#the REAL danger is in letting the thinking machines and robots do all the thinking and all the work for us humans

[van-goghs-smoking-skull]

So, there's a guy and his friend that I blocked a while back as he was basically an AI art theft apologist claiming that Glaze is just as bad, even worse, than anything human artists that do not want their art stolen can claim about AI. He also kept sidetracking comments on another post in which the question of whether AI being used to replace human therapists to help treat mental illness and trauma was a good idea.

His premise about me was that when he asked what my opinion was on when AI was first developed, I did not answer with the same year that Wikipedia has listed as the beginning of working towards AI development, nor did I answer with the year the term AI was first coined. Essentially, he was incapable of understanding the nuance between opinion and assumed facts written in some history books and on Wikipedia. But no surprise there, black and white thinking and if/else/then statements in programming have a lot in common, and if all you do is work as a machine learning specialist, I suppose getting so lost in the processing of code that you forget how the real world works and how human thoughts and emotions differ from...

[question -> if yes do this, if no do that -> go to next question in the programmed flowchart]

...is fairly inevitable. It's like the transhumanist answer to how to present as 'more efficient', like a single-minded bot.

But, ofc, I was the big 'ol anti-progress, tech-hating dumb-dumb as clearly I was too stupid to know AI is real and the future and going to save humanity. Clearly I've never worked with AI so how could I possibly understand? Mind you, I haven't worked with AI, though I have worked with complex programs and written code, though the reason for this is that AI is not actually intelligent and is certainly not as the cusp of sentience or completely sentient as AI apologists like to claim.

But, hey, what if we asked an expert on the matter? Or better yet, what if an expert already answered the question before it had even been asked in the comments on those 2 Tumblr posts? And what if, as corny as he is in the video, he explains that "AI is BS" (I'm quoting him there)?

May I present this guy as an expert? (I mean he's been teaching machine learning for a while now, so go figure.) Apologies in advance, he was hard for me to watch as well - too many wah-hoos and such.

[lxxiezz]

I want to see Sonic scared.

You're evil.. I love it.

I'm gonna make it Sonic shitting his pants OVER reader, if you want him generally scared then please have me know!

Sonic x mobian!reader (It's not really specified but i see that more fitting)

Sonic was never one to get scared easily. Sure, sometimes he can get startled when caught off-guard.. but that's not the point! Sonic portrays himself like the brave hero he is, always fighting for what's right. Yet it all changes when he sees you getting striked down by one of Eggman's whacky concoction he created to destroy Sonic.

But how did you wind up in that situation? Let's run it back, no?

It was a calm afternoon as usual everyone was doing their own thing, until they get notified that Eggman is yet again, up to no good. Sonic and his partner - you, were the first ones to arrive, fighting side by side through the array of robots, the rest of the team soon arrived aswell, but they all got seperated, including you, from Sonic. You defeated the enemies with a bit of struggle, but nothing too terrible, until you spot that blue blur being attacked a bigger, seemingly stronger killer machine, he was taking it head on so he couldn't notice a random blast of what it seems like a laser beam, heading straight at him.

If someone asked you what were you thinking, you would'nt be able to answer that yourself, since you weren't thinking at all, in that moment everything seemed to slow, as you jumped over an enemy and flung yourself in Sonic's direction, taking the blow instead of him, you could hear him yell out your name before everything went dark.

Sonic has never felt panicked, or scared. But for the first time ever.. when he sees you sprawled on the ground motionless, it all washed over him in one huge wave, he notifies the others to get out of there and grabs you and runs at a inhumane speed away from all the danger and stops once he's a safe distance away. "(Name)!! (Name)!!"

He'd call out, shaking your body by your shoulders, but you remained unresponsive. He felt real panic and fear for the first time ever. It was horrible. Tails soon flew over an took you away to patch you up. Your condition was critical. It took hours of whatever it is that they were doing to get you fixed up, and when he saw you again.. bedridden and unconsious. He didn't feel relieved, not yet. He was terrified for your wellbeing.

Panic was going through his system in waves, just when he thinks everything's okay he'd spiral back into the same thing.

It was only 2 days later when you finally woke up, Sonic was by your side holding your gloved hand and staring out into the abyss. When he felt your hand twitch his green eyes snapped to look at your face, your eyebrows furrowed as you opened your eyes, letting out a little grunt as you slowly tried recollecting the past events. You didn't have enough time to wake before you feel a certain hedgehog jump on top of you and hold you in an embrace. "Ack- ow- Sonic!" You yelped at the pain in your torso, looking down at the hedgehog as he hurriedly backed off to not hurt you "(Name), (Name).., i was so worried!" He'd exclaim, looking at you.

"I'm fine Sonic, I'm okay now."

You reassured, holding out your hand to caress his cheek. You saw the worry and fear in his green irises finally wash away. You were okay.

Ok so this turned out way different than i initially thought it would but oh well. I'm too tired to think thoughts right now anyways.. Hope yal like this!

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

I'm still saying Afton is not the Mimic

Spoilers for the Ruin DLC under the Cut. I wanted to include this in my mega post... but I know that the fandom is flooded with "the Mimic was Afton all along" theories right now actually.

There will be a lot under the cut, explaining some personal theories and the ending of the RUIN DLC so... be warned.

The Mimic, if you read the books, (but you probably haven't so I'll explain it in a few short sentences) is a character from the Tales of the Pizzaplex Books that was built by a Faz Engineer who made a robot to mimic his son to keep him company while he worked long hours while he lived in a factory. The child died in a car accident, and the Mimic kept miming his son's behavior. So in his grief, the engineer beat him to death in rage and grief. This infused rage in the machine.

So now the Mimic mimes behavior of a four year old, but it's corrupted and twisted. It will mime the action of 'scooping icecream' but will be scooping out your brains. It also has an adaptive learning AI so the violent pain it experienced, along with a four year old teaching it, it's a very dangerous thing.

It's also buried into the foundation of the Pizzaplex. And was reprogramed by some dumb lazy tech to clear the debris down there. By disassembling the robots and putting them in a pile. Which it did to all the human construction workers by disassembling them and putting them in a pile.

"This pile" I think is the Blob. Or as the game files refer to it.... "THE TANGLE."

(hard to see but take my word for it. that's him)

(cheating camera angle)

I think "The Tangle" is a infused pile of machinery, robots, and bodies that have all wound up down there.

So, we know that the blob is real. But I really think it's "The pile" that the Mimic has been stacking in the Book Epilogues. And it got out. Gregory/Mimic or Grimmick, says that something tunneled out of the building... And I believe this is 100% true. Because in Base Security Breach, we see this thing in the underground where Afton's room is.

But in RUIN.... This thing is on the top level??? HOw Did he get up here???

Easy..

He tunneled up.

So... the reason why RUIN looks like it does, and HOW it looks how it does...

Is because The Tangle got loose. And has been using the Pizzaplex as it's own series and network of tunnels like a burrowing snake or ant. Causing the entire building to fall in on itself. The Pizzaplex is it's ecosystem now. So that's why everything is falling apart how it is. He's breaking the very foundation and walls of everything.

So we do know the Blob IS real.

And let's assume that he's "the pile" that the Mimic has been building in the Tales of the Pizzaplex Epilouges. Just... sorting all the garbage, bodies, and endos into piles that he can find and stack.

So we know the Blob is real... but is Afton Burntrap real?

Forgive me I don't have the proper collectable screenshots so I'm pulling from the Wiki:

Throughout the game, you collect these real collectable comics that include all of the endings of Security Breach. And Cassie can recognize this as Gregory's art style, and has no idea when he had the time to make these or when he made them. EXCEPT Princess Quest. Which is pretty important I think. Which I think cements that Princess Quest is the definitive three star ending.

It's also worth noting that in Vanny's Room in the RUIN DLC... there is a book of "Fazbear History" by Vanny's Bed. So if Vanessa was freed and got out... we can assume she was talking to Gregory about the Fnaf lore as she knows it.

Also, it makes sense why some of these endings are a little insane now. cause it was just Gregory trying to process everything that happened to him at the Pizzaplex.

Gregory: So, I thought you had a twin sister for the longest time and-

Vanessa: Try again...

But anyway... if None of the previous endings were real.... Is Burntrap even real?

We collect this before we face the Mimic.... of Afton and the Blob. So we know The Blob/Tangle is real.... but was Afton ever real? Was Burntrap ever real? That's what we need to answer...

But if he isn't.... Why is his charging station down here in the furnace room all clouded up? ....As if it never was opened. As if he rotted inside with no more remnant to collect???

Cause here's the thing... I can accept the soft retconning of Afton. And if he was never real to begin with, and this is just Gregory's personal interpretation based on what Vanessa told them about what she was suffering through, I will take that. Or maybe Gregory saw the Mimic and interpreted it as this... I will take that as well.

However....

From what I said earlier... The Mimic... All his motivations in the game don't line up with Afton's.

He is doing exactly what he wants to do.

The Mimic is sealed in the back with Concrete... he's using Helpi and the VANNI Network to get Cassie to let him out. He just wants to get out of the basement and get Free.

Now... if Mimic is Afton the whole time...

and there is a case for it... they have almost the same idle animations as an endo, the Mimic does have Burntrap's claws on one hand. And he does have a similar pawed foot to Burntrap's design and they're practically identical height and pose.

And the Mimic is almost one-for-one linked with Hepi and the VANNI network. And I don't doubt that Vanny the person was using the VANNI network to get around the pizzaplex and become invisible to certain animatronics.

.....But...

here's a big But...

If the Mimic's goal is to kill people with his bare hands... and to get out of the concrete sealed basement, and break all the Security Nodes so he can get free???

WHY DOES THE PIZZAPLEX HAVE SO MANY MISSING PEOPLE/CHILDREN?

Why was the Human Staff all killed in the Pizzaplex?

Why are their children missing?

Why is Vanny hunting children and adults alike to kill in the first place?

This is not the Mimic's MO.

Because Vanny WAS working under influence of Glitchtrap and not the Mimic.

Because if the Mimic just wanted to get out... He would have told Vanny/Vanessa... head of Security.... To break all the Security Nodes A WHOLE LOT SOONER. Cause she literally has a VANNI Mask/suit and access to all of that.

The Mimic has no need for remnant or child killing or human killing if they aren't doing it themselves. The Mimic has always been very hands on with their kills.

But If Burntrap Afton is REAL... HE DOES have a reason for gathering this much Remenant.

He is growing in the charging station and trying to regrow his body.

And while the Mimic moves in a similar fashion to Burntrap, I think that's because he witnessed his behavior at one point and is copying it. But he never saw Afton in his prime. So he literally can't mimic the serial killer behaviors Afton is known for. Just likely his walk and how he breathes.

Because He literally can not copy Afton as a copy-cat killer, if there is NO Afton to Copy. There is no way that he could have learned who Afton was from all the way down below into the foundation. Especially with MXES keeping it hidden down there. And by "hidden" I'm sure it's hidden from Glitchtrap to even possess or check out that low.

People have to remember. The Mimic doesn't have access to illusion disc technology from the books. he can't replicate a corpse face. He's just a learning killer AI who has access to crappy mascot costumes. He can't look one-for-one like a person, even if he can sound like one.

So, there is a possibility that Burntrap Afton DID exist... He just rotted into dust once Vanny stopped collecting remnant for him.

Or there's also the possibility he was never real to begin with.

But.... Glitchtrap certainly was at one point. And Vanny was working with Glitchtrap to kill employees and children.

Not the Mimic.

Just their motivations and modus operandi don't add up if they are one in the same.

It wouldn't make sense for the Mimic to just tell Vanny to parade around in a bunny suit, kidnapping children and killing employees.

He would be telling her to disable the Security Nodes.

There is also the possibility that Vanessa sealed the Mimic in concrete after the events of Security Breach. But even then, I really don't think that she knew about it before hand until she went down to the basement to unplug Burntrap from his charging station.

Anyways... The only way I will see "Mimic is Afton" is that if Afton was using it's body. But then, it's not the Mimic anymore, it's just another Afton-clone.

And from everything from how I've seen the behavior of the Mimic in the DLC, it is operating completely divorced from Afton with it's own motivations and morals of it's own accord.

Oh, just to be clear, I'm not mad at this soft-retcon of burntrap. It's fine. Lol I actually prefer if he didn't exist.

And even if Burntrap was never real in the first place....

Then it means that Vanny was purely an agent of Glitchtrap.

Then when the Glitchtrap Virus got destroyed.... the Mimic hijacked the VANNI network and took it's place.

[yuripides]

Augh fuck ok so, I was just listening to Want You Gone and I realized something. There’s a very real possibility that GLaDOS isn’t in denial about liking Chell and caring about her and her act of sending Chell away could be out of that very care.

So throughout the song GLaDOS does say stuff like “go make some new disaster, you’re someone else’s problem now” and of course “now I only want you gone” and all this time we’ve been quite logically reading “I used to want you dead but now I only want you gone” as an “I don’t hate you as much anymore and killing you is basically impossible and you cause too much trouble for me to try anymore” but… GLaDOS still pulls back Chell at the end of Portal 2. She doesn’t let Chell die. Sure we can say that that was Caroline because the facility deletes Caroline later, but in the ending song GLaDOS says “now little Caroline lives in me too”, so she’s clearly still in there somewhere and makes up a fundamental part of who GLaDOS is.

Now I mentioned all that to segue into this next part. Do you think if GLaDOS just “hated Chell less” she would have organized an entire choir and orchestra out of turrets for her to listen to as she left the facility? Do you think she would have given her a companion cube, the thing that’s been a symbol for the human emotion of caring throughout the series with even players being attached to it sometimes?

Let that sit on your mind for a second.

Portal 2 has a second story-driven gamemode. The co-op. In the co-op you play as Atlas and P-body, two robots who GLaDOS put in place for testing in the absence of Chell. Now we see that these robots can’t really die, possibly in-canon as they respawn in the co-op as long as one of them is still alive. Unlike humans, these robots can’t come to permanent harm.

At the end of the coop, the two robots find the room where the crow’s made a nest. They manage to get the crow out of the facility, but find the eggs it’s laid. At first GLaDOS is horrified but then decides to take the eggs and raise the chicks herself. Of course she does this in her own way of trying to see them as dangerous “killing machines” but before she switches to that, she even names two of them “Marshmallow” and “Mr. Chubbybeak”. As dangerous as she is GLaDOS has a heart and some kind of caring instinct.

That’s not the only thing those two find at the end of the coop. They also find an entire untouched wing full of humans in cryosleep. GLaDOS wakes them up, puts them to testing.. and “depletes” the entire test subject supply in a few days.

Now, as we know by this point this isn’t exactly her fault. It’s the facility that instills “the itch”, the drive to test and experiment regardless of the consequences, as long as the facility itself is intact. And she knows that very well.

And in the end, I think that’s why she sends Chell away. Not out of hate, but out of care and love. In that brief time of freedom from the facility and the itch she gets, she realizes she does care. “I used to want you dead but now I only want you gone.” GLaDOS wants Chell gone because she knows that despite how much she wants Chell to stay with her, Chell will be happier in the outside world, and if she stays in the facility she will eventually come to harm.

“Want You Gone” is GLaDOS trying to intentionally deny that she cares so she doesn’t get hurt. In her own words,

“Goodbye my only friend…

Oh did you think I meant you?

That would be funny,

If it weren’t so sad.

Well, you have been replaced.

I don’t need anyone now!

When I delete you

Maybe I’ll stop feeling so bad…”

[realcleverscience]

AI

As someone who follows AI news a lot, I really wish the general public was aware of what's going on with it.

AIs are improving at a dramatic rate, I'd say basically doubling in ability every 6 months (possibly even exponential growth by now). If you base your idea of what AI can do based on a tool you used last year, then you are wildly out of date.

Hell, if you base your idea of AI on the tools out right now, you're still out of date - because in 6 months the field will have advanced dramatically.

Again, this sounds crazy but that's because we're not used to this kind of growth. But consider this: Some people have estimated that the latest AI tools could potentially do 1-9% of economically useful tasks. (e.g. it can write emails for you, saving you time. Or it can summarize spreadsheets. whatever.) Let's assume AI can currently do just 1% of tasks. Clearly no-one is in danger of losing their job from just 1%. But if AI is doubling its abilities every 6 months, that means in a year it'll do (1x2x2 =) 4%. In two years from now (4x2x2=) 16%. In three years (16*2*2=) 64%. In four years, 100%. Now, I think there are still challenges to reaching 100%. (E.g. AIs still have master robotics; better 'real world' modeling, and more) But I think we could definitely hit at least 50% with our current trajectory. This could mean that everyone doubles their output, or it could mean that companies maintain output but fire half the workers. Or some mix. But if even 10% of people lose their jobs, our economy is gonna be in crisis. If 50% lose their jobs, it will be a nightmare. (The US great depression of the 1920s saw around 24% unemployment; the US already has 4% unemployment). In addition, even minor growth in unemployment can seriously stress our social safety nets (which are already being damaged by the current administration in the us). So let alone 5, 10, 20 percentage point gains.

And if AI keeps its pace of improvement, that basically means that within a year, the situation should get twice as severe. Forever. AIs will never get worse at performing. They will continue to learn and improve at ever faster rates while human roles will shrink by ever faster rates.

in short: AIs are getting very good, very quickly. The job market is going to get turned on its head. There are a lot of major changes just around the corner. AI is here. AGI is nearly here. ASI is on the horizon.

Buckle Up.

p.s. Even if you hate AI, you cannot stop it. Also, there are lots of reasons to love AI. It could help us achieve a world of plenty for all, excellent health, etc. But, that depends on society. If we keep our current system, it will be a nightmare. But if we reconfigure, this could be the greatest gift to humanity at large. Pps. I know a lot of people are concerned about ai companies controlling ai. i want you all to know that there is a ton of open-source programming for AI happening. The capitalist angle here isn't really the ai as much as the data and data centers. and even then, the data is becoming less important (e.g. we can now create artificial data), so it's really about the people who own the server farms and chip manufacturing (as well as the supply chains). Anyways, my point here is that we shouldn't oppose AI. We should recruit AI to our cause. i.e. we need new economics for an age where machines do most of the work.

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #31

Only 2 weeks into the semester and school is already beating my ass, but you know who always has my back? That's right baby. Paperinik. New. Adventures. Always there for me when nobody else is.

Anyways um today is PKNA #26: Time Flies which is a fun and normal adventure chapter with absolutely no existential commentary on the nature of art whatsoever.

GIANT ENEMY CRAB WHOOOO YEAH BABY THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT

umm ACTUALLY mysterious disembodied voice, Donald is a little bitch so write that down

Shoutout to Malva I think her design is really cool and we love a bald woman they slays. Shoutout to bald women actually, just like in general.

DUDE LOOK they're flying through time... just like the cover art

Shoutout to Malva AGAIN for this outfit. Yas bitch slay!!!

their faces are killing me

Since Malva and Vlad are already traveling everywhere with such little regard for the timestream they should go show a Victorian child an iPhone and see if he dies from shock

YEAHHHH BIG FUCKING ROBOT DRAGON FIGHT YEAAHHHH 🔥🔥🔥

No Vlad is right here, PK and Lyla are doing time travel all wrong. You're supposed to dress up in silly little outfits :/

The 4 of them are so fucking goofy I'm kind of living for this set of characters tbh

AW HELL NAW WE IN THE LAND BEFORE TIME

Enjoying this pair of random Evronian workers who seem to be about as rundown as the rest of us

Goofy asf panel they're just like D:

heh... well then, LET'S. GET. DANGEROU- no wait that's the other guy

LYLA WITH MESSY HAIR RRRAAAHHHHH I love her

WoOAoaoOAoahhh PLOT TWIST!!! Is that DUCKLAS STYVESANT??? Remember? Remember him from Portrait of the Young Hero-

THAT'S RIGHT, WHAT YOU JUST READ FOR THE LAST 60 PAGES WAS ACTUALLY A SERIES OF AI GENERATED SLOP FROM THE YEAR 2255!!! FUCK YOU

Oh.

OKAY SO. Obviously the biggest hit of this chapter comes at the very end, when it's revealed that the entire story we've been following wasn't actually real, and this whole time we've just been reading an episode of a TV show that was entirely computer-generated. Of course, this comic was still made by real artists, because the technology to AI generate photos didn't exist all the way back in 1999 (thank god).

Had I read this comic maybe 4, 5 years ago, I would've probably just been like "oh huh. that's neat." and moved on. But reading this story now, in the year 2025??? Holy shit dude. The accuracy with which they approach the topic of AI art in this story is lowkey terrifying. You're telling me that Ducklas fucking Styvesant can grasp the concept of why AI art would be wrong in the year 1999, and we somehow have people in MODERN DAY that can't grasp why people are against it? 😭

This is another one of those scenarios where you read sci-fi media from the past that's exploring some kind of existential threat, in this case the existence of entirely machine-generated "art", and it's explored as some kind of scary far off "what if" scenario, but yet again we're brought face to face with the fact that this is actually happening NOW. Like NOW now. This comic predicted that computer generated shows would be a newly emerging technology in 2255, that makes us almost 230 years ahead of schedule in the real world. AND I THINK THAT'S FUCKIN CRAZY!!!!

If we're gonna go the route of making all the sci-fi horrors of PKNA into real world things can we at least get an Uno first? I would much prefer him existing over the AI slop that's all over google images now, thanks xoxo.

Anyways to briefly wind down it's time for Lyla comic!!

Shoutout to Lyla for being in what I can only assume is robot therapy

BTW if my coworkers decided to invite themselves over to my house and expected ME to prepare a meal for them?? I'd literally kill everyone in that office.

I can't cook for shit and I even I knew that... also if Lyla wasn't a robot she would have severe burns all over her body right now so. Here's a quick PSA: don't microwave eggs, don't microwave water either, both will explode. Above all else, stay safe in the kitchen.

Anyways here are some shots of Lyla being cute because I think she looks great in this artstyle.

See you next week fellow book clubbers 🫡

[stormhaven13]

I'm making this its own post rather than reblogging my other one about the HADES facility, that seems to reach more people, and this is important. Let's talk about our main antagonists, and their reveal. Spoilers for a lot throughout this post, including some major twists and the ending of Forbidden West.

I'm going to start by giving general reactions throughout the reveal cutscene, then move into more specific thoughts.

Firstly, they can open a gene-locked hatch. Sylens doesn't even plan for this, he has no way of knowing they had the ability to create Beta. Her reveal is well done, giving us an immediate idea of their capabilities, but hiding her allegiances.

Then, we have the clearly advanced robots, much more fluid than the machines we deal with.

I love the contrast between the white that Beta wears here, and the armor that I have Aloy in (Shadow Stalker, of course).

First sight of Tilda. I am terribly face blind, so that didn't faze me any more than the voice did, but I'm sure many people recognized her at that point.

I like the introduction of the Zeniths here. They immediately give them a dynamic, made them threatening, but leave enough mystery that promises more. I wish they delivered better.

The boss fight. The concept is interesting. But it has next to no difficulty on Ultra Hard, the worst of his attacks don't even two shot me, and his ranged attacks are truly pitiful. I get that they don't want you to get stuck in a story mission, but like. I chose Ultra Hard, let me get my ass beat please. I want to be scared of them, and that fight didn't do the job.

What does do the job is the Specters, and the fleeing. It's a masterful sequence, and their attacks hurt an appropriate amount.

I love how ultimately what screws Aloy over isn't truly the Zenith, or the Specters. Its the facility falling apart, its almost drowning. It's making a bad call, as everyone does every so often.

And then we get Aloy attempting to "recover" (read immediately try and get herself killed out of shear stubbornness). This is just a masterful scene, introducing us to Utaru culture, showing off Aloy's smarts that she does have when she decides to listen instead of running face first into danger. We get to see Varl, who has clearly been building connections, trying to find allies for the cause. He's been here for awhile, or at least in theory. The game tells us it's been two days, which I don't really buy. It's a tough line here, as really any amount of unconsciousness in reality would be real bad for Aloy, but there needs to be time for Zo and Varl's relationship to build. They probably needed more time for the latter, especially if they want a kiss here. It works great otherwise, but the kiss feels early for them, even if its good for Aloy's arc.

I love Varl trying to translate for Aloy, and Aloy completely struggling to be unable to help. It's badly needed. And we get Aloy being truly genuine with her friend, feeling that this is something she can never have for herself. It's not even really about romance at this point I think, it's about connection.

Alright, general thoughts. This quest is (mostly) very strong. It's great for the both the character and larger plots, introduces our new antagonists, who cannot be stopped by just Aloy's bow and spear, and her stubbornness. Here is a foe, like HADES, that she can't just stab and fix. In theory, this is all great...

But we know where it ends. As I hinted at above, I don't like the Zeniths, I don't like this story line, and I have real problems with their characters (not you Beta, you can stay). We'll talk more in detail as we near the end of the game, but the problem is pretty basic. None of them, except Tilda, are given any amount of depth whatsoever. Tilda has her own issues, we'll cover her later, but with both Eric and even worse Gerard, we will never learn anything meaningfully more than this quest about either of them. Eric is a sadist, and Gerard. Is the leader I guess? He's even weaker than Eric, which is saying something.

This is made far worse by following Ted Faro, one of the best villains in just about anything I've seen or played. People (including me) hate Ted Faro, but I also understand him. I see him reflected in the real world, Faro is driven by pride and ego, and the desire to protect those two things above all else. Gerard and Eric are given none of the depth that Ted has, and to be clear Ted is not a deep character, he's simply an extremely effective villain. They are just, in the end, too close to Faro, and given nothing to do. When they do something I hate, I don't get mad at them, I get mad at the writing. And that is a true failure of a character, to me.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

New environment - Chapter 3

warning : slightly angst , fluff , emotional , comfort , making friends , nervousnes , feelings

next chapter , masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She could feel that it was no longer the earth on which she was. For this, the environment was too different, too pure, too nature-laden. It was completely pure, untouched and not as dirty as the earth.

The first step was hesitant and she held onto Jake's shoulder before moving her cane in front of her. ,,This is incredible," she murmured, and Jake let his gaze wander as well. ,,Yes, the machines are truly incredible," she heard him marvel and shook her head. ,,If you say so...what does it look like here?" she asked, trying to picture it somehow.

Besides a large stone area and some kind of wall because the noise was thrown back a little she couldn't make out much. ,,The base is big, there are machines and combat robots everywhere. It looks like a metal city with soldiers, mercenaries, vehicles... in front of it and it only takes a moment, the base is a well metal building" he explained tersely and she nodded. ,,And Pandora?" she asked but stopped when Jake stopped and a loud vehicle like a truck drove in front of her.

She felt him tense for a moment as if he had seen something that frightened him. ,,Is everything all right?" she asked him, but Jake just shook his head. ,,We'll be right there," he encouraged himself and her before they continued on their way. The comments of two soldiers were not lost on either of them, but they ignored them for now. Trouble was the last thing they needed for now.

Jake opened the door and Y/n helped him hold it open so he could get through. ,,We can take the masks off," she explained and they both took a deep breath. ,,It doesn't smell so clean anymore" she thought, slightly concerned, sniffing the slight smell of metal, oil, deodorant and science.

Even if the latter was not a real smell, she knew that they would both be right here. Walking side by side, Jake seemed to be amazed as far as she could feel. ,,At least someone feels comfortable" she thought and felt the metallic ground under her ball at the front part of the staff. Everything here seemed to be made of metal.

However, she also knew that it was better that way. A small hole or crack and they would all be dead in four minutes. An unpleasant thought as probably everyone here feels.

They went another piece before they arrived at a crossroads with different ways. ,,Sorry, but I have to discuss something about my brother. Do you think you can find your way to the introduction? I'll catch up with you," Jake said and rolled over to her so he was in front of her. Alone through here she heard her thoughts and looked around.

But the colors were dimmed not dark just not as bright a clear difference from outside. ,,It's okay, I'll manage, I'll ask if I need to," she said and gave him an encouraging smile before they stopped listening to his rolls.

Only when he was gone did she sigh and try to hear something. But it was too much to tell where. Well then, the old fashioned way she thought and started moving around hoping to find the hall or room.

She decided to go to the right, a path that led her further in. Not only was there less light from outside, but the smell of metal increased. This is not the science area, she reminded herself, trying not to bump into anyone.

What landed her on the search only conditionally. If she bumped into someone, she apologized, but most of the time they just answered with a quick ,,I'm sorry" or not at all. She was not stupid, she knew that here were not only halfway honorable soldiers but also mercenaries and other people with whom one did not want to mess. But she was not discouraged, even if it was ridiculous.

And it could not protect her from the dangers out there, maybe it gave her a little respect. With her free hand she went to her neck and pulled out the dog tag so that it was visible over her top. Maybe someone here knows him? the thought crossed her mind before she continued. Her hopes went up even as her surroundings became a little quieter.

Where it was quieter, there could only be the canteen, the sleeping quarters or the meeting rooms. A chance of three but she would have to take the risk. Going further through it, she quickly realized that it was not the canteen.

There was no smell of food in the air and no loud talking. Only the chambers and the meeting rooms remain she thought and ventured further ahead. Soon it was so quiet that she thought she had arrived at the base in the basement, if there was such a thing.

Her free hand moved along the wall and after a few more steps she had a first doorbell in her hand. Taking one last deep breath in and out, she slowly opened the door and stepped inside. ,,Hello, is this where the new arrivals are being briefed?" she asked, trying to guess what was waiting for her.

It was a medium sized room, there was definitely a window and the colors were a little brighter. It smelled of leather and wood as if someone had made something. Before these smells mixed with an aftershave.

An interesting smell that aroused her interest but slowly she doubted that this was the meeting room. ,,Hello is-" she wanted to ask again when she bumped into something hard with her cane. Astonished to stretch out her hand, she had hardly noticed how the smell had become stronger.

Slowly, fearing to touch something wrong, she felt fabric under her fingertips and the warmth of a body underneath. ,,You are more than just wrong" she suddenly heard a male voice say and she felt the muscles under the clothes tighten slightly.

Looking up slightly at the man, she took her cane away. Her expression showed surprise and her heart beat faster for a moment as the colors in her vision shone brightly.

It was not the same as when she was outside talking to her mother or teaching. No, it was completely new and she didn't know why she was seeing it so brightly. The light blue mixed with white and green. That's how she perceived him and couldn't quite interpret it.

Slowly she held out her hand to him. Before she said, ,,Excuse me, I hope I'm not anywhere I'm not supposed to be. I'm new here and well, I'm looking for the briefing, I'm Y/n" and gave the unknown a slight smile. He must be at least a soldier she thought, still seeming to feel his muscles. But where exactly was she? Suddenly, the unknown man grabbed her necklace and pulled it towards him.

Involuntarily, she took another step towards him to prevent the chain from breaking. ,,You did not serve," he stated, sounding more disappointed than pleased. ,,No I didn't, my father did, I'm a biologist" she defended herself and reached for the dog tag. She felt him open his hand, making it easier for her to accept. She hated it. ,,Thank you," she said snappishly and gave him a warning look.

But he ignored it rather than taking it seriously. ,,You're the new one from the crazy ones," he said amusedly and walked past her. ,,The crazy ones?" she echoed and turned to him. He's just leaving, she thought indignantly, biting her tongue to keep from grumbling at him.

A sigh crossed his lips before he opened the door. ,,The biologists, doctors, nature lovers," he enumerated and she rolled her eyes before walking towards the door. ,,Oh, and to answer your question, Colonel Miles Quaritch, the man in charge of your security," he said, holding the door open for her, which she would have otherwise hit on the way out. She didn't have to look at him or say a word to realize that he was grinning at the whole situation.

She would have loved to fly straight back to earth. Wordlessly she walked past him, but as soon as she was standing in the corridor she knew she had to rely on him. Sighing, she unfolded her blind staff and walked next to the colonel to finally get to the place where she originally wanted to go. The two remained silent.

On the one hand she didn't know what to say and on the other hand he thought the same. ,,How long have you been here?" she asked when the silence became too uncomfortable. ,,It's called Colonel for you long enough to know that if you go out of it you die," he warned and she heard his dissatisfaction about his unnamed title clearly.

,,If you say so...Colonel. Besides, I made it here from Earth, I don't give up so easily," she said and looked at him for a moment. Before she continued to walk beside him and they walked along the corridors to the large room. She could hear the acoustics changing and people talking.

But as soon as she got closer, the voices stopped, and she realized it wasn't her fault, but rather Quaritch's. He's tense, she thought with a grin as she leaned against one of the tables, ignoring the looks of the others. A slight smile was on her lips as she closed her eyes for a moment to take in the sound.

Quaritch walked up and down the tables. He talked about the dangers of the planet, the inhabitants, the new environment. Not everyone wants to kill you, she thought, looking up at him, unable to ignore the fact that she had never seen her colors glow so brightly since she had been in the room with him. Maybe it's just the environment, she thought, but her inner self told her otherwise.

Taking her eyes off him, she heard the sound of rolling and looked to her left and recognized Jake. The colors much darker than Quaritch's she gave him a smile. ,,Hey" she said softly and Jake nodded before they both listened to Quaritch until the end.

But all the time she couldn't deny that no matter how long or short she looked at him, the colors were always so beautifully bright. ,,You made it here after all," Jake noted happily as the two made their way toward the lab area.

Past the many seemingly endless soldiers that came towards them. ,,Yeah, you could say that," she said, avoiding his gaze. ,,Why did something happen?" came the question almost as quickly and she thought that he would raise an eyebrow. ,,I'll tell you some other time," she said and was about to continue talking to him when she suddenly heard a voice behind her. ,,Jake wait" said a man and although she wanted to stop Jake continued his way.

,,I'm Norm Spellmann" he introduced himself and somehow tried to find a place next to the two without running into the other soldiers. ,,I'm Y/n," she said curtly, looking reddish and brown tones as she looked at him. ,,I knew your brother, we were at Avatar training together," he said, and she was surprised that Jake had left that out of his conversation.

Even though she found it a bit tactless to bring up these sad memories again for her friend. The three of them walked a short distance until she heard a door open and she got Norm's confirmation. ,,The bio lab is our new home and the place where we will probably spend most of our time," he said happily and began to introduce herself to the others.

Jake and Y/n also looked around and the colors changed to a bright white and gray. Medically laboratory sterile, she thought with a grin, and walked behind the two of them, careful not to knock anything over.

It was much quieter than in the hallways, a pleasant atmosphere for her ears and eyes. ,,That's where the connection chambers are," she heard Norm say, but walked behind Jake, who turned left into a larger open space in the lab. ,,Wow, they're really big," Jake said in amazement, and she wished she could see what he meant.

,,What's there?" she asked them both, feeling around with her hand before touching cold glass. ,,These are our avatars, created from our genes and samples from the original inhabitants," Norm said, and now she knew approximately where she was. She had read and heard about the Avatar program.

She knew it was a highly expensive and yet extraordinarily fascinating project. ,,What do they look like?" she asked, looking at Jake who was next to her and also looking at the tank. ,,Blue and big," he said, but Y/n shook his head. ,,No, I mean do they look like you?" she put it right and Jake looked at his avatar.

She said sadly, and she put a hand on his shoulder. ,,No believe me Jake he looks like you that's your avatar now" she heard Norm say who had come to them with a doctor.

The four of them stayed with the avatars for a while before they all continued on their way to the linking chambers.

She heard a whirring or routing sound and carefully groped around and felt capsule-like beds next to the railing to her right. She heard how apparently one of the capsules opened. As soon as a woman shouted, ,,Where are my damn cigarettes?" before someone ran up quickly and apparently gave the woman her cigarettes.

A moment later, she smelled a faint odor of smoke before she knew who was standing in front of her, Jake, Norm and the doctor. ,,Doctor Grace Augustine, it is an honor to make your acquaintance," she said, holding out her hand to the doctor. ,,Doctor Wilder your work has been interesting but I doubt we need you and this Marine" she said and Y/n knew the older woman could be more than brusque and pulled her hand away.

,,Besides you Marine I don't need you I need your brother and you Doctor Wilder are welcome to get to work examining the plants" she said and was about to leave when Jake approached her. ,,I can't do that, he's dead, I'll take his place" he explained curtly and seemed to have convinced Augustine.

,,All right, I want you to be here tomorrow at eight o'clock and let the biologist find her way around first, I don't need anyone ruining my samples," she said before heading for the door to talk to the leader.

,,She doesn't seem too pleased," Jake obviously noticed and the others nodded. ,,We'll just get on with it," she muttered, looking around before using her hand to identify and feel the objects around her.

The entire lab was large and it took her several hours to find her way around the connecting chambers. Although she did not yet have the people and everything else in her head, a picture slowly opened up in her mind.

Jake and Norm also helped her and told her how things looked here in case she didn't calculate something. It was nice help, help among colleagues and maybe even friends. Quaritch she thought and her hand clasped her necklace.

No, he had helped her because he thought she was weak and helpless. She knew that as soon as one saw her stick or looked into her eyes there were two possibilities. The first, and for her, the most common.

People were uncomfortable with her as if she were an alien. Some didn't talk to her at all, helped her too much, or talked so loudly that she couldn't understand if they knew the difference between blind and deaf.

The other rarer kind were those who took it, ignored it and helped her only when she asked. It was a simple relationship between her and the second faction. She did not feel helpless and yet she felt respected.

,,Y/n are you coming to dinner in the cantina?" she heard the voice of Jake, who was waiting for her with Norm at the entrance to the junction chamber. ,,Yes, I'll be right there," she called, rising from her seat before turning off her dictation machine, on which she left her impressions for her studies and walked slowly to Jake and Norm.

On the way to the kanteen, she folded up her cane and oriented herself by the sounds of the two men.

Much easier and more efficient as long as it didn't get too loud. But that changed in the Kanteene it was filled with talking, laughing and eating sounds which is why she put herself between Jake and Norm to get a little more security.

The three of them coordinated themselves into one of the last tables in the back rows and sighed when they finally arrived. ,,This reminds me of the sacrifice time in high school," she heard Norm quip, and she could hear a certain amount of pain.

,,Yeah, but we're the cool ones now, believe me," she said, giving him an encouraging smile. ,,Was high school that bad for you?" Jake asked, getting a confused look from Norms. ,,Were you the athletic guy or the class clown?" she countered, taking a bite of her food.

Jake ran his hands over his hair, slightly embarrassed. ,,Well, more like the truant and helpful justice seeker," he confessed, and the three of them smirked.

She let her gaze wander dark tones before her eyes which was due to the soldiers. ,,Are the higher-ups sitting here too?" she asked, taking the last bite before looking at them. ,,No, they wouldn't sit with us here, they probably have their own room," said Jake, who had more experience than the others in the military.

The meal continued quietly, but they talked for a long time until the three of them went to sleep. To their surprise, the science team seemed to get really small rooms.

In contrast to the normal sodalists and mercenaries who slept in raised beds in large rooms, she had a small room. From what she had met and explored she had a relatively large comfortable bed. A desk with a chair that was connected to her research and on which was her data.

A closet and a shelf. Her favorite thing about the whole thing, however, was the adjoining bathroom, which bordered her room through a sliding door. A more or less spacious shower, toilet and sink with a mirror. ,,This is quite good" she said and began to unpack her things and slowly settle in.

Or to make herself a little more comfortable for the time she was here. She didn't know exactly how much time had passed as she reached for her sleeping shirt. A few hours probably and yet she was not tired.

The feeling of success in her dreams and wishes was satisfying. Pandora...I am really on Pandora the thought went through her mind and she looked at the photo on her small nightstand next to her bed. The photo that showed her with her mother and father together.

She was about to undress when there was a knock on her door. Who is it? she asked herself and put the sleeping shirt on her bed before she went to the door and opened it. ,,Miss Wilder, I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but I'm supposed to take you to your recruiters," she heard the familiar voice of Quaritch.

The colors brightened and she couldn't hide her surprise and yet this small joy that was in conflict with the reluctance. She leaned against the doorframe and said, ,,Quaritch, I didn't know you were a gofer," she joked, deciding to tease him a little. She had not forgotten his action with the chain.

,,Colonel still Miss and I'm here to make sure you don't get lost again" he did the same and the two of them looked at each other for a moment before she walked past him and the two of them started to move. ,,What is it about?" she asked after a short while due to the silence that fell between them.

,,It's about the promise to see again" he said and looked at her. ,,My eyes" she said and also looked at him slightly upwards. ,,I will see again" was just one of the many thoughts that went through her mind. ,,Do you know which model?" she asked and Quaritch shook his head before realizing that she didn't see it.

,,No, now get in here, we're here," she heard the commanding tone before he opened the door again before they stepped into a larger room. She heard the whirring and beeping of a machine.

She knew the sound from somewhere, but she couldn't remember it. ,,Wilder, glad you're here," she heard the voice of her actual recruiters. ,,Why all this fuss about eye models or a check for an operation I could have picked up myself," she said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Despite this, her heart was beating fast with anticipation. When silence fell between the people, she gulped. ,,Is it not an operation or a model...how am I supposed to see again?" she asked, taking a step toward the two men.

,,Your father Y/n never wondered why the government or the RDA never paid you and your mother proper compensation" he started talking and she didn't like where this was going. ,,They paid for my studies, that's all, what does this have to do with my father?" she asked, looking from the recruiter to Quaritch.

,,He knew of her passion, but also of her suffering," he continued, and at the word suffering she tensed slightly. Suffering, the word kept echoing in her head, she hated it. ,,Get to the point," she demanded, looking at them both in warning of what they were not telling her.

,,Your father wanted us to give you something you always wanted instead of money or other help". ,,Now tell me," she demanded and took another step towards him. ,,Your own Avatar," he said, and it hit her almost like a blow.

In disbelief, she stepped away from him and clutched her necklace. ,,What?" she muttered, looking back and forth between Quaritch and the other, confused and upset. ,,Come," Quaritch said, putting a hand on her shoulder before taking her further into the room.

It was warm, yet his grip was heavy with a hint of command. She felt goose bumps coming on her skin. But whether it came from the colonel or the things she had just experienced, she didn't know.

The whirring and beeping grew louder until she reached out and moved her hand in front of her. It's a tank, she realized in shock as she touched the round glass and felt the slight chill behind it. ,,Why me?" she asked, still confused and upset, her grip on the chain tightening.

,,We were going to give them protheses for the protocol, but someone was convincing," she heard the soldier hiss, and she looked at Quaritch, who had been watching her the whole time. Quaritch...he stood up for me, the realization flashed through her mind.

And the colors as they looked at him seemed so incredibly close. She would have liked to thank him. ,,It would be a waste of resources, and I'm tired of leading you through this," she heard Quaritch confess before she realized that he had given her her avatar.

She felt her emotions surge through her body, her hand trembling slightly as she still grasped the chain and leaned her other hand against the glass.

Tears had gathered in her eyes as she saw bluish colors as she looked to her avatar. This small hope in her was painfully shattered by him. The thing with her father, her avatar. It seemed too much to take in.

And yet she cursed herself for her naivety in believing that she would not be a burden to the colonel. ,,Fortunately for you, I will be able to see again tomorrow," she said warningly, but the pain and fragility of her voice was clearly audible before she walked past them. ,,Thank you Colonel," she said as she stopped at the door before opening it and walking out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist : @mooniequeen , @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

[theshimadaslovers]

I CARE ABOUT HIM

CHAPTER 4 - My Protection

Summary: In the last chapters, the Overwatch team ship was attacked and fell in the middle of a forest in winter. Hanzo and you camped together, some feelings were starting to get real. Later, both found a piece of medal from Reinhardt's armour and blood in an abandoned camp fire. Hanzo is worried about your safety in the woods, it may be in dangerous territory.

*in the camp fire, in the middle of the night. Hanzo is sharpening some wood sticks while you sit by the fire*

You - *look at him, he seems worried* Han?

Hanzo- Mm? *Still sharpening the wood*

You- You ok?

Hanzo- *inhales* I'm... Just worried about what we found. The ship has been attacked, we are probably in Nule Sector territory and they're hunting us. *Look at you* It is hard to think in what we should do.

You- *look at the stick* You're... Doin' arrows?

Hanzo- Yeah... *Sighs* Trying my best... *Get back to sharpening and break the stick* .... Damn it! *throw it away taking his hands in his face in stress*

You- Hey...*you stand up sitting beside him* We are going to be fine! *you smile hugging his arm* They may be looking for us, but Overwatch is also coming to rescue us. And we are going to find Rein, if that piece of medal is really from his armour... We are doing our best to survive now, ok?

Hanzo- Mm...*he takes a deep breath and looks at you with a smirk* You really know how to make me feel better.

You- No panicking, dummy *you stand up* We still have some food, water, we are good! We need to wait for the rescue! *Open your arms* Is all fine!

*The radio starts to call and both can hear Vivian's voice*

Hanzo- The captain! *He picks up and stands up* Captain? Do you copy?

Vivian- Ge-! *Statics* O-u...!

You- What? *Approaches* Captain, we can't hear you! Do you copy?

Vivian- Ge-t o-ut...! Of ...! The wo-..ss! Th- Woo-! ...Hun...ters! *A creepy and deep sound of something big and robotic can be heard* N-OO--!!!

Hanzo-... *Look at you* What the fuck was that?

You- Shit...! *You looked terrified* I think I was wrong...?

Hanzo- We need to move! *He starts to pack everything while you throw the rest of the water on the fire* No smoke...! Wet everything! Leave everything!

You- But...! Hanzo! This is shelter!

Hanzo- They're hunting us! *He tried to speak quietly* Come on! Leave everything! I got the food and-!

~Wuuooooonnn~

*A sound, almost like a didgeridoo or a very deep horn sound. Almost like the Tripod sound from War of the Worlds. It was terrifying. Hanzo slowly squatted with his finger in his lips making a quiet "shhh" for you. You also squatted, your heart was beating fast and looks like your chest could explode any moment.*

*More tripods sounds and machine steps could be heard not so far away. Everything was pitch dark, but they were machines... Could easily spot both of you*

Hanzo- *slowly approaching you while squatting* Hold my hand...and stick together... *He holds your face looking deep inside your eyes* Don't ever let it go, ok? In any circumstances. Stay with me, ok?

You- Okay... *Your body was shaking*

Hanzo- We are going to be ok ... I promise *kissed your forehead* Just stay with me.

*He grabs your hand tight and stands up a little more walking fast to a far distance from the sounds, his other hand was in front of him, palming anything on his way until his eyes get used to the dark, same with you. The tripod sounds once again, but right after... The sound is just like a submarine sonar surrounding the woods, making both stop walking, afraid... Terrified*

*It was completely silent, in pitch dark, in winter wood. One...two...three times the sonar keeps going and Hanzo couldn't move forward, so he squatted again with you*

Hanzo- *slowly turns around to you* Y/n... Do you trust me? *He whispered while holding your shaking hands*

You- Y-yes, I do...wh-why...?! *You try to whisper, but your voice is too shaken, filled with terror*

Hanzo- Shhh...*he holds your face one more time* Listen to me... When I say run...

You- No no no...! Hanzo no!

Hanzo- Listen to me, y/n...please, trust me.

You- You told me to stay with you...! *You started to cry* Don't make any stupid thing...!

Hanzo- They know we are here... There's no way out. When I let you go... You run in that direction, as far away as you can... Ok? I'll be fine, I promise.

You- You...! *You look at him terrified* Hanzo, please...! If they-

Hanzo- Y/n... *He smiles caressing your face* This is not a goodbye *both hear the sound closer and the sonar keeps going* Ok, look... Trust me, I'll be back and if I don't...*he notices your anxiety at the moment he says that, take a deep breath* If I don't... Find me, ok?

You- I will... *An angry sound from the tripod and fast steps starts approaching, you look back and see a big robot with a red light on his face, just like a normal nule sector machine, but...bigger and dangerous* Han...!

Hanzo- ... *Wait still for the right moment* Wait... *He holds your hand tight and takes a deep breath feeling nervous* Remember, this is not a goodbye... *The machine makes another sonar sound and immediately looks at you both* I love you.

You- What? *You look surprised and he let go of your hand*

Hanzo- Now go! *The machine immediately starts to run in your direction, Hanzo stands up* RUN!

*You immediately did what he said in desperation. Hanzo ran to the other side calling the nule sector attention that ran after him like an animal, destroying trees and making creepy noises. Hanzo was in panic, making sharp turns between the trees and making the machine more angry*

*Hanzo unfortunately ran into deep snow and fell with his foot stuck in the soft snow*

Hanzo- Fuck! *He looked back and the nule sector immediately stopped in front of him now opening a system to analyze his face while he tries to stand up*

Nule Sector- Recognition complete, Hanzo Shimada Overwatch, Shimada clan *suddenly on the nule sector's, tentacles of steel immediately grabbed his torso pulling up* Nule Sector wanted.

Hanzo- !!!! *He felt the tentacles squishing his body, in a desperate action to breath, he tried to take off the tentacles off his torso* AAH! FUUUCK! *Looking around trying to figure a way out*

*The Nule Sector starts to walk while holding Hanzo in the air*

*At the other side of the woods, you were seated by a tree catching your breath and waiting for some sign of Hanzo. You couldn't hear the Nule Sector anymore, for sure it was gone, but...and Hanzo?*

*You stand up and carefully start to look around...empty and quiet woods*

You- Han...? *Your voice barely came out in fear that the Nule Sector could hear* Han? Are you...there? *The woods made an echo and nothing* Please...?

*You in small steps more inside the woods, where you came from, looking around*

You- Han?! Hanzo! *You scream his name and feel a very cold wind hit your back making you shiver* Haan!

*Your body was getting colder every second, the sweat from your body didn't help at all. You pick up some wood sticks to build a fireplace, the food and water, everything was with Hanzo. You're screw*

*A few minutes later, the Nule Sector was still taking Hanzo with him through the forest while he kept trying to get out. He was exhausted and gave up for a moment*

Hanzo- *look back with worries* Y/n... *He felt the night getting colder and the robot suddenly stopped and he could hear a river closer, he looked forward* What?

*The Nule Sector approaches more the river making bips sounds of worries*

Hanzo- Scared of water? Fucking weak...

Nule Sector- *angry noise squishing him again* !!!

Hanzo- Aargh!! Alright! Sorry!

*The Nule Sector looked around trying to figure out some other way, but that was it... River, an angry river. He stepped into the water and slowly walked until the middle, where Hanzo had an idea. Well, robots can't swim and water on his "brain" will damage the whole system. In a fast and spontaneous move, Hanzo grabs the robot's head with his legs and with his body weight immediately pulls him to the side, making the robot lose his balance, also because of the river current. Both fell into the water, but Hanzo went straight underwater and the robot didn't let him go. The machine tries to stand up, but the water hits his system damaging his movements, and in consequence, Hanzo could not breathe and the current was taking both of them. He tries desperately to release himself while the robot still tries to keep his head out of the water, but it was too late, the Nule Sector soon shut it down and Hanzo could finally swim up for air*

Hanzo- *Reach the surface* AA...! *Gasp and holds himself in a stone* Aaa... Fuck... *He looked back at the dead robot body going down the river* That was close...

*He soon reached the safe land, freezing to death, but he still made a long walk from where he came...he was worried as hell with you, so he just screamed your name until you could hear him*

Hanzo- Y/N!!! Heeeeeey!!! Girl, where are you?! Y/n!!

*You were trying to make a fire, but the wind didn't let you have this luxury*

You- Come on...come on! *You could see a little fire appearing in the middle of the sticks* Come on! Yes! *The wind blows immediately and you shiver* No no...! No no no no!

~Y/N!!!~

*You immediately raise your head in disbelief, did you just hear Hanzo?*

~Where are you?!~

*You stand up running straight to his voice. A few trees later you could see him all soaked and you immediately went straight for a hug*

You- Oh my God! You're alive!

Hanzo- Nearly... *He shakes* It was lucky, I believe... I'm glad you...are alive too.

You- What happened?! You're freezing to death! *You hold his face in desperate* Oh my God, what do I do?!

Hanzo- I...just need...fire...

You- We need to get out of this wind, Han...! *You look around*

Hanzo- ...*look at your purple lips* You're... Freezing.

You- Listen to me! *You hold his arms* Can you walk a little further? We need to find a place to stay!

Hanzo- Y/n... I'll be fine... *He smiled* My dragons...the spirits... They can help me.

You- What?

Hanzo- I can't die... They would die too, they can warm me up.

You- I see...! *You shivers* It's hard to believe, but, I got it

Hanzo- Is not for everyone... Let's go...*He holds your hand and starts walking*

*It was about 5 am, the morning already helped a little bit with the cold and the wind stopped. You are still shaking, Hanzo got better thanks to his dragon spirits, you didn't want to worry him, so you did your best to pretend that you're ok*

Hanzo- *look at you for a moment and stop walking* Y/n...!

You- Wh-what?

Hanzo- *gets worried and pull you to him hugging you* You're freezing! Why you're so quiet?!

You- I don't want to worry you...we need to move on... And you're worse than me.

Hanzo- *sighs and thinks* If I could warm you up in another way...

You- *look at him surprised* Don't say something like that *laughs*

Hanzo- What? *Laughs* Wasn't supposed to sound dirty.

You- But sounded...! *Stop walking and shivers again* The sun could help me a little bit more.

*Hanzo sighs in worry again, walks behind you hugging you from the back*

Hanzo- Listen to me... We stop here, ok? Let's build a fire and warm you up before you get sick...or worse.

*He stepped back and went to some trees getting some draw woods, you kept looking at him judging him for his decision, you just wanted to get out of there. He looked at you and laughed*

Hanzo- Don't look at me like that. Is the best decision. I can't and I don't want you to walk through this ice cold weather like that. *He slowly throws some sticks in your direction* I don't want you to get sick, maybe you got some pneumonia, some... disease! I don't know...I don't want that *He keeps talking and grabbing the woods sticks* I'm sure you don't want that too. I wish my dragons could warm you too, I'm still cold, but it is a slow process... I need you to stay warm, that's all, I'll hunt for some food and grab some water... We should make a shelter first, I don't know where our campfire is anymore....

You-... *Smirk looking down*

Hanzo- We can make some shelter, it is easy! Trust me! *Smiles staying in his tiptoes to grab some dry leaves* Some woods and we have a nice little campfire!

You- I love you.

*Hanzo stopped for a second on his tiptoes, he turned around surprised and you could see a smirk on the side of his lips*

Hanzo- I ...I-I ...*laughs getting shy* I wasn't expecting that.

You- I couldn't answer back earlier...

Hanzo- I... Well... *Cleans throat feeling dumb and red* That ... That is very...I mean, such a...warm sensation! *Laughs*

You- *approaches him grabbing the sticks he left on the way* I'll help you... It may help my body get warmer.

Hanzo- *take a deep breath looking at you like a young teenager in love* Just...be careful, ok?

You- Sure, but you are here to protect me.

Hanzo- You can protect yourself *laughs*

You- I'd rather be protected by you *give him a little push, making him laugh*

*Beside the problems and the present situation, when Hanzo and y/n are together, no matter the weather, no matter the complications... Their love will always protect each other*

(artist: could not find ..again 🫠)

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Continue...

[thezombieprostitute]

Hi Zombie😌❤️ For your return trip:

I've read about intergalactic fics recently, and there's a particular interesting setting that soldiers could develop their spiritual animal that could fight alongside of them in a physical form.

Suppose you are one of the soldiers on the intergalactic battle field, who do you want to fight alongside with and why?(you could come up with their spiritual animals)

A. Ari, who always comes up with the craziest ideas and encourages you to jump from the fleet to the Bug's nest like he does. Crazy, but his plans always work out. Your superiors order you to pair up with him to train him to care about casualties.

B. Steve, who you can always count on to have your six. But he is even more reckless than Ari. You could only pray that he gets lucky and escape Death in the next battle. Your superiors order you to pair up with him so he doesn't go solo as he always wants to.

C. Curtis, who was born in Project Wilford, one of the deadliest soldiers alive. Rumor is he has gutted hundreds of Bugs in one battle, and made it out alive. He's mysterious and silent, and you can't help but wonder if he is a man or a literal killing machine. Your superiors pair you up with him to keep an eye on him, in case he runs wild.

Bonus Extra: D, Winter Soldier. The real Killing Machine. Losing an arm in a battle before scientists made him a robotic one. The only reason why your superiors ask you to pair up with him is because the winter soldier is highly unstable, and that he had asked to see you (why is that? You don't have the slightest clue)

Most of my contemplation on this has gone into what my own inner beast is/would be. I've settled on "Mutt". While different breeds can specialize in types of training, a mutt has the potential for all types, especially if it's a military service dog. So let's go through your list!

++

Ari - I'm gonna say his inner beast (in this scenario) is a Firehawk. A bird that starts fires in order to flush out its prey with no consideration for the damage it causes.

For this, I'd probably be a mutt with guide dog training. Ari has this huge blindspot in his vision when it comes to casualties so I've been assigned to guide him through the parts he can't see. Additionally, guide dogs can practice selective disobedience so that they don't accidentally walk their human into traffic just because they got the command to walk. This will be very helpful for working with Ari and helping him to navigate casualty costs.

++

Steve - I kinda wanna make Steve's inner beast a honey badger for this one. They are intelligent, fierce and survive a lot of things they shouldn't.

To help Steve's survivability, and to increase the likelihood he'll actually want to keep working with me, I think my inner beast would have to be a mutt trained for medical service. Whether it's getting him medical care or getting him out of danger until rescue can arrive, a medical service mutt would likely be most helpful.

++

Curtis - I'm actually not sure what his inner beast would be. I'm torn between a shark and a large feline (i.e. Jaguar).

Either way, my inner mutt clearly needs PTSD/psychiatric support training. Learning to read his body language since he doesn't talk but also helping him find his voice again. Being a barrier between him and others when he needs it. Protecting him. Reminding him of his humanity and caring.

++

Bucky - I'm sure a lot of people think Bucky's inner beast is a wolf. After all, one of his nicknames is White Wolf. But I don't think so. He's a sniper first. Silent, attacks from a distance, patient, solitary. His inner beast is an owl.

The reason he's asked for me is because, in this scenario, my inner beast is a mutt with military training in bomb detection. He lost his arm because, from his bird's eye view, he missed some traps that were set out. He's not gonna risk that again so he's asked for me to accompany him so we can keep each other safe. I'm his scout, his trap disarmer, bomb defuser, etc.

++

I hope you find these answers satisfactory!

[0perfectimperfections0]

Hi fellow doll, I hope you're doing fine. I've been quite busy lately, college and life in general have been kicking my ass, so I was forced to take a step back from social media for a while to try to contain the chaos.

Firstly, I'd like to share a fun fact with you! I don't know if you're aware but did you know that Lou's Mansion has a Pool? You can see it more clearly in the Mansion's Concept Designs/Art on this site:

•https://www.claytonstillwell.com/ugly-dolls#23

However, the real reason for this ask is to present a possible answer/theory in regards to how the doll-sized phones came to be in the world of your stories (you can tell this is still related to our chat on Wattpad).

Recently, I came across the images you're seeing on Pinterest. They're Wide/Aerial Views of the Institute of Perfection and one thing that immediately stood out to me is that Giant Eye-Catching Dome behind the TV.

I mean what's its purpose, why is it even there to begin with and what's inside of it? I've been thinking about this for a while and would like to hear your thoughts about it as well, if you're willing to share them.

By any chance, have you seen the movie Wreck-it Ralph? There was a part where the villain enters the code of the game he's in and I think the Dome's purpose could follow a similar, if not equal, vein.

Now that I think about it, Lou and Vanellope's circunstances are almost identical, trapped in the same place for years without the option to leave, simply because of who they are and the traits they were born with, but didn't choose to have.

Sorry, I let my mind run on tangent there for a while, it wanders frequently which makes it hard to keep track of my line of thought.

To circle back to the main topic of discussion, what if the Dome is a Central Station of the Institute, like a Panel or Center for Command Control (or Command Control Center)? CCC for short? Ok, I'll stop trying to be funny...

Perhaps it could be a subroutine of the factory's software, a program linked to its network and wifi that contains all guidelines and rules that govern the Institute and must be followed and executed to keep it functional - a blueprint if you will - and is in charge of all commands, protocols, activities and operations being compiled and run by its machinery, such as the doll-scanner, the robots, the washing machine, the recycling, the Gauntlet plus the mechanical baby and dog and the Portal, just to name a few.

This means that it'd also take care of overseeing the integrity and performance of said machinery as well as its maintenance. It'd even be responsible for generating clouds and the artificial weather because apparently weather is still a thing, even though the Institute is inside of a factory.

I wonder if this subroutine would be run by an AI or simply an intelligent system/computer program. This world's version of Siri? 🤣

Or maybe I'm greatly exaggerating its function/letting my imagination run wild and it literally only gives Electricity for TV and Institute. Where was I going with this? /were we again?

Morever, it could be a storage unit that contains all collected, analysed and reviewed data regarding the inhabitants of the Institute and their responses, physical or emotional, to certain pre-determined stimuli.

It could also have a list of the factory's Perfection Standards: what consists/constitutes a Perfect Doll / product, its traits...

what can go to the market and which flaws/imperfections can't be ignored/overlooked and have to go to the recycling immediately, kinda like separating fruit/food

To sum up, it's the Institute's "rulebook", but instead of being specifically made for the prototype, it's more expansive and focuses on the Institute as a whole.

After the events of the movie, dolls with engineer role job created phones with recicled parts dangerous/turned the recycling into a good thing/while recycling was turned of and parts are human sized, plenty to spare and create phone since dolls come back now, have free time to assemble the parts and construct them and connected them to the signals/frequency emitted by the dome or they hack/steal or find out the password/'hijack' the signals🤣, use it to make them connect with each other but can't enter the dome without proper authorizations/permissions

Fun fact #2: Lou animatronic, would be a hipocrite if he called the Uglydolls "Ugly" has never seen a Mirror before

•https://www.indigobluepencil.com/ugly

Scroll almost to the middle (pre-planned concepts: dome by TV and washing machine, Big baby, Lou, Mandy, Tuesday and Kitty, Victoria, Perfection Council/of Dolls=board of investors directors reference)

•https://www.scottfassett.com/uglydolls-gallery

Had to restart Two Times... I hope you found this ask both entertaining and informative. Hopefully it'll give you Inspiration for your stories...

Okay, I had to do quite a bit of research and asked someone who knows a lot more about computers than I do.

So, I do agree that the dome has an electronic purpose. It really surprises me that STX animated an entire dome within the Institute and literally spoke nothing of it or what's inside of it. Like, seriously, it's huge and can't just be empty on the inside.

My theory, after some research, is that the inside of the dome is essentially a hard drive computer tower. For you younger folk who weren't raised in a 90's home, here's what I'm talking about:

These things right here used to be what would get hooked up to older Dell/Windows computers. The ones that weighed, like, 50 pounds and took up an entire desk.

Instead of a dvd player (which I didn't get one until maybe 8 years old) I would stick my Kidz Bop cd or movie into that slot at the top and watch the movie on the computer with Video Player.

Count your blessings.

But this is what I believe is inside that dome. These things are what holds the CPU (central processing unit), GPU (graphic processing unit), and stores the memory, data, audio, and everything of the computer.

@natalie-the-writer and I have a running fanon that the company is older. The technology is older, the building is older, and everything is set in a pretty retro time period. So, this hard drive tower is connected to those bulky take-up-all-the-space-on-the-desk-computers.

The GPU in this system is also what control the day/night cycle in the Institute and the weather. It essentially simulates a troposphere and an environment that makes the dolls comfortable and prepared for the Big World.

The CPU is how the data is transferred. Info from the robots is controlled and processed, the Individualization scanners are monitored, the portal is opened and closed, the TV runs, and the holographic tutorials Moxy and her friends see in the beginning are kept on, all of it.

It basically functions as the brain of the Institute, but the sole controller and monitor of it is the CEO (Greyson Everett).

I also like to think that Lou's microchip (another fanon thought between Natalie and I) is also monitored via this hard drive tower. Any information that Lou learns and processes is sent into separate files on the computers back in the company building.

This is why in my Shell-Shock series, when Lou's emotions go south, the Institute begins to get windy when he's hyperventilating or rains when he cries. The ground trembles when he has body tremors and the lights flicker when his powers are used. He is literally connected to the whole Institute because his microchip and its data accidentally grow and manifest themselves into the files of the other Institute functions. His programming basically goes rogue and infects the Institute system like a virus.

I'm veering toward the explanation that results in Lou being the first successful form of Artificial Intelligence. But, for the moment, he is basically acting like a virus and it's not until he learns to control this new system he's connected to that it stops becoming a deadly thing.

[fisticuffs-bee]

chai and sonic are the same type of guy? tell me more :D

oh my god it took me so long to find my old notes i scribbled down ages ago at my old job

right off the bat i need to explain that i am an archie sonic fan so this is largely based on that (mostly in the context of characters)

also! hfr spoilers will be implied to anyone that cares about that

a lot of things would be changed around and mixed and muddled up here, which is exactly how i like my wips. needlessly complicated.

sonic takes the place of chai, for reasons mentioned before. carefree dude who pretty easily goes with the flow, but can still be a bit selfish and immature at times.

but this is where things get more complex than necessary. i decided that it would make the most sense if uncle chuck (that is his proper name to me) took the place of roxanne. after all, he's the one who originally made the roboticizer; it was robotnik that bent the original vision of the machine to his evil whims later.

so now instead of a secondary main character having that deep familial motivation, it's just on sonic. but it's ok i got this.

sally takes the place of peppermint, she's often the brains behind lots of things the freedom fighters do in the comics. im paraphrasing, but it was once put something like "sonic is the force of destruction, but sally is the one who tells him what to destroy" by an antagonist (robotnik, i think) and... it's not exactly wrong.

and here's where things get messy again! tails is also there, but doesn't fill a role from the game. i made one up for him. he made t-pup, who takes the place of 808. the summary of his role is "brilliant kid who wants to help, but isn't allowed to do anything too dangerous, so he finds a way to compromise on that".

moving on, rotor takes place of macaron. big guy who can punch real hard but is also a real friendly dude and is good with machines? yep yeah got it covered.

ok so. nicole... i haven't figured out entirely for this. she takes place of CNMN, but wasn't made by rotor. he just snagged up what he could of her project before new management took over and dug its claws into what she's supposed to be. she's also gonna be gay with sally because it's one of the funniest things ever that The Subtext was in fact entirely on purpose

bunnie korsica. i'm not sure if i would have something more similar to her canon backstory or what happens with korsica happen to her, but the end result either way would be that she starts out with no robotic limbs, and then gets the robotic limbs later. and i'm giving her her cowboy hat back i miss it so much (also i'm so sorry miss bunnie i couldn't figure out where to put your husband in this)

obviously, robotnik (which i keep saying bc im not calling him eggman for this) would take the place of kale. but he's not the final boss (:

THE FINAL BOSS WOULD BE SHARD. I AM PUSHING MY SHARD AGENDA. I LOVE THAT GUY I MISS HIM SO BAD. plus i just like the idea of the final boss being sonic and (a) metal sonic. obviously i'm not blowing him up at the end. anyway here's what i have written down: SPECTRA is housed in an A.I. with a robotic body (shard), who was originally made to be an assistant to charles (uncle chuck). SPECTRA overwrites the original programming, making the former assistant cold in personality and only take orders from robotnik. dismantling SPECTRA allows the original programming to return to the forefront.

from there it's not as thought out. i thought about giving surge rekka's spot, starline mimosa's, but i'm not really sure what to do with zanzo or roquefort. hell, i wrote "orbot and he gets a gundam or something" half as a joke for roquefort on my old piece of paper here. thanks for letting me talk about this it rattles around in my brain sometimes.

[egg-emperor]

Eggman's pollution of countless ecosystems isn't too farfetched since in real life there are many companies that pollute ecosystem, some even cruelly test on animals (not even for medical purposes) , just to make a quick buck. The animals live short miserable lives. Don't get me started on the logging companies that destroy countless amazonian rainforests (and kill the inhabitants both human and animal) all out of greed.

Yeah while Eggman has done a lot of crazy out there things that'd be impossible in real life like awakening giant monsters, blowing up the moon, breaking apart the world, etc- but one of the big things he's been the villain for since the beginning with the damage he does to nature, wildlife, the environment, and the general theme of animal abuse has always been very realistic and makes him a very serious threat.

Every level of the dead and polluted bad future in CD is the best example of the horrible state the world would end up in if Eggman had his way and how even his poor robots will be lay to waste all broken down and sad looking, let alone the fact that poor animals are being used inside

He also owns an ocean of oil and it wouldn't be surprising if an element of his greed was also in there and he sold some for money

He has nature burned and bombed and it likely kills tons of wildlife too

And deforestation with his robots cutting down trees

And of course there's tons and tons more all throughout the series, he's infamous for it. It's the very first thing that tells us he's the bad guy in the series. It's unfortunate how a lot of fans in recent years have tried to find reasons why this actually isn't so bad and harmful or that he has good but misguided intentions in it, it's missing the whole message.

I've also somehow seen claims that he's gotten better and doesn't do that anymore? Lol. The last time he used animals in robots was Lost World, just two games ago,

he also didn't care about damage caused by his machine that sucked life from the world to selfishly use for power in his creations as long as they're was still something left for him to conquer,

it was also literally the whole focus of his Forces propaganda video was him literally advertising a polluted world as beautiful and desired by showing a happy healthy world and saying "why have THIS-"

"when you could have THIS"

Then the rest of it was him promoting a fucked up way for people to survive without clean air, by giving up their free will and becoming mindless robot slaves with his robotomy treatment- which is all he really cares about instead of actually helping people. That's another way he specifically desires to damage and pollute, because of that benefit.

And all the destruction of how everything was set ablaze, the desertification drying up waters, and the operations for deforestation going on in the actual game of Forces too all begs to differ on the claim that he's stopped lol

Credit for that last cool detail

It's still very much a thing in his character. That also gives a very important message against harming the environment and that humans are capable of harming and using it for many greedy reasons and destroying it carelessly for selfish gain. They don't have a good reason, they don't think they're doing the right thing, they're doing it just for profit and gain and don't care.

Eggman does extreme damage to nature, the environment, and wildlife, on a global scale multiple times too- to the point he's broken the entire world itself apart. He represents a dark part of humanity that sees the world as nothing but resources to use up until they're gone in selfishness and greed and are also apathetic towards the damage done in general with pollution and waste.

It is very realistic and terrifying, it's a huge part of what makes Eggman such a dangerous threat and diabolical villain! In that particular area of evil, he is a very real person that could exist- and there are people like him that do exist and cause harm in similar ways. Just because we've become so used to it happening in the world, doesn't mean it isn't bad or should be downplayed or dismissed in fiction!

[battlevann]

I was going to just put this as an answer to your post but there is too much 😅 I think in the beginning Poshe had the idea of making Sinestro simply out of necessity. There must be a million little things that you have to tend to on a big space ship like that and he was getting tired of doing it himself. Spooky doesn't have arms so he can't do it and stopped listening to him a long time ago anyway.

On the other hand there are several hints, I think, as to why he would remake him: 1. Poshe would need someone very compliant (especially since he already has to deal with Spooky ragging on him) and if Sinestro would show so much as a hint of doubting him he would have a do-over. 2. Poshe would bring Sinestro with him into dangerous and deranged situations not realising that while he can easily heal Sinestro can not and Sinestro would be bound to come out of some of these worse for wear. 3. Because, let's face it, mad alien scientist or not, Poshe very often isn't very smart. Or let's call it insightful. "I'm gonna make a monstrosity out of this dead baby!" Yes, dear. I know you can, except that's a drunk midget. So he would charge ahead into things without considering that he might have misread a situation, probably including whether he has a real reason to be messing with Sinestro again. 4. Sinestro has fur and a TV for a head. Poshe could literally have made him anything. A giant war machine with twelve arms and laser eyes? A human shaped "companion" that he can order around? A box on wheels that can both fix and store things and be super practical? No. A big teddy bear with a TV on top. Cause Poshe is a big baby and Sinestros form and function (and real purpose) probably evolved over time as well, from the beginning when he thought "Damn it, I need a servant!" to where Sinestro is practically an emotional support pet with a streaming service attachment. 😝

i did find a canon answer, which is pretty much option one, sinestro finds out he's a robot, rightfully loses it, and pose has to remake him because he's not complying with the implanted intern memories

however, the other three options all make sense and i can certainly see them all existing at once

If im remembering right, poshe lets Sinestro keep his memories of finding out hes not actually an intern the last time this happens, and I'd like to think he does this because he knows that Sinestro knows that there's not really a way to avoid being his servant, as he could just wipe his memories and re implant the intern stuff again

[turtlethon]

“Combat Land”

Season 7, Episode 25 First US Airdate: December 11, 1993

The Turtles are invited to test their fighting abilities in a new theme park.

“Combat Land” is the penultimate episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season seven. David Wise is credited as writer for this adventure, which premiered on the same morning as "Invasion of the Krangazoids".

The Turtles are returning to the Lair with stacks of pizzas and monster movies for the weekend ahead, but Leonardo is dismissive of the quality of the selected tapes, and scolds the other members of the team for focusing on bad monster flicks instead of their training. The conversation is put on hold when the group encounter four nerdy men performing experiments in the sewers. After being questioned, the scientists open fire on the Turtles using a wheeled laser weapon.

I can’t think of a time when our heroes manhandled a group of normal humans who were plainly weaker than them, but that’s exactly what happens here: Raphael even pounces on a man who responds with the old “you wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses” routine, punching him in the face. (Granted, the show cuts away from the act as he does so, but the inference as to what happens is clear.) After destroying their machine, the Turtles drive the nerds out of the sewers by blasting them with steam from a nearby pipe.

With their path home now clear again, the Turtles discover a stash of fliers promoting the imminent launch of a new amusement park, “Combat Land”, where visitors are invited to “test [their] skills against the greatest robot warriors in history... and beyond!” This gives Leonardo another chance to get his shots in at his team-mates, as he suggests their lack of willingness to train would prevent them from doing well in such an environment. Donatello lets Leo know that he’s not too happy about these jibes.

April, Irma and Vernon are shown around Combat Land prior to its opening by its owner, Horatio Stressbar, and are told of its three areas: the Shogun, Medieval and Future Zones, each filled with warriors from their respective eras that the participants must defeat. Vernon expresses his concerns about the dangers of such an environment but is assured that all of this is for show, the park’s animatronic warriors being constructed of soft materials and their weapons entirely harmless; a boat ride between the zones is also available for risk-averse individuals such as himself. Stressbar reveals that while the park was supposed to open the next day, its launch may have to be delayed as he’s been unable to find any real combatants capable of going toe-to-toe with his simulated warriors. 

Now back in the Lair, the other Turtles are again scolded by Leonardo for watching TV instead of training. The conversation soon turns to the nerds they fought in the sewer earlier, the third time the group have caught people interfering with the sewer system the space of a month. Before the team can figure out what’s going on they receive a Turtlecom call from April, inviting them to serve as the test visitors for Combat Land. Donnie, Mikey and Raph are all keen to attend, with Leo pointing out the irony of them being unwilling to train, but eager to go to an amusement venue to participate in phony fights.

Sometime later April introduces the Turtles to Horatio Stressbar and Denton Nulcet, his chief robotics engineer.  The team are made to hand over their weapons before entering the venue, ostensibly due to safety concerns, and reluctantly do so despite this being a violation of their ninja code. Irma watches this with suspicion, convinced that no good can come of the Turtles being left unarmed. Despite April’s assurances that everything will be fine, she remains unconvinced, heading back to the news van to retrieve a second news cam so she can cover the story.

Leonardo is keen to try out the Shogun Zone and invites the other Turtles to join him, but winds up with no takers. Michaelangelo wants to – and this is a genuine line, I’m not making this up - “nail some knights in the Medieval Zone” - while Donatello and Raphael are more interested in the Future Zone. Leo doesn’t take being left on his own well, bitterly declaring he’ll do better without the other members of the team anyway. He goes on to easily defeat the Shogun Zone’s Samurai and ninja warriors, but is soon faced with the more challenging prospect of battling a huge Shogun android.

In the Future Zone Raphael and Donatello use Laser Tag-style blasters to take out a group of robots, but go on to face the robot team’s leader, a sort of Robocop/Terminator hybrid individual who rides into the zone on a motorbike. This battle is monitored from a surveillance area by Stressbar and Nulcet, who also watch as Irma spies on their staff members and tries to gain entry to a secure area. The park’s boss becomes concerned at the nosy nature of the Channel 6 crew and begins making plans to deal with them. Later, Vernon is attacked by some of the park’s warriors while riding in one of the boats in the “safe” area between the zones.

Michaelangelo takes on a group of knights in the Medieval Zone, but things take an unexpected turn when the supposedly benign robots capture him. He’s taken to a lab facility where Denton Nulcet begins construction of dupliate robot Mikey. Though he tries to escape, our favourite Party Dude is confronted by the same nerds who were hanging around in the sewer, now prepared with laser weapons to hold him at gunpoint.

Leonardo meets up with Donnie and Raph, all three impressed by the fighting skills of the park’s robots. It occurs to the team that Michaelangelo is still missing, and so they head off with April to try and find him. Along the way, it occurs to the team that Vernon and Irma are also unaccounted for. Irma eventually shows up, keen to tell the team about the secret passphrase she saw one of Stressbar’s men use to gain entry, but before she can do so she’s hauled away by one of the Future Zone robots. As the Turtles are confronted by more of the park’s warriors, it begins to dawn on them that something about this whole setup is suspicious, and since they’ve been stripped of their weapons their ability to do anything about the unfolding situation is limited.

Irma is locked in a storage facility, where Vernon has also been detained. Undeterred, she pledges to continue filming her “hard-hitting documentary”. She shoots footage of Vernon, declaring that he’s cracking under the pressure of the current situation, an assertion that April’s rival disputes by putting up a tough front. This doesn’t last long, as Stressbar uses the speaker system to threaten Vernon, leading him to begin cowering once more.

The Turtles turn items from around the park into makeshift weapons to take out a group of the robot warriors and make it back to the entrance. They watch as, inexplicably, a wave of the animatronic combatants march out of Combat Land and towards town. Meanwhile, Denton has constructed a perfect robot replica of Michaelangelo, which he intends to use to trap the real Turtles. The park owner goes on to reveal that, with the Turtles out of the way, he’ll be able to take over the sewers for his own purposes.

Leonardo splits off from the group to try and find Michaelangelo, while Donatello sets about trying to stop the wandering robots. Once back inside the park, Leo finds his Turtlecom’s signal is jammed, preventing him from staying in contact with the team. He then encounters the robot commander in the Future Zone and steals his motorbike, using it to smash through the otherwise inaccessible doors and enter Stressbar’s underground complex. Following a series of run-ins with robots from the Medieval and Shogun Zones, he’s forced to go it on-foot. The sight of Michaelangelo is a welcome surprise, but this turns out to be the robot clone, who takes him captive.

April drops off Donnie and Raph in her van, returning to the station to research Horatio Stressbar further. Apprehending one of the Future Zone robots, Donatello prevents it from moving by placing a trash can over its head, and makes note of a timer device that all the bots have mounted on their chests; after the can is removed again, the robot makes a run for it, only to explode seconds later. To Donatello and Raphael’s horror, it soon becomes apparent that the remaining robots – each a ticking time-bomb in their own right – are heading into the sewers. The two Turtles rush back to the Lair in search of a way to stop them.

Nulcet informs his boss that a robot duplicate of Leonardo has now been constructed, and the explosive robots are moving into position underground. This is all part of Stressbar’s master plan: once the sewers are blown up, he’ll offer his services to carry out their reconstruction, being awarded millions of dollars for the work. Nulcet gushes about this just being the beginning, and that afterwards they can destroy all kinds of other facets of the city’s infrastructure before being awarded fat contracts for the repair jobs. (Okay, but all of this is contingent on nobody at any point noticing it’s the robots that belong to these two dipshits decimating huge chunks of the town repeatedly; if anything, in such a scenario they’d have to pay for the repairs rather than the taxpayers footing the bill.)

April uses her Turtlecom to fill Donnie and Raph in on the information she’s found about Stressbar, revealing that he’s lobbied repeatedly of late to be handed the contract to carry out repairs in the sewers, despite the system currently being in perfect working order. It occurs to our heroes that this explains the run-ins they’d been having with the nerdy scientists of late, all of which were sabotage attempts to earn him the contract in question. Donatello goes on to use radio equipment in his workshop to alter the movements of the robots, explaining to him that the metal trash can they used to prevent one from moving earlier hinted at them using radio transmissions to be given their marching orders: once their signal is blocked (as it was then by the trash can), they become totally useless. With the bots on their way back to Combat Land, Donnie and Raph now face the prospect of returning there themselves to rescue their friends.

Michaelangelo and Leonardo have been locked in the same storage facility as Irma and Vernon, and note that none of the doors on-site have any handles to grant access. Irma explains that they’re voice activated, replaying the footage on her minicam of one of the scientists using the passphrase (“golden mongoose”) to gain entry. The Turtles point out to Irma that although the doors are tuned to the voices of the park employees, she has a recording of one of them on tape: by playing the footage with the volume turned up, the group open the door and escape.

After infiltrating Combat Land in the Turtle Van, Donatello and Raphael are reunited with Leonardo and Michaelangelo – or so it seems, as these are in truth the robot duplicates of the captured heroes. A fight breaks out in which Donatello slaps Leo across the face repeatedly, and then discovers it’s a robot he’s hitting: a telling sequence of events, particularly given the visible friction between the two at the start of the episode. Conversely, Raphael grapples with the duplicate Michaelangelo, and even after realising he’s a robot, can’t bring himself to sock his old friend in the kisser. The real Mikey then arrives and has no qualms about destroying his double, hurling it into the wall. Leonardo then arrives to do battle with his robot counterpart, and is provided with a spare sword by Raphael as the group begin to turn the tide of battle.

In their control room, Stressbar, Nulcet and the scientists are baffled at why their systems have been malfunctioning, the explosive robots now returning to the park. Further confusion arises when the duplicate Michaelangelo and Leonardo robots show up, apparently having lost their way as well. You may have figured out where this is going, all of it a ruse by the real Leo and Mikey to gain entry to the control room and confront the bad guys. As Michaelangelo captures the nerds, Leonardo struggles to figure out how to disarm the park’s systems, ultimately deciding the easiest thing to do is destroy each of them in sequence.

Raphael and Donatello are seen making their way out of the park with Vernon and Irma. Things look bleak as they’re cornered by various robots from the different zones of Combat Land. The only thing that can save the group now is Leonardo sabotaging the systems in time, which makes the fact that for two consecutive shots in this sequence Raphael BECOMES Leonardo that much more laughable; it’s not even a simple bandana colour mismatch as he’s been drawn to be Leo right down to the “L” belt buckle. At the last second, actual Leonardo deactivates the equipment and the group escape to the Turtle Van, the captured villains along for the ride. This still leaves the small problem of the army of explosive robots, which begin to detonate moments after the van escapes the premises, leaving Combat Land in ruins.

Returning to the Lair, Leonardo apologises to the other Turtles about getting on their case earlier, their performance today proving all of them are capable heroes. Mikey, Donnie and Raph are conciliatory too, admitting that things would have gone more smoothly if they’d been focusing on their training. Ultimately, the team weigh up their options and consider if they want to spend the day sharpening their ninja skills or goofing off, and at least for today, agree upon the latter.

“Combat Land” is an outlier among season seven episodes in that it feels like it could have easily been one of those tiresome adventures from season four where the team encountered some schmuck with zero credibility, nothing was accomplished, and everyone watching was left wishing we could have just had a more routine Shredder story instead (Wilbur Weazell being the most obvious example of this). A couple of things save it from ever approaching those levels of mediocrity, one of them being the fact that David Wise is at the helm here, and even this far into the run, the number of episodes that have been absolute stinkers with his name attached are relatively low. Wise of course understands the ‘87 Turtles and the supporting characters in their orbit better than anyone, and even in a story where neither the villain nor his scheme is particularly compelling, everyone is used effectively.

I have mixed feelings about Leo still getting on the case of his team-mates for not being as committed to training as he is, something that was explored in-depth years earlier in “Leonardo Lightens Up”; to return to that idea again now, after all this time, makes it feel as if none of the Turtles have grown at all after everything they’ve been through in the intervening seasons. That said, despite the tension that was clearly present at the beginning of the episode, this time around the guys are able to resolve their differences without going to the lengths of using a personality-altering ray gun or getting Master Splinter involved, instead just being able to talk it out, which perhaps does indicate they are maturing after all.

On a related note, one of the more interesting facets of this season has been Splinter fading into the background somewhat. Initially I couldn’t figure out why the Turtles have felt more believable as actual teenagers this year when they largely do the same things they’ve done since the start of the series: visit the cinema, rent videos and of course go out for pizza. Upon reflection I think it’s the fact that they’re less dependent on Splinter now – for training, fatherly advice and to get them out of trouble. That makes them feel more plausibly like the fifteen- or sixteen-year-olds they were suggested to be in licensed products related to the show. (The recent revelation in “Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter!” that a few years have passed over the course of the show’s run suggests that they may have aged up a bit beyond that.)

Maturation of the characters, thankfully, hasn’t been confined to the Turtles. I’ve written before about how Irma has occupied a unique middle space in the series, appearing regularly but not being so critical to keeping the TMNT bandwagon rolling that she’s set in stone in the way the Turtles or April are; as a result a bit of flexibility has been afforded to her in terms of character growth that’s been off-limits to everyone else. That development has continued throughout season seven as she’s been allowed to become more hands-on in helping the Turtles and April save the day from time to time. In this episode we see her go a step beyond that, trusting her own intuition and taking the investigation of Stressbar’s operation into her own hands, even when April is convinced nothing is wrong. The Irma of seasons past who spent much of her screen time swooning over men is long gone at this point, all of which is building to events we’ll cover in the next Turtlethon entry.

In a lot of ways, this episode marks the end of the good times for the Turtles, and despite Leonardo’s initial concerns it’s hard to begrudge them an opportunity to let their hair down – figuratively speaking, of course – with one last pizza party. Things will begin to change immediately from the opening of our next episode, the finale of season seven and in many ways the culmination of everything the series has been building towards throughout its run, in “Shredder Triumphant!”

[the-firebird69]

South Carolina residents calling police over noisy cicadas

I don't recommend eating this particular bug they carry a disease and they called the kissing disease and this is the same bug that you see the starship troopers and it is a cicada bug it's it most like three times and has three different forms and they say that it's a mutant and yeah molting is a form of mutation but it is more maturation it's similar to what I'm going through but I'm not a cicada bug at all and now these things are deadly assassins these are very dangerous bugs they're sick they carry disease the infect populations of varmints and other and make other people sick you lose consciousness while driving fall over in the middle of the crowd and amendments whatever covid-19 is supposed to be and could have been what it was the bug is very dangerous and when it makes this noise it's I like a hypersonic sound and I'm pretty sure what it's a cicada bug the assassin version it can still make the noise and I'm wondering I know their armies are going there to these stashes and caches but I'm not really sure why they haven't triggered these bugs or if they have because they would be there and the frequency that this is at causes people to sometimes lose consciousness when they're only three quarters of an inch long and that's the bug I can imagine when they're 20 foot long that that frequency would be amplified so in other words he'd probably be the same frequency but it would be amplified and would kill people almost instantly your ears would bleed it is extremely painful at times for people with acute hearing and other people complain about it too that Tommy Allen says it's very painful it's an ear splitting and it gives you a headache so other people here like I do it's it's massively painful at times real pain from these bugs and if they gang up on you you're not going to live if a swarm of them comes over you you're a dead person they like locust and when they're in their assassin form they fly too and their bite carries a disease is dangerous and little children are severe harm's Way but there is a theory I have there's something going on in those parks other than people ripping them off

Zues Hera

We have seen this before that the cicada bugs go in and they destroy robots and they pull them out thinking their people and they can't bite them and they can't swallow them so they think they're killing them and taking them out of their nest so they won't survive or come back now people are thinking it's them and each other did you see big armies going there and they think they're doing it and he's right this circaded noise could kill people quite easily and Ryan drive said going there with heavy and come out and you said I don't think so I said yeah when it's calmed down so he tried it and said you a****** and he says what the hell is this for and he said a tons of spaceships with 20 mm so he goes in and he looks in there and he says what the hell is this there's all these bugs coming out in his slaughtered the bugs hit them with a machine guns and it saw fine ones and they had the ships ready now he didn't do that but he's probably should and this is going to happen shortly

Thor Freya

Really Zeus really he installed every case and I guess you're saying it's time they're just wasting these and throwing them in a hole I guess we could be pulling them out of a hole and tell him thank you

I see that we might do that some people know where they took them is not true let's hope it's not to the phone phones clones they might not know what to do they're not used to things just being dropped there and this impossible to find even a dollar bill in the ground out here

Hera

Olympus