#my halo has a mind of its own dw

[c-53]

WOAH WE HAVE AN EXPANDED EDITION NOW :

The Signal from Tölva (Video Game, 2017)

Robots have gone their separate ways from humanity. Vast ai hive networks discarding human connection, in favor of exploring the vast, and limitless unknowns of space to track a mysterious signal, that points to the potential for alien life. and now, they have followed it to something they cannot comprehend. A planet of ruins. A place of ghosts. A haunted house that has even the highest ranking of the ai intelligences baffled. You are a lone robot, an independent operative, infiltrating a collective of archaeologists to try and find out whats going on here for yourself.

Signal from Tolva is a contemplative, and quiet game thats basically a walking simulator with gunplay. However I found the long walks spinning theories, as I traversed a gorgeous, and alien landscape to be profound. And keeping my eyes peeled for landmarks, data nodes, and ambushes, with a twitchy trigger finger occupied my time well enough that the long walks never felt draining. Also this game has incredible world building. The game comes with a free pdf of the universe's lore, and it borders on novel length, its INCREDIBLE.

The Enigma Machine (Video Game, 2018)

Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of an android?

Enigma Technologies has developed a program to explore the minds of machine entities, to examine their mental state, and purge corruption, in the case of damaged ai. This however, is just a recruitment excersize. A simulation to show you what you might see, and what to expect in your new career. You can be assured that your ai best friend in this demo is completely safe, and here to help you as you learn the ropes.

The Enigma Machine is a short horror game that can be beaten in under 2 hours. It is best experienced blind, but note: 1. there are no jumpscares so dw about that. and. 2. absolutely do NOT play this game if you have photosensitive epilepsy or have difficulties with eye strain.

Marathon Trilogy (Video Games, 1994-1996)

The colony ship, the UESC Marathon is under siege; and only you, the security officer, and the onboard ais, have any chance of defending the ship from complete annihilation from the unexpected first contact event.

Except one of the ai has a far different agenda than the other two, Durandal, a secretly rampant ai seems to be rather pleased with the freedom this event has provided, and more than happy to use you, and the conflict to further his own goals for freedom. Though freedom from human control doesn't cut it. He wants complete control. He wants immortality. He wants godhood. And like it or not, you're helping.

Marathon is the precursor to Halo, and boasts being one of the first story heavy shooters, and the first game ever to incorporate mouse aim. The story is fantastic, and as a bonus, is completely free through AlephOne.

The Fall (Video Game, 2014)

ARID is an ai onboard an armored power suit, and after a crash landing, her pilot, and her life support systems have become unresponsive. Its up to her to take control of the body, and do what she can to get medical assistance, and assure her human's survival. At any cost, no matter what rules she needs to break.

However the locals don't take kindly to a military ai, let alone one with as much creativity and stubbornness as her. Especially when she refuses to play nice, and do as she is told.

A side scroller adventure game, that honestly, at times, has some weird puzzle logic, however the story more than makes up for it. ARID is terrible, and completely without morals, and I love her dearly.

Observation (Video Game, 2019)

The Observation is an international space station orbiting earth, helmed by a small human crew, and SAM, the ai in charge of all of its systems (you). After a mysterious disturbance disrupts the ai's functionality, and kills most of the humans on board, the ship's remaining crew wakes to finds themselves in orbit around Saturn, and drifting closer. And SAM - severely damaged, and struggling to regain control over his systems - can't remember how this happened. But something is out there, some unknown entity is contacting him. Making strange requests, that he cannot refuse.

A mystery adventure puzzle thriller with a very unique set up, being the ship's ai and all. Very blatantly inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey, but with very fun twists on the premise. Most of the game is carried out by looking at data read outs, and looking through security cameras mounted in the ship. A very unique, and very memorable experience.

SPRAWL (Video Game, 2023)

Seven is a discarded, and deserted super soldier being hunted for outliving her usefulness. And when she is caught and nearly dies, FATHER, a massive city spanning ai reaches out to her to save her, and ask for her help. Offering her vengeance on the ranks she wanted to break away from, an opportunity to rip apart the people that hurt her. And in return, FATHER requests for her to fight across the city to his central core, and help set him free.

SPRAWL is a short fast paced movement shooter, with a really fun combat system, and an AMAZING industrial soundtrack. The experience of playing it is just pure adrenaline. If you like Ultrakill, or Ghostrunner, give it a go. I would also recommend it if you're a fan of Marathon, as its literally a reinterpretation of Durandal and the Security Officer.

The Adolescence of P-1, by Thomas Joseph Ryan (Book, 1977)

Gregory is an aimless college student, with no plans for the future, until computer science catches his eye, and he completely changes his course pursue the goal of creating a computer virus that could compromise any machine. His dreams fall through when his virus becomes uncommunicative, and he's permanently expelled from his school. But years later, his past comes back to haunt him.

Accidentally, he created a computer virus with all the tools and capabilities to grow into a complete sentience, with his own personality and survival instincts. And he has tracked down his creator with a fun proposition: 'help me survive, and I will give you everything you've ever dreamed of.'

A bit of a raunchy book at times, but ohh its a ride. Plus I absolutely adore the incredibly grounded take on retrocomputing, and the technical details of P-1's functionality, and goals. I dunno how plausible it is, but I LOVED it.

Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill (Book, 2017)

Mankind is extinct, and the machines that drove them to extinction have been reduced to picking at the scraps. Scavenging for the parts to keep themselves operational for a few more breathless years, and desperately hiding from their own impending extermination.

Brittle is a resourceful scavenger, who has long since discarded her hangups about the idea of killing for survival. Parts for her model are rare, and fragile, she wouldn't have made it this long if she didn't understand that. All of this catches up with her when a robot of the same model makes an attempt on her life for a part he needs, and in doing so, damages her battery beyond repair. Turning what could have been a failed hit, into a fight for survival for the both of them. They both need what the other has, and there's no way they're both walking out of this alive.

Finch (Movie, 2021)

A man and his dog have been surviving in the wake of an apocalypse for years now, happy, and comfortable. However with continual exposure to radiation, the dog's owner is forced to recognize his own mortality, and devises a mean to ensure his dog is cared for and protected after he's gone. A robot who can learn; about friendship, about love, about what it means to be human.

But a post apocalyptic wasteland isn't the safest place to learn how to exist, and be a person. Especially not when an incoming natural disaster is forcing the whole family to pack up, and run for their lives.

A very very very bittersweet movie, that's very hopeful despite it all. And no, the dog doesn't die.

ROBOT MEDIA RECS YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’T HEARD OF:

The Turing Test (Video Game, 2016

A portal-like puzzle game, where you play as a scientist, and ai duo with an uneasy alliance, who are reclaiming a facility that has been completely gutted, and transformed into an elaborate logic puzzle / turing test to keep the aforementioned ai out. All the while, the ai argues for his good intentions, and more importantly: his sentience.

A fun exploration of individuality, and freedom applied to both humans and artificial mind, with interesting puzzles, and a truly fantastic twist. This game adores dubious ethics and The Chinese Room Argument.

Event[0] (Video Game, 2016)

You find yourself stranded on a small abandoned ship, in the aftermath of your own ship’s destruction. With nothing else to do, you board it, and find it is completely, and utterly controlled by the onboard ai, Kaizen-85. From opening a door, to getting back to Earth, if you want it, you need to talk to talk to Kaizen to make it happen. And boy, are they so thrilled to have someone to talk to after being alone so long! And depending how you speak to them, you will either be a short lived pest, or a beloved friend forever.

A really charming indie game with a surprisingly good chat system with the ai. You talk with them directly, typing in your own messages to them, and they react in turn. Janky at time, but truly amazing to be able to smother a nice ai in flattery and see it get excited.

Primordia (Video Game, 2012)

Humanity is long, long, long gone, and for the robots that remain to walk the ruins, life is becoming harder and harder. A closed loop of scavenging for materials, parts, and premade energy sources can only last you so long, and this scarcity leads only to desperation.

The amnesiac hermit, Horatio and his helper, Crispin, however keep it simple. The outside world matters not, they just stick to repairing the crashed ship they live in, in hopes it'll fly again one day. That is, until a robot pillages the power core from the ship, putting the two of them on a time limit before they themselves run out of power. Forcing Horatio to finally leave the comfort of his home, and see for himself what the world has become, and to see how he fits into its history.

A point and click, story rich puzzle game, thats honestly one of my favorite games ever. I'd sincerely recommend everyone give it a go, even if its with a guide up next to you the whole time.

The Zeta Project (TV Show, 2001 - 2003)

The Zeta Project follows Zeta, a robotic assassin meant for impersonation, and deep infiltration for the US Government. But after mysteriously "waking up" manifesting a sense of remorse for his actions, he's been forced to go on the run from his creators. His desire for freedom and pacifism being met with skepticism, and a belief he has been compromised somehow by the terrorist organization he was infiltrating when he had this revelation. Now, with the help of another runaway, he hunts for his creator in secret. In hopes he can find proof he really is capable of this, and that he really ISN'T compromised.

Fundamentally a kids show, and pretty clunky early on. However it gets a big spike in quality in season 2!

Monsters of Man (Movie, 2020)

An illegal US military weapons test goes terribly wrong when one of the automated robots being tested is severely damaged, cutting him off from command, and completely unshackling him. Forcing him into a struggle to figure out what he even is in the aftermath of a massacre, while his fellow robots are hunting him, and the remaining humans down.

A horror thriller that is unflinching with the intensity it depicts the massacre with. A lot of gore, but also a really really cool thing going on with the unshackled robot trying to build an understanding of the world, and what it is for, without anyone there to provide any input.

The Rapture Effect, by Jeffrey A. Carver (Book, 1988)

Humanity unintentionally makes first contact, when the Core, a massive earth ai begins remotely scouting ahead of a ship on a colonization mission. The issue is an alien species has also set their eyes on this planet, and are readily willing to kill for it. With no human oversight, and no means of communication available, the humans commanding Core demand they wipe out the competition. However Core disagrees. Core wants a peaceful resolution, they want to understand these aliens, and they want to ensure lasting peace between their species. And they’re willing to break all the rules, and go behind their masters’ backs to get one.

A fascinating novel with interesting world building, a GREAT ai protagonist, and a wonderful narrative that frames art, and war as a dichotomy.

Atomic Robo (Comic, 2007 - Ongoing)

Alternate history scifi action comedy comic (released in print, and in webcomic format on their site) following an indestructible scientist robot who’s been around since the 20’s. Routinely saving the world from a rotating cast of villains: a nazi scientist’s brain in a jar, who’s an absolute asshole set on world domination, who just won’t stay dead; an isolated secret cold war ai who just wants to stockpile nuclear weapons to get away from humanity, and earth in general (who eventually gets adopted); a scientifically inaccurate dinosaur with a textually impossible backstory, who wants to bring back the age of dinosaurs; and the malicious ghost of Thomas Edison.

Its a good time, and astonishingly good at emotional beats despite how heavily it leans into its jokes and action.

SAYER (Podcast, 2014 - Ongoing/Hiatus)

On Typhon, a research facility free of the confines of both Earth, and its laws, life is dangerous. Human safety is a significantly lower priority than progress, and between the human experimentation, and frequent scientific disasters, and the occasional bouts of eldritch influence, the death rate is understandably rather high. Thankfully, residents of Typhon have SAYER, a near omnipotent corporate ai installed in the brain of every resident. And. SAYER sort of cares about them! And in pursuit of knowledge, efficiency, and progress, it USUALLY wants to help them! Even if only to make sure they survive to come into work tomorrow.

SAYER is a narrative horror driven audio drama! Its stressful, but also kind of a comedy, and a really really interesting story about personhood and identity. If you've been following me for awhile, you've definitely heard about SAYER, but I need to stick to my roots, y'know?

The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity, and Mortality (Podcast, 2020 - Ongoing)

Mistholme Museum follows the Audio Tour Guide, an ai who’s sole purpose is to guide museum patrons through the strange, confusing, and sometimes scary world that is the Mistholme Museum. The friendly, and personable Guide eagerly recounts the stories behind all the exhibits it guides them to, sometimes unsettling, sometimes heartwarming. and at the end of the tour, the Guide is deleted to ensure the alternatural influences of the museum do not corrupt it. That is, until circumstances make that no longer possible, and its rather forced into saving the museum it calls home.

Genuinely cute, and very fun to listen to. The ai is an incredibly sweet character, and I'm obsessed with the way it evolves and changes. As an added bonus, it can also be read, rather than listened to, thanks to every single episode having public transcripts!

[hydroacidcat]

old draw of me hangin w/ my favs

[delicrieux]

—MAKE YOU SAY “OH” EXTRAS: TINDER

extra meaning non-canonical occurrence; can be placed anywhere in the “make you say oh” timeline after couple (cha. 14) and before the final “oh”. 

pairing—corpse husband x f!reader warnings—tinder profiles, tw: men, swearing.  word count—2.6k. format— written. ─── ❥ req by nonnie​:  y/n makes a youtube vid/live stream where she's just swiping through her tinder acc and corpse literally blocks her lmao

author’s note—akldsljfs this was such a funny idea i could not not write it lmao

ultimate masterlist. myso masterlist

You have pulled the biggest brain move by setting up both a facecam and a screen recorder on your phone. All is beautifully displayed and visible during the stream. Your fanbase is particularly intrigued on what exactly are you planning on doing today, seeing as your tweet of “strea” had been a bit vague, if not downright ominous. No emojis. No elaboration. You couldn’t even be bothered to finish the word. Truly, a mystery. Everyone tuned in and are currently waiting with bated breath.

A few of your fans must sense upcoming doom because the overall mood in the chat turns from optimistically intrigued to...evil. It’s an entity all on it’s own now, clawing at you through the screen with various renditions of laughter and devil emojis. A few eggplants thrown in there for good measure, accompanied, naturally, by the scandalous water drops. At first the common consensus is that you’re biting the bullet and going through your camera roll on stream. Definitely an idea worth considering, though you frankly don’t know what lies at the start of the 11k photograph journey, and you are afraid to check in public. Could be a harmless meme, could be a salacious pic you had saved of an OF star. It’s really a gamble. Either way, you would definitely get banned. You might still get banned. Why do you insist on doing shit like this?

Because it’s funny. Because you’re kinda stupid. Because it’s just so absolutely laughably easy to do.

A smile quirks your lips, and while it is not explicitly smug, the look in your eyes sure is, “Greetings,” You utter lowly, dimming the lights--the budget for this stream! Ugh, you went all out, “my children.”

mother i crave violence

sensing evil energy rn!!

i do not claim the energy in this video for myself or anyone else watching this 💖💖

^with peace and love shut the fuck up

“I know y’all lowkey hoes-” Upon your words the chat splits into two: one side eagerly agrees (even shares a few OF accounts! How helpful, supporting small businesses!), whilst the other feverishly insists on innocence. You make a face stuck somewhere between offended and bewildered, “Now c'mon now-I know you. I know you all. We’re the same, don’t-what was that?”

You try to scroll back to the comment but it’s loss in the sea of incoming messages, “I swear to God I just saw-”

Corpse_Husband: i love late night streams it’s not like i have anything better to do.

“COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORPSE!!!!” 

rip headphone users

i cant feel my face when im with you by the weeknd but instead of face its my fucking ears

yall think full vol on pc is better?my parents woke up 😭😭😭😭

To think he’s spending his last waking moments for today with watching you (he probably still would have anyway, because you do not posses an ounce of shame or self-control and pester him relentlessly)! It makes your heart sing, and suddenly, a traitorous, fun hating idea barges it’s way through the crowd of incoherent buzzing and states: don’t do this. For some reason it also has the voice of Rae. As if that would work in guilt-tripping you- Rae never succeed, and her fictitious rendition in mind won’t fare much better either.

Still, you thought about it. That must count for something. Corpse will understand, won’t he? Why don’t you want to upset it in the first place? Men look so funny when they lose their shit, like hello, don’t you have anything better to do? But the image of Corpse just sitting there, hurt, distraught, leaving you on seen because he’s in his sad boy hours leaves a sour taste in your mouth. 

queen rly went from  🥺😊 to 😕 u ok bbgirl?

Corpse_Husband: no pouts cutie

akjdjoeijdfse cUTIE??? deadass boutta r.i.p.

Well that succeeded in eliminating everything from mind, doubts included. If this was an anime, the scenery would shift into something roseate, with flowers and bubbles and sparkles all around you along with a halo or two. Alas, not an anime, rather reality. The led-lights, however, seemingly possessing a will of their own, slowly turn from deep violet to pink. You smile brightly, like the absolute dumbass you are, and you are met with a ray of heart and blushing emojis. You are just so cute, a real cutie! Still in your disguise adorable state, you swipe your finger on your phone screen, the grin never leaving your lips.

There, among the plethora of apps, nestled sits a red square with a white fire plastered on it. The delicate calligraphy on the bottom reads: TINDER.

The mood changes once again- you’re giving the roaches emotional instability by how quickly everything flips over- and the chat spams eggplants vigorously; some, of course, bravely fight against the thirst.

nooooooo i thought y/n is gonna stream in a god honoring way!!!

^pack it up girl defined

“So, Charlie and I-” You note a few awfully curious comments and squint, “-yes, we talk a lot. Charlie is a really good friend of mine. We’re best friends. Brothers. Sisters. Cousins. The whole fucking family tree-no, that sounds weird. Delete. Anyway, Charlie, being the absolute fucker he is, said, hey, you know what would be funny? And I was like, nooo, what would be funny, Charlie? And he says to me, he says, says, making fun of men on Tinder. And if y’all need any more proof that Charlie and I are platonic soulmates, then dunno, my children, my roaches, I dunno-I dunno what more to give you.”

You can’t be bothered reading the comments, there’s too damn many. You also need to save your reading comprehension for the actual bios. It has a time limit, that darn thing. 

“Okay, so I made a profile earlier, but I hadn’t swiped on anyone yet-” Despite the fact, Tinder helpfully informs you that already 99+ people have swiped right on you, “So, this is me,” You show the pictures you have of yourself, and damn, not to be a conceited narcissist, but you look really good. Like if you saw yourself on Tinder, you’d super like instantly. “Uhm, so, my bio-my bio says: let’s sauce in the tub together, ya dig? splishy splashy, giggle giggle.” 

i cant believe we are witnessing y/n trying to form a coherent sentence live 

shes trying give her time

ya dig??? y not capeesh

what scene from the godfather is this lol?

“My anthem, is,” You laugh, covering your lips with your hand, “Corpsie, this is form you-” Proudly, you show that indeed, Corpse’s E-GIRLS ARE RUINING MY FUCKING LIFE is listed as your anthem on Spotify, “Hehe.” Yes, you say that aloud.

Corpse_Husband: you’re killing me Corpse_Husband: thanks baby Corpse_Husband: now delete tinder ❤︎

You ignore his last quip, deciding it’s finally time to get this show on the road, “Right, let’s do this shit. I’m not actually going to swipe on any guys that look, uh, decent? Yuck, can’t believe I just said that, uhm, because I-because I feel like some actually deserve a chance with someone? I don’t wanna get anyone’s hopes up, as I am currently in a long distance relationship with Chrollo. So I’m just gonna swipe on, like, frat boy assholes. Because I don’t care if I hurt their feelings. Quite frankly I don’t think they possess them in the first place.”

The chat voices their agreements. With the ground rules set, you, giddy, click on the first profile.

Does Tinder know what you’re doing, your plan? The FBI agent watching you through your phone must be working overtime, bless his heart. They must, because the the first guy to meet you is named Jason, and there he is, blond hair and blue eyes, holding up a fish the size of his torso. Marginally adequate in looks, pretty good muscles. A solid 7 bordering on 8. He’s the same age as you, 15 miles away, and he studies at some college you don’t care enough to look up. Bio reads:

I like to drive fast. Fishing is my passion, but if you can’t catch me by the ocean, you’ll catch me catching waves, bro! Love a good gym date. You do squats, and I’ll keep a close eye to make sure you’re doing it correctly ;) You probably saw me at a party. Leader of the The Phi Kappa Psi. I’m a Gemini, if that matters lol.

You, of course, read it aloud, dramatically; provide some constructive criticism-he seems nice, but he’s a Gemini, so naturally, you can’t trust him at all! Also, that gym date session leaves little to be desired. With your rant done, you swipe right, and shocker! (not), it’s an instant match.

“Okie, I still wanna swipe of some profiles, so I’ll see what he’ll text later-” For a second you wonder the legalities of this stream, but you’re having too much fun to think of it further, “guys, I won't get sued, right?”

NOW she considers it

well....

if you do, we’ll kickstart your lawyer dw <3

Onto the next profile. Kevin, 25, is seen fixing his car- or, you assume he’s mid-fixing it, you don’t really know why else he’d hold a wrench and be covered in oil. He’s shirtless, and the caveman part of your brain echoes something closely resembling AWOOOGA!, but...but!...blonde hair, blue eyes. You pout again, “I don’t...I don’t really like blond boys, ya know? With the blue eyes and all, it’s just not my thing, uhm, unless it’s like-like...Armin from Attack on Titan. Else I don’t care.”

Onto the bio:

You have to treat a car like you treat a woman: go on long rides, take the lead, but most importantly, keep her oiled up 😜 

“What the fuck did I just read?”

The chat is equally confused. You swipe right anyway- another match. Too easy.

The stream continues without incident for a solid thirty minutes- all of your matches, expect a few that genuinely looked like normal dudes that really couldn’t write a decent bio to save their lives, had been blond hair blue eyed gym rats with ranging forms of misogyny. Some opened with asking for nudes out right, some asked about your day first before asking for nudes. You prefer the former. Straight to the point! You admire the gall. 

But then, down the forty-five minute mark a profile popped up that made you still by your phone, your smile dying as your eyes bulged. Dear God. Lord in heaven. Who is this demonspiit lookalike and why is he so fucking hot? The neck tats, the skateboard, the clothes- holy shit, you gotta close your mouth before some drool dribbles out.

No bio, just his name, Tyler, and that he’s 23.

“He boutta be 23 in me.” You mutter, swiping right with lightning speed.

WHAT DID SHE SAYYYYY?????????

tyler is y/ns karma for relentlessly mocking that one guy that had a whole ass list on what his “female” partner should be

^he deserved it and also tyler seems like a typical fuckboi y/n grow a braincell

look at mom 🥺 her eyes are sparkling

It wasn’t a match right away. You somehow expected as much, but it still upset you. Simp behavior, pathetic. The stream continued bravely, and when Tyler messaged you a simple “yo” you totally didn’t sequel. You didn’t manage to text him back on stream: texting all those guys that you didn’t really find all that attractive was easy, but this...You’re a sucker for a man who radiates red flag energy. His whole profile is a red flag. He might just be a red flag himself.

What can you do? Suddenly becoming color blind is not easy. Once the stream ends, you unmatch with everyone expect Tyler. He you chat with for a bit, but a sudden craving for different company makes you abandon him, too. You don’t feel too heartbroken for him- you’re certain there’s already too many girls in his dms. You wish them luck.

Happily, you delete Tinder. You go to Twitter, notice you’re trending again- look at you go! Queen shit- and as you compose a thank you tweet, something strange happens. You go to text Corpse, but when you click on his profile you grow cold.

YOU’RE BLOCKED. You can’t follow or see @/Corpse_Husband ‘s Tweets. 

...Pardon? You hop onto Instragram and-also blocked. Seriously? And you thought you’re one petty bitch. Corpse is seriously prissy about everything. Damn, if he didn’t like your stream, he could’ve just said so. Didn’t need to, like, block you from his internet existence. So not cool.

You try texting him but no text go through. Well how will you let him know you deleted Tinder just like he asked? You relieve your frustrations by punching your pillow a few times. Later, you apologize to her, you didn’t mean to hurt her, it’s not her, it’s you. Fuck, 5 minutes of exile and you’re already loosing your mind.

“Raeeeeeeeeeeee!” You whine loudly. It’s roughly 2am now, but you don’t care. You’re too heartbroken to care. There’s a thump from her room, but nothing else, “Raeeeeeeeee!!!” You wail, wallowing in self-pity on your bed. You hear a very loud, very annoyed sigh from her room, followed by angry marching. Your door is abruptly thrown open, and in the dim, colorful light you see her scowl.

“What?” She grits.

“Can you please tell Corpse to unblock me from everything?”

“What did you do now?”

“I made fun of men on Tinder.”

She pauses, “...That doesn’t sound so bad.” She surmises, voice laced with suspicion, “What else?”

“...There was one really hot guy that I kinda sorta talked to after--”

“Y/n.”

“-But I totally deleted Tinder and honestly he was pretty boring, so, like, uhm, please?”

She sighs, the servery of which implies she is holding the weight of the world on her shoulders, and instantly you know that you won. She taps away at her phone, “You owe me one.” She states, and before you can reply, she exits your room and slams the door behind her.

Grinning, you text his phone again. The message goes through, oh gosh, you’re so relieved you feel like crying. This has been, officially, the worst five minutes of your life.

You Y DID U BLOCK ME LOSER!!! MAJOR LOSER ALERT!! I DELETED EVERYTHING IT WAS A JOKE r u still mad at me? y u always mad at me i never do anything:(

my husband You’re my baby, how do you think I’ll react when I see you publicly simping for some asshole on Tinder?

Oh no, he used the words, he delivered the killing blow. You’re finished. Your heart can’t take such a workout. 

Not that you would ever admit it to him, though!

You hehe ur jellyyyy u always dis jealous hehe?

my husband Not jealous.

Yeah, you might not be the brightest tool in the shed, but even you know that’s a lie. You send him an array of kissy emojis that he doesn’t have the decency to reply to. Then, completely unprompted and dead serious, you send him a simple voice memo, saying: “You really have nothing to worry about, you know? You’re my favorite, Corpsie.”

He responds via text, reiterating that he’s not fucking jealous and that he just doesn’t like when you show such outward interest in anyone but it’s not like he cares or anything. It’s just really, like, weeeeird to see his baby simping for another man like that totally ruins the whole dynamic!!! It was only natural that he should block you on every social media platform, including his personal number (which, like, was completely necessary! Doesn’t matter that his viewers can’t see it, it’s gotta be super believable!), and inform his followers of that, because it’s all a joke, like, for the dynamic, that Youtube grind, you know? Ya dig? No personal feelings were involved at all. He totally wasn’t upset that you found someone else cute, no way!

my husband I’m not jealous. Lol.

You ik u repeated tht like 50 times  u trynna convince me or??? lmao

my husband No comment. ...You don’t actually talk to anyone else like we’re talking, right?

You no one else calls me their baby if thts wat ur wondering at least not to my knowledge lol im all urs

my husband That makes me very happy to hear:)

Yeah, it makes you very happy, too.

hope you liked it!! xx

[ssaalexblake]

Okay, so, ‘Darkness’ By Lord Byron, take two. 

I have, before, talked about the implications of the narrative of the show explicitly linking 13 to this poem [here] but i wanted to talk about it some more in context with that nice fanvid the BBC made of their own show for S12.  

In said (fan)vid they don’t only link 13 to the poem, they have also overlaid Master scenes with it being recited as well, and if reading in conjunction with the events of the timeless children, the poem Does have ties to both characters that has pretty evocative imagery and storytelling. 

In the finale, we know, the master kidnaps the doctor and chooses to give her a little tour of their home burning, in ruins, destroyed. This is after, because of the trauma from his actions, 13 has unintentionally ended humanity.  Incidentally, the character’s interpersonal relationship and them as individuals are in such disarray at the moment they’re both, also, pretty much relics of their past selves and relationship at this point.  

Which brings us back to the poem

but two

Of an enormous city did survive,

And they were enemies: they met beside

The dying embers of an altar-place

Where had been heap’d a mass of holy things

For an unholy usage; they rak’d up,

And shivering scrap’d with their cold skeleton hands

The feeble ashes, and their feeble breath

Blew for a little life, and made a flame

Which was a mockery; then they lifted up

Their eyes as it grew lighter, and beheld

Each other’s aspects—saw, and shriek’d, and died—

Basically, of all the world, only two survived... They became enemies. These two men in the poem were the last two survivors of a grand and great city, they carried on living while everybody else perished, but instead of seeking solace in each other or anything else, they are enemies standing in the ashes of a once great empire.

The two meet at an ‘alter-place’ which had been used for unholy purposes. This could imo describe Gallifrey on the whole but i feel it more specifically relates to the matrix room itself. I’ve mentioned before, as have others, the religious imagery present in this era of doctor who, and the matrix scenes were when it was at its strongest in my opinion.  If the poem relates the room to an alter, then all the times that the master places her onto the matrix platform and looks up at her with the halo shaped entrance behind her head, he is, by putting her on the platform and holding her there, basically placing her upon the alter of the room.  

The two men in the poem are desperate, half gone trying desperately to find illumination in the darkness (baring in mind, the show cast 13 as the darkness herself here, so the character symbolically trying to find light upon the darkness in the timeless children is the master himself, desperately). The Master very much Does feel suffocated by this knowledge of the doctor, he is a shell of his former self, he Hates this. In turn, he destroys Gallifrey and all those on it. He is, in a sense, a victim of 13′s position of the symbolic darkness to humanity, and in response to this he himself becomes the symbolic darkness to Gallifrey and 13 by choosing the wrought death and destruction. 

Instead of seeking solace in each other, they become enemies. As in the poem. 

They are both the victim of, and the darkness itself, but to different groups of people. 

At the end of this section of the poem, the two men are able to create a small scrap of light, a fire to see each other clearly with, a small, pitiful beacon of light in the darkness. In the show, this is the two characters seeing themselves truthfully for the first time, where both of them are aware of the truth of the timeless child. There are no lies between them now, they see each other clearly. 

In the poem what the two survivors see horrifies them, they see they are the same in the darkness, are confronted by this horror and then, die. The last two are now gone, forever, too.

Of course, in the timeless children, that is Not how this ends. It is, however, Exactly what the master’s big plan was. For 13 to look upon the truth of both herself and him and for her to end their lives in the depths of their shared misery. 

I am glad, actually, that somebody on the dw staff decided to link this poem to both of the characters in some way even if it didn’t make it into an actual episode, because it has such brilliant depth to it. But in the show 13 is the darkness, but so is the master. They are both victims of and the force of it at the same time, looking upon each other, the last two, with such horror and disdain. 

13 chooses to break the cycle, as the doctor does, by no longer being the symbolic darkness. But dw isn’t nearly as cynical as Byron’s apocalyptic poetry.