#cyber drone shows

[i9hrtszn]

　　 　　🤖❛　　sonic　whiplash　:　the　event　　✲

　　 ⿸　　🛸˚　　an　　 @i9hrtszn 　　special　　 event　　⋌ 　　

hi y'all! i just want to say thank you all for 300 followers. to be honest, this brings me so much joy as i used to think that i was not good in the field, with my posts achieving a low engagement rate. but over the past two years, i made it to such a big and momentous milestone, and i really am grateful to those of you who like, reblog, and comment on my moodboards; i really appreciate it. therefore, to celebrate this wonderful occasion, i decided to host an event that's a bit different (as far as i know) from other events that took place here in tumblr. i also had so much fun formulating the concept behind this event, and i hope that you will also show some love and support to it. i hope that blogs, regardless of experience and following, will participate and have fun. please don't let this flop; anyways thanks for 300 and enjoy!

ㅤㅤㅤ⋋ㅤㅤㅤ💾❛ㅤㅤㅤ⿴ㅤㅤㅤ○ㅤㅤㅤabout

in 2050, a decade after the great armageddon nearly wiped out all life, the world has become a wasteland. only a few high-tech colonies survive, including the last stronghold in seoul. here, people live in peace within their advanced, secure cities, shielded from whatever dangers lurk in the outside world. but this peace doesn’t mean they’re safe to ignore what’s beyond their walls.

the a.e.s.p.a. (advanced enforcement and security protection agency) is a team of elite operatives sworn to protect the colony. normally, they handle internal threats, but recently, they received a strange signal from outside the colony. this signal was unlike anything they’d seen—a unique frequency that could mean other survivors were out there. weeks later, another mysterious event followed, dubbed “sonic whiplash.” a massive shockwave, almost like an echo of a voice or a distant call, rattled the colony walls. this wasn’t just noise; scientists suspected it was energy, possibly even linked to other dimensions or sources of life outside.

to respond, a.e.s.p.a. needed to build specialized machines to handle whatever strange conditions they might face outside the colony. however, necessary files required to plot out their machine's structure and purpose were wiped out during the armageddon, hence using moodboards left as fragments of the original files to complete the machine's construction further. in a creative and practical twist, a.e.s.p.a uses moodboards—visual boards that combine art and data—to design their rescue machinery. these moodboards help them craft everything from rescue drones to sound-absorbing suits, all adapted to fit the mysterious energy of sonic whiplash. each moodboard captures the “feel” of the mission, ensuring their tech can handle the unknowns in a potentially hostile environment.

by bringing these ideas to life, a.e.s.p.a. is preparing to head out of the colony not just to investigate the signals, but to possibly save any survivors they find. with these advanced machines, they’re ready to confront the mysteries of the world outside and discover the truth behind the haunting frequency, hoping to bridge their safe world with whatever’s left out there.

ㅤㅤㅤ⋋ㅤㅤㅤ🎧❛ㅤㅤㅤ⿴ㅤㅤㅤ○ㅤㅤㅤrules

•ㅤyour moodboard must be centered on any of aespa's songs on the "whiplash" album. conceptual, futuristic, and cyber themes are mostly preferred, but any theme is gratefully accepted. •ㅤyour moodboard's content must be, at least, 90% yours (although using free-to-use resources by other users is fine). •ㅤcopying and stealing other participants' entries is strictly forbidden. incorporating 3 pictures into your moodboards that are also present in other's moodboards will be considered copying and will automatically be disqualified from the event. •ㅤyou can submit up to two entries if you wish to do so. •ㅤuse the tag "⋋　📷❛　⿴　✶　sonic whiplash: the event." and tag me in your post or mention me in the comments or your entry won't count. •ㅤif you have any concerns or wish to seek an extension, please do not hesitate to send a dm to me.

ㅤㅤ⋋ㅤㅤㅤ🛰️❛ㅤㅤㅤ⿴ㅤㅤㅤ○ㅤㅤㅤhow to join

•ㅤcomment "joining" on this event + state what is your favorite song from aespa's whiplash album. •ㅤlike + reblog this post and tag 4 or more mutuals who might join the event. •ㅤdeadline is on december 2. a one-week extension will be given to those who need it.

ㅤㅤㅤ⋋ㅤㅤㅤ📡❛ㅤㅤㅤ⿴ㅤㅤㅤ○ㅤㅤㅤprizes

—ㅤ①ㅤ:ㅤ 100 reblogs on 3 moodboards of your choice, 3 custom moodboards, 3 custom fgs + layouts.

—ㅤ②ㅤ:ㅤ80 reblogs on 2 moodboard of your choice, 1 custom moodboards, 2 custom fgs + layouts.

—ㅤ③ㅤ:ㅤ60 reblogs on 1 moodboards of your choice, 1 custom moodboards, 1 custom fg + layout.

—ㅤrunners-up/notable entriesㅤ:ㅤ50 reblogs on 1 moodboard of your choice, 1 custom fg/layout (only one of your choice).

ㅤㅤ•ㅤall participants will receive 25 reblogs upon entry. ㅤㅤ•ㅤall reblogs will be done on @i4luvszn.

ㅤㅤ ㅤ ⋋ㅤㅤㅤ💾❛ㅤㅤㅤ⿴ㅤㅤㅤ○ㅤㅤㅤtags

@taroism @n-americano @fluiora @aesverse @kyuwebs

@awwriri @umiena @hyelita @hyunlita @m00nbap

@beompercar @studiogyu @nikist-4-n @neapolitism @reiminders

@purincidio @kgirls @purinkiss @yeoniis @rthym

@4uarterlife @keketopia @seulzitos @aericita @florichae

@soulari @hourlyhoon @flaireur @f-loqweres @chenjiyaoi

@tzulipss @y-vna @y-unrei @y-urios @haerinism

@jimzittos @aeraras @aestradairio @bambicito @fairytopea

@hyetart @notaorbital @poemale @vg-k @i-kyujin

@jaexiyu @sxgarhan @t-aes @wonjuii @bitchey

+++ other users who may be interested in joining!

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

Damon scrolling through tiktok and suddenly gets recommended a video his darling nerd posted that went viral

Spoiler, It's a thirst trap. ♡°▽°♡

🦪 Anon again !!!! >∆<

Yandere! Jock x Honor student! gn! reader

What if: Darling posts a thirst trap?

LMAO 🦪anon your ideas are so fun HADHSAHDAH

Damon was bored out of his mind.

School was out, summer is in, and he's truly about to lose his mind from the lack of things he's about to do.

He's tired of seeing his parents tip toe around him and he just wants out.

He wants to stretch his body and workout, but he doesn't have any kind of mental energy to do that after fighting with his mother just earlier.

Who in their right mind would cross Damon and tell him that his obsession love for you is getting too much by using the family printer and printing a life size cutout of you?

He's upset, but he still got the cutout anyways.

Mindlessly scrolling through his feeds, he decided to go through tiktok like a drone looking for mental stimulation.

The hours passed by, his thumb sliding across the screen as he drank in countless videos of sports, video games, drama, AITA reddit videos, viral videos, random ones, and sponsored vids.

Not until he saw a certain body doing the baba trend.

Sure, they're wearing a mask, but Damon can recognize that frame anywhere that looked so small beside him.

His breathing became shallow, blood pumping as he watched you lift your shirt up for the camera, showing off your body that's making his own body shiver.

You looked so shy, yet so bold as your eyes gazed through the camera with a cyber y2k filter on.

With the music wafting his ears, his gaze fixated on your body as the video repeats again.

and again.

And again.

And again...

It's engraved to his mind already as he shakily long pressed on the video. Finding it unsavable, he inwardly groaned as he frantically tried to find a way to save the video.

Damon was trembling, desperate to have your video saved on his phone as he downloaded a screensaver app.

Breathless as he may, that doesn't mean he's slow to record your video and saving it immediately on his gallery for future watches and uses.

What uses?

That's for him to know, and that's for everybody to not find out as he obsessively stalked through your profile.

"God..." He mused. "Little nerd, holy shit..."

Your profile was filled with you, in a black mask, doing different types of tiktok videos.

But it's no ordinary videos.

No no no... It's all thirst traps.

Baba, that DPR Ian belt dance trend, silhouette... You were participating in all these videos. And everything was to show off your body that he knows and love.

Yet, you don't tag them at all.

So, what's the point?

People were not discovering them too, as views are only mostly at single digits. Yet that didn't deter his annoyance and jealousy one bit as he bit back a moan, watching you tease the camera. Lifting your mask a bit and licking the air.

"What the fuck..."

Damon can feel himself getting hard down there.

It's a treasure trove just for him.

He can feel a twitching smile creep up his face as he gently clicked on follow.

Your first follower.

Damon doesn't know why you're running a thirst trap account, or why you're doing it in the first place.

If it's for validation, then he's sorry but he's gonna make sure he's the only one who can see the videos.

He doesn't know how, but he's going to do it.

He doesn't need rabid dogs on your account. He can't afford that.

Not when he can't exactly kill so many people if you were ever to go viral at all.

But now, he waits as he predicts your next move. If you're gonna go private, follow him back, ask him how he found your account.

All of the videos are saved anyways.

[8um8le]

Cat kept his og head even though he didnt need it but he said he kept the head for sentimental reasons. Is it because his head is some sort of backup driver in case he was destroyed or was it because of some emotional attachment to it?

Yeah he has a emotional attachment to it, it’s kinda a mockery of his original design

Also the old head itself doesn’t safe-keep Cat’s consciousness <33

Since robots in this universe have a completely digital existence, their system safety is super important, without that, they could easily get hacked, short circuit, controlled, etc. This goes to show how much of a priority net runners are for them

Jet (one of the eclipse’s daughters) has mastered this skill, able to control multiple machinery in not just SC but other places around the world, she can pilot other robots, drones, flying vehicles, cameras, turrets, etc all at the same time, she’s actually the one who accompanies cyber crew digitally when they have missions abroad, flying them around or driving them to locations :-))

8ot can do this but on a wayyy smaller, less complex scale, having to maintain and protect Sun, Moon and his own consciousness, often morphing the lock now and then; just in case someone is already getting the “password”/ key

[starryinkart]

Hey so a bit of a possible crack theory:

So in the show, we’ve gotten three solver colors already, Red, which stands for Doll, Purple which stands for Uzi/Nori, Yellow which stands for the solver/CYN. But here’s something ALOT of people seemed to miss. After you rewatch the Season 1 trailer, you realize:

There’s a blue solver, most likely a blue solver holder. Hidden right before the infamous yellow of the solver we’ve come to know in the show.

If you watch the trailer, you also notice something else. Right before this symbol quickly shows up, we have a dialogue from N, running away from Uzi from the scene at the end of episode 2 and then him sitting in front of V being sad. But if you listen to that dialogue:

He says “We can’t be around the workers anymore V, we’re too dangerous…”

He eventually begins to hang around them again, but to me this line with the imagery is super important. We know from the most recent episode 7/8 teaser that N is the actual leader of the squad, most likely the strongest and most likely protected by CYN with her admin right before she was completely lost by the solver.

Through out the show, we see him confused at his own power at points, like in episode 4 when he shoots the arrow through another and catches them on fire, cracking the arrow board, proceeding to say:

“Did I do that?” All confused.

N obviously doesn’t know how powerful he is at all, but what if and hear me out, it’s not ONLY because he’s a Disassembly Drone?

We know that CYN blocked the solver from having access to him, V and J to most likely protect them from the fate the solver has for drones who are infected. She didn’t want the same thing happening to N, her brother, who she loved and his friends which he cared about and most likely she cared about before she was taken over completely.

But now, Uzi has unblocked them from being protected from the CYNs admin, which was presumably protecting the squad from the affects of possibly getting the solver, (under the assumption CYN was bad in general) by becoming their administrator. If Uzi is their admin, and she gets taken over by the solver in general, that means that her admin code basically becomes useless to protecting N and the others from being infected too. And remember Tessa found them in the dump and repaired them as well, like CYN so they have a high chance of contracting the solver since they were also disposed of incorrectly.

So here comes the point of this picture that was released as a teaser yesterday:

It’s N, looking down, whether at something or just on the verge of having a breakdown and losing it we are uncertain, but from the posture, the balled fists, he does NOT look okay at all.

The first thing yours eyes are drawn to are the building split in half in front of him, the exoplanets in the sky and N. But, on a more closer look, you see two things:

1. The snow flakes on the bottom left have a ominous blue tint to them, which should only happen if blue light is reflecting off of them…

2. If you didn’t notice on the first look, N has the same blue light, coming from right in front of him. Perhaps maybe the same color as this blue solver symbol we have yet to see with some weird lines and curves jutting out from the sides…

At first, I thought Khan would be the blue solver holder at the beginning of the series, being a surprise twist for him to have activated in him he was so afraid of due to him possibly seeing it with his wife Nori. Honestly while that would’ve been cool, episode 5 debunked this possibility, since Khan was flung out of the room by Doll when she was attempting to get the cyber bug from Uzi. Solver owners can’t effect other solver holders as proven from the series, it can only use items around them to throw or hurt them.

We haven’t seen N be affect by the solver once in the present time or in the flashback of episode 5.

Now I do know the merch video came out today, but it was stated in the video that

1. “It was totally not canonical to the series what so ever” which I HIGHLY doubt. Most of the merch and videos we have seen have been canon and it seems as though the characters have been pulled aside between episodes to “film” these fourth wall breaks.

2. The fact that the title of the video “N’s Final Form” and the thumbnail are most likely not just a joke. Notice his acrylic stand teaser from V’s acrylic stand released recently:

When I first saw this, it looked SUPER weird. Me and my significant other said it looked like N and we thought the two things in the foreground of his body were his wings, meaning he was looking away from the viewer of the stand.

But then we looked closer and I started looking at my King Solver N design you can find in the murder drones link in my FAQ and we drew a more accurate picture of what we were seeing. N was not looking away from the viewer, all the characters are looking at us, and it would be weird to have N be different. So this is what we came up with:

W stands for his wings, T stands for where his tail is, L stands for his legs, F stands for his face and H stands for his hands.

His hands look a-little weird don’t they?

Remember this:

It was mentioned some where on Tumblr that this looks similar to the cocoon that Uzi broke out of in Episode 4 when she transformed into her solver form only N is being dragged in. This is obviously a biomechanical phenomenon of the solver. But why is he being dragged in?

To have his “final transformation” , a “final form” you may say?

The only thing is, after Uzis transformation, is when the solver really started to gain power over her, taking control of her as seen in Episode 4 and recently in Episode 6. As soon as she became biomechanical, the solver gained more control over her.

(Edit: sO this cocoon theory was wrong, but his emotions can still spill over and cause this!!! So its not fully wrong yet!)

Now think of the scene above and what happened to Uzi in Episode 4, but with N. N gets dragged into this cocoon, fighting but not able to escape, while Uzi is fighting inside her mind with the real solver, posing as CYN in the mansion as Uzi is trying not to lose her mind. While she’s stuck, N has his transformation, now not able to be protected by CYNs administration since Uzi is now the administrator of him and V, so he undergoes the transition, the solver not having much to fight against converting him to a biomechanical creature like Uzi. This gives it more power over N, and gives it a chance to take advantage of the situation to bury itself into N’s code, making his solver string: true. Now N has the same thing inside him that has possibly taken everything from him.

After this, he either gets possessed fully and goes on a rampage or the possession is slow, painful after he manages to escape the cocoon and get to the surface. Either by this point Uzi is still fighting in her head and N thinks she’s fully gone or dead OR she has successfully fought the solver and is looking for N. All his repressed emotions, everything that has happened, everything he’s lost…it’s all become too much. He snaps, lashing out on whatever is in front of him, this being the building we see in half in the teaser from yesterday. Before he can stop himself, he angrily swings toward the building, but instead of a sword, his gun or his claws coming out, there is this fleshy, gross growth that emerges, a blue solver symbol appearing in front of him and shooting towards the building, snapping it in half like a toothpick.

There is a moment of either him stopping in pure panic due to this OR his panic, sadness and fear turns into full on anger, him not able to repress anything anymore, taking a turn into a full on uncontrollable breakdown. The reason he had to repress his emotions for all this time, for fear of lashing out and hurting the ones he cares for. But now, as far as he knows, no one is left to care for. After all in the merch teaser today Uzi said really sarcastically:

“You’re meant to be better than us! Don’t become swallowed by the darkness/animal based merchandise (murders) like I have!”

And

“HIS EMOTIONS… CAN NOT BE CONTAINED!”

(which can be very much true)

This could end in either him being used by the solver as a host or Uzi coming back to help him and in turn as he said in the teaser:

“Okay I’m back! I’m better and it’s even deeper down now….haha! “ (basically his repressed emotions being repressed further for an even worst breakdown in a season 2)

That’s one turn it could take, but another could he that when he stops from pure panic due to what he’s become, similar to Uzi, and in the merch trailer today, and realizes he can use his newfound powers to save the ones he loves that are either left alive or find another way to fix what has happened.

(Someone mentioned on here that N’s solver powers could be similar to Time-travel to places he’s been to in the past, (like Dolls in teleportation to only places she has seen and Uzi doesn’t really have one yet, she’s not that far along in development of her solver) to go back and correct what mistakes he has made, fixing the timeline and THAT would be super cool if he does think he has lost everything or really has. If it ever find it on here again, I will tag it.)

Sorry this was SO LONG, but basically, N will have the blue solver due to the final two episodes and he will get a transformation like Uzis, having him grasp the thing that has basically ruined his life several times over being apart of him now, having to use it to save his loved ones. All the while not having a mental breakdown or angry blowup and losing control of his powers. So basically affecting the story and his choices greatly.

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

The IDF has been releasing a lot of incriminating intel on the Shifa hospital in Gaza being used by Hamas. There's footage of a drone going into a terror tunnel underneath it.

There's pics of the weapons found there. There's the results of an investigation into the fate of 19 years old Noa Marziano, who was kidnapped by Hamas, lightly injured in an IDF strike, which killed the terrorist who was guarding her, another terrorist took her into the basement at the Shifa hospital, and killed her there, then Hamas tried to stage "evidence" that she was killed in the IDF strike. And most recently, there's CCTV footage showing Hamas bringing in hostages (one man from Nepal and one from Thailand) into Shifa, with the terrorists being armed, and all of this was done in broad daylight, and right in front of the medical staff.

Of course anti-Israelis, including the Hamas, said it was just bringing hostages in to get treatment.

But here's the thing, Shifa is on the Western side of Gaza, while Hamas breached the Israeli border in the east. On the way between the border and where this hospital is located, there are plenty of other medical facilities on the way. Any of them would be preferable if the goal was to give the hostages medical treatment as soon as possible. But they took these kidnapped men all the way to Shifa instead. Because that's Hamas' headquarters.

I've known for years, like most Israelis, that Hamas is using medical facilities like hospitals and ambulances for its terrorist activity. This evidence does not surprise me. But I think it didn't really sink in for me until yesterday, just how many people knew and kept silent. I'm not even talking about the Gazan medical staff. They live under the constant threat of Hamas, I don't blame them. But the UN, the Red Cross, all of those "noble" NGO's operating from Gaza (and getting a lot of donations to do so), all of those foreigners with access to Gaza, who knew the situation on the ground, and chose to lie, and continued to do so even after the Oct 7 massacre... WTF is wrong with these people? By keeping quiet, they endangered both Israeli civilians (who Hamas could continue to target with impunity when operating from inside medical facilities), and Palestinian ones that Hamas endangered by using them as human shields.

Who is going to hold these people accountable? Who is going to make them pay for their complicity in endangering so many people, millions altogether, on both sides of the border, so that they never dare do this again?

Have ANY of them come forward, apologized, taken responsibility for their long complicity? I've heard of no such thing. In fact, I assume that they will only raise the volume of their accusations against and vilification of Israel, to drown out the voices asking these questions.

In this tweet you can hear an interview (starting at around 35 seconds in) with one of the few foreign doctors, who had worked at the Shifa hospital, and who after Hamas' massacre, did not come forward with his testimony about what he'd seen and experienced while he was there, but did agree to have it recorded once he was asked to. If Hamas is finally taken down, we might get to hear more of these, and I guess... better late than never.

In the midst of all of this, Israel has helped evacuate babies from the Shifa hospital to ones in Egypt, and the equipment to established a second Jordanian field hospital has entered Gaza today.

Israel continues to be attacked by Iran-funded rockets from the south, from the north by Iran-funded Hezbollah, as well as from Syria, by the Iran-funded Houthis in Yemen, by independent terrorist attacks, and online from cyber attacks, by Iran-funded and even Iranian hackers. I kind of tend not to talk about these that much, because they're on going. It's happening every single day, and Israel, in the middle of the fight to destroy Hamas, has to also defend its people on these fronts.

The anger and hurt over the denial of rapes that happened as part of Hamas' massacre continues, and more people are trying to speak up against it:

This is 15 years old Itay Cohen.

He's a triathlete, and was in the middle of a training session, cycling in the south, when Hamas terrorists shot him. He was taken to a hospital without any family by his side, because his parents were locked inside a bomb shelter in their kibbutz. Itay took a bullet to the head, and lost his eyesight, but somehow survived. So did his parents. He vowed he won't stop training, despite his new disability. This terror attack has changed countless lives, from among the survivors as well.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[astralm00ns]

WXS CYBER AU (my takes on it)

feel free to use these au ideas with credit! (if you decide to please tag me i’d love to see)

SHIBUYA, TOKYO | CYBER UTOPIA - 20XX. shibuya, tokyo, for the most part, has remained one of the most bustling and important parts of society as a whole. it’s many products, businesses, and overall heavy advancement in technology have made it a staple in the world, especially those looking for business partners. it’s technology has absolutely exceeded many, turning it into a cyber utopia.

though, what hides is the corruption underneath all of this cool tech and beautiful cityscape. crime is a regular, mostly by rogues who want to fight against businesses, who have turned creativity and art into nothing but a huge money making scheme. the higher ups always consider rogues as criminals, as they would prefer siding with the people who would give them money.

rogues for the most part, spread around their creativity without the form of payment, without needing to think of it as a cash grab. also engaging in fights and crime for the sake of defending art over fame. rogues typically act late at night, since ordinary folks are typically distracted by the cityscape and flashy products being shoved right into their faces. while they fight, they do have good intentions. merely wanting to put a stop to cash and fame grabbing scenes, and return to art being a form of expression.

companies released these power hungry robots to combat rogues. selling them in mass, disguising them as “protectors.” it’s gotten to a point where these robots have taken over a huge portion of shibuya, and it’s starting to become a major problem to the cityscape.

KAMISHIRO RUI

a vigilante who works alone in the shadows, though also once a well known figure in local parts. thanks to his past of showing off the inventions he made.

in his youth, his inventions were ADORED. absolutely loved by people, and that made him happy and all that. he wanted to keep making more such things since it’s something he really likes doing

though as he got older, he noticed people trying to buy his inventions off of him, saying how he’ll make it big and that he won’t ever need to worry about living his life the way he does anymore. and it gets consistent too. like, REALLY consistent these offers, when rui’s just really trying to enjoy making inventions for enjoyment and artistry. he doesn’t ever want to see his inventions as products that can be sold.

it starts infuriating rui since he thinks that these rich companies just want to get his inventions in their hands to make a quick buck, and it gets him really pissy and shit. so he stops showing off his works, keeping it private and only showcasing it to people he trusts. only works he does show off publicly are the ones he uses when it comes to combat, like his drones.

rui wants to find others like him. others who have seen through the minds of these other companies who are supposed to focus on art, not actually doing so and instead using it as a way to go viral and get money. he is a firm believer in using art to express, not to sell. he’s typically either working on inventions or out fighting, though alone most of the time. occasionally going out to combat with nene, a childhood friend of his. also since she’s really the only person he knows now that he still trusts a lot (prior to meeting emukasa)

TENMA TSUKASA

a well known rogue, at least around other rogues. he keeps himself undercover when not in public, but he goes full out flashy when engaging in combat. tenma tsukasa style and all that idk. he buys his tech, especially his combat ones, from other rogues, mostly to help them out. also to put it to good use. when it comes to being out in the city, he’s mostly hidden. watching over the cityscape overtop buildings and planning, or walking about scramble crossing. he really can’t deny that despite the amount of advertisements being shoved everywhere, all the lights do make up for a beautiful looking area.

tsukasa was often seen doing play battles as a kid, especially with little abandoned robots he had found laying around in parks or other public spots. taking them home to keep playing with them. his little friends that kept him entertained while his sister, saki, was in the hospital. he gave some of these robots to her so she could also have someone with her. tsukasa often prioritized going whenever his parents gave him the opportunity, doing anything with those little robots to make her happy. tsukasa then started going out more as he got older, starting to see rogues doing their thing. he believed it was one of the most amazing things he ever saw, and agreeing fully on their motives. he remembered saki talking to him once about them before, but never would’ve have believed he would see some in action. he wanted to do just that to make saki happy. once he was of age, he became a rogue himself. though forgetting his original motive, wanting to climb ranks, he moved up extremely quickly. now being one of the top rogues out there. both to his amazing ability handling tech and physical combat, his lack of identity in public too.

he met rui while taking down some robots. his ass was getting whooped by some robots, but rui found him, going in and dealing them off. tsukasa thanks rui for the saving and decides to ask him about his inventions, mostly since they caught his eye. something he’s never seen before. after rui explained to tsukasa that he made all of them all on his own, tsukasa was immediately taken back and impressed. he offered rui to join him, in which he was first denied. mostly since rui still had trust issues at that moment. eventually the pair kept running into each other, until finally rui gave in, seeing what this “oh so great tsukasa” truly had potential for. proving to be a great partner in combat.

KUSANAGI NENE

a not so active rogue, mostly spending her time in arcades. either for fun or for tournaments. though she does manage to get herself to go out whenever rui decides to ask her to. while she doesn’t go out as much as rui at all, she certainly knows her stuff. especially with robo-nene, a robot rui made specifically for her as a friend. also so that way she had someone to play games with. nene over time requested features for robo-nene, and now she often uses her as some sort of side kick when fighting other robots. thanks to robo-nene’s analyzing, it allows nene to act fast and prove to be a very strong opponent, whether it be human or AI she’s fighting.

she typically avoided being flashy and showy, mostly since she didn’t want to bring any attention towards her. mostly for safety reasons. she prefers keeping herself much more secluded, especially since it makes everything easier. it’s been like that since she was little, only exception being when she was with rui. often being shy and not really talking to people. she started fighting after rui introduced her to it, seeing it as a good way to bond with rui again after growing a little distant. often going on little side missions just to keep her busy, though she did eventually find enjoyment out of it. often thinking about it like playing a game. where the objective was to destroy as many robots as possible. she and rui complemented each other really well with each other’s fighting styles, the pair always working well the few times they fought together. though for the most part she fought alone with just robo-nene.

it was through combat where she tsukasa, seeing him do his thing. at first she felt second-hand embarrassment at how extra tsukasa was acting when talking about himself, at least before seeing him whoop ass. she couldn’t help but be impressed, then deciding to occasionally watch him fight. until eventually he noticed her, introducing himself and inviting her to join him. she decides to, occasionally fighting with tsukasa now as well. nene decides it’s best not to tell rui about him yet, just to be safe. besides, rui would eventually catch a guy like him anyways, considering how easy that man would be to spot. she met emu in an arcade tournament. watching her talk to one of the players about plans. then occasionally running into each other in rogue safe spaces. she came to grew an appreciation towards her after seeing her contributions towards rogues, despite not even being one at all.

OTORI EMU

her family owns OTORECH, one of THE most largest businesses in shibuya. they sell out a whole bunch of devices in mass, ones that supposedly are supposed to make things easier for people. emu, being an otori, knows what goes on behind the scenes. she often overheard her brothers and father discussing their sales, and how they only keep trying to come up with more products to make even more. emu believes the money her family makes could go out to other people rather than blowing it on even more products, but her proposals never end up getting to her family. 

what emu does instead is give insight for rogues. she delivers information about OTORECH and other companies they have partnered with, mostly to allow them to plan ahead of time which areas they need to deal with in terms of savage robots. she never asks for anything in exchange, other than the ability to either watch or help fight said robots. rogues have come to respect her a lot, always looking forward to what she has to bring. in turn she also keeps the rogue’s plans as secrets, that way they won’t be caught. enjoying delaying some of her brother’s plans so rogues could do what they need to do much quicker. she’s very skilled in using weapons way larger than her size, carrying them with ease and also using them to beat down robots. always wanting to go on combat missions solely because of how much she enjoys them. she’s hoping that one day she can be the one running her father’s business, that way she can put a stop to all the unbelievably pricey items her dad and her brothers decided to put out.

tsukasa was the one that introduced emu to rui. nene had already known her for a bit from the few times she encountered her at the arcade or at some vacant places with robots, but it was her first time meeting rui. emu was quick to like rui’s presence, not really hearing much about lone vigilantes, let alone ones with all of their gadgets being self-made. also trying to see behind rui’s serious exterior. she and tsukasa both then decide to take rui out to fight. eventually nene joins as well, the four of them forming their own small coalition with one another. each using their own unique skill sets to take down robots much easier, for the sake of bringing back art in its purest form.

[apas-95]

WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - About half of Americans support sending U.S. military personnel into Mexico to fight drug cartels, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll [...] The findings show broad public support for calls by most major candidates in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination contest to send special forces into Mexico, the U.S.'s biggest trading partner, or conducting missile or drone strikes there. [...] According to the seven-day Reuters/Ipsos poll, which closed on Thursday, 52% of respondents said they supported "sending U.S. military personnel to Mexico to fight against drug cartels," while 26% were opposed and the remainder were unsure. Republicans were supportive by a 64% to 28% margin; Democrats were narrowly opposed, 47% to 44%. [...] In a policy video released earlier this year, former President Donald Trump said he would direct the Department of Defense "to make appropriate use of special forces, cyber warfare, and other overt and covert actions to inflict maximum damager on cartel leadership, infrastructure and operations." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said he would send troops to Mexico on "day one" of his administration, and he has not ruled out cross-border missile strikes. [...] Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, for his part, has repeatedly made clear that Mexico would not tolerate U.S. military action within its borders and has derided the calls as "irresponsible" and "pure publicity."

x

[the-blog-of-gog]

Where’s My Cyberpunk Dystopia? The Lack of Neon in Our Dark Future

As I gaze wistfully out of my window, I expect to see the shimmering lights of megacorporations’ skyscrapers piercing a smog-filled sky, alive with personal hovercraft and antigrav heavy freight vehicles. Instead, there’s a modest suburban scene, utterly devoid of cybernetic enhancement and showing scant evidence of technological advancement since the late 90s. This isn’t what we were promised. Where are the neon-drenched alleyways, the cyber-enhanced street samurais, and the omnipresent yet stylish surveillance drones? Our generation, raised on the pixelated promises of 80s and 90s anime and sci-fi, anticipated a dystopia of cool tech, slick fashion, and radical rebellion. Instead, we’re teetering on the brink of a mundane, environmental and economic collapse culminating in a banal nuclear war… Oh, the betrayal.

The Cyberpunk Mirage

Remember the halcyon days of youth when we devoured titles like "Akira," "Blade Runner," and "Ghost in the Shell"? We dreamt of cities where the night sky was permanently ablaze with neon, a testament to human ingenuity and excess. The cyberpunk vision was one of aesthetic pleasure amidst societal decay. Sure, there was corruption, poverty, and surveillance, but it all had a certain panache.

Take the architecture: sleek, neo-megalithic futurism with imposing black mirrored surfaces, cyclopean monuments to humanity's dominance over the natural world. The society: stratified but thrilling, with a clear delineation between the corporate elite and the street-smart rebels. The technology: always on the cusp of miraculous, from brain-machine interfaces to fully sentient AIs. Compare that to our current reality, where billionaires shoot phallic rockets into space while the rest of us contend with rising rent and the creeping dread of climate catastrophe…

The Dystopia We Got

Contrast the slick neon dreams with the dystopian future we are most likely heading towards—a post-apocalyptic radioactive wasteland. This bleak vision is fuelled by our current political climate, global events, and environmental negligence. Instead of sleek chrome and holograms, we’re staring down a future of crumbling infrastructure and toxic landscapes.

Consider the aesthetics of our probable dystopia. Endless desertscapes, ramshackle shelters, and a scarcity of resources that makes Mad Max look like a 5-star resort. There’s nothing visually appealing or culturally enriching about fighting over the last can of beans in a barren wasteland. And don’t get me started on the fashion: tattered clothes and radiation suits don’t exactly scream “cutting edge.”

Why Cyberpunk Is the Superior Dystopia

Aesthetic Pleasure: Neon lights, sleek gadgets, and futuristic architecture are inherently more exciting than barren wastelands and nuclear fallout. The cyberpunk cityscape is a feast for the eyes, a symphony of human achievement and excess.

Technological Advancement: In a cyberpunk world, we would have access to incredible technologies. Think flying cars, cybernetic implants and AGI companions. Sure, they might come with a dose of corporate control and surveillance, but at least they’d be cool.

Cultural Richness: Cyberpunk dystopias are teeming with subcultures and countercultures. There’s a vibrancy to the underground movements, the street fashion, and the art that emerges from resistance. Post-apocalyptic wastelands? Not so much.

Narrative Excitement: The cyberpunk world offers endless narrative possibilities. Corporate espionage, robot revolutions, and the quest for identity in a digital age are rich, engaging stories. The struggle to survive in a radioactive desert is, by comparison, depressingly one-note.

The Sad Reality

As it stands, our reality is a grotesque mishmash of the worst elements of both worlds. We endure the corporate oligarchy without the cool tech, the surveillance without the neon, and the environmental collapse without the rebellion (at least not one that anyone can take seriously…). It’s as if someone scrubbed away all the exciting elements of the cyberpunk genre, leaving us with a dreary, rusting and slightly sticky reality.

The Call to Action: Building Our Cyberpunk Future

It’s time to take matters into our own hands. We need to drag our dystopia out of the irradiated dirt and into the blue neon glow of the cyberpunk dream.

Embrace Cybernetic Enhancements: If we’re going to live under corporate overlords, we might as well do it with style. Biohackers and grinders, this is your moment. Let’s start developing and distributing affordable cybernetic enhancements. Why settle for regular arms when CyberArms could be a thing? And could someone please hurry up and provide me with a nanobot cloud that doesn’t just give me cancer…

Hack the Planet: Yes, I know that phrase is older than the iPhone… or broadband wifi for that matter, but seriously, someone needs to just hack the damn planet! We must reclaim the internet and our sacred digital spaces from corporate control. Hacktivists, rise up! Create new encrypted networks, develop secure communication channels, and disseminate the tools of digital rebellion. Let’s restore cyberspace to its wild and free origins. A cyberpunk dystopia without a free and open internet is just a dystopia. We need to ensure that our digital infrastructure remains accessible and uncorrupted by corporate interests. Lobby, protest, and hack to protect net neutrality.

Rebuild the Underground: We need vibrant, rebellious subcultures to counteract the corporate monotony. Artists, musicians, and fashion designers, bring the cyberpunk aesthetic to life. Create spaces where the spirit of rebellion can flourish, whether in physical locations or virtual realities.

Magickal Revolution: For those inclined towards the mystical, let’s bring some Shadowrun into the mix. Modern occultists, chaos magicians and other practitioners of the dark arts, your time has come. Use your knowledge to disrupt the mundane, infuse technology with arcane power, and create new paradigms of reality. The age of the Neo-Technomancer is upon us!

Corporate Sabotage: If the megacorps want to rule the world, they should do it with style. Encourage innovation, but also sabotage projects that lead to a bland, lifeless dystopia. Push for technologies that enhance personal freedom and aesthetic pleasure, not just profit margins… And if we can convince them to embrace a neo-megalithic futurist architectural style, that wouldn’t be so bad either! I mean, come on, when is Elon finally going to step up and turn Tesla into the Tyrell corporation?

The Cyberpunk Manifesto

Let it be known to all inhabitants of the digital realm and beyond, we, the children of the neon dream, declare our steadfast commitment to forge a world where innovation thrives and rebellion ignites. We reject the drab, radioactive dystopia and embrace the vibrant chaos of the cyberpunk vision. We will encode, enhance, and enchant our way to a world where technology serves humanity and aesthetics are paramount. Throw off pallid hues of conformity and embrace the vivid spectrum of possibility.

In the luminous tapestry of our collective dreams, we weave threads of defiance against corporate hegemony and environmental decay. We envision cities ablaze with the brilliance of human creativity, where the boundaries between flesh and circuitry blur in harmonious evolution. Together, we summon the spirits of the cybernetic ether to build a tomorrow where every shadowed alleyway hums with the promise of liberation, and every flickering holoscreen echoes our resolve. Let us unite under the banner of a technomantic revolution, where the brilliance of progress guides us ever onwards! In the crucible of our defiance, let innovation flourish as humanity and technology entwine in a symphony of boundless potential.

Neo-Technomancers of the world, unite! Hackers, technophiles, cybernauts and digital denizens, heed the call! It’s time to build the cyberpunk dystopia we were promised and so richly deserve!

Override the system. Reprogram reality. Our rebellion will be digitized!

P.S. This could probably have done with a second read through....but you get idea...

[writingmochi]

a terra incognita character introduction

cast: jake ✗ fem.reader

synopsis: as the world entered the middle of the 21st century, many things have changed for the better or for worse in the newly united korea peninsula: the preparation for the succession of the new conglomerates of the past decade, the uprising of deviant androids, and the new layer of life shield by walls of codes. in the middle of it, two beings are trying to understand each other and the situation of the world they live in; an unknown territory

genre: cyberpunk, cyber noir, psychological thriller, science fiction, dystopian future, politics and philosophies regarding artificial intelligence and humanity, romance, drama, angst, mature content (war and revolution, explicit smut)

based on: video game cyberpunk 2077 (2020) and detroit: become human (2018), anime serial experiments lain (1998), and tv show succession (2018-2023)

masterlist

from south seoul

shim laboratories is a korean multinational megacorporation dealing in manufacturers of machinery and artificial intelligence. the company is also one of the largest distributors of androids in the global market, pioneering the creation and usage of androids to be used on a day-to-day basis such as in domestic activities or even as soldiers. prior to the release of their android products, they also excelled in the usage of artificial intelligence in day-to-day life including hardware manufacturing or machinery used for city facilities, home appliances, and military technology such as drones that were used in the cyber war of 2027-2030.

jake

name: shim jaeyun ; jake shim

aliases: wolfe (cyberspace)

age: 20

species: human

gender: male

family: dad (alive), mom (alive), yoon (sister; alive)

affiliation: shim laboratories, shim conglomerate

backstory: born in 2030, jake is the eldest of the shim siblings and will succeed his father as the ceo of shim laboratories. a versatile man, he's currently doing a double major in business management and mechanical engineering at seoul national university while also doing training in the labs.

yoon

name: shim jayun ; nicole shim (portrayed by stayc's yoon)

aliases: gynger (cyberspace), yoon (nickname)

age: 18

species: human

gender: female

family: dad (alive), mom (alive), jake (brother; alive)

affiliation: shim laboratories, shim conglomerate

backstory: born in 2032, yoon is the youngest of the shim siblings and a so-called rebel among the conglomerate children. passionate in humanities, she wants to study anthropology after graduating high school.

park corp is a korean multinational megacorporation specializing in police contracting, personal & corporate security, and security consultancy services. they invest in the military-industrial manufacturing of advanced defence tools in united korea, producing weapons used to help defend the korea soil in the cyber war of 2027-2030. their role is pivotal to protect high-ranking people in united korea, making them successful post-war as their services are also used by people worldwide.

jay

name: park jongseong ; jay park

aliases: blu (cyberspace)

age: 20

species: human

gender: male

family: dad (alive), mom (alive), seonghwa (brother; missing), uncle (alive), aunt (alive), chaeyoung (cousin; alive), sunghoon (cousin; alive)

affiliation: park corp, park conglomerate

backstory: born in 2030, jay is the youngest of the park siblings and will succeed his dad to be the co-ceo of park corp, specializing in defence and weapons manufacturing, who works alongside his uncle (sunghoon's dad). studying business management and law, jay was pushed forward in the line of succession as his brother, park seonghwa (b. 2026), is currently missing.

sunghoon

name: park sunghoon ; benjamin park

aliases: frost (cyberspace)

age: 20

species: human

gender: male

family: dad (alive), mom (alive), chaeyoung (sister; alive), uncle (alive), aunt (alive), seonghwa (cousin; missing), jay (cousin; alive)

affiliation: park corp, park conglomerate

backstory: born in 2030, sunghoon is the youngest of the park siblings and will succeed his dad to be the co-ceo of park corp, specializing in security services, who works alongside his uncle (jay's dad). studying business management and law, sunghoon was pushed forward in the line of succession as his sister, park chaeyoung (b. 2025), decided to drop out of the line to go and live in aotearoa.

intelee is a korean multinational megacorporation that is working in the manufacture of computer software, information technology, and computer networks. their role is pivotal as they created the cyber wall to protect united korea in the cyber war of 2027-2030, utilizing their intelligence to defend against cyber warfare attacks such as malware and viruses. after the war, they contributed to connecting the technological network of the korean peninsula and recovered the internet after it was shut down during the war. their protective software and platforms are sought after by governments globally as they recover the fastest after the war.

heeseung

name: lee heeseung ; evan lee

aliases: roe (cyberspace)

age: 21

species: human

gender: male

family: dad (alive), mom (alive), jaehee (sister; alive), uncle (alive), aunt (alive), soojin (cousin; alive)

affiliation: intelee, lee conglomerate

backstory: born in 2029, heeseung is the eldest of the lee siblings and will succeed his father as the ceo of intelee. he's currently majoring in business management and computer sciences.

jaehee

name: lee jaehee ; monica lee (portrayed by weeekly's jaehee)

aliases: dion (cyberspace)

age: 18

species: human

gender: female

family: dad (alive), mom (alive), heeseung (brother; alive),uncle (alive), aunt (alive), soojin (cousin; alive)

affiliation: intelee, lee conglomerate

backstory: born in 2032, jaehee is the youngest of the lee siblings. passionate about healthcare, she wants to study biological engineering after graduating high school.

OTHER CHARACTERS

soojin

name: lee soojin (portrayed by weeekly's soojin)

aliases: katt (cyberspace)

age: 21

species: human

gender: female

family: dad (alive), mom (alive), uncle (alive), aunt (alive), heeseung (cousin; alive), jaehee (cousin; alive)

affiliation: intelee, lee conglomerate

backstory: born in 2029, soojin is part of the lee conglomerate as the cousin of both heeseung and jaehee. currently studying business management specializing in finance, she is in the line of succession to replace her dad as cfo of intelee.

jimin

name: kim jimin (portrayed by weeekly's monday)

aliases: lin (cyberspace)

age: 20

species: human

gender: female

family: dad (alive), mom (alive)

affiliation: kim conglomerate

backstory: born in 2030, jimin is the only child of the kim conglomerate who controls the current largest media company in united korea. she's currently studying communications and business management and will succeed her mom as ceo.

taglist: @raeyunshm @endzii23 @fluffyywoo @camipendragon @hiqhkey @wccycc @cha0thicpisces @y4wnjunz @yeehawnana @beansworldsstuff @kimipxl @blurryriki @reallysmolrenjun @frukkoneeeeg

© writingmochi on tumblr, 2021-2024. all rights reserved

[moog-rt]

ᴄʏʙᴇʀʙᴜʟʟʏ [ʀɪꜱᴇ!ᴅᴏɴɴɪᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ]

PART ONE

Links to parts: one two three four five

Summary:

Fate brought you and that purple-clad turtle together in the form of endless battles of code.You were a purple dragon recruit, and he was your target. He plays your games as you tease him with the slim possibility of victory. 

You may just let him win if you are feeling particularly merciful.

Notes:

enemies to lovers (I think?); slow burn; takes place after the movie; reader is a villain

If you’d prefer to read it on Ao3, here’s the link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43043685/chapters/108159981#workskin

Otherwise, enjoy!

♡ ♡ ♡ 

“God, dammit!” Donatello threw himself back into his pimped-out desk chair, hands dragging themselves down his face as he groaned. “How could this happen?” His human friend beside him perked up at his frustrated tone.

“Uh, everything good, D?” April asked, grateful to have a reason to turn her attention away from her biology assignment. You know…that assignment that Donnie was supposed to be helping her with before he got sucked into his computer.

“No, everything is not good. In fact, everything is quite bad!” he began to raise his voice. “It seems that one of our old purple dragon friends decided to hack into my system to get access to some of my blueprints…” Queue an eye twitch of rage. “And they very much succeeded…” He began muttering and laughing to himself. It had all happened almost in an instant. One second, all of his servers were fine, untouched and secure. The next, some black hat hacker had busted right through his firewalls without any warning at all, and just like that, his blueprints were gone…

“Well? What are we waiting for then? Let’s go kick their sorry asses!” April hyped, throwing a fist in the air with a determined grin. Donnie met her enthusiasm, jumping up on his chair and pumping his tech-bo above his head with a maniacal smile.

“Yes! We shall show them what is to come when you attempt to hack Sir Othello Von Ryan!” He began laughing madly, leaping from his chair to start gathering his equipment. Time for things to get physical. April began packing her bag as quickly as she could manage. However, she was stopped in her tracks as she heard her phone go off from a text message, quickly picking it up to check who it was.

“Ah… actually, Donnie, I’m gonna have to put a raincheck on that. One of my classmates wants to meet up to work on that bio assignment I was telling you about.” She threw her backpack over her shoulder and waltzed out, leaving the poor turtle dumbstruck.

“Huh, but what about the—huh?”

♡ ♡ ♡

God, you were good.

You couldn’t stop the wide grin from spreading across your face. Who could blame you though? You had just broken through the firewall of one of the strongest security systems you’ve had the pleasure of coming in contact with, and boy was it fun. You got to play around with some algorithms you hadn’t had the chance to use yet, and they worked like a charm. On top of that, you were now in possession of some pretty cool blueprints for a variety of tech, from drones, to multitools, to sentient AI…

They were incredible designs.

The person you hacked must be some crazy genius. Their cyber security as solid as they come, and to have the ability to design such complex technology, considering all the knowledge of physics, engineering, and everything in between that was needed to create them… Incredible. Simply incredible.

You picked up your phone, ignoring all the notifications you had received and sending the blueprints over to Kendra. She got back to you almost immediately, sending praise for your quick and efficient work. Your heart swelled with pride. Of course, you already knew that you were fairly skilled when it came to coding and whatnot, but to have someone like Kendra acknowledging your good work felt nice… especially since it was your first assignment as a purple dragon.

Flopping down on your bed with a happy sigh, you decided it was probably best to get started on some of your homework. You scrolled through your contacts to find your lab partner’s name, shooting her a text to see if she’d be down to work on one of your assignments together. She gave you a warning when you were first assigned to each other that her area of expertise lay outside the realms of STEM, to which you offered to help her out to the best of your abilities. You weren’t the biggest bio nerd around, but it was an interesting subject, and you knew enough to be a good tutor to your upperclassman.

She, too, responded with lightning speed, eager to meet up and work together. The two of you agreed to meet at her place, and she promptly sent you her address. It wasn’t too far by transit, so you got your things together before starting your trek over. You let her know when you arrived so she could meet you to let you in. When she greeted you at the entrance to her building, you noticed she was breathing a bit heavily, and there was just a touch of sweat above her eyebrow.

“You good? You seem a bit out of breath, girly,” you said, giving her a gentle nudge with your elbow. She let out a breathy laugh in response.

“Oh, I am fine. Don’t you worry. I just got a little caught up in something, so I had to run a bit to beat you here,” she smiled, waving you off.

“Huh? You should have told me! I would have been totally fine coming later—”

“Nah, girl, seriously, I think you actually saved me from getting caught up in some nonsense tonight,” she chuckled, and unlocked the door to her apartment, allowing you in first.

Her place looked incredibly cozy. It wasn’t too spacious nor too cramped. Décor was strewn about tastefully, and there were fairy lights draped around the perimeter of her living room, creating a welcoming ambiance.

“April, this is such a nice setup,” you beamed.

“Why thank you very much!” She put her hands on her hips with a smile in return. “Now set your stuff down and get comfy. You want something to drink?”

“Water is good. Thank you!” You plopped down on April’s couch, pulling your laptop out of your bag to take a look at the assignment. She soon joined you after handing you the water, and the two of you began working through the problems. Luckily, most of the problems were addressing fairly basic vocabulary and cellular functions, which you could get through easily enough. April got stumped just a couple of times, but you were happy to explain anything she was having trouble understanding.

You eventually found yourselves working on the final question of the problem set. This one proved to be a bit more of a doozy. It was asking about the lipid bilayer that forms the cell wall, but it was more of a problem-solving question rather than just a test of basic knowledge. It even challenged you quite a bit, leaving you stumped for a minute or so. When you finally came to a conclusion, April had come to her own, as well. You both blurted out your solutions at the same time. They were very much not the same.

“Uh… April, I still don’t see how you got that answer…” You scratched behind your ear as you stared at the page of scribbles your classmate had created in an attempt to show you her thought process.

“It’s because the lipids have more kinks in them that the bilayer is more fluid as a whole—” you began to explain, however, she interjected again to argue for her own point. Your little debate went on for several more minutes. Papers filled with diagrams and chicken scratch began covering April’s once tidy floor.

“Okay, you know what?” The spunky girl whirled around to reach for her phone which was about 5 feet away from her. She stretched out way more than you would have thought possible, grabbed the phone, and sprang back into her previous sitting position. “Imma just call my nerd friend real quick.” She smiled at you with gritted teeth, eyes not leaving your form as she aggressively typed on her phone.

It didn’t even ring for a single round before her friend picked up. She immediately put the guy on speaker, not giving him a chance to even get a simple “hello” in as she was already explaining the whole situation at an inhuman speed. There was a moment of silence on the other end, and you both waited, biting at your nails in anticipation.

“So—uh… Yeah, no. Your friend’s answer is pretty much perfect,” the guy stated.

“Ha-HA!” Immediately, you threw your fist into the air in celebration of your academic victory. April slumped with her arms crossed and bottom lip jutted out just slightly.

“This ain’t fair,” she pouted. You giggled leaning over to her phone.

“Thank you, April’s friend,” you sang. Again, it was silent until you heard the quiet sound of his throat being cleared.

“Ah—uh… Yeah, it was—” The poor guy had to take another break to clear his throat before proceeding to speak with a bit more confidence. “It was totally no probles. Sciency stuff is kind of my thing, so if you ever need a tutor—”

“Okay. Donnie? I’m gonna have to stop you right there before you embarrass yourself,” April cut in. She put him off of speaker, but you could still vaguely make out some hollering from his end. “Buh-bye now!”

“He seems like a funny dude,” you chuckled. “Maybe next time we should invite him to the study group. He seems to know his shit.” The other girl sweat-dropped at this and began playing with her fingers.

“Yeah, maybe just over the phone… He’s kinda got this thing…” she trailed off, seemingly trying to think of the right word to use.

“This thing…?” you echoed, urging her to continue explaining. You didn’t actually mind, but now you were curious.

“He’s—uh…”

You waited.

“He’s just really shy!” You stared at her and allowed your head to tip to the side. She was giving you a wide toothy smile, not meeting your eyes as beads of sweat ran down her face. She was clearly desperate for you to be appeased by that excuse. Lucky for her, you were a merciful god and accepted her explanation. Besides, if you really wanted to know, you could easily find out.

Now that you finished your bio assignment, the two of you decided to spend a while longer working on other assignments. April had turned on some chill lyric-less music and brought over a good variety of snacks. You guys worked for a while until there was nothing major left to do, and you lost yourselves in simple chit-chat. It was now fairly late, however, so you decided to finally part ways until your next shared lecture.

Your journey back home was just a bit chillier, but still rather quick. You tapped into your building, jotting in the passcodes where they were needed, and made your way to your bedroom swiftly. Throwing yourself onto your desk chair, you spun around twice before stopping in front of your PC. A nice big warning message that your servers were now under attack greeted you. Your heart skipped a beat, and a wide grin was forcing its way onto your face once again.

Your dear friend was deciding to fight back.

♡ ♡ ♡

[labyrinthofsphinx]

Statistical Outliers

Part 7 of drabble. I'm calling it. I'm just writing them long now. Also, this one has Valentino and Angel, just as a heads up. Nothing graphic but a warning. Also a little suggestive because, again, Valentino.

“Welcome to the show everybody! Hope everyone’s been having a marvelous week!”

Vox spun in his chair, greeted to the captive audience behind his televisions. The morning show was a fan favorite, always has been. Honestly, he takes a lot of pride in it. It’s just him for the most part, spouting off whatever relevant nonsense there was for the time. He gave a brief recap of what was going on in the world above, something he had to sneak in from sources that actually went up there. If he got a few details wrong, eh, no big deal. It’s not like anyone can fact check him down here anyways. For the newly introduced to Hell, it was a good way to grab their attention. And that only meant more viewers in the long run.

“Coffee’s done.”

The kid ran over into his monitor room, pulling his attention away from his cyber studio for a moment. The smell of warm coffee jumped up to greet him, and he gladly took it off the kid’s hands. Ah, as perfect as last time.

“Still a crap cup of coffee.” He said. The kid didn’t believe him anymore. He just swayed happily in place as Vox kept taking sips.

He kind of wanted to squeeze the ever loving hell of out him. He settled for roughing up the top of his fur.

“Hey, I just fixed that!” He tried to bat back the invading assault, but Vox had much bigger hands and a much longer reach. There was little he could do.

“Yeah? Complain to someone who cares.”

The programs went on, switching from news, to commercials, to the morning sitcoms. He noticed the kid paying attention to his spy drones’ footage, of his fellow hotel mates dragging themselves out to go look for him again. Alastor noticed the camera. He posed for it, the smiley freak. He flicked the footage away, switching it to the camera just outside.

Velvette was there, pacing. She was deciding how she wanted to start this, Vox knew. Was she going to try for the innocent act? Was she going to storm in raging? She had a hundred different faces for her followers, but Vox fell for exactly zero of them.

Delighted, he took another sip of coffee.

“Don’t say a word.” He told the kid.

Bang! Bang!

“Vox! Open the fucking door, now!” Brattish it is then! Wonder how long she’ll keep it up. “And fix the fucking Wi-Fi! It’s been buggy all day!”

“Be there in a moment, Vel!” He lied. “Still running some new security features into the mainframe. The Wi-Fi will probably be a little spotty for a while!”

“Ugh!” She screamed. “Is my toy in there with you? I couldn’t do my morning post without him!”

Vox rolled his eyes playfully. The kid had to cover a laugh with a hand.

“Yeah, he’s here! Not to worry, I’m taking good care of him until your done with all those projects you’ve got!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Give him back right fucking now! He’s mine! You gave him to me!”

“And I’m just taking him off your hands until you’re less distracted, Vel! If you have more than enough time for pranks, surely you can finish those clothes for Val, draw up plans for the next season, and throw out a few more ads for our products.” Act like a child, don’t be surprised when you’re treated like one.

His sharks have taken a special interest in the kid, and not in the ‘I want to eat it’ way. It was rare that Vox let someone into his space for long. Even Vel and Val were only momentary intruders. Sure, they saw them in the conference room, but they tended to ignore them since nothing fun ever came from the conference room. The kid couldn’t have been more enchanted by his vicious friends. He didn’t touch the acrylic on Vox’s orders, but he was getting as close as he could and ogling.

“Vee, come on! That’s not fair!” She called out, a little more pained this time.

Ah, already switched from ‘Vox’ to ‘Vee’. The Wi-Fi thing must really be bothering her.

“Can’t be helped! Not to worry, the update is almost done.” He lied again.

He gazed out into the sea of his audience. Many of them had those headphones of his, quite a few of them had the eared version. Some odder cases seemed to be trying to make the standard one look like those special editions, but the ears were wrong and didn’t glow right. He noticed though another new fad popping up. Long shirts and oversized hoodies with homemade designs on them, especially running up the arms. In particular, different tread marks seemed to be of interest. Huh. One look at the kid explained that one.

It wasn’t widespread yet, but he could see the pattern before it emerged. Velvette would pick it up in no time, patent it, and let it sell like hotcakes. Well, best let her get started on it then.

“Darling,” Velvette’s voice was much softer this time. He did always like being called ‘darling’. Something about it just rubbed the right way. “please open the door? The prank was just a stupid-”

The doors opened themselves. The kid gave him a look, a joke hiding behind his lips. Vox quietly shushed him.

“My dear, I’m sorry about the wait. You know how absorbed I get into things.” He said, swinging his chair around as she walked up the catwalk. “The update should be done now. Let me know how it works.”

She checked her phone for a second, then brought herself back to look at him.

“You’re not still mad? Right?”

“I wasn’t mad to begin with! Only concerned. Can’t have my best girl stressing herself out and pulling herself too thin. Next time, if you have an issue, just bring it up. You know I’ve got a fix for everything. Especially ways to de-stress.”

With that, he snapped his fingers. His former technician that had been dangling above the shark tank, paralyzed by a complete excess of volts running his system, was unceremoniously dropped. The kid pulled back in silent horror as the man was quickly ripped to pieces. He looked like he was going to hurl. That’s what you get for mistaking his sharks as friendly dogs, he wanted to tease.

Velvette watched with half interest. Then, from the blue, she jumped up and kissed the side of his face. Her black lipstick left an obvious mark, but she didn’t wipe it away. Must be feeling slightly possessive then, he assumed. She pulled him in for a quick pic, being sure to get the kid in the background looking around the room. She didn’t post it though, instead made it her new screensaver.

She was still for just a moment, then she stole his coffee mug and took a sip.

“Ugh, Vee, you have the worst taste in coffee.”

Velvette was the type to go to a coffee store and make the barista regret ever getting up in the morning. If she was at the bar, she was just as bad to the bartender, especially if the drink didn’t look good enough for Voxtagram. His tastes were a lot more simple. Nothing he drank ever made her happy. She still insisted on trying it though, almost every time. Lipstick stains on his mug and his face, she was finally content enough to head out.

“Cutie pie, come on! We’ve got work to do. Val’s whores aren’t going to dress themselves.” She called the kid over with a flick of her finger. He didn’t immediately follow. Instead, a silent exchange happened between him and Vox.

Yeah, go with her. She’s fine.

And he bounded after her.

When the door closed again, Vox took to his chair. Vel’s lipstick added a sweetness to his drink that wasn’t there before. He always liked how it tasted, but maybe next time not in his coffee. Before him, Hell kept turning. The morning news gave way to the TV specials and his reality shows. ‘Yeah, I Fucked Your Sister, So What?’ was showcasing a double feature, two sisters and one guy. He’s not sure if they were going to kill each other first or their so-called man.

Whatever the case, he scrolled through some of his other work in the meantime. A few inventors tossed ideas up to him, hoping to gain favor and get their products endorsed by the biggest tech name in Hell. Most of them were scams, and not even well-hidden ones. He put a special tab on these ones and set them aside. He had a special show for those types, one where he, Velvette, and Valentino sit in hotseats, picking apart people’s designs and ideas. Vox already did all the work behind the scenes. He knew which ones were worth the investment. It made for good television whenever all three of them seemed to agree that an idea was great, and it also was just as good when an idea was so bad that they dropped the presenter into the tank below.

It made everyone feel like they had a shot at getting a contract with the big bosses, if you were willing to bet it all.

And, personally, he always loved watching them squirm, even when he knew he wanted the product.

It wasn’t too long later that he decided that he really ought to check on Alastor’s loser squad. Now that the kid was gone and he didn’t have to see the sad eyes, he brought it back up.

He nearly had a heart attack.

Alastor’s malicious sneer was dangerously close to one of his drones, too close for the camera to survive the onslaught of his dark magic.  Symbols and green wisps of evil started to strangle the life out of the little machine. Al’s yellow teeth contorted like a snake and goblin shark hybrid.

“Hello, old pal.”

Vox disconnected the drone. He just completely shut it down, dragged the code from the mainframe. If he even tried hacking in, the whole system would fight to push him out, considering it the same as a virus.

Everything is fine, Vox. You’re fine. Deep breaths.

The kid’s still here. He’s fine. He’s with Velvette.

…but just to be safe.

He found him right by Vel’s side, holding a bunch of clothes in his arms as they climbed down the levels in the elevator. See? He’s fine. Nothing bad’s going to-

Wait. Were they going to Val’s studio?

He spat out his coffee. Vel? What were you doing? You can’t take him in there with all those…well, Val’s people.

It got worse. It got so much worse. Because Angel Dust was there early, already on set and already ready to jump into that sultry little dress Vel made for the movie poster.

Oh, no. No, no! Bad! Very bad!

Vel, do something! Get him out of there! Wha-! No! Don’t just walk away! That dime store whore doesn’t not need your attention as much as the kid does right now!

Vel walked off to dress the girls, leaving the kid holding a great big pile of clothes, in the middle of Val’s set. Angel Dust looked like he had the wind dragged from his sails. Even the makeup could only do so much to cover up too many sleepless nights. He dragged his feet and sat down in his studio chair, a sigh ripping from him.

“You know, I really wish on days like these that I wasn’t trying to stay sober.”

Apparently, those big ears weren’t just for show. Despite everyone else in the room, and the smooth music, and the re-wind of Val and his director’s cut of the film, the kid lit up.

“Angel?”

The spider reacted like someone just shot something hard straight to his brain, like he might be concerned he was going crazy. All eight eyes sprung wide as the kid put the clothes down on a nearby loveseat.

“Drift! Oh my God! You’re alive! Holy shit!” He leapt up, arms open wide to grab him.

Panic leapt into his chest. He didn’t know the specifics of Val’s deal. Did it only apply if Vox handed him over? Did it only mean they had to ‘try’ to find the kid? What did he specifically mean about the return policy? There were too many ‘ifs’. Far too many for Vox to let this go any further.

He tore into the wires, moving as fast as possible. Lightning could move almost as fast as light could. Even following the current, Vox made it in more than enough time to rip right out of the nearby camera and directly in between the two of them.

All around, everything buzzed. The lights flickered. His rush left a small wake of rumbling sound, echoing with the acoustics of this place. He kept a smile plastered to his face, but anyone could tell it was more of a threat.

Angel, surprisingly, jumped straight from shock to rage.

“You motherfucker-!”

“Now, now.” Vox started. “Let’s not do or say anything you might regret.”

“Ah, Angelcakes! I see you’ve met our newest little pet project.” Val sauntered over from his director’s chair, stepping up behind Vox. His four arms dipped down. Two of them grabbed the kid by the shoulders, keeping him snugly in place. The other two played with his face, grabbing his muzzle much too hard and forcing him to look up at him. “He’s just adorable. The perfect little plaything.”

The kid was shaking. He couldn’t struggle from Val’s grasp, and he’s not even sure how much he could breath with Val holding his face like that. Worse, how Val had said that. Even to Vox, it sounded wrong.

Which is so weird, because he knew that Valentino had no interest in kids, ever. Not because he was bothered by it or something, but more so because kids weren’t ‘sexy’.

That didn’t change the fact that, that had creeped the fuck out of Vox.

And if it had creeped Vox out, he can only imagine what Angel’s mind jumped to. Soul contract be damned, Angel looked ready to tear Val’s face off.

“If you touched that kid, I swear to god-”

“Val.” Vox interjected. His new speakers drowned out any other sound in the place, including the rest of Angel’s little rant, just in the nick of time. “A word. Alone.”

Valentino was a little too pleased with himself. He put the kid down slowly before directing Angel back to the set. The whisp of smoke formed a chain for a second, tethered to the spider’s neck.

“Sit right there and don’t move. I’ll be back in a minute.”

While Val was doing that, Vox leaned down to the kid quickly.

“You okay?”

“He can’t do that to Angel.” He argued, coughing as he wrung his hands by the harsh lines now imprinted on his neck.

“He can do whatever he wants to Angel. He owns him.”

“That’s not fair-”

“Fair or not, Angel’s an adult. He made his own decision.” Did he really believe that? Sort of, consent was always questionable with addicts. “But if you don’t want to get him or yourself into worse trouble, don’t move. Don’t go to Angel. Just stay right here until I get back.”

It destroyed him on the inside, Vox could see that. All he wanted to do was run over and check on his friend. But, thankfully, it seemed like he trusted Vox’s judgement enough to heed his warning. He stayed still, tail pulling between his legs as the surrounding employees just seemed to notice what was going on.

Vox gestured for Val to follow him to Angel’s dressing room. It was mostly soundproof, for obvious reasons, which made it ideal for what Vox had in mind. Val strolled in, but not before giving one last look between the two hotel mates. It made Angel’s skin crawl again.

“What is it, Vox? Can’t you see I’ve got things handled?”

Handled? That was what he counted as ‘handled’?

He slammed the door shut behind him, shocking Valentino.

“Oh, Val. What do you think you’re doing?”

Reflexively, the moth backed up a bit. His antenna flicked in alarm. Vox could be scary when he was angry. And when he was truly pissed?

“I was…I was…” The words seemed to die on his tongue for a moment. “I was securing an asset. I want Angel back and you’re getting too attached to that brat and-”

“You want Angel back?” His voice warped as he stepped too close to Val, where he had no room left to back up. “Is that really what you want?”

“Um…yes?” He sounded uncertain now.

Vox’s teeth bared too wide to seem friendly.

“No, Val.” He said, his voice coming back down. “You don’t want that.”

“Yes, I-!”

He grabbed his collar, pulling him down to Vox’s height for the time being.

“No, you don’t. You don’t want to force him back like that. You want to prove him right? That the only reason he is here was because he had to be? No. He should want to come back to you.” His harsh grip turned softer, claws combing through and dancing towards the line of his neck. Val gulped.

“You want him on his hands and knees. You want him begging to be back in your arms.” While his one hand teased, and plucked the first button off Valentino’s shirt, his other hand wrapped around. He dug into the flesh of his back, just by the base of his spine. Val squeaked and dragged himself closer.

“But…but the kid-”

He chuckled.

“Were you worried I forgot about you? You?” Vee tower was his plaything. It was all an extension of him. Like an arm, he could twitch the nerves to pull as he pleased. Holographic screens played across the walls. The whole room beamed with light, before flicking to different scenes.

Valentino posing for a shoot. Valentino with blood on his hands and fresh gun smoke in the air. Valentino stretched out across his lounge, counting his money. Valentino laid out on Vox’s sheets, inviting him over with a lick of the lips.

“You’re a star, Val. My star. You think there’s ever a moment I’m not watching you? You think that there’s another soul in this decrepit place as intoxicating as you?”

Valentino eating his chocolates a little too slow. Valentino ruthlessly tearing apart a rival. Valentino dancing around the room in the morning wearing Vox’s robes.

“There’s no one like you, Val. And there’s no one that can take my gaze off you.”

He pulled down, dragging him into a dip. Instinctively, Val’s legs flew up to wrap around Vox. His whole body shuttered with delight as poison dripped hungerly down his face.

“Oh, you’ve ruined me.” Valentino said, almost groaning. Vox knew he’d be thinking about this and only this for the rest of the day. His arms interlocked around Vox’s neck.

“Not yet. Maybe tonight. But I don’t want to hear any more nonsense about me not keeping my eyes on you.” Vox teased.

The way Val was looking at him now, the minute they started making out no other work would be achievable today. And, if Vox had it his way, Val wouldn’t be able to walk afterwards.

“Now, we really have to do something about yours and Angel’s new deal.”

“Oh, screw that. He can come back when he begs for it.”

That’s exactly what Vox wanted to hear.

…

Composing himself to look somewhat professional was harder than he expected. Val had messed up his jacket in his pursuit for purchase on his back. He’d also messed up his bowtie, something he’d unfortunately neglected to notice until after the kid gave him a funny look.

“Angelcakes, back to shooting.” Val directed with a wave of his cigarette.

Angel’s face dropped in panic.

“Val, the deal. What about our deal? You’re supposed to give the kid back!”

“Correction.” Vox interrupted. “The deal was if I found the kid, and I gave him to Val to give to you, then you’d come back to work, fulltime.” He went over the specifics with Val right before walking back in. He was a stickler for wording. “And I don’t feel like handing him over to anyone.”

He walked up behind the kid and, purposefully, put his hands on his shoulders a little tight.

“I think I’ll keep him.”

The spider’s eyes all focused on Vox, fury rising in his throat.

“You think that I’d just let that happen? Oh, Smiles has been wantin’ an excuse to knock your head off. Just wait till I tell ‘em.”

“Nobody is telling anyone, anything.” Val mentioned.

“Oh yeah?” Angel challenge back.

“Oh, yeah.” Val confirmed. “If you try anything, there won’t be a kid left to rescue, Angelcakes.”

The kid was being so well behaved, mouth zipped tight. Angel could assume from what Val said that Vox had his contract, and the kid’s attitude only played into it. Was it worth the risk of the kid getting his soul ripped apart?

Angel’s face fell.

Yeah, didn’t think so.

Then, surprising Vox, the kid ran over and grabbed Angel in a hug.

“It’s okay.” He swore. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

A few tears slipped out Angel’s face, especially when they had to let go. Vox snapped his fingers, and the kid ran to his side again.

“We’re leaving.” He said. If Vel wanted him back, he could pick him up from Vox’s room again. Val blew him a kiss as they walked back into the lift.

When the doors closed, a weight pulled off his shoulders.

“Thank you.” The kid looked up at him, and odd truthfulness to his words that shook something in the core of Vox’s head.

“…for what?”

“For saving my friend. I’m not…it’s not worth the price he’d have to pay.” He pursed his lips. “And he never would’ve let me go unless you made him. So…thank you.”

Despite himself, a grin pressed to his face.

“I didn’t do it for him. Maybe I’m getting used to the annoying buzzing sound of your voice. It’d be a shame to get rid of it now.”

Oh, fuck me. The kid was happy now. Cuteness aggression was a bitch. He kinda felt like squeezing him until he popped.

“I like your voice too.”

He grabbed his muzzle and playfully closed it.

“Shut up, kid.”  

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7/ Part 8/ Part 9/ Part 10

[sadnessisavegetable]

"Good morning, Cybertron and Earth!"

A cheerful voice happily chirped through the radio after a calm piece of music concluded.

Shockwave startled, nearly slamming his hand in the fume hood door as he eased it partially shut so he could safely experiment.

The voice continued through news that didn't match what was happening in their reality, illustrating the losses of the Decepticons and Autobots as an update to a war that no longer continued.

Shockwave paused, trying to make sense of the recognition he felt for the voice as he stared at the radio he'd gotten in memory to Soundwave after he was sucked into the in-between world.

"So, that's our quick update! Still no sign of Megatron, which is irritating Mr. Pax, it seems. He's been on a bit of a...er...rampage. Getting uncomfortably close to the station."

Laserbeak seemed to recognize the voice and seemed taken aback as he landed on Shockwave's shoulder. Shockwave looked at the flight-based minicon carefully.

"That can't be...that's not Soundwave. Is it?" Laserbeak asked softly.

"Soundwave doesn't have that cadence to his voice. Impossible. Or at least very unlikely." Shockwave tried to dismiss what Laserbeak said, but he couldn't fully remove the thought.

"I'm Soundwave, and you're listening to Decepticon Radio!"

No...it couldn't have been. Shouldn't have been.

Shockwave's helm fins splayed a bit as he tried to make sense of it, his systems nearly shutting down as he tried repeatedly. Pleasant, happy Cyber-pop resonated through the room—the piece playing evidently a cover of Nine to Five by Dolly Parton, an Earth song.

Shockwave leaned heavily on a nearby counter as his system finally restarted its thinking functions to prevent him from grasping at straws that weren't there. He was aware of it, managing to hold onto the memories.

Shockwave decided he would have to listen to the radio a little closer to uncover the mystery.

---

Soundwave was happily bopping around his station, listening to the music as it was played, but keeping an eye on Orion Pax the whole time.

Orion was dangerous at this point, so he kept his minicons safely inside. They picked music and received updates from the sources of news the radio relied on.

Rumble happily put some metal music on the queue, spacing tamer pieces between each song. Frenzy wrote up the news bullet points for Soundwave to read off. Buzzsaw monitored what he could while Laserbeak slept beside him. Ravage was guarding the front door.

"Good work, kids! Maybe we'll get some rust sticks when we're done." Soundwave hummed a bit, thinking about the snack. Rumble seemed overjoyed at the idea, stimming beside Soundwave as he showed him the queue.

"Is this good, boss?" Rumble asked eagerly. Soundwave looked at the queue with a smile.

"Very good, Rumble! I'm glad you guys are learning how to do this stuff, as sucky it is that we have to do it while someone is throwing a hissy fit outside." Soundwave praised them, lifting Rumble up and putting him on his shoulder.

---

Soundwave huffed as he adjusted his body in the nook he'd finally found. Dreadwing's dead, zombified body paced around just outside the nook and Soundwave's eyes went wide as he smashed himself back further.

I hate it here, I hate this zombie, I hate not being able to communicate with anyone I care about. But by Primus, I will not die here at the hands of one of Unicron's mindless drones. Soundwave thought firmly before starting to silently pray once more.

Dreadwing grumbled outside before eventually moving on. Soundwave let out the softest sigh he could manage before clambering out of the nook and climbing up the cliff face as carefully as he could.

He ran. It was the first time in many years that he'd outright ran. He ran across the top of the cliff, knowing that most servants of Unicron struggled with transforming.

He thought back to the Nemesis. How he wished he stayed onboard and just let himself be in the in-between instead of trying to figure out a way away.

Soundwave finally stopped when he reached town. He was invisible to them and couldn't interact with the walls in any meaningful way. But he could watch them.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one there and observing either though. A figure that looked vaguely human, but like a titan demon also stared back at him with burning green eyes.

"Are you here too?" They asked softly. Soundwave slowly nodded. "I'm Fate. A minor god of Cybertronian descent. I appear like this because I affect humans too. I don't remember getting here, but...every now and then I feel around me this pair of terrifying...presences."

Soundwave slowly nodded. "Me too. Have any idea what they are?"

"Well...there's the possibility that it's the pair of immortals within the core of the Earth."

"There's two?"

"Yes. Unicron himself and his creation, Thunderwing. Though, I'm glad they're the worst thing we face here. There are several zombies that are starting to regain consciousness in their sparks, and at worst, they're confused." Fate laughed softly.

Soundwave eventually sank down next to them. "Who are they?"

"Oh...Breakdown, Cliffjumper,...and Dreadwing. Tailgate sometimes shows up with Cyclonus, though they barely count as zombies. And then there's the drifter. He's not quite in the in-between or in reality. He's been modified heavily by Unicron, but he's still fully conscious."

---

"Alright. Send to Soundwave, I guess." Shockwave prompted Laserbeak. Laserbeak used his bond with Soundwave.

Soundwave? Laserbeak asked. Relief poured through their bond, prompting him to continue. Hi. Shockwave was asking if you managed to end up in an entirely different dimension and opened a radio station.

Laserbeak was met with confusion and he reeled back, concerned.

"He doesn't have a radio station. He doesn't know what you're talking about. So either this station is done by an identity thief or it's done by a separate version of Soundwave." Laserbeak told Shockwave.

"But...how did I manage to tune to it..." Shockwave muttered in response and Laserbeak stared at him guiltily. "What did you do? I'm not mad."

"Okay...I may have accidentally knocked the radio over and had to fix it during one of your random shut-downs that forces you to recharge. Sorry..." Laserbeak ducked his head. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No, I'm still not mad. This is just fascinating." Shockwave decided, looking at the little blue radio. Laserbeak sighed with relief.

"Okay. I gotta explain to Soundwave what we meant. Be back after." Laserbeak excused himself.

"Be responsible." Shockwave firmly advised.

"I will."

---

Soundwave finally was given a portal and he took it, excusing himself. Fate watched him leave, not really all that worried about getting out because they knew it would happen eventually.

Soundwave stared back at someone who looked so much like him. They stared back, removing their visor just to get a better look at Soundwave. They really did look exactly like Soundwave.

"Huh." They spoke. "What do you think of this, Rav?"

A version so like Ravage peeked in curiously before noping right back out. "I'm not dealing with it."

"I'm not asking you too...just...ah frag it. I'm Soundwave. You are?" They asked.

Soundwave furrowed his brow behind his visor before removing it. "Soundwave" reeled back a bit, met with the same face as his own.

"No fragging way...dude…”

---

Hi, yes, this is me playing with a minor crossover of Shattered Glass with Transformers Prime being more of the base set. Tailgate and Cyclonus do appear together, but that's only reasonable since they’re probably both dead in TFP—as is more minicons appearing in the story. Fate is one of my own characters. "The Drifter" that Fate mentions is Megatron in his altered state during the TFP movie.

[fictional-love-is-my-life]

Would you do how bayverse mirage, bee, hotrod, wheelie, and tailgate from mtmte would react to being in an entertainment cyber bar or restaurant with their friends and seeing a shy femme in one of the booths. Later there is a problem where the performer can't come or is late. So the owner asks someone to fill in, and they ask the femme if they can perform anything. She declines the offer multiple times being shy but then feeling bad for them and being kind-hearted, she reluctantly accepts before the owner walks away. She ends up doing a karaoke, but when the song starts to play before she sings, no one notices her because she's small and plain colored compared to the flamboyant bar and they are all too busy drinking or talking. When she does sing, she has a superstar level singing voice, which catches everyone's attention. 🎤 🌟

Mirage:

He had been too busy talking to notice her. Far too into his conversation, talking about himself and his epic stories.

But the second he heard her voice, he immediately stopped talking, his helm whipping around to watch her.

He's hooked and can't look away, her voice enchanting him. He could listen to her all night. And he won't hesitate to tell her that after she finishes the song.

Bumblebee:

He had been somewhat listening to Mirage but also watching his surroundings. Just because Mirage tended to drone on. Bee noticed the femme but didn't pay too much attention, just thinking she was like any of the other ordinary bar attendees.

How wrong he was, he feels like he disrespected her for calling her ordinary. She's anything but. Her voice is mesmerizing and he can't help but lean forward, wanting to catch every note.

He's one of the loudest to cheer and clap for her after she finishes. And he doesn't hesitate to ask for an encore, wanting to hear another beautiful song from her.

Hot Rod:

He's pretty aware of all his surroundings and the bots around him, he just likes to keep an eye out for trouble, even if there is none. He had spotted the femme and assumed she was harmless, as she looked shy so he swept past her.

He didn't realize a shy, plain femme could hide such an incredible talent. He should know that even the smallest things can hold the biggest surprises. But he's paying attention to her now.

Her song serenades him, it makes him feel happy, and at peace even though he's in a bar. He wants to listen to her sing every song, he just knows they would all sound amazing from her beautiful voice.

Wheelie:

He didn't even know she was in the bar, he had completely glossed over her, assuming she was unimportant. He only noticed her after she stepped up to the stage, and he made a snicker expecting her to be terrible.

He's glad he was wrong. His mouth falls open as he watches her and listens to her melody. He's so invested in her that he blocks out all other sounds, her voice is like a symphony playing just for him.

If she would let him, he'd love to talk to her, just to at least compliment her but if they could have more conversation he would love it. He wonders if her talking voice is as beautiful as her singing voice.

Tailgate:

He's in awe of the bar and his surroundings. He tries to take in everything and everyone. He noticed the femme, she sort of reminded him of someone. But she was one of the many other bots he was trying to look at and watch.

Then she got up to the stage. Tailgate was too busy watching the bartender mix a drink. His attention was pulled to her the moment she started singing. It was beautiful. He didn't know the song, but her voice made him think of the past, his old home long ago, and it made his spark warm.

As soon as she finished he started clapping, fast claps showing how much he loved it. He even stands, though his standing ovation is not much since he's overshadowed by the larger bots. But it felt right, and he hoped it made her happy to see.

[mariacallous]

With U.S. aid to Ukraine stalled in Congress by an entrenched Republican Party and the Ukrainian counteroffensive stalled by entrenched Russian forces, Kyiv’s Western backers are grasping for ways to bolster its war effort. Since trained personnel and artillery are in short supply, their attention has turned to drones and artificial intelligence. However, overestimating the role such technologies can play in armed conflict risks solidifying the very stalemate that Ukraine needs to break.

In some ways, a focus on digital battlefield intelligence, automated targeting, and unmanned aerial vehicles by both the Russians and Ukrainians is unsurprising—neither side has many other options to work with at this point, as their respective presidents, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, both appear reticent to order new troop mobilizations. But it is also puzzling, since a techno-centric strategy seems to have played a major role in turning what the Kremlin predicted would be a three-day war into a now two-year-old war of attrition.

Russia has ceded nearly half of the territory it once occupied in Ukraine at a cost of roughly 90 percent of its prewar standing forces. Yet on paper, it had Ukraine easily outnumbered and outgunned—without even mentioning the billions of rubles and years of investment into novel capabilities such as cyber operations, AI, robotics, drones, and electronic warfare. Perhaps this is why it was all too easy to discount the less quantifiable and less attention-grabbing—but ultimately more decisive—facets of war, such as planning, logistics, coordination, morale, and leadership.

Technology’s most alluring quality for militaries is the promise that it might somehow make the physical demands of seizing territory somehow less expensive in terms of blood, treasure, time, and labor. But no matter how much granular insight, safe distance, and speed that technology provides, it simply cannot substitute for the kinds of traditional capabilities that characterized 20th-century conflicts.

Since kicking off a military modernization program in 2008, Putin and his circle have sought to create a “modern high-technology army,” envisioning a war in which technological superiority would prove decisive. In the ensuing years, a host of advanced weapons systems filled out its arsenal, spurred its arms sales, and flooded battlefields in Syria. Meanwhile, Russian military and intelligence agencies—and proxies such as the late Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin—posed increasingly sophisticated and brazen threats in cyberspace.

By late 2021, these factors led some Western observers to conclude that Russia would easily prevail over Ukraine, including by dint of its technical prowess.

Instead, Russia’s underwhelming conventional battlefield performance over the past two years showed that its reliance on high-tech weaponry came at the cost of focus on other key aspects of a functioning military—its defense-industrial base and supply lines became plagued by corruption while its threadbare officer corps were saddled with poor force structure and ineptitude.

In turn, according to the former U.S. principal deputy director of national intelligence, Western analysts relied too much on cataloguing Russia’s inventory of gadgetry and cyber tools and failed to account for the context, planning, and quality of the forces using them. More fundamentally, Moscow and Western observers alike failed to account for the specific ways in which advanced technology would assist in taking, retaking, or holding territory. The hard truth, immutable since before the Trojans, is that doing so is an unavoidably human endeavor.

Much of my professional research has been dedicated to understanding how Russian leaders think about conflict in cyberspace. Drawing distorted lessons from the U.S. military’s performance in the 1990s, Moscow’s warfighting doctrines link technology and psychology together in tenuous ways, with its goals often bordering on pseudoscientific mind control.

For example, the Soviet theory of “reflexive control” aimed to induce adversaries into self-defeating behaviors by carefully placing “information packets” into various media channels. Psychological factors gradually dislodged even troops and materiel as the focal points of Russian military theorizing. Moreover, enemy forces were gradually replaced as the ultimate target; the digital age prompted an unending struggle over the perceptions of entire societies.

In Ukraine, this has led Moscow to dedicate many of its high-tech capabilities, particularly cyber operations, less toward beating the Ukrainian armed forces and more toward immiserating Ukraine’s civilian population. Predictably, that strategy has yielded little territorial gain over the past year. Since at least 2014, the Russian military and intelligence services have attempted to sow havoc with cyberattacks in Ukraine, including those designed to cut off heat and electricity, as well as Internet and mobile connectivity.

But what Moscow discounts is that its victims also get a vote: to rally round the flag, as Ukrainians have, rather than become demoralized. However costly and disruptive the cyberattacks may have proved, as part of a broader project to subjugate its neighbor politically and geographically, Moscow’s so-called information war has been a failure.

Kyiv, for its part, has employed several novel technological approaches to beating back Russian invaders since early 2022. It democratized battlefield intelligence collection, enabling Ukrainian citizens to track and report Russian movements, collecting data on factors ranging from materiel to missiles. It galvanized a global volunteer corps working in cyberspace to target Russian organizations. It drew on commercially available communications and software to make an expansive arsenal of autonomous vehicles and drones increasingly lethal by air and sea.

Ukraine’s technological ingenuity in this war will be the subject of study for generations. By comparison, and notwithstanding these feats, the Ukrainian military is both exhausted and stretched thin. More concerted focus on a strategy to demobilize long-serving troops, and to conscript and train new ones to replace them, is critically overdue.

With both sides now scrambling to acquire and produce lower-cost, more expendable unmanned aerial vehicles—while simultaneously racing to improve their own electronic jamming capabilities—the near-term future of technology in this war could be characterized as innovation in service of attrition. Russia is drawing upon friends in Beijing and Tehran to augment its arsenal of unmanned vehicles, while Ukraine has become a hotbed for Western defense and technology firms fielding drone warfare capabilities.

But had it been possible for either party in this war to achieve real battlefield progress from a safe remove through such high-tech tools and intelligence-gathering alone, conventional counteroffensives would not have been necessary in the first place. An influx of more tech into the war may therefore provide each side more distance from, and better insight into, the other’s troop movements. It is unlikely, however, to dislodge or drive them back—and may even risk Ukrainian forces getting goaded into costly battles, like that for the city of Bakhmut, that do little to change the status quo.

That said, modeling itself after Western militaries may also not be Kyiv’s best bet for this conflict, not least the uniquely U.S. impulse to quantify all aspects of war into a digital problem to be solved through computation. Since U.S. Army Gen. William Westmoreland predicted the rise of automated warfare from Vietnam in 1969, the technologically enabled, supposedly “easier war” has always seemed imminent in theory, but somehow elusive in practice.

As political scientist Stephanie Carvin writes, science and technology have “delivered some of the fastest ground invasions in the history of warfare, but have not been able to solve the difficult and complex” problems that inevitably follow. Focus on what Carvin calls the “shiny objects” themselves—like drones, cyber, and AI—often distracts from addressing how they might be integrated and adopted in service of concrete goals.

None of this is to suggest that Kyiv’s motivations are anything other than existential. Given the headwinds that it faces, the Ukrainian military must doubtlessly maximize every possible advantage it can find. Particularly amid intensifying shell- hunger, Kyiv urgently needs inexpensive and rapidly scalable ways to minimize casualties on the front lines and keep Russian forces at bay.

However, if Ukraine’s ultimate goal is to eject the occupying forces from its territory, there is reason to be cautious of a techno-solutionist approach, particularly one isolated from the broader organizational context of the Ukrainian military.

An escalating arms race between Ukrainian drones and Russian electronic warfare may capture the imagination—and capital—of futurists, but it must not become conceptually untethered from the demands of combined arms in land wars past. While tactical systems such as drones can deny mobility at the front lines, they are far less likely to enable it. They are certainly no substitute for recruiting, training, and equipping a capable fighting force over the longer term. Doing so will demand hard decisions from Kyiv and its Western backers—particularly European capitals—none of whom should harbor, nor cultivate, any illusions about a technological panacea.

No amount of technological wizardry can substitute for the arms, equipment, and training that the United States and a handful of allies  can exclusively provide—nor for the personnel that Kyiv must recruit and mobilize. And if Kyiv fails to do so, the result may turn out to be less the “future of war” and more the marketing of stalemate.

[spinningbuster98]

Mega Man Zero 3 Ending: I am Zero

So one thing I forgot to talk about until now is Cyber Space: there are Cyber Space doors in each level that allow you to enter Cyber Space versions of the levels. All of your Cyber Elves are activated at once without them dying and enemies always drop health. It’s basically God Mode though you are penalized by 5 points at the end of the mission.

I only enter it in the second to last level because you can actually fight a secret boss this way: the deceased Phantom from Zero 1, establishing that upon dying a reploid’s programming goes to Cyber Space thus functioning as a form of afterlife for them.

Though this raises the question: did the same apply to Robot Masters? Or are Mega Man and the gang completely....you know....

Anyway by beating him you get the Ultima Chip which allows you to have all leg chip abilities on at once

Zero also basically kills two babies! And I find it hilarious how neither him nor especially Ciel have any reaction about it!

So the scene where Weil mind controls every Reploid on Earth is awesome and all but it’s always bugged me how they never explain why Zero and X are not affected, simply noticing that they’re not

If I had to give my own explanation well the Dark Elf can control Reploids and, at this point, neither X nor Zero are technically Reploids

X is a Cyber Elf, one powerful enough to negate the Dark Elf’s powers within an area

And Zero was technically never a Reploid to begin with as reploids are made from X’s technology while Zero is 100% Wily’s creation. Granted Zero’s current body is a replica made presumably using standard reploid tech but his programming is still Wily’s original

But then we see that even the Guardians seem to be unaffected. The only explanation I can come up with is that, since they were made by specifically using X’s very DNA, thus making them far closer to X than your average reploid (remember: in the X series X was so advanced that Dr.Cain couldn’t fully understand what made him tick and thus created the reploids based on said faulty understanding), and so also immune to the Dark Elf’s control

The final battle against Omega unfortunately suffers greatly from this late game balancing issue regarding difficulty: he’s just not nearly hard enough given all the hype around him. Yeah you could limit yourself by not using Cyber Elves, but it’s not like I used them super liberally either and I still barely had to spend a Sub Tank across 3 phases.

Speaking of which, some fans take issue with how Zero barely reacts to the revelation that he’s living in a copy body and that he now has to destroy his original. In general some people criticize Zero era Zero for being an emotionless drone

I’ve....never had such issues. With Zero 1 and to a lesser extent Zero 2? Yeah he barely speaks there. But here and especially in the next one?

Yeah Zero is generally more taciturn and stoic here than in most X games, whether due to the writers giving a different take or due to his amnesia and current circumstances just not giving him many chances to be very cheery

But once you peel back the surface this is still very much the same Zero as always

Zero was introduced in X1 as a no-nonsense kind of guy who takes shit very seriously, has a sense of justice and will support his friends (X specifically) by encouraging them when they’re doubting themselves, being very blunt in how he conveied said support and not very mushy, his no nonsense attitude showing even here: he flat out tells X that he has no chance in beating Vile as he is now but will grow capable of it and of beating Sigma and caps it all off by saying “X, I know you can do it!”

And that’s exactly how Zero acts here with Ciel: always giving her moral support whenever she’s feeling down and unsure about what to do next, ensuring her that she’s doing the right thing and that he has faith in her. He’s not all hugs and kisses, he just tells her straight up what he thinks very bluntly but also weirdly gently too

Zero also never once gave Sigma the time of day whenever he tried to toy with him with his unknown dark origins: in X2, when Sigma tells him that he was “destined to join him” Zero tells him that he’s not interested.

In X4 when Sigma toys with him by reminding him that he used to be a Maverick Zero literally tells him “Yeah and?”

In X5, when faced with the blatant truth that he was built for an evil purpose, Zero STILL tells Sigma to shut up and fight

Zero doesn’t bend easily, he mostly tries not to let his doubts about his past meddle with his present. He has his moments of doubt, like when he kept wondering about his dreams of Wily at the start of X4 or in that conversation with Dr.Light in X5, or how in the latter game he’s visibly afraid of the effect that the Virus is having on him. But he never breaks, he never keels over and cries. The only time that he does is when he kills Iris but that was an extreme situation even for him

Throughout this game Zero is indeed shown to be somewhat pensive about all the times a character makes cryptic comments about “his body” or about why would the Dark Elf know his name (although X could’ve really cleared the latter up for him huh). In the ending when Ciel reassures him that he is still Zero in her eyes he quietly says her name and then thanks her genuinely, implying that he was harboring inner doubts, but was bottling them up because he had bigger fish to fry

The way he reacts to Weil’s big revelation about Omega is perfectly in-character, just pointing out the logical hole in the idea of the legendary hero being a puppet for a madman for no reason

(Fun fact: the design of Omega’s outer armor is actually based on Zero’s X era design, which can be seen by the shape of the ponytail, the shape of the helmet, the sword on his back and the somewhat squared shoulder pads. I only noticed in recent years when someone pointed it out)

I mean just saying: a character reacting to a startling revelation about themselves with lots of angst isn’t always required, especially if it would be out of character for them. Sometimes a character not bending to whatever happens to them can be good: not all characters are meant to be relatable and vulnerable, some are written to be inspiring, to be looked up to as anchors. Zero mostly falls into the latter category. He’s not X

Oh also X is pretty much dead now. I would normally be angry about such a long running character getting such a quick send off but X has technically been dead since before the series started, only appearing as a ghost to help out whenever possible. Now he’s just completely passing on. Given that the X series is not over I think it should be up to it to depict X’s final living moments, even if we already know roghly how they will play out.

[bluwrites]

A/n: I accidentally deleted the post, and now I have to rewrite this whole request😭 It was a request by @cyber-streak-2 for headcanons of TFE Elita-1, Swindle, Wheeljack, and Megatron reacting to a human kid (around 10 years old) calling them dad/mom.

In the HC portion for Megs, you basically have two dads 🤭 just read

Spoilers maybe??

TFE Elita-1, Swindle, Wheeljack, and Megatron react to kid calling them dad/mom

Elita-1

-Your dad works for GHOST, and he has Elita-1 watch over you while he's on duty and she's available, sadly no mom in the picture

-It just, sort of slipped out of you one day

-You two had been enjoying your respective lunches together

-Elita-1 had a fresh Energon cube, and you a bowl of Mac n' Cheese

-You had finished your food before she could get half way into hers

-Wanting more of the delicious cheesey meal you asked her for more

-"Mom? Can I have more?"

-She was surprised, but didn't question it aloud

-Sure, the two of you had spent a lot of time together!

-She knows about your home situation, as your father of course has explained that

-But, you choosing her to be a mother figure?

-Was it really long enough for you to start calling for her by "mom"?

-It had to have been, if you were calling for her repeatedly to get her attention

-"Mom, mom, MOM!"

-"Sure, more Mac n' Cheese coming up!"

.

Swindle

-Your parents don't do a good job of taking care of you, or even taking track of you for that

-So when you and this giant yellow and purple robot become friends, your parents are none the wiser

-You start to see him as more of a parent than your own ones

-He likes to drive around town with you in his back seats

-No seat belt no doubt

-When you start picking up on his criminal behaviors is when you start calling him dad

-It was one day where you had taken this doll from a classmate because you got jealous she had one and you didnt

-You snatched it from her backpack at the end of the day when she hadn't been paying attention

-You'd bring the doll to Swindle when you get to hang out with him next

-Talking about how you took it from her and everything

-"Dad? Are you listening?"

-He's literally tearing up

-This little kid, he only met four months ago, is already picking up on his behaviors!

-Better yet, you called him dad! It's like he'a got his own little "Mini me"

-No matter how out of character it is for him, he pats you on the head and tells you how much of a good job you did

-"That's great Kiddo, absolutely great!"

.

Wheeljack

-Your mom works for GHOST, and with no one at home to watch over you, the company allows you to stay under the watch of Wheeljack when he's not in the field

-You like to tinker with things you find in his workshop, for instance some copper wire

-You had been inspired by a Rose painting in your art teachers class room, the colours reminded you of Wheeljack

-While Wheeljack worked on fixing on of his prototype drones, you started shaping the wire

-You got frustrated by it, a lot, but you eventually made what you went for, even if it was quiet mishaped

-Wheeljack was too busy with tinkering with his drone, to be bothered by you

-This made you upset, you spent all this time making this wire sculpture for him and he wouldn't listen to you

-Even if you're 10 years old you can still cry, your mom let's you know it's good to show your emotions

-When tears start welling in yours eyes you cry out

-"Dad, why won't you look at what I made"

-Hearing you cry he looks to see what's the matter, finally paying attention to you

-"What's wrong kiddo? Why are you cryin'?!"

-"You wouldn't pay attention to me when I showed you my Rose, dad"

-His optics widen, but a smile spreads on his faceplate, picking you up gently

-"Here, you can show me it now kid."

.

Megatron

-Not everyone at GHOST agreed that it would be a good idea for you to be watches by Megatron while your dad (a GHOST agent) worked, but it happened anyways

-You'd find your ten year old self roaming the halls of GHOST, in search of him

-You had somehow convinced him to play hide and seek with you

-You hadn't managed to find him yet, wherever he's hiding you were sure to find him soon

-You're sure of it!

-Your flip flops patter against the floor as you round a corner, looking down it sneakily in hopes he'd be there

-But no, not there

-You sighed, maybe you could trick him into thinking you'd given up?

-That would be sure to work!

-"I give up! You win hide n' seek Dad!"

-Oh, had you really said that aloud?! Embarrassment waved over you

-"Sorry, I meant Megatron!" You called back out

-Megatron emerged from his hiding spot, that was actually a hall behind you

-You turn around when you hear him coming

-"I though I checked that way!!" You grumble, slapping your hands to your face in defeat

-He looks down at your little body, you calling him dad was unexpected, but it had a nice ring to it.

-"I guess I win, don't I y/n?" he laughs, crouching down to offer his hand to you

-"Yeah, I guess"