#both brothers can sense emotions (but like. in a Robot Biological way that a lot of Ectos can)

[spotaus]

Fun fact: Dream and Nightmare in my Ec-4o.verse setting are a package deal! They're both robots (Ectos) but their designs directly compliment eachother. Dream is (practically) an infinite power source for magical/electrical energy. Nightmare is a walking EMP that short-circuits all tech around him.

Their settings can be changed to be more or less intense, but Nightmare must be within a 2 mile radius of Dream or else he'll shut down, and Dream will start to overheat if he's too far from Night for too long.

There's a bit of animosity between them (largely due to Pre-war factors) but by the time they enter the story they're back on speaking terms.

[wheres-sam]

I binge-watched the spn anime because of the brain rot

It’s bad except for the parts that are good, and it’s pretty to look at. Here’s a comprehensive list of pros and cons. Spoilers ahead!

Pros:

- more psychic kid backstories: Max (Nightmare), Lily (Darkness Calling), Jake (Loser)

- more psychic Sam

- more Azazel

- basically if you want more about the psychic/demon kids, watch the anime

- more young Winchesters

- the monsters, the superhuman abilities, the fight scenes, it all looks really cool animated. (But PSA it’s violent. It doesn’t shy away from blood and gore.)

- Sam and Jessica backstory

- more of the brothers being cute and funny together

- Missouri isn’t forgotten

- includes some Japanese legends/mythology

- the impala looks great in every scene. They did Baby good

- the “Supernatural” intro title

- the outro sketches of the boys hanging out with Baby

- Episodes adapted from the original show are different, but I like some of the changes? It’d be boring if it was an exact retelling and the visual medium wasn’t utilized. (I know I said spoilers before, but this is when they get detailed. If you wanna skip over, I’ll tell you where they STOP.)

Nightmare goes more into the abuse Max has suffered. Instead of locking Sam in a closet, Max sends Sam through the floor and covers the hole by breaking his bed in half, and it’s extremely sexy how Sam shoves the 2 halves apart with his mind. Later on Dean puts bandaids on Sam and they talk about demons loudly in front of a fast food intercom.

In My Time of Dying highlights the guilt Sam feels over Dean. In both the og and the anime John verbally blames Sam for not shooting Azazel, but where in the og Sam goes right on arguing, in the anime he reels back for a moment like he was slapped. Dean’s spirit touches Sam’s shoulder, and Sam knows immediately that it’s Dean. He doesn’t even question it. Instead of “Are you here?” it’s “I know you’re with me. I can feel it.” And I love that. Dean figures out right away he’s dealing with a reaper, and the reaper takes on the appearance of Mary to convince Dean to move on to the afterlife. Instead of a Ouija board, Sam uses a laptop to talk to Dean, and the first word Dean types is “Sammy!” Dean is so fond of his little brother and Sam is so baby.

Rising Son is an anime only episode, but it draws inspiration from John’s journal. Dean has a proper breakdown over his dad’s death and the possibility of having to kill Sam. Ms. Lyle, Sam’s favorite teacher who turns out to be possessed, is explored. John takes Dean hunting, and in the journal Dean hesitates to shoot a buck, and little Sam shoots it thinking it was endangering Dean. In the anime, Dean’s cornered by a moose and Sam makes it explode with his mind and it’s so !!! How little Sam’s first words are, “I’m glad you’re okay. It didn’t hurt you?” The boys are covered in blood and guts and Dean’s like 👁👄👁 “Why are you here? Did you do this?” And then Sam starts freaking out a little, the shock sets in. “I don’t know. I don’t know, honest.” And he’s staring at his hands, and I am a big fan of Sam showing superhuman signs as a kid. Like in the journal, Ms. Lyle tries to take Sam. She gives Sam the illusion of a choice to come with her or stay with Dean, and Sam chooses Dean. This ep is pretty much when John figures out Sam has demon blood. He kills another hunter that wants to kill Sam.

Crossroad is based on Crossroad Blues, and I love how the crossroads demon shows up. It’s hard to describe, but it’s so neat, like she’s walking underneath Dean in this mirror world, and then the mirror world takes over the regular world, so you really get this sense of otherworldly seclusion, existing outside of time.

What Is and Should Never Be shows Dean is a firefighter in his ‘Mary never died’ world, and Sam got to play soccer growing up like he wanted. The brothers hold each other after Dean is saved from the Djinn.

AHBL part 1. When Azazel shows Sam that he fed Sam his blood, Sam gags and slaps a hand over his mouth, and I like that reaction more than the live action. The psychic kids get to go more anime with their powers, and that’s a lot of fun. They don’t need weapons. Ava slams Sam into the brick side of a building and cuts him without touching him. Jake snaps Ava’s neck with one hand and then catches Sam in his arms. When Jake attacks Sam, there’s no gun or knife. He’s relying on his super strength, his fists. Sam throws his arms up to protect himself, and (accidentally?) pushes Jake back with his mind, and the collision creates a crater in the ground. Jake puts his fist through Sam’s chest to kill him. It’s brutal and it’s rad as fuck. These kids are terrifyingly powerful.

The Sam and Dean reunion before Sam is killed is not as emotional as the live action imo, but what the anime does intrigues me. Hurts in a different way. Because Sam is stunned after he uses telekinesis again, on Jake, and when he hears Dean behind him Sam freezes. He doesn’t look relieved to see Dean, but wary and weary. It’s Dean taking steps towards him, not the other way around, and it has to be because Sam doesn’t know if Dean saw him push Jake back. Sam doesn’t know how Dean’s going to respond to all this, to him, having powers that come from a demon, the demon, Azazel. Sam hasn’t had a chance to process anything. He’s scared. He’s tired. And the way the anime focuses on Sam’s eyes here. Gah. “Dean. Dean, I’m...” I’m sorry. I’m all right. I’m glad you’re okay. I’m a monster. There’s also this one shot between Sam and Azazel that sends me because of how anime it is.

AHBL part 2. I love how Sam brought back to life is animated, with all the color returning to his face and a light wind rustling his hair and his lips parting to indicate his soul returning to his body. Jake attacks Dean, and, a lot like how Sam activates telekinesis to save Dean from Max in Nightmare, Sam gets a burst of superhuman strength. He rips Jake’s arm off and tackles him to the ground and beats him to death, punches holes into his body, and it’s so savage and bloody and scary, and I love it. The Devil’s Gate opening looks so cool animated. Same goes for Dean shooting Azazel with the Colt.

Not to turn this into a meta post, but I also noticed how the last couple times Sam uses his powers they’re colored green-yellow, the same colors as Mary’s ghost when she reveals herself in the anime’s Home, and I don’t know if that’s intentional, but it’s neat how it draws a connection to Sam’s biological family instead of Azazel’s blood.

The Spirit of Vegas is like Bad Day at Black Rock, but Dean has all the bad luck instead, and it shows off the silly cartoony physics that make animation fun. The boys sleep outside and split a chunk of bread for dinner. Also this lil bit of Dean’s hair tied in a bow.

- (STOP) the brothers are pretty. I am not immune to animated Sam and Dean Winchester.

Cons:

- Jensen doesn’t voice Dean until the last 2 episodes

- The English dialogue is really bad sometimes. I wish I could’ve watched the sub, but I couldn’t figure out how to change the language

- Some character designs are really different from the live action, and maybe that’s petty, but if you’re gonna change the characters diversify them? Don’t just make them unrecognizable white people

- Missouri’s design as a stereotypical witch doctor is racist

- Gordon is replaced by some British guy named Jason?? Why

- There’s an LGBT character who is not accepted by her family and, while that bigotry is always shown to be negative and she dies the hero of the episode, she still dies ://

- In the English dub Lily’s gf is made into her roommate instead. Idk about the sub

- Bobby’s pretty much a totally different character

- Sam and Dean are OOC sometimes

- Dean’s hair usually looks darker than Sam’s and it drives me crazy

- The storytelling is, overall, not nearly as good as the live action

- The non-Japanese lore in some episodes makes no sense. Sometimes it’s just plain ridiculous?? Like there’s a giant robot made of cars and scrap metal controlled by a demon? ? I wish I was making this up

- Meg’s role is severely reduced

- No Harvelles or Roadhouse

- Shadows are overused, but maybe that’s because the og show is so dark?

- I don’t mind the art style. I like the aesthetic, but I wish it was a little more expressive. It doesn’t do Sam’s puppy eyes justice.

- AZAZEL’S SHADOW?? PROPORTIONS?? PEA SIZED HEAD

- Idk why they mashed season 1 and 2 together? The story feels rushed

- there’s not as much chemistry between Sam and Dean, but that’s a given without J2 on screen

- Nobody tells you!! That there’s scenes after the credits!! And some of them are important! Why are important scenes after the credits??

The anime would not be good on its own, without the heart and depth the live action brings, but it works as supplementary material you can cherry pick from. I would watch more if there were more episodes.

It hasn’t turned me off from wanting an spn anime. I’d like to see it continued or redone, with updated animation and better scripts. There’s a lot of potential in exploring more about the psychic kids and Sam’s powers, storylines that were cut short in the og show. Animation is a great medium for showing off the supernatural, getting creative and creepier with the designs, dramatic with the fight scenes, without having to worry about bad CGI. I don’t want a live action reboot, but I think a redone animated series could be a lot of fun! (As long as it’s not an excuse to make any romantic ships take over. SPN is a platonic love story, and I like it that way.)

If you made it to the end here and are interested in watching the spn anime, you can watch it for free on the CW Seed app! You can probably stream it elsewhere, but idk where!

[ollierachnid]

Agent 47 being autistic coded; a post ( that ive tried to write about seven times ). And yes I am autistic, so this comes from a desire for representation and my own experiences and isn't just a NT extrapolating a headcanon based upon a list of vague traits found online. I'm a fan of lists so I'm gonna use one to explain my reasoning and why people who claim it's Bad Representation or that it can't be canon are wrong.

Generally huge chunks of 47's development and arc as a character revolve heavily about the deconstruction of Ort-Meyers hypothesis that he created a human being that did not feel emotions or form connections or have autonomy. Because he didn't, as Ort-Meyer based his presumptions on; a) his own biased perspective, research and his clones' upbringing, b) an extrapolation from 47's -- largely autistic coded -- traits, which he misinterpreted as a luck of humanity. I doubt it was intentional, but this is a surprisingly apt tackling of the perception of autistic people as the "heartless genius with completely no feelings" type. As while 47 has traits that make him seem this way, his personal growth displays that he is far from that.

47 having so many autistic traits, a comprehensive list of one's I came up with off the top of my head:

Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on own; this is a very obvious trait in 47's character. He has very few friends and actively avoids other people, particularly those who seem to irritate him despite their friendliness ( Smith being a key example or this ).

Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others; Smith and 47's handshake scene. It could very well just be an inability to read " obvious social rules " as Smith does little aside hold his hand out to indicate the action he wants, 47 simply may have not read well and walked off ( hey man, it happens ).

Finding it hard to express emotions; 47 doesn't express emotions verbally very well. He experiences numerous, has flashbacks due to his childhood trauma and more, but even when confronted by someone close to him who is asking about his emotions in concern he does not actually rely how is feeling, and instead describes what he is experiencing ( in his usual fashion ) instead. "Are you alright?" "-It comes back in flashes" and then a very basic list of names for feelings. It is often easier for autistic people, myself very much included, to explain emotion via the narrative events resulting in them instead of the feelings in of themselves or just using one word descriptors to get by. 47's couples with his dissociation from his childhood emotions, due to forced repression.

Stronger attachment to animals; all you have to look at is 47's desire to have pets when possible and how he engages with them in comparison to his attitude with other people. As a child, despite his trauma, he manages to establish an attachment to a lab rabbit ( multiple rabbits in the comics ) and maintain these affectionate connections until they die.

Monotonous speech and lack of inflection; 47 can convey emotions when actively putting on a character or attitude on missions, but so can quite a lot of autistic people. It's often called "masking" and it's a phenomenon where an autistic person consciouslly acts "more neurotypically" to fit in. And it is evident by 47's awkwardly, forced sarcastic humour that this is not his natural dictation. When speaking amongst allies, 47's delivery is equally as monotonous as to enemies, his natural manner of speech is "bland".

Getting very upset or uncomfortable if someone touches or gets too close; 47 seems willing to let a couple of people max touch him -- that being Diana and Victoria, plus Lucas to a slightly lesser extent, all of these people are those who he knows and is comfortable with. Whilst on the other hand the likes of Lei/Mei Ling, who after kissing/hugging 47 abruptly has him immediately reel back, despite his sympathy for her. He does not like touch from people, even those who he has a substantial amount of positive emotions for. This also includes Smith, who 47 reluctantly rescues, but develops into actively saving him even when unnecessary; he is not keen on contact even as mild as handshake.

Preferably to plan things carefully before doing them; the overachievers short story essentially establishes that, canonically, 47's modus operandi is extravagant, expertly pre planned hits. He seems to ( according to Soders and Diana ) favour these, especially in comparison to other agents, to which it does not come naturally. (NT trying to understand a ND's thinking)

Having a lack off or little empathy; I want to preface that a lack of empathy is not a lack of sympathy or an inability to feel compassion, empathy is an entirely different sensation that some autistic people don't have, 47 is one of them. A key example of this is 47's lack of empathy for other clones with similar experiences: specifically agent 17 ( his biological brother ) and Mark Parchezzi, both of who he murders. While both of these men were bred by malevolent groups and raised to kill; Mark in a more extreme sense than even 47. He seems to be unable to conjure up empathy for people who he does not have an established connection or a need to keep them alive long enough to form the sympathetic connections that he is capable of. This is true to quite a lot of people with autism, it is hard to empathise to someone you don't know, regardless of how intertwined your situations are.

Debunking one of the reasons why 47 would "not make good autistic rep"

"47 doesn't have emotions, which creates a bad stereotype". This isn't even a problem with the reasoning, if 47 was an emotionless being I'd actually agree with you. But instead this criticism is more so a fundamental misunderstanding of 47 as a character, because he is not emotionless by any extent of the definition, he lacks empathy but that doesn't reduce his ability to have sympathy or show compassion, nor does it really reduce any other emotion that he posses. 47 gets visibly angry ( blood money after diana injects him, absolution at travis, damnation.. throughout just that whole book ), he shows compassion towards people that he doesn't have to regularly ( victoria, emilio, smith ) and that extends to animals too. If 47's character was more reminiscent of this "human robot" trope - say, he bore more resemblance to one of his brothers: 17, then I would understand. But he doesn't. He's just a monotonous autistic coded man.

[waiting-for-ciena-ree]

Why does it matter if Kreia is Arren Kae?

Solving the mystery of Kreia’s backstory was the most fun I had playing KOTOR 2. I think that her past as Arren Kae is brilliantly woven in the game’s subtext. I don’t view it as an inconsequential theory; to me, it is fundamental to understanding both Kreia’s character and the game itself. As I played through the game twice, I loved talking to my crewmates, because they each helped me understand the nature of Arren Kae and Revan’s relationship. However, in my experience in the KOTOR fandom, I’ve noticed how everyone interprets Kreia differently. And I was disheartened to see that a lot of people don’t like the idea of Kreia being Arren Kae. Other fans simply think it doesn’t matter if she is or not. So I decided to articulate myself why I love this theory so much!   It boils down to this: it matters that Kreia is Arren Kae because Revan tried to kill Arren Kae on Malachor V. That betrayal transformed Arren Kae into Darth Traya, and it informs Kreia’s present relationship with the Exile. Arren Kae was one of the Jedi Knights that Revan sent to fight on the ground when the Exile unleashed the Mass Shadow Generator, destroying almost all life on the planet. In spite of this betrayal, Kreia still cares for Revan. She constantly makes leaps in logic to justify Revan’s actions, calling their descent to the dark side a “sacrifice” instead of a “fall.” If we want to understand why Kreia betrays the Exile, we must first understand why she would justify Revan’s betrayal of Arren Kae. For Kreia, the lesson she internalized at Malachor V was the paradoxical idea that you must be willing to kill the people you love in order to save them. This is why Arren Kae “died” and Darth Traya was “born.” “I kill them because I love them” is a recurring motif in the game, expressed by Atton, Hanharr, Sion, and even Atris. It’s only natural that this theme resonates with the game’s most important character, Kreia; and with the game’s most important relationship (the mother-child relationship between Kreia and the player); and with the game’s most important setting, Malachor V. For all these reasons, Kreia’s secret past as Arren Kae is essential for my understanding of the game.

I see two primary reasons for why fans either dislike the theory, or else they enjoy it but don’t take it seriously:

Fans often consider “Kreia = Arren Kae” to be an unfinished idea that didn’t make it through the game’s development, since much of Kotor 2 is already woefully unfinished.

Fans may think that the most important fact about Arren Kae is that she is the Handmaiden’s mother. Since Brianna only joins your party if you play as a masculine Exile, and since Kreia’s relationship with the Exile is more important than her relationship with Brianna, you could argue from this perspective that it doesn’t matter if Kreia is Arren Kae. After all, Brianna and Kreia barely interact.

Neither of these reasons work for me. First of all, while the writing for Kreia’s past is subtle and mysterious, I believe her past is important enough that all of the necessary clues are there, even in an unfinished game. I also prefer the writing if it is implicit rather than explicit.

Secondly, I think it is deliberate that Kreia’s relationship with Brianna is less developed than her relationships with Revan and the Exile. According to the Disciple Mical, Arren Kae was Revan’s Jedi Master. Since Arren Kae was forced to give up her biological daughter Brianna, the only child she was allowed to love and raise within the Jedi Order was her Padawan Revan. Therefore, it only makes sense that Revan would have a bigger impact on Arren Kae’s life than either Brianna or Yusanis.

It also gives an extra layer to how painful it would be for Arren Kae to be betrayed by her “chosen” child, Revan, since Arren Kae had already sacrificed a potentially happy life with Brianna in order to remain a Jedi.

I also think that a lot of fans miss the plot point that Revan tried to kill Arren Kae, since it isn’t stated directly. Additionally, the idea that your beloved OC Revan would want to kill someone as nice-sounding as Brianna’s mother is distressing. I’ve seen how some fans dislike how KOTOR 2 adds further backstory for “their” Revan, since it is beyond the player’s choice. But personally I love that Obsidian did that, because I think it’s smart writing. After all, the entire point of the “Darth Revan reveal” in the first game is that you are supposed to be appalled at your player-character’s secret uncontrollable past. So, adding on that Revan tried to kill their own mother-figure? That works for me.

While other people have focused on showing the clues for how Kreia is Arren Kae, I’m just going to focus on why Kreia is Arren Kae. So let’s simply look at the three clues that tell us that Revan tried to kill Arren Kae:

By talking to Mical, you learn that Arren Kae was Revan’s Master.

By talking to Brianna, you learn that Arren Kae “died in the battle that shattered Malachor V, and her body was never recovered.“

And by talking to Revan’s droid, HK-47, you learn that Revan’s "true target” at Malachor V were the Jedi. Not the Mandalorians. The Jedi.

I believe that HK-47’s speech is one of the most important revelations in the game. He is the party member who was closest to Darth Revan during the Jedi Civil War. As an assassin droid, he gives a cold, calculating “observation” that “Revan was ‘cleaning house’ at Malachor V.” He notes that “if you examined the records of the deaths on Malachor, […] you cannot escape that many of the Jedi and Republic soldiers who died were not Revan’s strongest supporters.”

Significantly, the game distinguishes between Revan and the Exile’s motivations at Malachor V. No matter how bloodthirsty or dark-sided you make your Exile in the present, the Exile was still unaware of Revan’s master plan in the past; the Exile believed that the true target were the Mandalorians.

Beyond HK-47, other characters speak kindly of the Jedi who were targeted on Malachor V. If Mical is in your party when you fly there, he will say, “And all the Jedi who followed Revan, the true Jedi, died at Malachor V.” He is praising the Jedi who went to fight to defend vulnerable people in the Outer Rim against the Mandalorians, but did not follow Revan into the Jedi Civil War. To him, they are the only “true Jedi.”

While HK-47 gives a cold, calculating analysis of why Revan wanted to kill Jedi, there is another character who gives a more romantic analysis: Hanharr. The dark-sided “robot” and the dark-sided “monster” each have a different reading of Malachor V. Speaking for myself, I had trouble understanding Kreia until I met Hanharr as a Dark Side Exile. Hanharr, the “mad wookiee” who killed his tribe to save them from slavery, is the only crew-member that Kreia invites on board. When you ask her why, she tells you that “the beast is a lesson in strength.” I think that Kreia sees herself in Hanharr, more than anyone else. When Hanharr finally tells you his “true lesson of strength,” I think it gives insight into Kreia’s own beliefs:

Hanharr: Madness is not always that to one who can see it for what it is.

Hanharr: The lesson of strength is this - it is not having the strength to kill those you hate, but those that you love. Strength is when you crush their lives beneath your hands, murder them to save them from falling into the Shadowlands, as you have.

Hanharr: You know what happened when you killed the tribe of Mandalorians. And why the Jeedai had to die, so they did not become as the Mandalorians do. It was a coward’s way of killing, but the choice was strength. To kill your brothers and sisters, those of the tribe who stood with you in battle.

Hanharr: I am here because you showed me what chained me, and there is much I may learn from you. There is strength in such things - and you will know this, when you go into the place all exiles go. When you are willing to kill everything you love - and everything that walks and breathes hates you. When you are willing to leave paradise behind, to curse your life for all time. And know that you did to save another. And to show the galaxy what prey is. This is the lesson of strength, human.

Again, Hanharr is misidentifying the Exile’s motivation for using the Mass Shadow Generator on Malachor V, because the Exile did not mean to target the Jedi. But if we take HK-47 at his word, and if we accept that Revan was the true mastermind behind the destruction of Malachor V, Hanharr is instead justifying Revan’s choice to target the Jedi. And Hanharr’s analysis is quite remarkable. He is saying that Revan targeted the “true Jedi” because Revan loved the Jedi. Because Revan wanted to prevent the good “true Jedi” from becoming monsters themselves.

If we apply Hanharr’s analysis to Kreia’s situation, he is saying that Revan’s attempted murder of Arren Kae was an act of mercy, not simply “cleaning house” of “disloyal soldiers.” It was an attempt to “prevent a greater evil”–the evil in which Arren Kae is compelled by the Force to join the dark side. Which is exactly what happened to all survivors of Malachor V, except for the Jedi Exile, who exercised their free will by abandoning the Force in that moment.

Now the question becomes: is Hanharr right? Did Revan actually love Arren Kae? This time, my answer is: it doesn’t matter. It only matters that Kreia wants to believe this is the truth. If you ask Hanharr, “What prey does Kreia seek?” He will answer, “She hunts truth, I think - and she seeks it in you. And truth is dangerous prey - difficult to seek, and difficult to face. And with greater desperation, she hunts that which runs against that truth.” What runs against the truth? I think that a person’s longing to be loved often “runs against the truth.” Kreia’s love for Revan and the Exile “runs against the truth” that these two people worked together to destroy all life on Malachor V, including her own.

What better way to show the emotional impact of Revan’s betrayal of the “True Jedi” than by making the game’s most important character a survivor of that attack? And by characterizing her as someone “who has been betrayed in the heart, and who will betray in turn”?

Kreia was betrayed in the heart. Kreia did not love the Jedi Council, and her alliance with with the Sith was “fragile” and “based on hatred.” Even though the Jedi Council exiled her, and the Sith violently exiled her, they did not “betray her in the heart.” They did not kill Arren Kae and create Darth Traya.

The person who betrayed Kreia in the heart was the person she loved more than anyone else: Revan.

The person who betrayed Kreia was you.

“There is no great revelation, no great secret. There is only you.”

“You”–the player character from the first game–you were the one who betrayed Kreia. Though as the ignorant player, you have “lost your memories” of this.

But Kreia did not forget, and your betrayal twisted her into something monstrous.

And now she will betray “you” in turn, as the player character of the second game.

She will do it because she loves you. She loves you because you are the player and because you have an extraordinary capacity to exercise free will in a predetermined story.

She has always loved you, ever since she was Arren Kae.

[littlemissonewhoisall]

Guide to writing Cassandra Cain

I’ve seen a lot of people in the Bat Family fandom say that they often minimize or exclude Cassandra from their works because they don’t know enough about her. While I HIGHLY recommend reading her Batgirl comic from 2000, I’ve compiled a guide to her personality, abilities, and relationships with other DC characters here for easy reference. (I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but I’ve probably forgotten something so please feel free to add onto this if you know the character well)

PERSONALITY

Cassandra has a difficult time with language, spoken or written. This generally manifests through her relying on body language and single-word sentences to get her point across. When she needs to speak, it is halting and awkward, but not broken. She will pause frequently, mumble, or use Malapropisms, but she is a perfectionist and is frustrated when she doesnt use perfect grammar or pronunciation. At times she will be unable to find the words for a particular thought. She usually is portrayed as being unable to read or write. 

Cass sometimes uses mimicry when she has trouble putting words together herself, quoting films, tv shows, and plays.  

Cassandra is compassionate above all else. She values life, and protecting it is her highest priority. She will not hesitate to put herself in danger to save others, and does not tolerate killing. 

Cassandra has a strong guilt complex. Anyone who dies on her watch weighs heavily on her conscience, even if there was nothing she could’ve done to stop it. She does not let go of these “failures” easily. 

Cassandra has little regard for societal norms and expectations. While generally caring and compassionate, she often comes across as rude due to spending most of her life either locked in a bunker or surviving in the wilderness. This includes poor table manners, a tendency to lurk in the shadows, and mirroring her adoptive father’s habit of coming and going without warning. 

Cassandra has great pride in her physical prowess, but little in her moral character. Though she has a strong moral code and is quick to intervene when others break it, she does not see herself as above them and may even have more faith in them than in herself, as she still feels that she may not be able to rise above her upbringing. She can be rather arrogant about her superior agility and combat prowess, however. 

Cassandra is fond of friendly jibes and snark, usually but not always expressed nonverbally. Her sense of humor is slightly unconventional, but usually good-natured. 

Cassandra wears her heart on her sleeve. She is very emotional, and her past trauma can make her emotionally vulnerable, especially because of her lack of communicative skills. Her emotions show through her entire body, even when she doesn’t vocalize them. 

Cassandra is quick to leap before looking, but excellent at adapting to unexpected situations. She is a poor planner and rather impulsive, with a rebellious streak that sometimes makes it hard for her to listen to instructions. However, she is great at thinking on her feet and analyzing her situation in the moment.

Cassandra does not do things in half measures. When she wants to learn something, such as reading or detective work, she is eager to dive into the deep end even if it’s not always the best way to approach it. As mentioned before she is also a perfectionist when it comes to herself, so this approach often leads to frustration. 

Cassandra is very physically affectionate, with little mind for personal space. This often comes in the form of gently touching the face of someone she believes to be in pain. 

Cassandra is extremely empathetic, to the point that it can be overwhelming for her at times. She is very good at spotting falsehoods, hidden pain, etc. 

Despite this, she often misinterprets social cues. For instance, when Barbara and Dick were going through a rough patch in their relationship, she though Dick had intentionally done something to hurt Barbara, and threw him out a window. 

ABILITIES

Cass is fast. Really, really fast. She can move incredibly quickly and quietly, making her very hard to track.

Cass has a shocking amount of strength for her small size. She has punched through 3-inch thick quartz glass, kicked down concrete walls, and thrown a metahuman more than twice her size without issue. 

Her primary advantage comes from her ability to read body language and predict her opponents’ actions, allowing her to dodge bullets and outmaneuver pretty much any non powered opponent. This ability does not work on robots, animals, or sufficiently nonhuman aliens. 

Cassandra is a contender for the world’s best martial artist, along with Lady Shiva and Richard Dragon. She can pick up new fighting styles nearly instantly, allowing her to learn and adapt techniques she’s never encountered before. 

Cass is an incredible acrobat, though not as good as Nightwing. 

Cass is able to control the amount of force she uses to the point that she doesn’t usually have to worry about killing even when using normally lethal techniques. 

She is able to use pressure points to paralyze someone nearly instantly, though she has only shown the ability to use it on those who do not expect her to attack.

She can stop a person’s heart using a special technique, and in later appearances was able to do so without endangering the person for a good length of time, though they’d still die if not revived within that time period. 

She is very good at analyzing her surroundings, which has helped her solve cases. 

Cassandra is exceptional at dividing her attention and energy, able to coordinate herself to the point that government agents assumed she was a metahuman. 

She is very good at the intimidation side of the job, able to terrify even trained killers. 

RELATIONSHIPS

Cassandra is very close to Stephanie Brown, who was her first real friend. She can be a bit overprotective of her, even using violence to keep her out of fights that Cass thinks will be too much for her, though she has largely grown out of that and these days has a lot more faith in her. Cassandra is able to unwind with Stephanie in ways that she has trouble doing with around other people, even those she trusts like Barbara and Tim. When Stephanie seemingly died, Cassandra was deeply affected, becoming shorter-tempered and more violent. 

Cassandra sees Barbara as the mother she never had, and values her insight. Though she often chafes at Barbara’s well-intentioned attempts to get her to see beyond her life as Batgirl, she still cares deeply for her. 

Cass sees Bruce as somewhat of a father figure as well as a bit of an idol, and seeks his approval. When she believes that she has disappointed him, it can be devastating for her. However, she also recognizes his pain and trauma, and sympathizes strongly with it. Her admiration also doesn’t always mean she’ll do what he says.

While Cassandra and Dick don’t always get along (as mentioned earlier), she usually sees him as a mentor and big brother, and she is often more relaxed around him than most people. 

Cass and Jason’s interactions have been largely confrontational, and it’s likely that further encounters would be similar, as she is strongly opposed to lethal force and would endeavor to stop him if she could. That said, she would almost certainly understand the pain he went through, and would try to get through to him with words as much as she is capable, rather than immediately resorting to violence. 

Cass and Tim have a long and complicated history. While the two of them started off rather tense, with Tim being somewhat intimidated by her, they soon grew very close, and treat each other as siblings. Their strengths complement each other, and they are able to work in synch with each other very well. She has also been known to break into his house to steal food and take a shower. 

Like Jason, Cass’s interactions with Damian are few and far between. Their first meeting didn’t end well, as Cassandra pulled him from a building when he was disarming a bomb despite his protests that he could handle it. While she found some of what he said hurtful, she didn’t seem to hold much of a grudge, and I think they could find common ground due to their similar backgrounds. 

Cassandra and Duke seem to be friends, though beyond that little is known of their relationship.

Cassandra is close with Harper Row, and the two of them definitely care for one another despite the troubled history between them.

Cass and Jean-Paul Valley bonded quickly over their shared inexperience with society, and they are both very fond of one-another. 

Cassandra is friends with Dinah Lance, who she has been shown to train with on occasion. 

Cass does not get along with Helena Bertinelli for obvious reasons, and when they worked together during the Battle for the Cowl there was quite a bit of tension between them. 

Cassandra had a close relationship with Basil Karlo/Clayface during the time that he had reformed, as she had faith in his ability to change. His apparent death devastated her.

Her relationship with her biological father is complicated. Though she has always despised what he does for a living, it took a long time for her to come to terms with how badly he treated her. 

Cass’s relationship with her biological mother is even more complex. In most depictions, Cassandra respects Shiva in some ways, but is also troubled by all of the lives that she’s taken.

[luparaneo]

On Zwei, Zav, and making the OCs I love the most Suffer.

Zavier "Zav" Eichel

Zav has a bit of a reputation around Hunter Base for being incredibly unapproachable if you're not a human; hell, he's hardly approachable even if you are human but there's a better chance of him warming up to you. He’s a survivor of one the first Maverick War’s many global ground zeros and saw a lot, a lot, of his friends and family members die that day, and he's been embittered towards anything mechanical that thinks for itself ever since. So far only two robotic beings have managed to weasel their way into Zav's good graces; Hailfire Hydra the overly friendly aniloid and a fellow Hunter, and his wayward twin "brother" Zwei whom he's known far longer as an AI than as a reploid. He's actually much nicer once he warms up to someone, reploid or not, but clearly has some issues allowing himself to make those connections. Hailfire has the distinction of being the only one capable of literally dragging Zav off base without too much foot-dragging to make him unwind for a few hours (and if the foot-dragging is too much of a bother, she just slings him over a shoulder and carries him).

Despite his feelings towards reploids/etc, Zav doesn't let those get in the way of completing a mission considering how many consist of his "coworkers"; he still feels the Hunters have a just cause and wouldn't want his emotions to jeopardize that. He does prioritize the safety of fellow humans however, as they don't get second chances at life like reploids can. He also has a mountain of patience, a valuable trait when your weapon of choice is a scoped rifle.

Zav is an only son to the widower Torben Eichel, an eccentric programmer, though he once had a biological twin.

Please don't get him started about Repliforce.

Zwei

Originally an AI based upon Zav's late twin, Zwei is both like and unlike Zav. Whereas his organic brother is withdrawn and a grouch, Zwei is outgoing and childish. After gaining a reploid body and losing the restrictions on his AI he promptly ran away from home to become a rock star, and he utilizes sound-based weaponry with a stringed keytar. Sometimes Zwei ends up on the wrong side of the law, especially when he ramps up his bad-boy stage persona in the worst moments and has trouble turning it "off" when he should, but really he's no Maverick.

While he absolutely won't harm a human, preferring to stay in the good graces of the Hunters as much as possible, Zwei does have some rather strong opinions about them no thanks to a certain father figure of his. But he makes any and all exceptions about humans for his brother Zav, whom he clearly cares dearly about even if they butt heads on the regular. On the rare occasion when the twins team up, they're nearly unstoppable and eerily coordinated to the point it's like they're the same brain in two bodies. They also finish each other's sentences, which Zwei finds absolutely hilarious and Zav finds equally frustrating.

(The readmore past this point contains spoilers for these boys, though it may or may not be possible for a backstory? Well, it's canon to them for now.)

Except... their dad's a liar. Zav never had a bio-twin.

Project Savior

Even as a simple AI Zwei was created as a backup by Torben, a way to give his son virtual immortality, and is actually a copy of Zav's brain for the worst case scenario. If Zavier died before him his father would still have his company forevermore, albeit digitally. It was a simple AI, with all the limitations of an AI at the time, but wanting to see if it would grow alongside his son he introduced them at a young age as "twins" and Zwei fell into his role with predicted ease. While they grew into wildly different personalities, being his copy Zwei wouldn't do anything Zav wouldn't and vice-versa.

But now. Now with the creation of reploids he could do so much more for his son, a grown adult at this point. And so Torben commissioned a body for Zwei, and obviously his sons are twins so it only makes sense Zwei should be physically identical within the limits of reploid engineering to his biological son.

The neural pathways are already mapped as they should be, and the body is a perfect copy, so in theory there would be no issues and acceptance is nearly guaranteed! All it would take, is a simple "drag and drop"; who cares about the reploid's existing personality? The only thing that matters is his son would have a second chance in a dangerous world. And if Zavier objects, well, father knows best and his son will have to bow to his authority as much as he hates to exercise it.

Likely Torben never expected his son's walking, talking spare parts to take his newfound freedom and free will and run off. To eventually go looking. To figure out why he was never named after Zav's supposed twin, instead being stuck with a number for a moniker. To find the notes for Project Savior.

Too bad he won't leave the lab alive.

[contrivedcoincidences6]

The Invisible Cord- Ch. 1

The title was taken from this poem: The Cord

Prologue

Thank you to @alittlemissfit for always being my amazing beta. 

So wow people went crazy for the first taste! Be aware that was the prologue. Just getting started. Thank you for the encouragement! 

Chapter 1 

October 2011 Chicago, IL

I look out the window and watch the wind blow through the autumn leaves. The swirling colors are able to hold my attention far better than the droning on of my biology teacher giving her lecture.

“Ms. Meeks? Ms. Meeks!” The teacher’s irritable voice reaches my subconscious along with a series of muffled snickers.

“Yes ma’am?” I ask.

“You seem to be distracted. Would some extra homework tonight help you concentrate?” she asks, hands on her hips.

“I’m not distracted, ma’am. I’ve been listening.”

“Well then, what are ribosomes?” she asked, her lips pursed.

My mind moves back in time to moments before and as I picture the leaves in the trees I can hear Mrs. Jefferson’s voice telling me the answer.

“They help produce the polypeptides that make up the majority of a cell's structure and are required for activities that are necessary for the cell's survival,” I repeat, using her exact wording just to be a brat.

“Alright then, what about endoplasmic reticulum?” she asks with a sigh.

For this I have to think back to a few minutes earlier. I remember how the light had shone off of Mr. Randall’s car and it comes back.

“The endoplasmic reticulum is a network of membrane-covered channels that transport the materials made in the cells, and are connected to the nucleus,” I say, again using her exact wording.

“Well, you certainly have done your reading,” Mrs. Jefferson says, giving me a subtle nod of approval. She’s seems to want to continue her little quiz when the bell rings. The students start to get up and as I gather my things I hear her voice through the crowd.

“April Meeks. I would like to speak with you before you leave.”

I walk up to her desk, making just enough eye contact to make her uncomfortable.

“What was that performance just now?” she asks, incredulous.

“I was listening to you, Mrs. Jefferson,” I say with a small shrug.

“You were not paying attention to the discussion or even taking notes.”

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes I tap my head.  “Eidetic memory,” I answer with a straight face. Try not to react as her mouth twists into an ugly pout.

“May I leave now?” I ask as she simply nods, gestures towards the door.

Brian and May, not surprisingly were standing outside of it waiting for me. We walk to class together most every day. I know we’re known as the Three Musketeers. It used to bother me but now I’ve come to embrace it. May’s long black braids sway around her head as she walks next to me, waits for me to say something. Brian, as usual, stays silent on my other side. Anticipating the coming argument.

He and May are my only two friends in the world. We grew up in the same foster center together and May and I quickly bonded because of our names. She introduced me to her twin brother Brian, and the three of us have been inseparable ever since.

“That was stupid, April.” May says in her lecturing voice. “Why would you draw attention to yourself like that?”

I gave her what had to be my fiftieth shrug of the day.

“I’m just sick of sitting in a mid level bio class pretending like I’m actually learning something.”

“So do you not want to stick to our plan then?” she asks, stopping so that Brian and I are forced to stop and turn around.

“I never said that,” I mutter, letting out a soft sigh. “I just, why does it have to be so boring?”

“You don’t think that we’re bored?” May scoffs, gesturing between her and her brother.

“But you know if we are all pulled out of the class people will start to notice we’re different. They’ll notice and then they’ll take you again.”

I look down at my feet, clad in Converse shoes that have seen better days.

Brian’s hand grazes my arm and I look at the contrast between his dark, tanned skin and my own ghost like shade of pale. I use his touch as a way to center myself, then look back to his sister who is now tapping her foot.

“May, just for the record one more time, you are not my mother! I know all of this. And I don’t want to get taken! I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’m tired, and soon enough another birthday of mine is going to come around and I’ll have nothing new to show for it!’

Brian’s fingers move down my arm, take hold of my hand and then he gives it a small squeeze. He’s different from his sister and I who both love to talk. He’s quiet, has always only spoken when he’s had to, which is rare when he’s with us. Mostly he communicates with everyone through touch and proximity. A way that most normal people would never be able to fully understand.

I’ve always known there was something different about Brian. Whenever one of our caretakers would come to work sad or down, Brian would sense it. He’d go over and stay with her for the rest of their shift. They’d only spend a few minutes in his presence and start smiling. Not from anything in particular that he’d said, just because he was there.

His sister and I were different too, but Brian’s ‘special gift’ seemed to unsettle others. Meanwhile May and I would come off as your average, annoying, self absorbed teenage girl.

At my admission and birthday remark, May just loops her arm through mine. Starts to walk again.

In two days it will be my 16th birthday. I know for most everyone else in my class this is a date of significance. Sweet Sixteen invitations have been plastered all over lockers and that everyone’s excited to get their learner’s permit. Even get their own car.

To me it just meant another year. One filled with even more questions and fear than the previous one. It just so happens Brian and May’s birthday falls exactly one month before mine. At least my best friends both understand the uneasiness I’m feeling.

The three of us are alike in a lot of ways. The main way being we don’t remember our lives before the age of five. It’s not that our minds were erased and we have no concept, but what we do remember follows no distinct narrative. The memories don’t seem to fit in anywhere. Then again neither do the three of us.

I used to and still have flashes to my mother singing to me as she makes me my lunch. I can think back to being in the car with my father on a road trip. I can remember all my visits to all the doctors. Those memories are the strongest ones, and that makes sense considering I spent most of my early childhood in the hospital. Brian and May have parallel experiences.

I know other kids in school must know this. We’re the anomalies, the freaks, the ones who will probably grow up to be in therapy, and somehow the student population can sense this. When they do have the nerve to point and stare though they’re met with a withering stare from May. Yes, we’re unpopular freaks but we’re not about to roll over and drool when you remind us of it.

“I just don’t want you to take risks like that. The three of us need to stick together. I mean, really. Just two more years and we are out of this hellhole. That’s what you should think of on your birthday. Just two years until freedom.”

Her arm tightens around mine and I smile, know that she really believes it. And that’s a bit of a feat for me.

We watch them walk out of the school and try to interpret their behavior, this...display. Two of them have linked arms and upturned lips, and it makes us curious. Makes us wonder. Even though technically none of us are programmed to do that. We don’t think in depth. We don’t experience emotion. I guess one could consider us robots. One perk though of our clinical detachment is our reliance on our instincts. They’re essential to who we are and have helped to keep us safe. To help us survive.

One of our key instincts is fairly basic. To protect our mothers. We’ve had so many of them and while we failed most of them years ago, when we were still too young and unskilled to prevent them from being harmed, we know some of them still live. Some, against all odds, have managed to survive and weather all the illness and all the death that’s been thrown at them, and we believe with everything in us, that we still have an obligation to them.

We know there are few of us now. According to all the official documents we’ve managed to access we are considered to be extinct. The truth is though that we still exist. We still create. We still have roles. We just need to embrace them quietly. Slowly. The way we’ve been trained to.

Looking to our sister she nods. We move forward, to follow the group of three. These three are real humans. They are to be protected. Unlike us. We’re secondary. Just biological material stolen from the humans, grown in the bellies of women who didn’t ask for us. Although we are all that remains of the original batch, the ones not created in test tubes, we all still consider our mothers to be our mothers. In every important sense of the word. It’s only because of their ova that we came into existence. While these three could be considered related to us in a sense they may as well be of a different species. However, these children are important to our mothers. Therefore they are important to us. In two days time we will make contact.

“All I’m saying is the only reason he’s interested in me at all is because of the list.” May says, playing with my hair while I try to do my homework.

“What list?” I ask, half paying attention.

“You haven’t heard about the list the football players have?” she asks, looking at me as if I’m missing a crucial piece of information.

I shake my head and she moves from lying on her stomach behind me to scoot up next to me. The expression on her face tells me that whatever ‘the list’ is, is easily the most important thing going on in the school. No wonder I’m clueless.

“It’s basically a fuck-it list. It’s like a bucket list, but it’s just a list of girls they want to fuck. I know Andrew is only sniffing around me so he can check off the ‘black girl’ box.”

“At the game the other day you said you wanted to eat bacon off his ass, so I really don’t get why you care,” I scoff, peering up at her through my glasses.

“It’s the principle of it!” May exclaims as I roll my eyes, put down my textbook.

“But you are only interested in him for his ass. He’s only interested in you because of a list. Both of you have motives aside from actual interest in the other person. That being said, are you really telling me you won’t have sex with him?”

“I never said that. I’m just saying that I don’t appreciate his motives. Jennie was his token ‘Asian girl’. Have you heard of anything more crass than that? Still, she said he was a tiger in the sac.  Hey!” She exclaimed giving my arm a soft swat, “You could probably get on his radar! Maybe he hasn’t checked the ‘redhead’ box yet.”

“No thanks. I’m good,” I say, shaking my head.

“You know, you’ll need to start dating at some point. People talk. Especially about the cute ones.”

“Aw, you think I’m cute?” I tease, earning an eyeroll. “I’m not interested in dating, May. I mean, really, what’s the point?”

“Well aside from it being nice to have someone actually show an interest in you, sex. Duh.”

“Too much effort for something I can just take care of myself.”

May just shakes her head at me, flops back onto her own bed.

“You know if you’re into girls that’s great. I can get you the numbers of some I’ve been with.”

“Just some?”

“There’s only a few who would be worthy of you, my dear,” she teases as I let out a long sigh.

“It’s not that I’m not interested or attracted to guys. I just have no interest in dating. There are way more important things for me to worry about right now.”

“You keep on with that attitude and I’ll tell you what’s going to happen: you’re going to be celibate for years. Until you and my brother finally stop beating around the bush and get together. But by that time I’ll be too old a woman to be able to enjoy it.”

Choosing to ignore her comment I find the last answer to the worksheet, hand it over to May to copy. “Thanks,” she says, crossing back to her desk. Now it’s my turn to lie back on my bed and stare at the ceiling.

“Do you think that our parents are still alive?” I ask after a beat before she takes one to answer.

“I don’t know why you keep thinking about this. Who even knows if we have parents? For all we know we’re test tube babies.”

“But maybe we aren’t. Maybe there’s people out there who are looking for us.”

Jumping a bit when she lies on the bed beside me I let out a sigh, fold my arms.

“I’m not dismissing the possibility that there are. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. I’m worried you’ll start planning this whole life and then find out there’s just...no way for you to have it.”

“But I feel like I did have it, May. At least once. All the memories I have from before, those have to mean something, don’t they?”

“If they’re real,” May sighs. “Look, they might be. But think about it, if they can erase our memories what makes you think they can’t plant fake ones?”

Just thinking about that makes my head hurt. In the way it does when I’m on the verge of a long cry. Curling on my side I rest my forehead against May’s shoulder, grateful she knows without my saying it that she should stay put.

[thekoreanlass]

In the Korean standards, AI Robot stories–in one or more ways–must be one of the trends since this is the second time, after I Am Not A Robot, someone attempted on challenging the ‘somehow’ refreshing theme of falling in love with robots in the K-drama world.

An ambitious attempt at its finest, robot stories that centers about romance while trying to remain in its sci-fi element is quite a challenge that sometimes backfires if not executed properly, but I must say–though it’s still early for that–Are You Human Too? consistently succeeds in both aspects.

Not only that, they do the romance and the sci-fi while the male lead plays a double role of an AI robot, Namsin3, and the rude human counterpart Nam Shin. Isn’t that just amazing?

It’s not new to play a double role, but not everyone in Kdramaland tries to play the part and succeed in it. So, I find it even more interesting that Seo Kang Joon (first found this hottie from Roommate Season 1!) will play the role.

He and Gong Seung Yeon are actually the main reason why I waited for this drama and why I am watching it now. They’re just two great actors that I watched grow like a proud mother and now the two of them are even working on the same project I wish people would truly appreciate more.

So, why do you need to watch Are You Human Too? I’m gonna give you all the reasons to! I mean, I don’t find any single bad bone about this drama so I guess I’m just going to talk about how good it is for today.

An interesting plot with a lot of jaw dropping twists

What interest me about the plot is how carefully woven the story is. The pacing, flow and twists are well positioned and surprisingly the twists were totally something I didn’t foresee coming, which is what I like. I like that the story stays away from being easily predictable. You can’t just tell what will happen next and then when you thought this and that person is what they seem to be, they apparently aren’t what you think they are

Like if I were to give some instances in the story to prove my point how insanely unpredictable it is, although I already know what a trickster Nam Shin’s grandfather is, there are many times when we are shown so many side’s of him: (1) He’s that typical evil President of a corporation that can dirty his hands to succeed in everything, but then another moment he suddenly becomes senile, plagued with Alzeimer’s; (2) It gets revealed that he’s really only pretending to have Alzeimer’s to fool the people around him and test who is really on his side. Namshin3 finds out about the lie once he touched his grandfather’s hand; (3) Later, while everyone’s around the place, David goes somewhere in Nam Corp’s building and see a bunch of supercomputers in an unknown room and there he meets Mr. Nam. It’s when I realized while everyone thought he doesn’t know about Namshin3, all this time he’s just really pretending not to know he’s a robot. And what’s worse is that he actually sponsored the making of this robot! I’m still not sure what is his intention besides having the best kind of technology to bring in more money to his company, but it appears to me the mastermind to all that’s happening is this old man that everyone underestimated all this time.

    There are a lot of other twists in the story, but I’ve given out a huge chunk of spoilers so, this is me saying watch the drama to know more!

It’s just so full with mystery and a bunch of shocking revelations that would come in the speed of light that you will not be able to guess when it will struck you.

Albeit all the drama, action, mystery and revelations though, I am pleased to say that the drama doesn’t confuse. It’s sequencing despite the flashbacks is sufficient and there’s enough time to dwell on one thing and then jump to another. Nothing’s been rushed or dragged on.

Plus, the story’s really engrossing. I’m not really fond of robot movies or dramas, but the story of an AI robot and romance? Sure. Not a big deal. So far this drama has sent me all the positive feels and heart flutters whenever the two main characters interact. Namshin3’s just such a warm robot, despite him always saying he doesn’t have any emotions, he understands them and because he does, he does what he can to respond to those feelings that Kang So Bong (Gong Seung Yeon) shows around him.

Intriguing Romance With a lot of cute moments

So, from what you already read above and what seems to be the obvious, Namshin3, who is pretending to be a human, is very intelligent. His super brain stores a lot of information and he can connect to the world wide web quicker than your 5G connection.

However, besides his extraordinary abilities, Namshin3 happens to be a quick learner and being constantly around Kang So Bong made him adapt to her. Becoming a constant stimuli, it seems that So Bong managed to input new learning in him that only she managed to do. Perhaps because she’s the only person that treated him fairly? Like he’s not just a piece of junk metal that they can throw away so easily? The reason why he follows her like a puppy is still beyond me, but I guess this is the main reason why.

And these information that he adopted from her became the reason why he managed to freely think for himself and not just follow the orders of others. It was especially cute whenever he sees an imaginary image of So Bong and thinks it’s an error in his system. I don’t know. I feel like it just makes him more human than robot that he is constantly thinking of her as if he could harbor some feelings for her to that level. And then, I also like it whenever he can tell when she’s in danger and he does his best to get to her the fastest that he can. Plus, I like those moments when he just smiles at her as if she means the world to him.

It just feels so amazing to think there’s this guy that can be that way with her and in those moments I truly forget him being a robot.

With that said, I really love the pairing despite So Bong’s constant in denial moments in the beginning. I think the way she acted towards him was just normal if I am going to put myself in her shoes, knowing that it’s really going to be hard to wrap your head around the fact that she was looking at a robot that looked so human. It will be hard to get used to that. However, I like that So Bong found how good his heart is (even if he doesn’t have one!) and treated him like her equal, even more her friend and then someone she finally likes. It’s just so heartwarming that in the story there’s this one person that believes in Namshin3 even if the world is after him.

The chemistry between them is just so real!

The remaining question I only have is how will they end? I mean, will they even have a happy ending? Knowing that Namshin3 is a robot, no matter how intelligent he is, it will be forever unfair for So Bong that he will possibly not ever feel the same thing she feels for him. And even if he does, he won’t be able to fulfill some duties only a man can in the biological sense.

And then there’s also the human Nam Shin. Since he has woken up, can he learn to appreciate Namshin3 and Kang So Bong? What kind of relationship will form between the three of them? Sadly, I’ll have to find out in the next episodes. Haha.

Double Role Genius

For his first ever major role in the small screen, Seo Kang Joon did a stellar job in portraying two characters–the robot Namshin3 and the human Nam Shin.

Namshin3 is like the good alter ego while the human Nam Shin is the jerk counterpart. Seo Kang Joon is so good at portraying the two roles that you’ll be able to easily distinguish one from the other. You will definitely fall in love with Namshin3 and instantly loath the arrogant human Nam Shin. And I am saying this because you will only know if someone is effective in his role if they succeed in evoking feelings in you that a bad actor won’t be able to do.

So, in a nutshell, I can say that Seo Kang Joon has definitely grown a lot as an actor in this drama more than his past roles. His acting and expressions have gotten even better and to think he’s acting the role of a robot, he must have worked hard to know how a robot should move, speak and act. And his hard work reflects with what we can see in every episode. I can say that I am very pleased with him.

Allies or Enemies?

To be honest, there are more people to doubt than trust in this drama. I think the only person that has good intention towards Namshin3 would be Kang So Bong and her gang.

But with the people surrounding the human Nam Shin, it’s just hard to tell who your friends are. Like, Oh Laura (Kim Sung Ryung), for example. She may be Namshin3’s creator in the image of the human Nam Shin, but because she doesn’t want to trouble her real son, she can’t be anymore concerned with the robot she created. The only time she realized his importance was when So Bong traded for the kill switch and when Nam Shin tried to trick her through Namshin3 to uncover the truth about her true feelings for the robot.

Then, there’s also Young Hoon (Lee Joon Hyuk), Nam Shin’s loyal secretary and friend. I appreciate that he’s overprotective towards the real Nam Shin to the point I even had a theory he was gay and was head over heels for Nam Shin, but sometimes he just seem too suspicious that I can’t tell whether his intentions are pure and whether he’s on Nam Shin’s side because he truly cared for him like a brother. He’s just too mysterious for his own good and I am yet to figure him out.

Seo Ye Na (Park Hwan Hee) is so in love with the human Nam Shin that it’s scary to think what she can do for him.

Her character is quite annoying because she won’t just budge even if Nam Shin didn’t really like her. She’s so clingy and so persistent. But I admire her  for her loyalty to him that at the moment of his weakness, Nam Shin only trusted this girl. Nonetheless, this won’t erase the fact that I hate her for treating Namshin3 like trash. That’s just not human-like to do.

David (Choi Deok Moon), on the other hand, is one of the many characters that I have a very pleasant feelings for in the bieginning. He’s so nice and open-minded and cared for Namshin3 more than Laura did, that it’s hard for me to think that he’s teamed up with Nam Gun Ho (Park Yeong Gyu), aka Nam Shin’s grandfather, regarding the creation of Namshin3. His intention may be to protect his creation as a scientist, but I’m not too sure whether teaming up with Nam Gun Ho will bring him any good.

These characters are minor characters, but has significant roles in the lives of our main leads. No matter how annoying they are or how much I can’t stand them sometimes, their role is vital in resolving the mystery around Nam Shin. Only time will tell whether they will pick the right side in the end.

Over all

This may sound like I am exaggerating, but to tell you my own opinion, I think that Are You Human Too? is one of the best dramas to be released in 2018. Besides the interesting plot and cool twists and turns, the cast has a solid performance of their roles, though I must admit there are just things that sound too unrealistic (e.g. Namshin3 can consume food and water in small amounts–he’s still made from metal and all that so…). But other than that, I don’t have any other complaints about the drama.

It has surpassed my expectations in many ways–production, story line, theme song, character development, pacing, flow, execution–that it’s hard to define what I feel about it in a few words. Maybe some words can’t just be enough. So, I’ll just leave it to your own judgement what you think of it.

I’m recommending this drama if you want something sci-fi with cute romance and action here and there with a little suspense on the side and a lot of surprises!

Rating it, I’m gonna give this drama a 4.9 out of 5.

I’ll see you on my final review about this drama once it finishes.

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