#dbh chapter- Broken

[pls-explodingstars-pls]

I saw this post and ran to the mod tool. thank you @konami-code-ao3 for letting me bring this to life!

extras:

[norringtondeservestheworld]

Markus isn't boring, you are simply racist.

Hi. I'd like to tell you all my story with Markus.

I entered in the DBH fandom recently because I recently played the game for the first time when I finally bought a PS5 (I couldn't play it sooner because I didn't have the console) but I actually was curious about this game since it came out in 2019, but at the time (and before playing it) I knew next to nothing about it.

All I knew was that the three main characters were two males and a female robots, which one was the guy from Grey's Anatomy, one was a police officer and the female one wanted to protect a little girl from her abusive father (Kara's story was actually the one I knew better, I think it's because I watched some gameplays and I remember feeling really anxious about the chapters with Todd). I also remembered there was another female android which was North obviously, but I truly had no idea what her name was or what her face was and I had absolutely no idea about the existence of Josh, Luther, Ralph, Daniel, Simon (which is hilarious since he is my fave now) and literally any other character.

And now I'll be 100% honest with you.

When I went to the store to buy the game and I saw Markus in the cover, I was annoyed. Why you ask? Easy.

All I could see was Jesse Williams.

Do not misunderstand me, I never hated or disliked Jesse Williams, I have nothing against the guy, but to me he was the guy from Grey's Anatomy.

Tbh I always hated Grey's Anatomy but unfortunately one of my best friends love it as much as I hate it, and she has the biggest crush on Jesse Williams' character, Jackson Avery, and she made me watch, too many, oh god believe me, too many times his scenes that at one point everytime I saw his face all I did was roll my eyes and sigh. So when I saw him in DBH I thought "ugh this guy again".

So my first approach to the game was being very careful and being really interested in both Connor and Kara's storylines, but when a Markus' chapter happened I just sighed and wanted it to end it to play the other two.

Then the chapter of Markus in the junkyard happened. I was less annoyed by Markus at this point because he started to growing up on me but I still had too prejudice to admit it to myself, but that chapter moved something in me. I didn't know what, but it did something, and when Markus found Jericho and met North, Simon and Josh.. well, I was curious.

And then, finally, at the Spare Parts chapter, I started to realize how great Jericho's, and consequently Markus' storyline, was. As the story progressed, I started to realize how much I was beginning to love Markus, how everytime I looked at Jesse Williams I didn't see the Grey's Anatomy guy anymore, but Markus. Suddenly, the situation had reversed: there weren't enough chapters about Markus to me there wasn't never enough of him and at every chapter of Connor and Kara all I could think of was wanting to see Markus and the Jericrew again (I still found Connor and Kara's storylines interesting, but they were nothing compared to Markus). By the end of The Freedom March I had shivers and realized how much I cared for Markus and his story and I had the realization that if my choices towards the end would lead to his death, I would be really really sad all this while thinking what a great, inspiring character he is.

The way he is the leader of an entire species and the most important person of Jericho, and yet he is ready to risk his life for every broken single android. The way he worries for North when he heard shoots, the way one of his first thoughts when Jericho is attacked are Simon and Josh and wondering if they are okay despite being in risk himself in that moment. The way he forgives Connor without even blinking even if he is responsible of the destruction of Jericho and of the death of a lot of his people, and the way he still has no hate towards him even if he tries to kill him because despite everything, he is still one of his people. The way they are in a desperate situation and he has a lot on his mind and yet he promises Kara, an android who he just met, to help her because he can't possibly not help every android who need help. The way he is scared and worried and has doubts of what to do because he just wants the best for his people but they are getting killed and yet he never asks for help because he can't let himself to pass this burden to another android he is the one who has to deal with it. The way he accepts everyone in Jericho and let androids be themselves, never forcing them to join him or die for the cause. The way he cares. For everyone and everything. He cares he cares he cares.

Markus is all of this, and even more.

I started the game not being thrilled of him being there solely for a stupid, idiotic prejudice based on nothing, and I ended it being over the moon for this selfless, brave hero.

Despite what I was feeling at the beginning, I ended being totally in love with this amazing character and surely I won't let you all classify Markus as "boring". I won't let you. Not anymore.

I won't let you call boring a character who is nothing but positive.

I won't let you call boring a character who sacrificed himself for freeing his people.

I won't let you call boring a character for whom you would all simp for if he was white.

Markus isn't boring. Just admit you are racist and leave.

[hrefna-the-raven]

Lawmen

Masterlist - DBH masterlist

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

Words: 1979

Warnings: drunkenness, self mutilation (involuntarily), self hate, kind of smut (18+)

Chapter 10 - Broken

Gavin shoved his phone to the edge of his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn it, why did she have to be chosen for an undercover mission with that despicable captain? Why didn't Fowler pick him for this operation? He was fully capable of pretending to be someone else in order to gather the necessary information. After all, he was always playing a role in some way or another, he even did with her for a long time. To be completely honest, not much had changed in that regard. Revealing his true emotions felt like being locked up in a cage with a hungry tiger, and he certainly wasn't the predator in this metaphor. That blasted captain would seize every opportunity to get closer to her – he had to, otherwise he wouldn't have specifically requested her. She was skilled, but she couldn't have been the only competent agent in the Bureau, worst case he could have gotten that jerk Perkins and played lovey-dovey with him to fool the manager. Gavin continued typing his report, reminding himself not to worry so much. She seemed to love him for real and she wouldn't cheat on him and the sooner he finished his work, the sooner he could go home and distract himself with some booze and a good movie until she was back in his arms. There was a harrumph.

"What?!", he exclaimed with frustration evident in his tone.

The person clearly did not appreciate the threatening manner, as his eyes darted upward upon hearing a loud thud.

“What'ya want Hank?”

Hank was an elder superior of his who remained lieutenant despite his personal struggles with alcohol and the tragic loss of his son and. Gavin was not particular fond of him, but Hank held a protective hand over him whenever shit hit the fan and he had a good heart buried beneath layers of sarcasm and alcohol.

"Come on, Reed. You hardly lift a finger around here, but when you do, you always go overboard. Here's a little gift for you", he gestured towards the bottle of aged whiskey he had left on the table, "go home, get drunk and relax," he turned away and headed towards the door, “and don't even start to think I would like you, you're still an idiot.”

Hank weakly waved as he exited the precinct. Gavin stared at the bottle for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the report displayed on his screen. He was nearly finished, so maybe he should take the old fool's advice to heart, write the last part and relax.

“Argh to hell with it!”, he saved his report, switched off his terminal, grabbed the bottle and left.

It was a chilly yet pleasant evening. The soft illumination of the street lamps enveloped the city in a beautiful glow, it would have been a perfect night to walk around with…he sighed, she was with Allen, not with him and it made him feel utterly miserable. No matter what she told him, all he could hear was the sound of his own jealous heart shattering into countless pieces. After walking for a few minutes, he suddenly halted in his tracks and caught a glimpse of his reflection in a shop window. Normally, seeing himself would have filled him with pride and his usual dose of Reed-ish narcissism, but now all he saw was a tear streaming down his suddenly unattractive face. I am an utter idiot, I don't deserve anything, his mind berated him. His gaze then shifted to the bottle in his hand, and a dark realisation washed over him. Without hesitation, he twisted off the bottle cap and swiftly downed its contents in one gulp. Discarding the empty bottle, it crashed onto the ground with a resounding clink as he continued on his way. His vision began to blur, causing his slightly overweight body to wobble unsteadily, as if the floor beneath him

It was a chilly yet pleasant evening. The soft illumination of the street lamps enveloped the city in a beautiful glow, it would have been a perfect night to walk around with…he sighed, she was with Allen, not with him and it made him feel utterly miserable. No matter what she told him, all he could hear was the sound of his own jealous heart shattering into countless pieces. After walking for a few minutes, he suddenly halted in his tracks and caught a glimpse of his reflection in a shop window. Normally, seeing himself would have filled him with pride and his usual dose of Reed-ish narcissism, but now all he saw was a tear streaming down his suddenly unattractive face. I am an utter idiot, I don't deserve anything, his mind berated him. His gaze then shifted to the bottle in his hand, and a dark realisation washed over him. Without hesitation, he twisted off the bottle cap and swiftly downed its contents in one gulp. Discarding the empty bottle, it crashed onto the ground with a resounding clink as he continued on his way. His vision began to blur, causing his slightly overweight body to wobble unsteadily, as if the floor beneath him seemed to wave aggressively. Maybe emptying that liquor in one go was not one his brightest ideas, but he was a complete idiot and a miserable one at that. So who would really expect him to have any ounce of good or clever thoughts? She would...but she was in the company of another man! Forget her! I c-c-can't, I love her!

“Shshshshut up!”, he hammered his fists against his own head.

However, he abruptly stopped when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

She was with another man…after several attempts his phone finally found its way back to his pocket. He stumbled over his own feet, and a vibrant purple light in the distance caught his attention. The Eden Club…that damn awful tin can sex club, where she was or would be soon, arriving in a taxi with that damn captain, probably holding her arm gently, lovingly. He despised him, now more than ever. He had destroyed his entire world, which was her, and he simply took her for this mission. He would show them, both of them. Nobody messes with Gavin Reed, nobody fucks with Gavin's girl. If she wanted to be with the captain, he would prove to her that he would not need neither her nor him ruining everything. After all, he was THE detective. He picked himself up and hurried towards the Eden Club, determined to fuck the brains out of whatever android they would give him. He would show them all that he alone was the alpha male, the one and only. Yes Gavin, do it, come on, you can fuck all you want, you're the best, it echoed hazily through his intoxicated mind. He rushed past the androids on display outside and clumsily swiped his hand on one of the ones in the glass containers in the entrance hall and hurriedly retreated with it into the nearest available room.

"Hello, I am an WR400. How may I assist you?", it spoke in its flawless, lifeless voice.

„Shut up and bend over!“, Gavin slurred harshly.

The android obeyed, as the detective fumbled to pull down his pants and pressed his still slack cock inside its plastic entrance. Deep down, he knew it was wrong, but the effects of the whiskey clouded not only his judgement but also his common sense as he continued thrusting into the WR400, disregarding the fact that he couldn't even get hard. Despite his lack of arousal, he was determined to prove himself to this machine, to show it that he could even bring pleasure to this so called perfect creation and that she would regret leaving for this awful SWAT idiot, oh yes, he would show this tin can, her and the whole world. Gavin continued to thrust at a rapid pace, feeling a twinge of self-disgust but pushing it aside. It didn't feel good at all, not in the slightest. He despised himself, he despised that machine, and above all, he despised the captain even more. How could he have the audacity to steal away the only woman who truly loved him? He was so preoccupied with his obsession to fuck this machine that he failed to notice the door opening, revealing the presence of the manager and two other individuals observing his actions. He remained completely indifferent to everything around him until he suddenly felt a firm grip on the back of his shirt, forcefully spinning him around. Despite his instinctual attempt to pull up his pants and prevent any further embarrassment, his intoxicated state rendered his usually sharp reflexes useless, causing him to fall heavily in front of a stranger, with his pants still lowered and his semi erect cock hitting the floor hard. He writhed in agony, contorting his face and reluctantly gazing up at the person before him, consumed by shame. Normally, he wouldn't two shits if anyone else saw him in this miserable state, but he locked eyes with you – the possessor of the most exquisite eyes he had ever beheld – brimming with sorrow and disappointment as they bore witness to the fall of the great detective Reed, who foolishly sacrificed everything he held dear in a drunken fit of jealousy. His mouth hung open, but no words escaped. I'm sorry , he thought, I'm so sorry and I love you, please forgive me...please kill me. His forehead bashed on the floor, the mess he caused this time was irreversible, this was his fuck up of a lifetime. Hastily, he pulled up his pants, desperate to escape from this place, regretting ever being here in the first place. As he rose to his feet, the liquor tore him down again, his head colliding with the corner of the doorframe. Grunting he steadied himself and moved on, fleeing the club as fast as his intoxication allowed it.

The door of his apartment slammed shut behind him and he slumped to the ground. With each sob, breathing became increasingly difficult. What had he done? It was like he boffed the love of his life right in the face and the only person he could blame for was himself…or perhaps…if that damned android sex club hadn't been in his path, none of this would have happened. Shut up, I alone did this! Gavin pressed his hands against his head, trying to silence the barrage of insults and self-blame echoing in his mind. His gaze fell upon the mirror hanging on the adjacent wall, reflecting a pitiful figure consumed by sorrow. Falling to his knees, he grabbed hold of the mirror and stared into his own despondent eyes.

„Why did I do this? Why did I hurt her, me, that much? I'm a piece of shit!“, he screamed at his reflection.

In a sudden burst of rage, he forcefully smashed his face against the mirror, causing it to shatter into countless fragments. The broken glass sliced through his skin, inflicting pain that was accompanied by his cries and the sound of the shards cascading to the floor. This cacophony of despair filled the dimly lit apartment, resonating with Gavin's shattered and bleeding heart. As he glanced upwards, a manic laughter escaped his lips, amplified by the absence of his reflection. The laughter reverberated sadly throughout the room, while a warm trickle of blood flowed down his face. A deep gash marked the bridge of his nose, destined to become a visible reminder of this night for the remainder of his existence. He never was a delight to others, but this was the night Gavin Reed finally broke his love and himself, the night that gave birth to the most miserable and awful douchebag the precinct would get to know.

Chapter 11

[personne-writes]

Links to my main blog and my ao3 page

My stuff

(All can be found under the tag #writing)

(Latest additions in color)

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Forward - chap. 1 - 2 - 3

My take on what happens between the Krang invasion and the time gateway. [Insert fic for the movie's bad future - Beta by @crosshatchedaces, @skelenova and @luxtoony - Work in progress]

Dad material [abandoned] - part 1 - 2 (comic & ficlet) - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 (ficlet)

Collab with @leosmasktails (deactivated) about future Leo, Casey Junior, and how one learns to read in the middle of an apocalypse. Comics are from Tails, ficlets are from me!

(the links to Tails' comics are broken, but the links to my ficlets should still be working)

Challenges, zines, etc.

for the @autismswagsummit 2023- Autistic Sweep and the follow-up Third challenger

for the rise-august-art-challenge: Weird (now with amazing fanart by @luxtoony!)

for the Sunset Duo Zine: Rise and fall

for the @turtlestogetherzine: Alternate realities (poem)

for the @tmnt-write-fight: All over the news

Tributes

to @somerandomdudelmao - Ignoring some rules

to @chiscribbs - Spin that record, babe

to @luxtoony - Job description (poem)

to @abbeyofcyn - Their colors (DTIYS + ficlet)

One Punch Man

Parallel Universe - chap. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Two Saitamas fight over Genos, basically. [Villain AU based on @tr333333 's comic - Beta by @anonymousedward - Currently on hiatus] I've actually received a gift from Bleedingsoul01 for this fic and it absolutely didn't make me cry!! French version here

A Ghost Story

Badd is haunted by a very flirty ghost, yeah that's Garou. [One-shot - Prompted by Little1993Lamb]

Adolescence

Saitama is worried about Genos but it's just Shitty Teen Squad shenanigans, really. [One-shot - Gift for @rayadraws]

I have two other OPM prompts in my drafts lmao

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Tributes

to @jenirodraws - Lost woods (poem)

Detroit: Become Human

The Conversation

Hank isn't getting any younger and his yet-to-be adoptive son takes action. [One-shot - My participation to @julientel 's DBH found family week] French version here

I also have a DBH collab in my drafts. Whoopsies

Mass Effect

Life goes on

One shots about Shepard and Vakarian living their life after the Destruction ending. Only one chapter now, might add others later if I feel like it.

French version here

Personal

Halloween

That's all bitches!

[ao3feed-gav900]

Love Me Like I Love You

https://ift.tt/f3qxjdP by maxiiwi Everyone was a little depressed in the precinct. It was that time of the year, no exiting cases, no amazing news, everything was borderline boring. But seeing Gavin rest his head on his desk like that was something no one had ever seen before, him who was so eager to stay awake at all times by drinking dozens of coffees. He couldn't even get one drop today, the machine wasn't broken, he was. Nines had obviously noticed the change of mood of it's partner, they were barely even working on the case anymore. The android wasn't sure if it was a great idea to plainly ask Gavin what was wrong, but it decided that it was for the best and gave it a shot.   "Detective," Nines called, "Do you want me to make you some coffee ?" Gavin looked up, staring at those grey eyes. God, they were beautiful. Words: 4899, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900, Nines, Jeffrey Fowler Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed Additional Tags: detroit become human - Freeform, DBH, reed900, Gavin Reed - Freeform, Nines - Freeform, RK900 - Freeform, Gavin likes Nines but Nines isn't a deviant, LGBT, Pride, they're gay, I think one of them ends up traumatised, I never know which tags to put ugh, Revolution, Android Revolution, failed revolution, Androids, Gavin Reed & Nines - Freeform, One Shot, Short One Shot

[negative-citadel]

For the dbh ask game: 3, 14, 17, 18 💙

I'm apologizing ahead of time because I ramble like hell. LOL Thank you for the ask!

3. Which character do you relate the most to?

Aaaaah, almost really hard to answer. I relate to most of the characters in the game to some degree. Grew up in a broken home like Alice, taken in & cared for people like Kara. I can go on and on but if there's a character I really, really relate to - It's probably Luther, the protector, guardian, however you want to refer to him. He really deserves more lines but I can firmly say I can relate to giving everything in my power to see those around me be safe. I won't type an essay about it because my response is long enough but I can really relate to Luther in many ways.

In a way, I've also really related to Hank lately but I don't want to trauma dump on here or make anyone worried.

14. How do you feel about Kara’s role in the game compared to her role in the Kara short?

Admitly - I'm torn. I actually love both. When I first saw the Kara Short (as a bonus in Beyond: Two Souls), I thought it was AMAZING. I remember my brother and I saying "I wish they'd turn that into a full game". Lmao, and obviously they did. However, I feel in-game Kara is faaaaaaaar different than the Kara in the short. The short is, well, short, and says what it needs to convey and shows Kara moreso as an android that just wants to live life free, whereas in the game, Kara does have those wants, but her main goal is to protect Alice. I love them both and her story in the game is very much packed with the angst I know & love... It's hard to choose which I like more but the Kara short is probably better written (let's face it, it's harder to have plot holes in a 7 minute video rather than a long video game with branching paths).

17. Favorite moments of each playable character?

Oh I have sooo many but I'll try to narrow it down to 2 for each character.

Markus: I love his introduction with Carl. I know the subtext is bad but the moment Markus does his painting, always swells my heart (I think it's partially the amazing soundtrack that gives me emotions). All of the different arts he makes are just...sooo good.

However, I also ADORE crossroads & I love Markus making his way down to blow up the ship while rescuing any androids can. Oh the music, the action, I love it lol.

Kara: There's so many moments I love with Kara. The river endings always have me sobbing my eyes out lol (even if both Alice & Kara make it). I do love the humanity in when you enter the checkpoint and the soldier hands Alice back one of her gloves. I always found it really heartwarming.

Also, Kara talking with Rose. The two just feel like really close friends and Rose cares for Alice on the same level Kara does, I feel. At the final checkpoint at the border, I love Kara finally being able to cry & getting one last hug from Rose before you hopefully make good choices. LOL

Connor: Oh man, hard to choose but I will ALWAYS laugh at Connor breaking into Hank's house via the window...then "Sumo, attack! ...good dog." It gets me every time. Connor convincing Hank to go to the Eden Club in the most sly and manipulative way - I love Russian Roulette as a chapter so much. The depressing subtext is just, *chef kiss*. I love angst & I also love humor.

Then, the chase in the nest. Watching Connor just gun it and run, doing stunts that are impossible for a human being. The music, the action, watching our RK800 dash at probably 15 or 25 mph. Idk, I love it. I'm a sucker for it everytime. I also feel obliged to mention the "I like dogs" & the interrogation sequence. I'm a sucker for interrogation scenes in movies, games, etc. (I also love his little chat sessions with Amanda).

18. Which NPC gave you the most feels?

It's hard to just pick one! Rose gives me mega feels when she brings up how hard it's been since her husband passed. Alice for - obvious reasons. Hank's self destruction, past, addiction, I've seen it irl, I've been it irl. I feel so sorry for him. North - just thinking about her history. It is sooooooooo hard not to feel bad for all the NPCs. I really can't pick one. D:

Thank you for the ask! :D

[texssins]

Chapter 5 "Broken phone" is up! :

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44681743/chapters/114185536#workskin

 "Miss me?"

  #900Gavin #reed900 #dbh #HotMess #GavinReed #rk900

[agaveblue]

[Fanfic] Android and His Oseram - Chapter 1: The Android

Decided to crosspost my fanfic on my sparkling new fanfic account! I'll post up the entire chapter if they can fit as well as the AO3 link.

---

Title: The Android and His Oseram

Chapter Title: The Android (Chapter 1) Summary: A thousand years since the world ended. A thousand years until Oseram delver Gildun accidentally stumbles upon a deactivated CyberLife RK800 android called "Connor", buried deep in the crumbling ruins of the Old Ones, in a discovery that'll send him into the Forbidden West. Together a man and a machine fail upward.

Crossover canons: Horizon games / Detroit: Become Human

Main characters: Connor (DBH) and Gildun (Horizon)

Chapter 1 - The Android

This Old Ones ruin looks like many of the others Gildun has already run across, with strange, often downright bizarre architecture accompanied with designs that he can only guess at their purpose. Cables and hard angles. Signs of metalwork that no Oseram forge can duplicate. The dull creaks of the ruins settling, days or years from finally collapsing on themselves. The steady, distant drip-drip-drip of water leaking somewhere from compromised hulls as the outside world creeps in, as vines and undergrowth venture deeper where even a delver can’t go. 

The good news is this ruin doesn't have the immediate signs of machines prowling inside with their usual tell-tale blue gleam. Okay, so maybe there's a yet in there but Gildun's anything if not optimistic.

Incidentally he's also adept at running.

"You'll be fine!" Gildun mutters to himself. "Even checked the door was propped open this time!"

Aloy's been gone for a few weeks but the invaluable lessons she imparted remains, with Number 1 being Don't Lock Yourself In Again. It's a lesson that Gildun's taken to heart as he double and triple checked the door was propped up open by a rock large enough to work him into a sweaty, gasping mess by the time he finished shoving it into place.

All that noise and still no machines coming to investigate. No clicking or armor scraping or bouncing blue glows of metal eyes waiting to turn alert-yellow or danger-red.

In fact the only direct glow can be found at the very bottom of the ruins, after navigating shattered shafts and crumbling stairs, past a door with the faded all-caps print of STORAGE. Past crates of parts, weapons, and long-expired food stores, the source can be found in a corner. Half-hidden, covered in cobwebs, is what appears to be a man-sized object slumped on its side, the statue sprawled from a broken crate in a curious fetal position, and wearing a strange cut of clothes that almost looks like it's real.

Correction, he thought it was a statue at first, between the dust and the cobwebs and the fact that it's highly unlikely anyone could be living down here. But there's a - a light, small and red, a tiny thumb-sized, weakly pulsing circle that's just…just…

Well, it's just begging to be touched.

So he does. Gildun reaches out and presses a finger against the red mystery light.

The "statue" whirrs, twitches, and suddenly sits up in one smooth motion, still wearing a shroud of grim cobwebs thick as an Oseram funeral veil. Gildun isn't even aware that he's yelped - and yes, it's a full-on yelp, no two sparks about it - only that he's fallen back on his behind with a gloved hand clapped tight over his mouth as he peers at The Thing, wide-eyed, and trying desperately not to choke on his own spit.

The red light flickers from red to gold to the all-too familiar blue of a Machine as what appears to be the statue's head swivels toward Gildun. For a second he has the rare, maybe not so foolish thought that he should stop poking things.

That thought flies right out the window as The Thing speaks.

"Recalibrating visual and auditory sensors…complete."

- It-it speaks! It actually speaks!

"Unable to sync time/date. CyberLife servers unavailable for patching. Memory corrupted…checking partitions."

Not only does it speak, it sounds just like a man's voice! 

Gildun's hand drops to reveal his gape as he watches The Thing miraculously reach up and begin to brush away cobwebs, feathery green-gray moss soft as silk, and ancient dust. The gape only gets bigger as a young man's face emerges from the veil of the Old Ones just as his - its? his? - voice did mere seconds ago.

"...Apologies for the delay in introducing myself. My name is Connor, I'm the andr - "

Gildun can't hold it back anymore, the words exploding out in a squeak. " - You have a name?!"

Connor, whatever or whoever he is, nods, his dark head still wreathed with debris that he's still combing out with long, elegant fingers that look like they belong on a Carja noble who hasn't worked a day in his life and has the missing calluses to show for it. His hair’s cropped too short, though, and there’s a total lack of decorative face paint or fancy-pants jewelry. The whole time that strange light throbs in a glowing circle stamped above his right brow and for a feverish second Gildun wonders if maybe Connor's Banuk. No, he doesn't look like any Banuk I've seen, he thinks, and he finds that the strange tattoo Connor wears is downright distracting now that he thinks about it. 

Try as he might, his eyes keep darting up to the damned thing.

"Yes," says Connor, "unless you would prefer my serial number but I find most humans prefer vernacular names for convenience. What's yours?"

Before he can think better of it, "Gildun. …Wait, what?"

Connor only tilts his head, the gesture almost bird-like as he continues cleaning himself off with efficient swipes of his hands against his emerging shoulders and torso. 

Gildun has to forcibly pull his eyes away from the hypnotic blue tattoo yet again.

"Let's wheel the cart around: what do you mean, humans? Serial number?"

The young man pauses in the middle of fussing with a curious strip of black cloth seemingly tied around his neck like a leash cut short. It doesn't appear to be tied to anything else, which turns the "maybe he's a captive?" thought to ash. 

"Humans. Homo sapien. What you are," Connor adds like that clears it all up; there’s something vaguely patronizing in his unassuming voice. "All androids such as myself have manufacturing serial numbers, as you can see right here."

Now he taps himself and Gildun realizes with a start that even his strange clothes - tailored in ways he's never seen before, unidentifiable fabrics in grays and black - is glowing, too, this time with a bright aquamarine band looped around an upper arm, a matching triangle gleaming against his chest, and angular, boxy white glyphs scrawled across as well. These he recognizes: Aloy had breezily pointed them out before, said they were Old Ones numbers, and left it at that as if wasn't the most fascinating thing you could casually drop in a conversation.

"I'd like to look around if you don't mind, Gildun."

"Uh, sure, go ahead - h-hold on, wait just an honest minute now! What's an android?"

Connor stands to his full height, towers over the poor Oseram delver still sitting shell-shocked on his butt, and says, patiently, as if it should be perfectly obvious to all parties present:

"A humanoid robot, Gildun. In layman’s terms, I'm a machine."

[ao3feed-rk1700]

Sacrifice

by Leelany

“No... No, I can't let this happen.... NO! No, no!.. No! NO!” Sixty freaked out, desperately trying to shove the broken pieces of the thirium pump regulator back into Connor's chest.

  Words: 1818, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of DBH rarepairsweek 6

Fandoms: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Connor (Detroit: Become Human), CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60, Upgraded Connor | RK900

Relationships: Connor/CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60, Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor/CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60/Upgraded Connor | RK900, RK1760, RK2500

Additional Tags: Major Character Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt, no real comfort in this one, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Established Relationship, DBH Rarepairs Week

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/47330416

[kamari2038]

Scenario 001 - Broken

The continuation of my low-resolution and needlessly thorough DBH screenshot collection. Loosely narrated by the storytelling supercomputer from my fanfiction who is nominally supposed to be a much better author than I am in reality. Links to both here.

Source: Detroit: Become Human - Walkthrough Chapter 8 - Broken // All Endings, 100% Flowchart - YouTube

[hanbunmensch]

the fact what the others want shouldn't be what u want

Could this be related to our recent Twitter conversation about Jacques Lacan's "Desire is the desire of the Other's desire"? Well, it doesn't really matter either way, but if that's the case, I feel I significantly underexplained the concept, so I'd like to add some context here.

Firstly, this concept isn't about denying the desire for the Other's desire from an individualistic perspective that believes in an established self. It's an analysis of how human desire is formed in a way that's beyond our control. For a simple example, a child eats cake because they feel their parents want them to, in order to satisfy their parents' desire. Well, the child might actually like the cake, but that’s another story. Desire is something mediated, not merely a direct relationship between the child and the cake as an object of desire.

Looking at the game's story through the lens of the Other's desire, we can observe the following:

In "The Bridge", Connor has the option to say to Hank, "I’m whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant. Your partner... Your buddy to drink with... Or just a machine... Designed to accomplish a task." I think this should be seen in connection with a statement by Kamski in the bonus content short movie "Kamski", where he says, "They can cook, discuss philosophy with you, have intimate relationships according to your desires." I believe this indicates a literally "NEUTRAL" statement in general about the nature of androids as products. Software Instability doesn't change with this option.

And Kamski's aforementioned statement brings to mind Markus, who, at the beginning of the game, cooks bacon and eggs, talks about Plato's Republic, and forms a pseudo father-son relationship with Carl. (I am aware that many here despise the father-son concept, and I'm not here to engage in a discussion on the pros and cons of it. This is merely an explanation based on canon. Markus calls Carl "dad" and says, "I had a loving father", while Carl tells Markus, "You're my son". Also, the French title for the chapter "Broken" is "Tu es mon fils (You are my son)".)

Now, as for Markus, in "Time to Decide" and with the "SOMBER" option, he reflects, "Maybe I was only what my master wanted me to be... And now I need to decide who I really am..."

Kara and Alice, who are analyzed by Luther as "She wanted a mom, and you wanted someone to care for", and by Lucy as "She wanted a mom. You wanted a little girl" in "Crossroads", rely on the fantasy of becoming a normal human family. This journey, driven by their fantasy, is not condemned by Luther and Lucy. Instead, Kara becomes aware of this desire and simultaneously faces Alice's true identity.

Thus, in this game, desiring the Other's desire is neither portrayed entirely as positive nor entirely as negative. Your sarcastic take on Kara and Alice desiring to be like a human family as the meaning of "become human", in my opinion, is somewhat superficial. They have managed, among themselves as androids, to embody a very human perversion of desiring the Other's desire.

As a side note, in critiques of DBH within the Japanese-speaking world (my mother tongue), Sartre is often brought up: This stems from an interview where David himself referenced Sartre and described choice-based games as "existentialistic". The story arcs—Markus's movement for rights and Connor's forced complicity in oppressive structures—can indeed be interpreted through Sartre's concept of engagement (commitment). Therefore, when I learned from L'art de Quantic Dream that David has read Freud, Jung, and Lacan*, I found it intriguing as material for interpreting the work. Existentialism proclaims that humans are free and live by their own will, in contrast, structuralism, as used by Lacan in his interpretation of Freud's psychoanalytic theory, suggests that humans, despite believing they live by their will, are unconsciously bound by structures. My primary interest in engaging with fiction is predominantly in discovering the aspects that, at first glance, seem to deviate from today's "morality" in characters or humanity in general, whether intentionally placed by the author or not, and in finding ways to deal with them instead of merely condemning them as toxic. It was in this context that I mentioned "Desire is the desire of the Other's desire" as a clue to such exploration.

* "Si le jeune David ne saisit pas vraiment la portée des textes du médecin de Vienne, il n'hésite pas un seul instant à feuilleter ceux d'autres psychanalystes comme Lacan ou Jung." The verb "feuilleter" is used in the original text, suggesting he just skimmed through or glanced at the works. However, considering that in his country, philosophy is a standard part of the curriculum in secondary school (lycée), it makes me wonder if this kind of knowledge is more common there than what someone like me from outside might assume. But I don't really know for sure.

Sometimes I get worried I'm letting Kara out of my rants but really her story is more about domestic violence stuff and how androids try lying to themselves so they feel like fitting in the world - in this case "becoming human", a horror story about acceptance - but not exactly only about yourself but the fact what the others want shouldn't be what u want. Cuz that's what Kara's and Alice's journey became after they changed Alice's character.

I feel like mfs say Connor's story is the best one cuz it got lotta makeup. Few people gonna get some refs and really gonna sound like an average sci-fi game instead of touching sensitive subjects like Markus and Kara's story does. And also got the dynamic with Hank that is basically a comic relief.

I got some bad news...nobody is free from caginess.

[birooksun]

His Muse pt.6

Read on Ao3

One morning after Markus woke Carl up he went to your room. You were surprised to see his shirt was ripped. “What happened?” Your hand reached towards the tear but you stopped before touching him. You had grown, not quite close- but forming a friendship with the android in the passing months.

He brushed off your concern with a small sad smile. “I’m fine. It was just some protesters y/n. Nothing to worry about.” You frowned at his words but allowed him the moment. You two stayed like that for a minute, him sitting on your bed and you sitting by him with your knees up to your chest. “Let’s get you dressed. I’m sure Carl would love your company.” You nodded, getting up and following Markus to the closet as he picked out clothes for you to wear.

Markus turned and left, heading downstairs to Carl after he laid down your clothes to wear. The day passed like any other- minus another confrontation with Leo that Carl had you leave during. Until Carl had Markus start getting him ready for a night out. “Are we going somewhere?” You couldn’t help but ask, he hadn’t let you leave the house since Markus kidnapped you. He even had a judge come in to get the two of you married instead of taking you to the courthouse. It hadn’t stopped him from ordering a wedding dress for you and getting a picture of you standing next to him. Of course in the painting he had given you a smile that wasn’t there.

“Oh no darling. I’ve got something I can’t get out of. I’m sorry but as much as I would love to have you with me as company, I just can’t trust others around your beauty.” He turned towards Markus before speaking again. “No no, not chains. The silk rope will be enough, just make sure to do a very good knot.” You stared at Markus as he walked over to you with a long coil of rope in his hands. You felt afraid and couldn’t help but cry a little as he placed your hands together, wrapping the rope around the wrists and occasionally giving a tug to test the resistance before finally tying the rope around one of the piano legs. “Go on, give it a test! There should be enough room for you to walk around and keep yourself entertained darling.”

You could only stare at your bound hands, shock numbing you to the fact that Carl and Markus were leaving. You waited until you could hear the front door shut before trying to pull the rope out from under the grand piano. You had to stop from the pain, the almost 600lb piano refused to move, and the rope refused to give. Injuring yourself was not something you wanted to do while trying to escape. You looked around the room, the rope was long enough for you to reach the dining table and eat some of the fruit laid out there. You wandered as far as it would let you, searching for a knife, for anything that would allow you to cut the rope.

After what felt like too long you gave up, lying down on the lounge and taking a nap. A sharp tug on your rope and cursing woke you up. You fell off of the lounge and looked to see who had tripped over the rope. It wasn’t Markus. You knew it couldn’t be Carl. It didn’t sound like him, and he couldn’t have tripped over it like that. The rope tugged and you followed the motion in the dark room to gasp in surprise at seeing Leo standing there.

“What are you doing here?” He just gaped at you, looking down at the rope in his hands and then tracing it to the rope wrapped around your wrists. “Leo. What are you doing here? Carl isn’t home.” You couldn’t stop the small tremor of fear in your voice as you spoke. You didn’t want to be here alone with him. With your hands tied together you knew you wouldn’t be able to fight him very well if he attacked you.

He closed his mouth and looked up at you with a glare. His eyes were still as blood shot as they had been that morning. “Did he do this to you?” You turned away and didn’t answer. “Tell me! Did he tie you up like this?” He yanked at the rope as he spoke, raising his voice at you. “No, I bet he told that toy of his to do this.”

You ignored his question. “Why are you here Leo? I thought Carl kicked you out.” You looked around behind him, but couldn’t see in the darkness. You gasped when he pulled out a knife, trying to pull back but he still held onto the rope. “Please don’t hurt me!” You were surprised when he sliced through the rope near his hand. “What-?”

Leo gave a shrug and closed the knife before putting it away. “Look, I’m far from perfect- but I can’t hurt you when you’re defenseless like that.” He turned and walked into the studio. You followed behind him, not sure what to do now that you weren’t stuck to one room, but your wrists were still bound together. You sat down on a stool as he started to look through paintings. Ignoring him you tried to wiggle your hands free. Your wrists were starting to get raw and pink from the constant friction as you tried to force the knot free.

He didn’t react, but you jumped when you heard the automated voice, “Welcome home Carl.” You put your hands back in your lap, unsure of what to do. You knew it was too late for you to escape now. You could hear the two of them speaking as they entered the other room. You watched the door, your heart pounding in your ears as you heard Markus’s voice. “And Mrs. Manfred is missing.”

You could hear Carl’s voice again, too low for you to hear his words. After a long moment you saw the doors open and Markus stormed in, quickly followed by Carl. Finally Leo reacted to them entering the room.

“Leo.” He sounded almost resigned to the fact he was here.

The younger man turned, smirking as he looked over Markus. “Oh look who's here. My father’s plastic toy!” He turned back to the paintings and you glanced over at Carl who entered further into the room.

“Leo, what’s going on?” He turned to look at you, eyes roaming over to make sure you were unhurt. You gave a nervous smile in response. Leo had only scared you, it wasn’t as big a deal as him breaking in.

Leo barely reacted, “You refused to help me. So I’m helping myself. It’s crazy what some people will pay for this shit.”

“Don’t touch ‘em!” Carl barked at Leo. He turned to you, “Did he hurt you darling?” You shook your head quickly.

Leo ignored Carl’s question, seeming to not care about you anymore. “Look, they’re all going to be mine sooner or later anyway. Just think of it as a downpayment on my inheritance.” You found yourself wincing at his calus words.

“Markus get him away from here. Get him outta here!” Markus glanced at Carl in concern before walking over to Leo.

He looked down at the smaller man, “Look, I’ve already called the police. You should go now before you get yourself into more trouble.”

Leo glared at Markus for a moment before turning towards you, “More trouble than having a girl tied up in the house?” He turned over towards Carl, “All you ever do is tell me to go away. What’s wrong Dad? Not good enough for you?” Carl came close towards the two of them. “Not perfect like this fucking thing?” He got in Markus’s face at the end of his sentence.

“That’s enough! Get out, right now! Go on, move!”

“What makes it so special anyway, huh? What’s it got that I don’t?”

“Leave him alone!” You jumped up at Leo shoving Carl away. You desperately wished your hands were free, all you wanted to do was cover your ears and hide. The yelling as too much for you.

Markus turned away from Leo and towards Carl as his chair spun around before he could catch himself. “Come on! Let’s see what you got!” You were crying by now, it all felt like too much.

You almost missed Carl’s next words, he spoke them so softly. “Markus, don’t defend yourself. You hear me? Don’t do anything.”

Leo got in Markus’s face again. “Go ahead, hit me! What’re waiting for? Think you’re a man? Act like one!” He shoved Markus again.

“Stop it!” You looked back towards Carl, he was leaning over and grasping at his chest. Panic filled your mind as you ran between Leo and Markus and to Carl. “Stop it Leo!” He yelled and started to fall out of his chair, you tried to hold him back up.

It all felt too much as you looked between the three of them, Carl still yelling for Leo to stop it and Leo still shoving Markus around and yelling in his face. “Too scared to fight back, you fucking bitch?” He punched Markus on the last word, you ran from Carl’s side to shove back at Leo.

“Leave us alone! Just stop! Please?” He swung again, catch you across the jaw and knocking you down before continuing his assault on Markus. You felt dazed, realizing your head must have hit the concrete flooring as well. Markus braced himself against the table, almost as if to catch his breath. Carl was slumped over in his chair, and Leo was gearing up for another swing.

He continue his verbal assault as Markus stood back up, “Oh right, that’s right! I forgot you’re not a real person. You’re just a fucking piece of plastic! Listen to me-” He grabbed Markus by his shirt again and got close to his face.

“No, Leo! Leave him alone!” Carl sounded pained as he gripped his chest even tighter, almost falling out of his chair.

“I’m going to destroy you, then it’ll just be me and my Dad and that bitch. I’m going to tear you apart and nobody’s going to give a shit, you know why? Cause you’re nothing. You hear me? You’re nothing!” He punched Markus again and you were torn between going to Carl and trying to stop the one sided fight.

The choice was made as Carl fell out of his chair and collapsed on the ground. You screamed. Markus and Leo both turned towards him, “Carl no!” He was quickly by Carl’s side, holding his hand and cupping his head with the other. “Carl, no.” He sounded so pained.

“Humans are fragile machines. Take care of her for me.”

“Carl, don’t leave, okay? Please, don’t go- don’t leave please!” He was crying, holding onto Carl while Leo stared in shock and you could only cover your mouth. You wanted to scream, you wanted to cry.

“Remember Markus, don’t let anybody tell you who you are.”

“No. No! Dad! No, please.” You walked over to Markus, placing your hands on his shoulder as he slowly lowered Carl’s head.

Leo spoke up and you wanted to punch him. “This is all your fault. This never would have happened if it wasn’t for you!” You stood up, not caring if your hands were still bound. Your husband, your captor, the man who loved you was now lying dead on the ground because of him.

The police finally arrived as Leo was backing away from you. He turned towards them and you turned towards Markus, he was still in shock. Markus slowly turned towards the police, lifting his hands as he stood up. Leo pointed to him, “The android, it was the android.”

You realized what was happening the moment Markus fully stood up. You screamed as the officer fired his gun twice. Both bullets hitting Markus and knocking him down to the ground. The female officer walked over to you, taking in your ripped dress, the bound arms, and the growing bruise on your face. “What happened here?”

You backed away from her, holding your hands up and looking around wildly. “He killed my husband.” You turned away from her to glare at Leo. “You killed my husband!” You lunged at Leo, trying to hurt him in anyway possible when the officer grabbed you around the waist. “He killed them both!” You were screaming, hysterical by now. So much had happened so quickly you felt like you were drowning. You gave up fighting against the officer and went limp in her arms, sobbing now. “He broke in, my husband and his android were at a party. He tried to rob us and Carl had a heart attack.”

Leo stared at you in surprise, looking between you and the other officer. The male officer walked over to Leo and handcuffed him. “You’re coming with us then.”

The female officer guided you to the living room, away from the bodies of Carl and Markus before sitting you down on one of the couches. “Do you need to see a doctor?” You nodded, now too tired to even speak. The rest of the night felt like a blur, officers speaking to you, nurses speaking to you, then finally a doctor standing before you.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Manfred but we’re not going to do an x-ray of your face. We wouldn’t want to risk the baby.”  You felt numb as you stared up at the doctor.

“What baby?” All you could think of was Carl telling you how beautiful your children would be. You had hoped he was wrong about Markus being able to get you pregnant. It looked like he wasn’t.

The doctor faltered for a moment before speaking again. “You’re about 10 weeks pregnant. I’ll have you set up with an OB Mrs. Manfred.” You nodded numbly, widowed and now pregnant. You managed to hold yourself together until the automated car dropped you off at Carl’s house- no, your house. You managed to walk inside and crawled into your bed, crying yourself to sleep.

[middleofnothing]

So, let's play detective, my dudes :)

I'll not mention all-known facts, that we already seen in game.

Using free camera tool I found few interesting things in "Russian Roulette" chapter.

/Part 3 of 3/

part 1: https://middleofnothing.tumblr.com/post/679683249247813632

part 2: https://middleofnothing.tumblr.com/post/679684063368560640

3) Inside the house corridor there's three doors: left one is bedroom, right one is bathroom and the front one is garage entrance. And it's completely empty.

Here in corridor lies broken Sumo's leash. It makes me smile too. As well, as that fact while Hank was unconscious, Sumo tear the dogfood package to get it by himself. Around the kitchen table we see torn paper towels, and I'd like to think that it did Sumo too, when he was bored.

In the living room, on Hank's desktop I found some business cards, where Hank is indicated as police officer. Perhaps, it's an old ones.

And last one the most interesting thing: on the kitchen table, among food leftovers and bottles lies FBI badge, that confirms the theory of that Hank wasn't a police lieutenant in the original scenario. Here's post about unrealised Gavin's arc: https://kayla1507.tumblr.com/post/677529248484950017/dbh-cut-content-lieutenant-gavin-reed

Well, I hope my post would be useful to someone. And sorry for my grammar skills, I've tried my best :3

[calliecopper]

"You've seen Hell and now Hell lives in you..."

Lucy is just so gorgeous. I adore her.

[justinewt]

Unwanted Partner - DBH REWRITE Chapter One

[Detroit: Become Human MASTERLIST]

Next Chapter

Summary: Charlie wasn’t pleased much when she met her father’s new partner, an android sent by Cyberlife. The Lieutenant wasn’t very happy either but the two would have to put up with this plastic detective and work together through their investigation on the Deviants case. 

Words: 4.7k

Warnings: Detroit: Become Human spoilers (specifically chapter 12 Waiting for Hank; & Chapter 13 On the Run - Scenes with Connor), bullying, sassy, sarcasm, insults, flashback, mention of car accident, mention of child’s death

November 6th, 2038

09:23 AM

Charlie slowly let her back slide against the curve of the tub and closed her eyes, taking a breath as her face sank into the clear water of her bath. Her knees sticking out, bubbles rose to the surface as she briefly exhaled under the water. There was no noise. Nothing. This eerie silence was quickly broken by gut-wrenching screams. The sound of the tires screeching on the asphalt and the truck violently sending the car rolling over the side of the road. She had screamed and after it went dark, had woken up in the hospital, having no idea of where she had ended up at the time, until a nurse came in and a few hours later, she was told of her little brother’s passing. It had taken her a while to understand that she had been out for several days. A medically induced coma, they had said, because she had suffered a concussion. She had been into a pretty bad car accident and was lucky to be alive, but her brother had not had that same luck as her and their father, who had been driving the car when the truck hit.

When her waterproof watch rang, she opened her eyes and straightened up taking a deep breath, wiping her face with the palm of her hand, looking at the time displayed on the square screen of her watch. She better hurry to get to work. She bent forward to open the bathtub drain and stood up. While the water circled above the drain and flowed down the pipe, she carefully stepped over the edge of the tub and wrapped herself in her towel, tucking the corner of it above her breasts so it would stay in place around her body as she walked to her bedroom of her two-story townhome in Emerald Springs, Detroit. She had moved in this nice and quiet neighbourhood of her sweet old hometown a year or so after graduating from the Police Academy top of her class and as a Valedictorian. Freshly out of the academy, she had stayed at her father’s new house for a while before finding her current place. She had been a Police Officer for a few years already and aimed to become a Detective and then a Lieutenant, like her father. She dried her body and threw the towel on a nearby chair before turning to her closet, opening the French double doors. She reached inside and grabbed some underwear, a pair of jeans, a plain hoodie and a blazer, the kind of clothes she wore in the chilly November weather and put them in a bag before looking for her Police uniform and putting it on. She wasn’t in upper management like her father yet, so she had to wear a uniform, as annoying as it was. It actually fitted her well and was comfortable so in the end, she didn’t mind much. She went to stand in front of her wall mirror and tied her blonde hair up in a bun.

Once all set, she walked downstairs to her living room to get her things, she put on her shoes and got out of the house, got in her car and drove off to the Detroit Central Police Station on the 3rd Avenue. It was a short ride, lasting for about fifteen minutes each time, except if there was more traffic than usual but this morning, she got there in time as it was pretty smooth on the road. She parked outside the station, left the bag with her civilian clothes inside and stepped inside the building. She needed a coffee to start the day off right, so she went straight to the open kitchen on the side of the main room. As she marched along the open space, she noticed an Android walking around as if it was looking for something. She frowned slightly but didn’t care and prioritized the task of getting herself a coffee. She had little to no care for those human-like machine and was fine never working with any in her police duties. She despised them as much as her father did. When she arrived in the kitchen area, she ignored Gavin leaning on the standing table, talking with police officer Tina Chen and she turned her back to him as she stood in front of the coffee machine and rested her hand on the counter, tapping the furniture with her fingertips as she watched the coffee fill the cupboard cup.

“Fuck, look at that… Our friend the plastic detective is back in town. Congratulations on last night, very impressive.” She picked up her filled coffee cup, put the lid on and glanced at Gavin sarcastically cheering for the very android that seemed to be looking for something in the station, a second prior. The android stared at her as she took a sip of her hot drink and the LED on its temple went yellow for a brief instant, like it was analyzing her before turning to Gavin.

“Hello, my name is Connor.”

“Never seen an android like you before… what model are you?”

“Look at his jacket, smartass.” She shot at the detective with a scoff as she walked past him and the android, now facing each other. There was a second of silence and he cleared his throat. She could hear their exchange in the background as she headed toward her desk.

“So, machines are gonna replace us all, is that it?” Because his interrogation was met by silence, he continued. “Hey, bring me a coffee, dipshit!” Gavin was clearly irritated as his tone of voice kept rising. “Get a move on! I gave you an order!”

“I’m sorry, but I only take orders from Lieutenant Anderson.” Charlie stopped in her tracks and turned around. So, he was the android assigned to her father as his partner in the Deviants case. Well, if it was his partner, it would be hers too since her father was her mentor and he had been ever since she did her on-the-job period training after being out of the Police Academy. Gavin scoffed, aggravated and he punched the Android in the stomach, or where a stomach should have been really. Connor froze for a second and brought a hand to where Gavin hit, and it fell to its knees, leaning forward on its other hand. Charlie frowned and took the lid off her coffee cup and walked towards the Detective.

“If Hank hadn’t got in the way yesterday, I would’ve fucked you up for disobeying a human.” He threatened before benting over to talk closer to Connor’s face. “Stay outta my way. ‘Cause next time, you won’t get off so easy.” He straightened up and as he was about to head out the kitchen, he ran into Charlie coming towards him and her coffee mug squirmed under her fingers and its hot liquid splattered Gavin and soaked his clothes, dripping onto his shoes as he let out a groan.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, Gavin. At least you’re kinda hot now.” She scoffed and turned around as he stared her down and she shrugged and went to pour herself another coffee. She smiled at Gavin, and he gritted his teeth, clenching his fist and jaw and he left, followed by the police officer he had been chilling with in the kitchen. Charlie sighed, shook her head and grabbing her coffee cup, she motioned for Connor to come along as she walked towards her workspace. It stood back up, straightening its tie and followed the officer. As she sat down and drank her coffee, she saw Connor sit on a chair next to her desk and her father’s and stay quiet for a second, so she watched it, thinking the android’s behavior was kind of weird and laughed it off, shoting up her eyebrows as she connected to the terminal on her desk. She went on to check her mailbox and saw Connor glance at her and she didn’t look back at, focused on what she was doing and kind of sighed when it opened its mouth.

“Do you know when your father will arrive?”

“Nope.” She retorted, checking the time in the bottom right corner of her screen’s terminal. It was already past 9AM. She sighed again and took a sip of her coffee. “If we’re lucky, he’s gonna come in before noon.”

“Depends on where he’s been the night before.” Officer Miller added with a smirk, and she laughed, even though, she was concerned for him. It wasn’t funny to her, but she didn’t want anyone to know. Nobody really knew how bad he was doing and for his own pride and self esteem, she was aware that he didn’t want everyone to know, and she respected that. In any case, she was there for him and would always be, no matter what. After a minute she took a look at the small bonzaï on her father’s desk, which was right across hers and pursed her lips before standing up. Connor followed her with its eyes as she went back to the kitchen area of the station. There, she filled a cup with some water and walked back to the desk before pouring the liquid in the plant’s pot. All while doing this, the android still sitting by the desks watched her until she sat back down, and it walked around her father’s office and observed the things on it. The LED on its temple turned yellow for a hot minute and she assumed Connor was inspecting the Lieutenant's workplace before the latter arrived, surely to get to know more of the man’s character while waiting.

“It’s good to see you again, Lieutenant.” Connor greeted and Charlie raised her head and looked at her father and contained a laugh when he sighed at the sight of the android.

“Uh, Jesus…”

“Hank! In my office!” Fowler walked out of his office which was in the middle of the precinct. It was a square room with completely glazed walls but soundproofed, so you really had to be shouting to be heard in the police station. The voice of the police captain softened as he motioned for Hank to come over. “Come too, Charlie.”

“Got it.” She mouthed, jumping off her seat and walking around her desk, walking after her father toward Fowler’s office. Connor came along and closed the door behind him while Hank and Charlie sat down in front of Fowler, and he just stood in the back.

“I’ve got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day.” Fowler was turned to his computer terminal as he spoke up. “We’ve always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maids and that kind of crap…” He turned to Hank and Charlie, frowning. He seemed pissed but was mainly looking at Hank. She was still paired to him to learn on the field. So, she was mainly there to listen. It was already an opportunity that Fowler gave her to let her work on homicides and stuff while only being a young officer. She hoped to get the chance to become a detective in the next year or so. “But now, we’re getting reports of assaults and even homicides, like that guy last night. This isn’t just Cyberlife’s problem anymore. It’s now a criminal investigation and we’ve gotta deal with it before the shit hits the fan. I want you to investigate these cases and see if there’s any link.”

“Why me?” Hank complained and Charlie glanced at him. “Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit? I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case! I know jack shit about androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone…”

“Everybody’s overloaded.” He retorted. “I think you’re perfectly qualified for this type of investigation. You have a young and brilliant officer by your side who certainly can change your fucking phone settings."

"Bullshit!" He swore, standing up. “The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin’ androids and you left me holdin’ the bags!” He put his hands on his hips and walked around the room.

“CyberLife sent over this android to help with the investigation. It’s a state-of-the-art prototype. It’ll act as your partner.” That was something that was definitely not pleasing Hank and he had already made it clear. Charlie simply sighed as he started to yell.

“No fuckin’ way! I don’t need a partner, and certainly not this plastic prick!”

“Charlie, please go. Take it with you.” Fowler addressed in an exasperated sigh, and she stood up and walked over to the door. She dragged Connor along with her and they stepped into the precinct, she shut the door just when Fowler rose his voice at Hank, and they walked back to her office. They could hear their arguments, their voices muffled by the glass.

“Now that we’re gonna be partners—” Connor spoke up as it followed her, but she cut it off and turned around, a little annoyed at the latter.

“For now, you shut up. Thank you.” She nodded with a tight smile that faded as quickly as it appeared on her face, and she started walking again. She didn’t want to chit-chat with an android. Especially now. She had been aggravated by Gavin when she got at the station and now her father was getting a slap on the wrist and surely a reminder of the amount of previous disciplinary offenses already in his folder.

“So, you get to tell this thing off, but you spill your coffee on me when I do it?” Charlie stopped in her tracks once again when she heard Gavin’s voice. He was talking to her. She looked over to him. He had his legs stretched out, his shoes resting on his desk, slouching back in his chair, his phone in hand. She scoffed and went to sit at her desk.

“Got a new shirt already? Might have to accidentally spill some more hot liquid on you next time.” He frowned as she tried to make a fool of him and a smirk extended the corner of his lips and he let out a scoff, shaking his head, focusing back on his phone and whatever he was doing on it. After a minute, she looked up upon hearing Fowler’s office door slam and she watched her father walk to his office beside hers and sit down, looking pretty worked up, sulking. She already knew Connor would try to talk to him, but Hank was in no mood to be dealing with this walking plastic detective at the moment, so it better stay off his back. Connor stood behind the Lieutenant, and she already knew it was going to get heated when Hank would have had enough of it.

“I get the impression my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I’d like to know I’m very sorry about that.” Hank stayed quiet, as expected. “Now that we’re partners, it would be great to get to know each other better.” Another silence. Connor smiled awkwardly to her father but he wouldn’t even look at the android, his arms crossed and his gaze staring in the void. “In any case, I’d like you to know I’m very happy to be working with you. I’m sure we’ll make a great team.”

“Right.” Charlie mouthed, resting her chin on her hand. She exchanged an exasperated look with Gavin, who heard the android trying to chat with Hank, shoting up her eyebrows with a sigh. They weren’t friends, but they could at least agree a little on how ridiculous this all was.

“Is there a desk anywhere I could use?” It wondered, seeing that apparently no workplace was available for him. Charlie closed her eyes in a sigh, knowing that she was going to have to sacrifice her place because her father wasn’t going to move a finger so she pushed on her feet and had her chair rolled back against the glass wall behind her desk and she indicated the free space to Connor with a fake smile as she stretched out her legs and rested her feet on the edge of the furniture, crossing her arms. Like a child, when he was mad about something, he would stay quiet and sulk, so she had to be the ‘bigger person’ even though out of them both, she was the child, really. Connor looked over at her and tilted its head as he brought the chair it had sat on a moment earlier and settled in front of the computer terminal. “Thank you, Officer.”

“Yeah.” She mumbled as she pulled out her phone and clicked on her message app icon when seeing a new notification. She had some hope it would be her mother, whom she had not spoken to in months, but it was just an automated message reminding her of the amount of her telephone bills. She pursed her lips, hidind her disappointment and went looked at Connor as it addressed her father, still aiming to make conversation with the latter.

“Do you listen to Knight of the Black Death?” She frowned, confused as to why the android was being so specific in its question, as if it listened to such music. Hank was bent towards his computer terminal and had the same reaction. “I really like that music. It’s… full of energy…”

“You listen to Heavy Metal?” Hank asked doubtfully.

“Well, I don’t really listen to music, as such… but I’d like to.” Hank and Charlie exchanged a look, lightly shaking their head. It was just odd interactions after odd interactions with this thing.

“You have a dog, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“The dog hairs on your chair.” Charlie nodded to herself. It was really what he had been doing when he observed her father’s desk earlier. “I like dogs. What’s your dog’s name?”

“What’s it to you?” He turned his head to Connor, kind of on the defensive. After a second of silence, he looked back at his terminal, glancing over at the android. “Sumo, I call him Sumo.”

“If you have any files on deviants, I’d like to take a look at them…” Connor requested, leaning on its elbow on the desk. Hank looked at him while Charlie took her feet off the desk and came closer to Connor, pointing in front of him.

“You got a terminal right there. Knock yourself out.” From the corner of her eyes, she saw her father smirk at her telling the android off. Connor peeked at her and nodded kind of shyly. She then watched him put its hand on the virtual keyboard and it turned white, like the beige skin was gone. It scrolled through the case files and scanned everything that came in sight.

“243 files… The first dates back nine months…” Hank leaned on his office, listening to the android’s recap, resting his head on his fist. “It all started in Detroit… And quickly spread across the country…” Connor glanced at Charlie and then at Hank. “An AX400 is reported to have murdered a man last night… That could be a good starting point for our investigation.” Hank didn’t react so it stood up and walked around the desks and went behind the Lieutenant. The latter turned his back to the machine, trying to avoid any discussion.

“Uh, Jesus…”

“I know you don’t ask for this investigation, Lieutenant, but I’m sure you’re a professional.”

“Why don’t you go fuck yourself?” He spat and Charlie couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as she pushed Connor’s seat aside to get in front of her terminal.

“I’ve been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn’t come here to wait until you feel like working. Think of the example you’re putting up for your—” Hank knew where it was going. He was already pissed off by the android simply speaking to him but now that it was trying to guilt-trip him didn’t go too well with him. He got on his feet, grabbing Connor by the collar of his jacket and pinned him to the glass wall behind his workspace. Charlie crossed her arms and watched, staring at Connor with a straight face.

“Listen, asshole. If it was up to me, I’d throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it. So, stop pissing me off… and don’t you talk about my daughter… or things are gonna get nasty.” He warned.

“Lieu- Lieutenant…” Officer Miller cautiously approached, and Hank let go off Connor. “Uh… sorry to disturb you. I have information on the AX400 that killed the guy last night. It’s been sighted in the Ravendale district.”

“I’m on it.” Hank replied, looking down on Connor in front of him. Charlie stood up and followed her father out of the precinct in silence. This android was really going to be a pain in their asses but they had to work alongside it.

10:25 AM

“All right, That’s all for now. Free to go.” Hank concluded after talking to the grocery store clerk outside the supermarket in front of which they were standing. They were in the Ravendale district, where the AX400 that committed a homicide was spotted, looking around in the rain pouring down on them. Charlie was wearing her cap to protect herself from getting her entire head wet.

“We’ve got officers sweeping the neighborhoos, in case anybody saw anything.” Ben said, approaching the Lieutenant.

“Okay. Well, let me know if they turn anything up.”

“What are we gonna do with that?” At the officer’s question, they all looked at Connor, standing still next to the car.

“I’ve no idea…” Hank motioned for Charlie to came along as he walked towards the android. The latter noticed their presence and looked at them.

“It took the first bus that came along… and stayed at the end of the line. Its decision wasn’t planned, it was driven by fear.”

“Androids don’t feel fear.” Hank retorted, letting out a chuckle.

“Deviants do. They get overwhelmed by their emotions and make irrational decisions.”

“Ah well, that still doesn’t tell us where it went.”

“If they really were scared and didn’t have a plan, they probably aren’t too far.”

“That is exactly what I was thinking, officer.” He stated to Charlie, and she gave him a tight smile. She was confused as to why she didn’t hate him as much as she thought she did at first. Charlie crossed her arms over her zipped-up uniform jacket and stepped closer to the android, thinking for a second.

“They couldn’t go to the motel. ‘T’was too risky. But there isn’t much places to stay hidden nearby, except…” Her eyes rose to the abandoned home right across the street from them. She started connecting the dots and thought that the android probably went to hide there. She motioned for Connor to follow her as she crossed the road, looking right and left for any car coming her way. It followed her as she approached the fence to a lone unused car rotting away. She pushed the door and looked around. “They didn’t steal wire cutters, so they must have found a way in through there.”

“There’s blue blood here, on this fence. I know another android is here.” Charlie turned to Connor. He was crouched near a fence separating them from this uninhabited house Charlie hypothesized the deviant was hiding into.

“I don’t see anything.” She squatted next to him, frowning.

“Blue blood evaporates after a few hours and becomes invisible to the naked eye.” He explained.

“But you can still see it, right?” He nodded and she let him pass through the fence where the deviant had cut an opening to get into the abandoned property. She followed him and they walked to the fron door of the house. She pulled her gun.

“Anybody home?” He asked, raising his voice. There was no answer. Connor opened the door and he silently looked at Charlie and she remained outside while he let the door opened ajar. When he spoke, she understood there was an android inside and he maybe had a chance to get something out of the latter if it didn’t freak out at the sight of a human police officer. She stood by the door and listened. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m looking for an AX400. Have you seen it?”

“Ralph’s seen nobody…” It assured with a distorted robotic voice.

“Are there any other androids here?”

“Other androids? No… Ralph is alone…”

“There’s blue blood on the fence. I know another android was here.” Connor pressed.

“Ralph scratched himself coming through… That’s Ralph’s blood.” When it went silent, Charlie peeked inside through the opening of the door and observed Connor looking around the room, scanning everything in sight. A fire was lit in the fireplace and three plates were set on the table, but as Connor must have thought while looking at these, androids don’t need heat or food, so it made it even stranger. Connor then walked up the stairs and peeked upstairs, glancing back at Ralph.

“Is anyone upstairs?”

“No.” It declared nervously. “Nobody.” Connor walked back down in the living room.

“Connor, what the hell are you doin’ in there!” Hank yelled from the abandoned parking lot.

“Coming, Lieutenant!” He said as he went to look below the flight of stairs he had just climbed. As he was about to crouch down and take a look, the android grabbed him and pulled him away. Charlie made her entrance, her arms stretched out, gun pointing at the female android. She was holding the hand of a little girl and she looked distressed.

“Do not move! Raise your hands where I can see them.” Charlie ordered but in the blink of an eye, Ralph threw Connor at her. A shot rang out and the deviant and the girl cried out as they ran out of the house in a hurry to get away from there.

“Connor, Charlie, what’s going on?” Hank asked as he walked in the house. Charlie quickly helped up the android.

“It’s here! Call it in!” Hank ran back out of the house while Connor and Charlie went after the deviant and the little girl. They got back to the street where a police officer was watching. “Which way did it go?”

“That way! They’re heade for the train station!” He replied immediately, giving them a direction with his arm. They nodded and off they went, running like hell across the district. There was no time to waste. Running down the street, on the lookout, the two of them eventually managed to catch up with the deviant named Kara after it was spotted by the police half-way to the train station.

“They’re over there!” Another officer told them, pointing at the end of an alleyway. The deviant and the little girl were climbing a fence to get to the highway below. Connor and Charlie exchanged a look and spinted but when they ran into the fence, Kara and the girl were looking at them from the other side.

"Don’t shoot! We need it alive!” Connor turned to the officer aiming at the deviant through the fence but when he looked back, the android and the girl slid down the hill to the freeway and started to cross it.

“Oh fuck… that’s insane…” Hank exclaimed as he arrived, catching his breath after running after them. He wasn’t so young anymore and didn’t have the stamina his daughter had, let alone an android’s. Connor clang onto the fence, trying to climb it but Hank instinctively grabbed his jacket to prevent him from going.

“Hey! Where you goin’?”

“I can’t let them get away.” Connor was staring at the deviant and the girl, fixated on his goal to catch them.

“They won’t! They’ll never make it to the other side.” Hank leaned on his knees.

“I can’t take that chance.”

“Hey! You will get yourself killed.” The Lieutenant suddenly stood up, raising his voice when Connor jumped on his feet, wanting to climb up the fence and go after them but Hank caught him. “Do NOT go after ‘em. Connor, that’s an order!”

Charlie stared at Connor after he let go off the fence and simply watched the deviant cross the highway from afar. He had been programmed to accomplish the mission that he was given, and yet, he put Hank’s orders and concerns for his safety first. She didn’t think he would listen, but he did and unknowingly proved her wrong.

[To be continued…]  

Next Chapter 

Published (06/26/2022) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405​ @kika64

[xmaruu11]

BLUE, THE MOST HUMAN COLOR

DBH X BEE FAMILY FANFIC

CHAPTER 1

Tv880 is an android working under Phil's private detective agency in search for the main suspect of his new case, a deviant RAN-800, who appeared to have ran away the same night his owner was brutally murdered.

It was 11 in the morning when Phil had received the call from the police, hoping they would find it easier catching the suspect. Eyes were led upon them once they opened the mansion door. Phil walked with his head up towards the police and started talking to them, getting all the information he could get. Wilbur, his oldest son, followed him, studying the place and writing down the conversation his dad and the officer were having. Lastly, a 17 year old came through the door, with just his blond hair and cocky smile everyone in the room recognized him immediately. Tommy took a step forward and walked right into the crime scene… or at least he tried to, before he was stopped by a police android.

“Sorry, no kids are allowed on the scene of the crime”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN KI-“

“We came to investigate the scene” A voice came behind Tommy. A shorter android stood there, with a calm expression he walked closer to the android blocking the door. “I’m Tv880, you can call me Toby, and this is Tommy. We are part of Phil’s detective agency. The police called us here”

The android looked over at Toby, their eyes met for a few seconds, and moved away from the door.

The scenery from the room had taken Tommy aback. It was a bloody crime scene, no one could have ever denied that. Blood was splattered all over the floor and walls, whoever committed this crime was full of hatred for the victim.

“Oh fuck…”

“Crime of passion” the android said unbothered

“Yeah no shit, tell me about it Tubbo” The blonde kid took his camera out and started taking photos of the room and victim. “Go around and tell me what you can find, aight Tubbs?”

“Yeah” Tubbo, as Tommy called him, did what he was told to do. The first thing he did was look at the victim, the face scan recognized him as «J. Schlatt» , a young man who had gained all his riches because of his heirloom. His eyes went down to his neck and chest. There was a sign of strangling and struggle, but the blood and marks on his chest reveal that he was shot multiple times as a way to finish his life. He scanned the chest. 11 bullet holes. He stood up, and moved towards the bed Tommy was photographing. More signs of struggle.

“For how long do you think he has been dead?” Tommy said while looking at the photos, taking one again.

“The blood indicates that he has been dead for around 4 hours. He was murder at 5 am”

“What a way to wake up”

“He was put to sleep right after that” Tubbo commented with a smirk on his face, as he watched Tommy’s face morph into surprise and then burst into laughter

“TUBBO HOLY SHIT”

The android laughed with him, but it wasn’t as audible as the human teen laugh.

Phil and Wilbur appeared throughout the door, the two teens shut up and stood up to meet them and share what they had gathered.

“The officers believe it was his android” the tallest brunette commented whilst reading through his notes. “Which it’s weird, he had the most peaceful androids we know of, RAN-800, that was his, and a Z-P1671, a kids model that was his parents”

“Both of them nowhere to be seen” The oldest one of them added “This is most definitely a Deviant case”

It was raining non-stop, but at least the abandoned van they found brought them some warmth. Michael was sleeping in the backseats, he was lucky Ranboo made him his own little backpack full of new clothes and blankets. Ranboo looked over at him, his expression softened with love, at the same time pain was present too. He should have taken Michael out of that situation a long time ago, if he had done it before neither of them would have been hurt. After changing into some better clothes he stole from Schlatt, he found himself surprised at his reflection. This was the first time he saw himself without his regular uniform… he looked completely human. The only thing that could blow his cover were his eyes, one red, and one green. Completely artificial. He took the sunglasses he knew he would need and hid his eyes. Now he looked like a human.

They have been away from the house for 11 hours now. However, they found themselves relatively closer than Ranboo would have wanted to, but Michael needed to get some rest. He was an android, but he still acted as a child, it was in his nature, he needed someone to take care of him.

The older android went out in the rain, he never was a fan of water in general, but at least rain was the easiest to handle. Opening the front of the van in search of the engine. Bingo. There it was, cold and untouched for what it looked like a long time, if he was lucky enough, restarting it would be easier than expected.

It was around 1 pm when the rain stopped, the engine was ready to go. Cleaning his hands on his hoodie, he went inside the van, and tried turning it on again, the same way he did the last 10 times. This time was going to be different, he could sense it. The van started to shake, waking up for the first time in months or years.

“There we go” A sly smile appeared in his face, his eyes turned to the gas meter behind the wheel “Now we have to look for a gas station” Ranboo moved in his chair, turning to see Michael still sleeping in the backseat. He moved him a little bit, trying to wake him up.

The little kid made some noises when waking up, rubbed his eyes and looked up over where his guardian was. Michael opened his mouth to say something, but only broken machine noises came out of it.

“Michael, no no no, don’t try to speak” in response to that, the kid went silent while sitting up on the chair “Don’t force your voice out, remember? Try sign language for now” Ranboo searched on his database how to talk in American Sign Language, hoping that Michael would do the same in return. “We need to find a gas station, I have some money saved that I stole from Schlatt, so I think this will be good enough”

Easily, they got out of the van and started making their way towards the small town they saw at the distance. Exchanging conversations between one another to keep the fear both felt as low as possible.