in particular. 

“Gut feeling,” You shrugged, going with the easy explanation, “Do you need any help?”

It was difficult to find any type outside of a Dragon Training course, of course, those being a roster of the most common native dragons. The other kinds were a bit harder to stumble across. Any of the ‘exotic’ types of dragon mounts were something to be proud of, and proud of them they were, the few Vikings who had the time and resources to expend. 

There were a few squabbles about it but nothing too major. Most Vikings were still a little dragon shy anyhow. The whole argument was kind of silly.

Having a dragon was about more than the type of dragon, anyways.

 It didn’t matter much to you, a person without a dragon. 

There was a fisherman who was quite proud of his exotic dragon- a Scauldron. He’d picked it up a little bit after the incident with the purple flowers.

It helped a lot with fishing.

“Well… Are you busy?” Hiccup asked, albeit a tad unsurely.

“Not particularly,” You said, staring back at the old fisherman, also a bit unsure. 

Adventuring with Hiccup would make it easier to avoid the old fisherman, who, now that you thought about it, was a bit off and who you imagined was very close to blowing his top.

“Really?” Hiccup asked, looking a little guilty, eyes darting back towards the fishermen behind you.

He pointed a shaking hand towards you, spluttering messily as the brown haired Viking guy scrambled for some of the ropes along one of the poles along the back end of the ship, still not letting go of his arm.

“Yeah,” You said, beaming as Hiccup scooted forward, urging Toothless to turn around with his foot, causing the boat to rock a bit and you to back up, adjusting to the dragon as he swung wide.

Hiccup made a sheepish smile and offered you the space behind him on his saddle, though he kept his eyes on the fisherman behind.

You pretended you saw nothing. You thought the scene they were making resembled something out of the world’s blandest comedy show, or an old cartoon. 

He paid pennies, anyway.

“Someone should be by with a Scauldron in case you need help,” You called back, “I heard the rainbow big ship was out today.”

“Not tha’ barrel! The other! Can’t you see the difference?” The old fisherman made a rude gesture and shouted as Toothless took the initiative to do a bit more exploring.

He shook free enough to grab something thick, dark and viscous from a wooden tankard to the side and throw it towards Toothless.

Hiccup shifted awkwardly as he responded, “I don't see the difference…?” 

You yelped and jumped back and scrambled up on Toothless behind him as the glob landed right by your feet. 

Looked like your refreshing day out at sea was over. You could always go fishing another day.

You tossed the fisherman back his coin, holding it between your fingers and flipping it to him with your thumb before he could say anything, shooting off a quick, “I’m sorry!”

He jumped down and grabbed for it, though the brown haired fisherman caught it with some minor exhaustion.

You turned away and lightly nudged Hiccup’s arm, hurting before the old fisherman could do something more crass. Like his bare bottom over the railing. Sure, you may have had to know the sight once, but it was still irritating. And gross.

Hiccup kicked Toothless quickly off and up into the sky. You could feel the wind bursting past your face, much more biting now that you were once again without your coat.

You rotated your shoulder slightly after you slipped into the saddle behind Hiccup, arms sore from all the rowing you did earlier, which was difficult considered your arms were clenched around his waist.

“Fireworm island?” You asked, “Which ones are Fireworms, again?”

“They’re the small orange glowy ones,” Hiccup spoke past the rushing wind, though it didn’t seem like he was particularly rushed, bumping your shoulder with his as he glanced back.

“I don’t think I’ve seen those yet,” You said as you locked your arms around his waist, Toothless moving at rocketing speeds.

“We’re heading back towards Berk?” You asked. 

“Yeah. We were just- Well-” Hiccup struggled, “Recouping. Navigating. Splitting ground.”

“Splitting? What’s your-? You know.”

“I’m not- I left too early,” Hiccup said, embarrassedly at nearly a shout, “I was hoping you might know- Ah– But the- I know some of the fishermen used to use Fireworms as bait.”

He cut off then, but you got the gist of it.

“Why don’t we try a different island?” You asked, fighting against the wind as Hiccup and Toothless reoriented them all, nearly flipping over.

You imagined what Fishlegs would say; ‘There’s an island for that!’

It seemed like there was an island for everything. Was there one for Fireworms?

You wondered what Berk was the island for.

You didn’t need to be close friends to know for sure. 

It was bare. 

You pushed through another set of ferns, following quickly behind Hiccup as the two of you trudged through a thick set of trees.

You really hoped you hadn’t messed up and someone ended up dead, or something.

People would riot. Chase you off for sure.

You heard people talking about moving more into the forests where there were more resources and privacy, the only thing having kept them in the village being the dragons.

You’d have to take refuge.

Another dock would be nice, you thought.

You wondered if the volcano on Dragon island was still active. That would make for a good second island, if the dragons didn’t mind a few human visitors. Roommates. Exile-ees.

You figured they’d probably rather they be left alone, though.

“Would using Gel from another Nightmare work? Or is it like blood transfusions?” You asked as you ducked under another low-hanging branch. 

You stepped over the gnarled roots of this tree quickly afterwards, the soles of your boots making an odd wet noise as it hit the damp undergrowth. 

The two of you had just hit a pretty soggy spot in the undergrowth and you knew Hiccup was worried it might turn into peat. 

You were close to suggesting that you head back and try another direction in the forest.

Said Hiccup looked at you oddly, brows cinched and raised as he tried to repeat your foreign modern words, “Blood transfusions?”

You puzzled over it for a moment, “Blood… exchange? Blood giving?”

“That…” Hiccup cringed, but he had the shadows of his idea face ghosting the corners of his expression. He was, also, probably wondering if it was just as unsanitary as it seemed, as a normally adjusted person should.

“It’s not as gross as it sounds, I promise.”

“Really?”

“I mean, everyone has different blood types, and you- Shouldn’t try it. Please don’t try it,” You said a bit quickly.

He didn’t have the medical equipment, at least not for blood.

It probably wasn’t safe anyways.

You hadn’t talked since before his Dad started asking you questions you didn’t want to think about. You refused to let it get awkward. Still, you hoped to find some Fireworms soon.

Toothless had run off earlier, chasing the likeness of a work into the trees. Hope was nearly lost.

Catching the worms was sort of difficult and the Fireworms had been sparse. You’d been out for what, thirty minutes? An hour?

You winced.

It was like trying to catch frogs with tweezers. How you imagined it, anyways.

You wondered if there were frogs here and if that was something Vikings did. You thought you saw a kid with a frog once. You wondered if Hiccup wanted to go catch frogs, and if he was the type of kid to have tried to do that. 

Maybe with friends? You weren’t sure.

He seemed a little solitary before the Red Death, though not by choice or any sort of personality quirk, at least nothing you would clock from the modern day.

You were afraid, though, that his only friend was Gobber which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in and of itself.

“Toothless!” Hiccup tried then, calling again, cupping his hands around his mouth. 

You glanced down at his leg, which you noticed just then had sunk a bit deep into the mud. It was going to get caked later.

“No dice?” You asked, pulling yourself up a step.

“No dice,” Hiccup shook his head. He tried to hide it, but he was looking kind of glum. Which was understandable.

You squinted ahead as the way forward got lighter, blinking placidly into the treeline. 

Maybe you wouldn't have to turn back after all. 

You kept moving forwards. 

Hiccup had a sort of stormy, contemplative expression on his face a for a while, and so you’d given him the space to think.

You weren’t particularly pressed to speak yourself, in a mood that made you just as happy with silence as exercising your vocal cords.

“Spitelout… Snotlout hadn’t said anything but I’m sure he wants him to- …” Hiccup spoke, after a while.

“Kill Hookfang?” You asked.

You likened it -the idea- to euthanasia for older animals or animals that were too sick to function anymore. But you had the inkling that that’s not exactly the type of person Spitelout was. 

It was still unreasonable, though. You hadn’t exhausted half your resources yet, you thought. If there was still a chance you’d be able to save Snotlout’s dragon…

You felt sort of bad for Hiccup.

Dragons were his thing, after all. “I should have told the others where I was going,” Hiccup sighed, gesturing with his hands as he stopped suddenly, then letting them fall until they slapped soundlessly against his legs, “I can’t believe I messed up this bad.”

You moved up beside him to see his face, lips pursed into a thin line as he looked exhaustively up into the thin pin-ey canopy above, “It’s not that bad.”

He looked at you guiltily then, though you had the feeling he wasn’t looking at you with guilt any more than you being the cause of it. Did he regret stopping by to pick you up? Coming to another island?

“It’s fine,” You tried, before adding hopefully, comforting yourself a little bit, “We don’t know if it’s a mistake, yet. These things happen, and you never know.”

“My Dad is going to kick me out and I’m going to have to spend every night from now on until I die eating alone.” Hiccup spoke dryly.

“I’ll be here,” You suggested helpfully, “And if you get kicked off I promise I’ll visit with things. So you don’t drop. Like fresh water and probably beads, maybe.”

“Well, thanks, I bet they’ll taste great mixed up with a plate of loneliness and self-loathing,” Hiccup said sarcastically, waving his hands at his sides, before pausing, as if remembering who he was talking to. 

You snorted, a little bit surprised.

He’d not spent so much time being any more sarcastic than awkward whenever you were together. 

You thought it was a little bit funny and a little bit worrying. If things went wrong it was probably your fault, anyways. For messing with the plot. 

Had you really, though? The thought came unbidden. What had you done besides just existing? That was a guiltless action. 

Had that been all you had been doing?

You internally shook, brushing thoughts of those things away.

You didn’t want to do any pondering.

“You’d be fine, minus the indigestion, probably. You have a lot of things going for you,” You nodded.

“My sharp intellect and dashing charm,” Hiccup said, keeping his elbows close to his sides and gesturing to himself emphatically in a way that was incredibly sarcastic and slightly gawky.

“Yes,” You said firmly as you nodded besides, your side brushing fully past another fern as you went, “I mean, you’re a good inventor. I can’t name another one on the island- really, I’m sure I heard your Dad talking about it the other day-  ‘I could leave that boy alone for a week and he’d have me a city built on a whole other island by the time I got back.’”

You didn’t talk to many people so you mostly kept that bit to yourself.

“Wow, that’s…”

“A bit crazy?” You hummed, lifting your boot and jumping back slightly as you stepped into a particularly wet, boggy patch of grass.

“A lot of pressure,” Hiccup gestured aimlessly with his hands again, the glass beads threaded into the twine around his wrists twinkling slightly as he rotated them.

He seemed kind of crushed, suddenly. 

“I’m really not that good at… Prioritizing, I guess. Anything. All of this.” 

They were yellow today. Yellow and light green. You hadn’t noticed, too focused on staying atop Toothless in the sky earlier and on the fauna after you’d landed.

You looked down as you stepped up onto a short dry patch, kicking aside a few pebbles with your muddied boot toes and grabbing a hold of a thin branch, sticking up out of a log as you pulled yourself over.

“I hope he didn’t mean it literally,” You said, shrugging. But then you immediately felt guilty for it, glancing up from your feet back to Hiccup, “It’s- I mean, things happen-And- You don’t have to be good at it. I mean, you’re doing it. Who else is going to?”

You stopped for a moment and took that time to let out a large exhale.

You felt like you fumbled the conversation before you even moved your mouth again. 

“Right,” Hiccup looked at you unsurely before peering around the underbrush, “I guess. But everyone expects me to. I shouldn’t be saying this, but I don’t- …know how.”

Hiccup grimaced, looking like he had a heavy set of weights on his shoulders. Which, he might’ve.

You hadn’t had any in a while besides the need for food and board.

It made you wonder. Did you expect anything from Hiccup?

“Can you…? Gods, do you even know what I’m talking about?” Hiccup continued, burying his face in his hands, throwing his head up exaggeratedly as he rubbed his face, one hand lingering longer than the other.

He glanced at you from the corner of his eye as he did, “I didn’t mean-...”

He sighed heavily, defeated.

You looked at him for a moment, halted.

You ignored how your feet were sore and your back was starting to hurt from spending the whole day on your feet. This was no place to sit and rest, however, not even for a minute. You wouldn’t stop for more than a minute. 

Unless you wanted to be wet, that was. And froggy.

Way back on Berk, you were expected to take on responsibility a lot earlier than you were expected to in modern times so you guessed, in a way, you got it. And you wanted to tell him so.

You felt kind of odd about it all. 

Any direction you had you’d surely misplaced. Any path you knew was probably derailed- even this conversation you were sure wasn’t supposed to have happened. 

“I kind of know?” You said, “I get it, I mean. I haven’t been here for everything, but, you know, I’ve seen a lot. I don’t really have any good advice for you, though.”

You watched Hiccup slump slightly, grimacing as you spoke, feeling as if you’d failed some sort of test.

Who were you to ask for anything, really?

There was one thing you could give him, though. But similar to your own sleeves and patchy boots, which you liked a lot, you weren’t sure if it would count for much. 

“-And I’m sorry,” You said, before shrugging, not giving Hiccup a moment to think before you spoke again, “But I don’t expect anything you don’t want to give. Maybe, it would be hypocritical of me to ask for anything more than you are- I mean, I’m a delivery girl. I guess you know all that already, though, right? That you’re nice all on your own?”

You ended in a question, watching Hiccup as he watched you, searching for any more reaction. His reaction. Had you missed the mark? Was there even a mark to miss?

You hoped not. 

“Am I?” Hiccup asked, looking at you incredulously.

He gave you a wide-eyed look, some emotion you couldn’t name plastered all across his face.

You weren’t exactly an authority on the subject. You had been here, in the Archipelago, for a long while, but there were still many, many things you weren’t privy to.

“I think you are?” You took the lead by a few feet, urging Hiccup to subconsciously follow you forwards, hurrying the both of you up, “I don’t know what-I mean… Are you? I can’t really say. I’m not- the judge of- I think, honestly, the only one who can say what you are is- well. You? And you’d know better than me what you can handle. I don’t mind it, whatever it is you can or can’t do, I guess.”

You gestured back towards him as you glanced and turned away without actually looking, face heating up with an extra amount of embarrassment. 

You didn’t want to consider the idea that maybe you’d messed up, so you opted to ignore all of it. The idea that the whole conversation had happened in the first place.

Really, he was the main character. Why wouldn’t he know?

“I- ah, ph-what? I mean… Yeah?” Hiccup sputtered, following you as you through the forest around you, trying not to flinch as the water seeped through the bottom of your boots.

You shrug-nodded awkwardly, still staring ahead.

Thankfully, the damp earth began to grow firmer and the ferns grew thicker as you spoke until just by what you assumed to be the end of the treeline, where the sun shone brightest.

You pointed ahead, “I think there’s an opening up there.”

As you got closer, hurriedly trudging along though not too fast for Hiccup to keep up, you felt the beginnings and wisps of sea in the air.

You felt the beginnings of a rumble in your stomach as your anticipation grew.

So you had a little bit of an ulterior motive too, for rushing the two of you along. You were a little bit hungry, and you also had had no breakfast at all. A break would do Hiccup well too, you were sure.

You kept moving, the two of you in silence, until, finally, stepping past a particularly large front, framed by light that was almost glaring, considerably brighter than the kind you’d been subjected to in the smoggy underbrush-

The two of you had just broken out of the forest into a clear cliffside.

It was probably not too far away from where you’d initially landed. Geometric rock columns lined the cliffs’ edge, making the ground look almost like tiles, though some bits were slightly elevated over others. 

You opened your mouth to speak, but he beat you to it.

“Look, how about we take a break? I have to… I have to figure out how we’re going to get back,” Hiccup looked back, in a way you imagined was exhaustive, into the trees, most likely thinking of Toothless. Yeah, that was a problem.

You were glad he said it first. 

[raavenb2619]

Can you talk more about aromanticism in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep :o But yeah as someone who read the book before watching the movie, I thought it was weird they didn't include how animals were super important in the world as a sign of empathy and showing empathy was a status symbol.

Yes, I would love to talk more about this! I have a bunch of incomplete thoughts rattling around in my brain about Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, including about the interesting parts of the book that were cut, like Mercerism, the importance of animals, the empathy boxes, the emotion dialing machines, the spider scene, the other police department, the use and non-use of the empathy test, the fact that multiple androids can share the same face, and the narrative/story treatment of Rachel. I'd like to organize and share my thoughts with other people, but first: I need to watch Blade Runner 2049 because I've heard it's got things for me to analyze, compare, and contrast with the original film and the novel; then I need to decide how many versions of the original film I need to watch and analyze (so far I've only seen The Final Cut, which seems to be the version most people like and recommend, but I think that having Deckard narrate sections could change the worldbuilding and potentially add roboticism that I felt was lacking in The Final Cut); then I probably need to spend some time piecing my ideas together into something coherent that other people can read and understand, but then I'd love to publish my thoughts (probably as an essay on Wordpress, though maybe something a bit more informal) and let people read it and have a conversation about it.

How long will that take? I don't really know. My Frozen essay took four months; DADoES + BR + BR 2049 might take longer because there's more material to analyze. But by asking for my thoughts, you've somehow given me the motivation and inspiration to actually write something about this. (So, thank you for that :).) I'd also like to try to share some of my progress, thoughts, realizations, and questions as they happen on Tumblr, because I'm interested in doing media analysis with other people (and because that might reduce the risk of me losing motivation while working on this), so I may end up rebranding my blog a bit at some point.

Here are some other media analysis/writing things that I'd like to do some day. It turns out that other people asking what my thoughts are on a thing is a really good motivator for me to write down what my thoughts are on a thing, so if anyone wants to encourage me to write an essay or blog post about any parts of any of the following topics, feel free to send me an ask:

Wicked (the musical). One angle I'd like to explore is looking at the musical through an aromantic lens, and reading Elphaba as alloaro/alloaro-aligned. I might broaden the scope to look at other Wizard-of-Oz media, and maybe also aro-aligned villains and aro-aligned anti-heros in media, but maybe that would be better served as a series of essays/blog posts and not an essay so long it should be a book. There's also so much musical/motivic analysis I need to do of Wicked, it has so much depth and I still find more things when I relisten to the music.

The portrayal of robots in fiction. One angle I'd like to explore is, "why are robots and aromanticism linked?" And I'm not happy with the shallow answer of "robots don't have emotions and people think aromantic means you don't have emotions"; I want to actually know "why are robots and aromanticism linked? How did the portrayal of robots evolve for there to be a link? Was that inevitable, or could robots have turned out differently so that they weren't liked to aromanticism? What does the linking of robots and aromanticism say about society and fictional depictions of humanity and lack thereof?" I also need to rewatch and actually finish Battlestar Galactica, though I think that might be more interesting through an ace lens than an aro lens.

Isaac Asimov's fiction and related works. I've been reading a lot of his fiction in publishing order in part because of my interest in the origin of robots and aromanticism, but there's definitely interesting things to be said about his novels and short stories, and also the Foundation TV series, such as how they treat love. (I also want an excuse to rewatch all the episodes just to answer nerdy music theory questions about Demerzel and does she have two musical motifs and why is one very legato and lilting and the other is staccato and halting and is that representing an inner struggle between her humanity and her roboticism?)

An analysis of @kernsing's aromantic sonnet #1 (this is still on my todo list, I got busy but didn't forget, but I have Things to say and I want to Find even More Things to say about this poem)

"Why Beauty and the Beast (1991) is fundamentally arophobic and can't be fixed." Okay, I haven't thought about this in a while so it's possible my perspective has changed and I'll find a way that the story could be changed to not be arophobic, but I know that the conclusion I came to a while ago was that the story structure itself was fundamentally problematic and that changing it enough to make it no longer be arophobic would require changing the story structure so much that it would be a fundamentally different story. This would not exactly be a fun essay to read or write, because I can't imagine many people enjoy someone digging into why a movie so many people love is arophobic to its core, but I'd still like to do it, some day.

Is "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" a distant relative of "Beauty and the Beast"? (I mean the story structure, not genetics/family trees.)

An analysis of Walt Disney Animation Studios films over the years. After my Frozen essay I spent like a month watching almost every Walt Disney Animation Studios film and tracking how the films treated a bunch of different aspects (e.g. sex, romance, marriage, third wheel, kissing, jealousy, love, true love, meet-cutes, queerness, gender, sexism, transmisogyny, homophobia, multiple concrete aspects of amatonormativity, queercoding). But I never really tabulated or aggregated my notes.

The discarded best friend trope (this is an arophobic trope I noticed and came up with a name for), and some examples and subversions of it.

Why does High School Musical (and HSM 2 and HSM 3) lack romantic love songs despite being a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet that allegedly preserves the central romance? What are the queer things that can be found in the movies? What would I do if I could remake it as a multi-season TV show that was overflowing with explicit queerness that touched on things that weren't shown in the movies? Can I be normal about Kelsi? (I absolutely can't)

Why does Heartstopper (the TV show) make me read Tao as aro all the time?

Fairy tales! What is a fairy tale? Fairy tales through an aro lens! Do fairy tales have a distinct musical sound/style/identity? Has the musical sound of fairy tales changed over time?

Why do stories typically have room for a heroic love interest, but not a villainous love interest? (I'm not happy with the shallow answer of "because of amatonormativity/arophobia". I want to know, why are stories like this? Does it have to do with the structure and pacing of stories? How do pure narrative reasons interact with societal forces and expectations?)

"Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games has always felt aspec to me, and here's why." The last time I read through the trilogy, I felt she came across as demi I think? It might be interesting to compare the books to the movies and look at what and how the adaptation changes, especially with regards to romance, relationships, and aspec coding.

Something about how you can have in depth discussions about aspec politics without using aspec terminology, and maybe using too much aspec terminology makes conversations in the aspec community less accessible to new aspecs as well as well-meaning and open-minded allos who would be better allies to us if they could more easily understand what we talk about. When it comes to things like amatonormativity and allonormativity and the societal norms and issues we face, the more people who understand us and agree with us, the easier it'll be to shift society to be better for aspecs. So, sometimes it makes sense to try to talk about complicated, in-depth aspec issues using as little specialized terminology as possible.

Something something aro Celeste. A while ago a friend joked that I should do an aro analysis of Celeste, and then I started actually thinking about it and saying words and they realized they'd made a mistake, but I never wrote down any of the thoughts I had. Just brainstorming here, but there's probably something I could say about Crystal Hearts as collectibles that gate access to more difficult content and have three different art styles depending on where they appear and how they push you away unless you dash into them and break them and how you can die after collecting a Crystal Heart, Madeline's ex, Madeline and Theo's friendship and Grannie and Theo's grandfather's friendship, Madeline and Badeline's story arc through a "Show Yourself"-like aro lens, and Theo's instagram photos of Madeline doing archery. (This essay would be more on the silly side of things, basically proving that given enough disparate pieces in media I can cobble them together with thumbtacks and red string to make shapes that don't exist. And yes, I came up with the brainstorming list in about 5 minutes off the cuff while writing this bullet point)

An aro reading of Homestuck. I would need to finish Homestuck first, and I'm going to start from the beginning at...some point. I remember really liking and getting excited by the "troll QPRs", and I'm probably going to get nerd-sniped by trying to build my own understanding of how leprechaun romance can make sense. (Yes, I know this might be another thumbtacks and red string essay. No spoilers please)

Something about Gravity Falls, The Owl House, She-Ra, Steven Universe, or other similar TV shows?

Tron and Tron: Legacy? Idk I rewatched them semi recently, and expected to dislike the sequel because I had been listening to the album totally wrong. But then I disliked the original and liked the sequel a lot. There's potentially a music theory lens here, but I'm not sure if there's a queer lens here. But that's okay, maybe someone will suggest one, or maybe I'll just write up my thoughts even though there isn't any queerness to speak of, because my media analysis doesn't always have to be through a queer lens.

Something else that I haven't listed here because I don't have an actual list of things anywhere and I've probably forgotten multiple things?

Something I haven't thought of? If you want to know my thoughts on something or want me to analyze something, feel free to send an ask or a reblog or something. No promises I'll answer in a timely fashion (or ever), but I might

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello! I’m sorry if you’ve answered this already, but do you have any recs (or anything you want to say for fun) about games with multiple GMs?

Theme: Multiple GMs

Hello friend, I may have recommended games similar to this but I don't know if I've actually fulfilled this prompt before! I'll do my best to show you some interesting games, and you can check out previous posts at the bottom in case there's something there that fits your tastes more.

Questlandia: Second Edition, by Turtlebun.

In Questlandia, you and your friends will invent a world from scratch. It might be fantastic or bizarre, from a remembered past or imagined future.You’ll paint a picture of your society and its people, their laws and customs, how they live and how they dream.

But your society is failing. As you play, your characters will attempt to find beauty and purpose amidst the chaos of a changing world.

Questlandia is a tabletop roleplaying game that creates fantastical worlds in states of change. It may be medieval fantasy in a ghost-haunted kingdom, neo-noir in a roboticized undercity, or microscopic slipstream suburbia in a puddle. The possible settings are boundless, but will always come from the interests of those at the table. Bring in real-world themes that intrigue you, references that inspire you, worldbuilding that follows your curiosity.

Questlandia uses dice and cards to help you create a society, as well as your character’s role in that society. I think this is a good example of a game where every person is a character, but every player is also a GM. You’ll roll against each-other to determine whether or not your society will be able to overcome their troubles. Overall, I think Questlandia is great for telling a story that spans a number of factions or nations.

Pantheon, by harpoon_gun.

4-6 GMs, who are distant Gods with their own desires and needs, and up to 3 players, champions of the Gods who are being forced to do their chores. Take turns toying with the champions, screwing over the other Gods, and building relationships of both the positive and negative variety. 

All I know about this game is what I can divine from the description, but I would hazard a guess that much of this gameplay is going to feel a little bit like PvP. The gods that your GMs are embodying will have conflicting goals and desires, so expect to run into a lot of backbiting and backstabbing. The game itself was designed for the Bad TTRPGS Jam, which encouraged designers to fuck around with rules and see where it got them. So no guarantees for a balanced game here - but maybe an interesting experiment!

Fool’s Errand, by Myles Wirth.

You are a group of questants, pledged to a seemingly-impossible task. You must set out alone into the world, each following your own path by which the quest might be fulfilled. They will be long and difficult journeys, with no guarantee of success.

Inspired by legends and travelogues, Fool's Errand is a single-page tabletop game about perseverance in the face of uncertainty and the joy of worldbuilding together. It is prepless, gm-less, setting-agnostic, and can be played on its own or as a setup or interlude for another game. Rather than flattening Player-GM distinctions entirely, it inverts the traditional balance of a ttrpg table; players take turns as "seekers", individual characters traversing the world in search of an impossible goal, while the rest of the table forms the "Chorus", building and refining the world around the seeker as they explore it.

Fools’ Errand asks you to make some travellers and give them a quest that they cannot achieve. The game occurs over a series of turns; on your turn you’ll control your Seeker and declare what you want to do. The rest of the table becomes the Chorus, and build the Location that Seeker is in. The Seeker may then attempt to convince the Chorus that the way in which they will attempt to solve the problem is something they would be good at; and then rolls 3d6. Your result may grant you a Boon or a Burden, which may draw you closer to or pull you farther from your character’s goal. Your characters also have a Resolve pool, which will diminish over the course of play.

I think success is still technically possible in this game, but it’s highly unlikely. What is more likely is that characters will slowly give up on their quest, and join the Chorus in telling the story of who remains.

Bleak Spirit, by potatocubed.

Bleak Spirit is a storytelling game where you and your friends create a brooding, cryptic tale about a stranger in a strange land. Everything is falling apart, crumbling, corrupted, and the wanderer carries the potential for a return to past glories – or the power to sweep away all that remains.

Everyone contributes to the tale, sharing the sense of mystery that comes from no-one knowing the entire truth of what's going on. Everyone takes turns being the world for a scene, introducing lore which hints at the history of the setting. After every scene everyone leaps to conclusions based on the lore which has been revealed – and these conclusions affect the sorts of lore they will introduce when it's their turn to be the world.

Bleak Spirit is meant to replicate the narrative beats of Dark Souls, Hollow Knight, and Bloodborne. It gives everyone at the table a chance to play the Wanderer, a chance to play the World - and a chance to sit as part of the Chorus. The game is very structured, which I think helps the table keep on track, since everyone is going to have a chance to contribute to the story. The Wanderer dictates the character’s actions, but never their internal thought or feelings. The World creates Areas and Locations that the Wanderer will visit. The Chorus will introduce themes, descriptions, and motifs that are meant to make the world full of grandeur, mystique and decay.

This is a game that you might be interested if you like melancholic tones, large gaps in historical knowledge, and collaborative world building. The creator has also created a Cat version of this game, called Cat Spirit!

Two Weeks One Summer, by Rick Cockram.

In Two Weeks One Summer the players take the role of a family visiting a rambling old house in the woods during a summer holiday. The game focusses on the activities of the children of the family as they explore the house, it's grounds and the surrounding woodland. It is a game about finding things to do, creating your own excitement and exploring an unfamiliar environment.

This game divides the participants into two roles: the Children and the Grown-Ups. Over the course of the game, each of these roles will contribute different things to the description of the house, and the events that happen as you stay here. I think this works well for a slice-of life game, but it also might be an interesting source of inspiration for telling stories that are more dramatic or fantastical.

I'd Also Recommend Checking Out...

Co-Optional Games Rec Post

Unique Player Responsibilities / Rotating GMs

Asymmetrical Games Rec Post

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers West Coast #67: "CONVERGING TRAJECTORIES"

February, 1991

By Avengers BETRAYED!

Okay, so Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Tigra have been turned into robots. Tigra still having normal hair is weirding me out. Because she's covered by fur and that turned into metal. Quicksilver's ridiculous hair is covered by the logo so I can't tell if its metal or not. But I just want some consistency.

Anyway. We continue the Reaper and the Robot arc. Which seems to be about Grim Reaper, now a life force guzzling zombie, and Ultron, a robot.

Last times, Wonder Man learned his brother was alive again and killing people to stay alive. He's got a bee in his bonnet about it, believing that every person the Reaper kills is his responsibility for not stopping him. When the Avengers had different priorities, he stormed off to look for Grim Reaper alone.

Meanwhile, the Avengers are investigating robot farmers and helicopters secretly spraying stuff at night that seems to be giving people a case of skin turning into metal.

Hawkeye got the idea to check an abandoned subway tunnel and went off without telling anyone. Quicksilver and Tigra tailed him (without telling anyone where they were going) and then they discovered and got captured by Ultron.

Who is going to spray them with spray that turns them into robots.

Archie Robotnik, eat your heart out.

Ultron has a lot to say about life and such. But his plan to turn mankind into robots is well on its way, with his robot farmers putting the roboticizing compound on wheat and his helicopter spraying it over residential areas at night.

Currently, he only has a few hundred people fully converted into robot puppets. But every day, that number multiplies.

Ultron has some of his robot puppets stage a street brawl to lure Iron Man into a fight, just to see how well they hold up in a fight with a superhero.

I love Tony thinking "they haven't managed to do me any real damage" a second before getting hit with an entire street light.

Anyway, once Tony starts actually trying, he knocks out the three roboticzied humans in fairly short order. And then he's at a loss of what to do with them since they're the victims here.

Ultron is pretty satisfied with how the fight went, even though his dudes lost. Because his mental control over his robot puppets, his andrones, is so complete, he experienced the fight as if he was there in person.

Meanwhile, Grim Reaper has been spying on Ultron's monologuing and was startled to hear that Ultron was going to turn humanity into robots, leaving him no one to feed on.

He's been sneaking up behind Ultron this whole time but Ultron knew he was there.

Ultron lunges at Grim Reaper, who lashes out defensively and manages to cut the adamantium of Ultron's arm.

Ultron finds that a bit fascinating. I'm guessing it's because magic. The scythe is magic now and sidesteps durability.

Having his arm cut doesn't really hinder Ultron because he has auto-repair. A healing factor if you will. Adamantium plus healing factor. Hmm...

He's a better Wolverine than Wolverine. And what he does isn't pretty.

Ultron realizes that Grim Reaper is dead now and decides that he may as well test out some theories he has about the Reaper and his scythe having developed a symbiotic relationship.

Using his laser eyes, which he has, why wouldn't he?, he fuses the scythe to Grim Reaper's arm so it can't be removed. Which the Grim Reaper actually likes.

Ultron: "You who are dead yet 'live' -- and I who am the ultimate synthetic embodiment of life -- we shall make quite a team, Reaper!" Grim Reaper: "Yes, Ultron. Quite a team."

Ah, I see. I said Ultron wouldn't like turning the world into robot puppets because he wants someone to monologue to. If Grim Reaper is joining him, then he'll always have someone around to talk at.

Grim Reaper explains that he needs to murder someone every 24 hours to keep 'alive' and Ultron says he would offer him one of the three Avengers but their transformation into robots is too far along.

Later and elsewhere, Dr Pym and Wanda have come to UCLA to borrow their new super-computer. Dr Falk, who I guess is in charge of it, isn't keen on letting superheroes get involved in an academic institution and doesn't even care how important the reason is. But someone over her head has authorized it so she just tells Hank he has five hours.

What Hank wants to do is to study the scrap of the robot farmers he and Janet encountered and the metal flakes that stuck to US Agent's gloves when he confronted that protester with the metal rash, and see if he can establish a connection.

You know, the usual superhero thing. I wonder why he needed the UCLA super-computer. Don't the Avengers have top-of-the-line lab equipment?

Anyway, Hank starts doing some science and Wanda starts feeling like a third wheel. Without her powers, there's not a lot she can offer the team and wonders whether she should even stay on the team.

But while she's musing on that for an hour, Hank makes a breakthrough! He's fairly certain he can cure the metallic rash, if the case isn't too advanced! With light, of all things!

Then the three roboticized Avengers burst in through the skylight and backhand Hank unconscious.

Wanda realizes that they're not in their right minds and yells at Quicksilver not to let someone turn him into a murder.

And then Dr Falk comes in yelling about the racket so robo-Quicksilver throws Wanda into Dr Falk, knocking both women out. The three roboticized Avengers then start trashing the lab.

This is why Dr Falk didn't want to let superheroes use the equipment!

But Iron Man, US Agent, and Wasp rush in for the rescue!

Iron Man called the other two and had them assemble on Hank's location after taking those random andrones to the hospital and having them checked out.

He warns the other Avengers not to let themselves be hit. With the andrones having a lot of their meat replaced with metal, getting hit by them is like getting run over by a tank.

Wasp wants to hear ideas for how to stop the androne Avengers without hurting them and Iron Man isn't sure they can be stopped.

And I see where he's coming from. The three formerly normal andrones he fought weren't really a match for him but they were tough. And if you combine superpowers with that... That's just scary.

But also, Iron Man doesn't want to hurt his friends. Especially since they're under someone else's influence.

Meanwhile, US Agent is okay with fighting an androne Hawkeye. He would have preferred to punch the flesh and blood version. Because US Agent has a chip on his shoulder the exact size and shape of the Grand Canyon.

And also he punches a metal man in the face and goes ow my bones.

Wonder Man shows up to help. And hopefully is ready to accept that this whole robot farmers thing was something that needed looking into.

Simon flies past, snagging Tigra off Iron Man's back by the hair and then flies her into Hawkeye.

Meanwhile, Iron Man tests out his new magnet function.

He just lifts Quicksilver off the ground so he can't go anywhere.

Kind of the logical weakness to a guy whose whole thing is running really fast.

I give it props for a fun device for Tony just to have already equipped in his armor.

Hank recovers from being backhanded and yells at Iron Man that light is probably the answer. So Iron Man configures his chest uni-beam to blast out different kinds of light radiation until he hits the right one.

Infrared light knocks the andrones the fuck out! It doesn't cure them but Hank thinks maybe the right frequency of infrared might do it.

He's kinda just guessing, though. He didn't even know infrared was the key until five seconds ago.

I assume that the uni-beam shoots out concentrated infrared but it's still a secret weakness for Ultron's big plan to turn humanity into robots. Isn't infrared everywhere?

Wanda asks Simon whether he's still looking for his brother. And Wonder Man says he is. But if his brother is looking for whoever is turning people into robots, then Simon can work the same case and probably run into Eric.

Dr Falk comes out to yell at the Avengers some more and the funniest thing is, they don't even react to her.

Just completely do not respond to her.

Because, it's not a productive line of accusation to humor, honestly.

Iron Man starts trying different frequencies of infrared to try to cure Tigra, Quicksilver, and Hawkeye. But he despairs that there are an infinite number of frequencies and it could take years to get the right one by random guessing.

And by trying over and over again, Iron Man is straining the uni-beam. If it burns out, it could take days to get equivalent equipment.

But talking about the odds makes Wanda wish that her powers could come back, even if for just a second. Just long enough to alter the probabilities of finding the right frequency to yes.

Wanda waves her hands around and scrunches her face in CONCENTRATION and maybe it works!

There could have been ambiguity if Dr Pym hadn't yelled 'ah ha, the Scarlet Witch must have altered probability to make it more likely that we'd succeed.'

Ffs Hank, you don't always have to be right about everything.

So, I guess Wanda's powers are back? Everyone is acting like that's the case.

Although, the infrared-ing was only mostly successful. Hawkeye is left with a metal hand. And he even grouses that he wishes that they left him a brainless robot puppet so he wouldn't have to be a freak with a metal hand.

Punch him in the future, Winter Bucky.

The three dingbats, Tigra, Hawkeye, and Quicksilver don't remember running into Ultron, finding his lair, all of that.

Hank wants to use the UCLA computer to figure out which infrared frequency worked to cure the metal-izing.

Does... Does Iron Man's armor not track that information? That's an odd choice.

Dr Falk yells that the Avengers can't use the super-computer again but Iron Man goes nuh uh, we have special Avengers priority so yes we can.

This again makes me think that the East Coast Avengers had their charter revoked but the West Coast Avengers didn't. What an odd decision.

Anyway, Dr Pym can't shake a worry that whoever (Ultron) is behind the metal rash will strike before they're ready and will change a large number of people into robot slaves.

BECAUSE HANK ALWAYS HAS TO BE RIGHT ABOUT THINGS. He is exactly right.

Ultron is planning to hit the Rose Parade.

And Grim Reaper is planning to start a human farm, so he'll always have a private stock and a breeding population.

What a story this is.

Next time, switching back over to the Avengers for their dealings with the Tetrarchs of Entropy and to see if the reserve squad does anything.

Next next time, more the Reaper and the Robot.

Follow @essential-avengers for more of this exact kind of thing. Like and reblog to show appreciation. Comment maybe? Follow your heart.

[willyhoos]

you know for someone who loves metamy so much. i gotta say having it be fully unrequited is honestly fitting with metal's whole arc (or rather his LACK of arc)

he wants what he can't have. he's not anything or anyone, he doesn't deserve it. what would he even do with it?

"i don't think i have anything. i don't think i can have anything. i don't know how to have something." (src: 17776)

whether or not you subscribe to the roboticized metal theory, it doesn't change that metal's goals are not aligned with reality. ironically it's the robot that is unable to logically analyze his situation. he wants to be sonic but it doesn't change the fact that he isn't. he wants to win but it doesn't change the fact that he won't. his desires are narratively and morally unfulfillable because what he wants is wrong (factually and ethically.)

and so if he, in theory, wanted amy rose how could he ever actually have her?

the most she would give him is "you're more like him than i thought."

because he's Not sonic. all he can be is sufficiently Like him (sometimes). whatever metal claims he is (and honestly whatever he ACTUALLY is) is irrelevant because he can't MAKE himself sonic. he can't make himself the version of sonic that amy loves. amy loves sonic for WHAT he is (good) not what he's named. the most she could ever do is passively appreciate the traits of sonic that metal is able to imitate. emulate. simulate. fabricate.

sonic's role (in the meta story and in-universe) is so unique and treasured and irreplaceable. the only way to kick him out would be to, idk, replace him with an identical copy and put the old sonic in a lose-lose situation where he could not possibly be believed or sympathized with. or something.

say he gets "rehabilitated," rebels against eggman... you know those metamy fics. what is he then?

-> another job well done. another good deed for team sonic (y'know, the real one).

because it's not just that he's Not Sonic. (and he isn't. even if you believe he once was, he's not anymore in any way that is relevant to the narrative. the narrative, as you know, is the real sonic's pov.) it's that he's not even really a person anymore.

he's been forcibly depersonalized, dethroned, removed from his role (+ promptly replaced with something canonically better!) and isolated from any semblance of humanization. he doesn't even have a mouth. either it was taken from him or he was never given one. and we are not given any glimpse into his thoughts. (they're not important.)

like. this is a dead end. he is a dead end. there's nowhere to run.

he won't "get the girl" (pardon the term) not because he's evil not because he's not sonic but because he is not a "person" in any sense. not literally not socially not narratively not practically not really

idk. whether metal falls in love with amy genuinely, or if it's just out of jealousy/desire to want what the real sonic has/instinct to emulate the real sonic's emotions... it's doomed. he's just a ghost from a doomed timeline and everything he will ever do is destined to fail. he can't kill sonic. he can't hold amy's hand. he can't do anything but lose.

in that sense, metal "losing" amy to the real sonic (as if metal was ever even a contender, as if he was ever real enough) is just another failure in a long, long string of mostly unpleasant memories of a character who doesn't even get to go by his real name. because someone more important took it already has it.

[eggs-attorney]

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Reiker: (Well, the battered pieces on the legs definitely aren't normal. Come to think of it, they kind of match with the ones in the other photo...)

Reiker: (Given the background of the photo Flash took, it's likely that this was at the maintenance appointment, but why wouldn't she fix his legs? That's gotta be part of the job description... That, and Yanshu doesn't seem like the type to be friends with a spy. Let me see if there's anything-)

Reiker: (... Wait, on the autopsy photo! That mark…)

Reiker: I'VE GOT IT!!

Rythen: Tch… Usually the turn of phrase is "objection", my dear boy.

Reiker: I'm not going to object to my own client's statement, but I am going to amend it using evidence!

Rythen: This really is an "anything goes" trial, isn't it…?

Reiker: Just… Listen, I was able to find another one of those marks on Flash's body.

Eggman: Oh? So you're saying even more of this Robian's parts were counterfeit!? Wonderful! NOT GUILTY!

Reiker: (If he didn't look so fierce, I'd joke about taking him up on that…)

Reiker: If you look here, you can see that mark, and If you look at it a little closer… I think I can tell exactly where those parts came from, and it definitely wasn't a spy.

Eggman: Just spit it out, Strait.

Reiker: Yanshu made Flash. That's why she made sure she was the one doing his maintenance, that's why she let him leave without replacing the counterfeit parts, and most importantly, THAT'S WHY SHE COULDN'T HAVE KILLED FLASH!

Yanshu: AHH!!

Eggman: Yanshu, is this true!?

Yanshu: P-p-please don't have me roboticized, s-sir! I promise I'm not a spy!!

Yanshu: It'sJustThatIMadeHisAIAndIHadHimInMyComputerAndMyWatchAndHeGrewAndIWasLonelyAndIGotAttachedAndWantedSomeoneToHugAndHeSaidHeWouldIfHeCouldAndItWasSoSweetAndIThoughtAboutItAndGotIdeasAndGotCarriedAwayAndI-!

Yanshu: [Sniff] I… I figured n-no one would miss a few recycled p-parts… It made him so happy... P-please, I'm so sorry!

Eggman: … Why on Earth do you think I'd have you roboticized?

Yanshu: B-… Because I used your parts…? I-I took them out of the disposal bin and modified them myself and I-… [Hic] My manager told me that stealing parts is one of the worst things I could do!

Eggman: I certified each and every one of my organic staff personally. As much as I prefer robots, you and your cohorts getting creative making working parts out of whatever scrap I leave behind means I don't have to. Do you have any idea how time consuming it is recycling all this junk?

Yanshu: Y-you... But he-! Ooogh...

Reiker: Mr. Payne, given this enlightening information, I hope we can agree to a not guilty verdict here?

Rythen: Ha! As if! You really don't see this for the petty farce it is? Do you forget I have an eyewitness to the crime!?

Reiker: Ah yes… That would be Yanshu's manager, right?

Rythen: Indeed. In fact, I'd like to call Mr. Axel Bolton to the stand to testify on what he saw that day!

Reiker: Good. I have a few questions for him myself…

Rythen: Can the witness state their name and occupation?

Axel: Axel Bolton, Head Robo-Tech for the Main Division.

Reiker: Are you… Supposed to have that in here?

Axel: Sorry, tinkering helps my thinkering. Killing two birds with one stone.

Reiker: (Tinkering helps his-... Is he a child?)

Eggman: That's the trademark efficiency I hired you for! Now then, can you testify to the actions you saw Ms. Yanshu take that day?

Axel: Happy to!

Testimony 4: Maintenance Supervision

1:) So I had just gotten back from lunch. Yanshu was the only one working, so I decided to go check on her.

2:) I went over and immediately noticed the weird personality core in the E-5000 she had.

3:) The screws weren't ours, and she was panicking. I told her to look for some other tools while I took a crack at it.

4:) She couldn't find any, and my next appointment came along, so I told her to keep at it and left.

5:) When our shift ended, I found the maintenance sheet on my desk with no note! Or parts!

6:) As per protocol, I dropped everything and chased after the 'bot, but when I arrived… It was too late.

Reiker: (We shouldn't still be talking about this, but I feel like he's already slipped up with his wording here… I should take advantage of it and point out the error!)

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