#throw in some Vi

[camscendants]

I will never find someone who looks exactly like Harriet so I will find people who kinda do and smoosh them together in my head

[bloodcossmos]

vi deserves the world. like I'm so sorry but I can't see her suffering again. she's suffered her whole life. give her a moment of peace. please just one. let her have something good for more than a week please I beg you. how can one character go through that much and still be able to stand?? it feels mean atp. someone in that writer's team hates her guts cuz wtf.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Y'know, it's unfortunate more people don't compare Louis and Violet in good faith.

Like, when I do see people compare them, it's usually through the lens of one is good, and the other bad. One is more canon than the other, and here's why. One is objectively better for Clementine, and the other is less impactful, worse written, didn't have chemistry with her, insert several insults here, etc.

I don't think it's inherently bad to express why you might not like one of them, or why you prefer one over the other. That's fine, that's a matter of opinion. It only gets to me when it becomes hostile, or passive aggressive... but even then, I've learned to just roll my eyes and move on. Some people make it very clear that they're not worth having a discussion with.

However, I wish I could read more nuanced comparisons of the two that didn't default to the "and that's why this one is better." At least some are kind enough to tack on a "for my Clementine" at the end.

You know how it goes: Louis is cute and he makes Clementine laugh, whereas Violet's boring, her love is shallow, she's still not over Minerva and she's using Clementine as a rebound. Violentine's a bad ship because Violet's actually a traitor, and they're practically the same person and that's bad.

Violet's loyal and reliable, whereas Louis is annoying, he never takes anything serious, he's a traitor for his vote, and he's nothing but a distraction. Clouis is a bad ship because how could any Clementine possibly like him after he voted her and AJ out? That's bad!

That's always the conclusion, right? One good, one bad.

This is incredibly limiting and it drives me nuts.

They're foils. They contrast one another, highlight each other's strengths and flaws, in such an interesting way that it makes Clementine's choice between them all the more meaningful.

One is not good and the other bad, they're different, and I think that's worth exploring.

Let's start with a common argument: Violet is the more impactful option due to her connection to Minerva.

Now, to be fair, I can understand why someone on Team Violet would believe this. Yes, it's true that the confrontation with Minerva is more impactful for a violentine shipper who has more investment in Violet as a character. Louis doesn't have as strong of a connection to her.

However, what they're failing to recognize is that Minerva isn't the only ghost to haunt this narrative. Violet may have Minerva, yes, but Louis has Marlon... and that doesn't just go away once Marlon's dead.

Violet's route has Minerva as her ex-girlfriend, and her bond with Tenn that all comes to a head on the bridge. Louis' route has Marlon's death and how that specifically impacts his relationship with AJ and Clementine, and the slow burn of forgiveness on all sides.

Marlon and Minerva are also reflective of Clementine's worst outcomes.

Clementine and Marlon were tied together through Brody's blood splattered on their hands and faces. They both killed a part of Brody, but only one of them lies about who killed her first.

After Marlon dies, Clementine gradually replaces him throughout the game; Rosie is her dog now, she uses his bow [which Louis gave her], she becomes the leader. Clementine gets them to fight back, and when three of her people are captured, she doesn't cut her losses. She does what Marlon couldn't; "we're getting them back."

When she chooses Louis, he does for her what he never did for Marlon: he steps up.

Clementine proves she won't become Marlon just as she proves she won't become Minerva.

After getting James to agree to help them, Clementine and AJ talk about what to do if she ever gets bit. AJ says he'd want her to bite him, too. He repeats this sentiment after she's actually bitten, telling her he wants to stay and they could turn together, peacefully.

When Minerva confronts them on the bridge, she's dying... and she wants Tenn to die with her. She doesn't care who she has to kill in the process. She's more monster than human at this point, and most times, she succeeds.

They're both bitten. Clementine could've become a monster like Minerva in the end. She could've killed AJ, and they could've become walkers together. But she didn't. Minerva wanted Tenn to die for her, and Clementine wanted AJ to live for her.

Also, I should mention she has Minerva's axe. She carries the key weapons associated with Marlon and Minerva throughout different points in the game, further solidifying these connections. She uses Marlon's bow to save her friends, and she uses Minerva's axe to save AJ, who in turn uses it to save her.

What's also so interesting about this is how Marlon's alive in episode one, and Minerva is thought to be dead. Louis has his best friend, and Violet's lost hers. But, at the end of the episode, Marlon's dead and Minerva's revealed to be alive.

Marlon becomes the ghost, and Minerva becomes the monster. Clementine becomes to Louis and Violet what Marlon and Minerva never could... how does that not drive anyone else insane?

So, no. One is not objectively better, or more impactful, because of a connection to Marlon or Minerva. They're different. It just depends on which storyline you personally find more compelling.

Actually, let's talk about that a little more.

In my opinion, the most intriguing point of comparison between Louis and Violet stems from their perceptions of survival, and how that impacts Clementine.

An argument I see made against violentine is that Violet's boring because she and Clementine are too similar. This usually comes from clouis shippers who prefer the "opposites attract" dynamic Clementine and Louis have.

On the flip side, there's the counter argument that Louis is reckless, that he doesn't take survival as seriously as he should and Clementine wouldn't want him because of that.

These are interesting to me because I get where they're coming from... but they ultimately miss the point.

The other day, I replayed TFS. Except this time, I did something a little bit differently. I played my usual clouis route, but then I had the violentine route pulled up on my laptop so that I could watch these scenes, comparing them side by side… and something occurred to me. 

Louis is about challenging Clementine's perception of survival, and Violet is about validating it.

Louis challenges Clementine from the very moment we meet him—he’s playing music. His initial philosophy on survival butts heads with Clementine’s. The fact that hunting with him and Aasim challenges your perception of “your choices have consequences.” These games have conditioned the player to think along the lines of, “Yeah, Louis is more fun… but if I don’t hunt with Aasim, we won’t have any food.”

Except that’s just it. I hate to say it, Aasim, but in the grand scheme of things… hunting with you doesn’t matter. It's actually less rewarding. You know why? Because in the next section, we get food from the train station. It would’ve been more beneficial to spend time with Louis over hunting, hence how he challenges you.  

This then primes you for the choice between choosing to follow Louis or follow Violet. I know people complain about how this is presented with Violet doing something productive [checking the walls] and Louis playing piano… but that’s the point. If you’re going through with Louis’ full route, you need to meet him at his level, and in turn, he will meet you at yours. You need to accept the challenge, the idea that Clementine isn’t entirely right about the way she’s gone about survival.

Oh, and do I even need to mention the vote? The debate over Louis’ vote is exhausting. Often times, people tell on themselves in how they talk about it. It’s not actually about the fact that he voted against them. If it was, these people would have a bigger bone with pick with Mitch, Willy, Ruby, and Omar… and yet Louis is the one who takes all the blame as if he’s the only one personally kicking them out. 

Louis is reacting to the death of his best friend, and the complicated feelings that come with it being caused by AJ. He wants accountability, even if he knows something's wrong. You can either agree with him that it was murder, and set AJ on the path of atonement… or, you can double down and tell him to fuck off, AJ was justified. 

But here’s the thing… the vote adds to the appeal of Louis’ route. To someone who hates him, or at the very least is critical of his vote, that sounds mad or delusional.

Except it’s really not.

Ever heard of a thing called tension? Because there’s a lot of it in ep2 between clouis + AJ and it’s fantastic.

Yes, Louis voting them out is problematic because we need a problem to solve. We need something to feed the tension between him and Clementine. He stepped in front of a gun held by his best friend in order to protect her, forever changing their relationship… only for that to seemingly be taken away from us the moment AJ shoots Marlon. 

Yes, Louis’ route is about being challenged, but it’s also about challenging him. That he’s able to forgive them, that he’s able to question his own survival philosophy and understand theirs, that he’s able to apologize and actually change for the better… that right there is what makes clouis so damn good. 

He becomes hardened whereas Clementine softens. By the end of the game, they’re on a similar level now without neglecting their differences, and they can move forward together. 

That’s what makes Louis’ route appealing… and it’s also what makes it unappealing to people who prefer Violet. 

By contrast, Violet’s already on Clementine’s level when it comes to this perception of survival. She validates that Clementine’s on the right path.

They have other similarities in the way that they’re both female, queer, they both have a kid they look after, they’re not always great with other people, etc. 

People who prefer Louis might consider this boring, but I think to Team Violet, it’s comforting. It’s comforting to have a partner who takes this as seriously as you do, who wants to get shit done. They’re playing Clementine with a similar attitude, and don’t believe it needs to be challenged. It’s comforting to feel validated on something you already firmly believe in. 

We also see this if we compare the hunting and fishing scenes. You have to make an effort to choose Louis by choosing to neglect hunting, but the game makes you fish with Violet no matter what.

Violet’s prioritizing fishing because they need food. That’s what they’ve set out to do, so let’s do it. The game is letting you know that’s the case, and if you value that, continue pursuing her. 

While fishing, they discuss why things are weird with her and Brody. Violet doesn’t take well to Clementine’s blunt, “Because you make it weird. Brody tries and you just make fun of her."

That’s understandable because I think she already kind of knows why and is looking to have her feelings validated. She prefers it when Clementine suggests that it’s because Brody never said sorry for what happened to the twins. 

There’s also comfort and validation in the way Violet sides with Clementine and AJ after Marlon’s death. She votes for them to stay, vocalizing how much she disapproves of the results. There’s this feeling that I recognize from a lot of the sapphic romance I read; “it’s you and me against the world, I’ll always have your back, even if you’re in the wrong, I’ll fight for you.”

In our case, it’s violentine + AJ against the rest of Ericson, save Tenn and Aasim. Violet validates that AJ was justified because Marlon was a liar and murderer, claiming that AJ and Clementine did nothing wrong. Violet fights to keep them. 

The tension between violentine in ep2 is different because instead of one pushing the other away, they’re being forced apart by the vote and there’s nothing they can do about it. That tension is somewhat released when Clementine comes back and they’re reunited, working out a plan to best defend the school. 

It’s also why Violet’s presented as doing something productive when you follow her instead of Louis, and why she asks if you want to hang out after checking the defenses. 

All that being said, allow me to reiterate that one is not good and the other bad, they're different. These concepts of challenge and change/validation and comfort exist on a neutral road as diverging paths. It’s up to the player to pick what path they prefer, but that doesn’t mean the other path isn’t worth acknowledging or analyzing. 

I should also mention that they’re not exclusive; there is overlap with validation being present in Louis’ route and challenges in Violet’s. They’re just more present in episodes 3 and 4 after we’ve made our decision. 

There are several more examples of how this all fits together, buuuuut–

Ya’ll wanna compare some allegories?

Those familiar with my content might already know where I’m going with this as I’ve made a post about Louis and the piano in the past. 

You see, I believe that there are allegories for Louis and Violet’s hearts present in their routes: Louis’ piano, and Violet’s pin. 

I already have a thorough, in-depth analysis of Louis and the piano that you can read, so all I’ll say about it is that on the night of the raid, he asked Clementine to carve a piece of herself into his heart so that no matter what, their initials will be immortalized together in its wood…

And that makes me fucking feral. 

But I'm also so normal about it.

As for Violet, her heart is the star gazing pin she gives to Clementine. She gives it to her so she’ll always remember that night… but she doesn’t give it to her until after Clementine’s saved her, and that fascinates me in the context of it being allegory. 

Louis asks Clementine to carve herself into his heart right before the raid, cementing that from that moment on, he is utterly devoted to her. I believe this is part of the reason why Louis is still happy to see her if he’s the one who’s captured. Yes, yes, he’s also incredibly traumatized from having his tongue cut out and he’d be happy to see anyone, yada yada… but listen, if you romance Louis and he’s captured, his heart remains with her—that piano with their intitals is on full display. When he sees her, he’s still so devoted to her that he refuses to accept that it’s at all her fault. Even when she says it is, he shakes his head... and he so easily accepts her when they’re together in the end. From the moment Clementine puts knife to wood, he’s hers. 

Now, look… you might think I’m going somewhere not great with this but hear me out. 

I think after Clementine’s gone star gazing with her, Violet is fully ready to give her heart to her. Y’know, give her the pin. But, think about what Violet said about how people have left, but Clementine came back. Plus, with the impending raid to think about, maybe Violet should keep the pin until the right moment. 

I believe a key difference between her and Louis is that Violet needs one last thing to solidify that Clementine’s the one. 

Louis gives her his heart prior to the raid because of everything that’s already gone down between them following Marlon’s death. Violet needs to know that Clementine’s willing to fight for her the way she fought before. When Clementine saves her from the raiders, it’s solidified. Even after she sees Minerva again, it changes nothing.

It’s also worth noting that the pin is something Clementine wears. Like the piano carving, it’s a piece on display for everyone to see, to let them know whose heart Clementine has.

Violet literally handed Clementine her heart as a means of saying, “I’m yours. I’m devoted to you.” 

This is why romanced/captured Violet is devastating, and is why she behaves the way she does in the cells. She was so ready to give her heart away and then nope, sorry, Vi! You get knocked unconscious by raiders instead! 

If anything, you kind of deserve to be told to fuck off if you romanced her and then let her get captured. Just sayin’. 

Look, I have a lot of complicated feelings about the captured violentine route, mostly with Violet being as forgiving as she is after her eyes are burned—yes, yes, I know, her eyes are burned and Minerva messed with her head so of course now she’s not hostile, yada, yada. 

But I think it’s rather telling that you don’t get the pin in this route. Sure, Violet’s willing to forgive and possibly pursue this romance in the future… but she’s not ready to hand over her heart, not truly. Not after everything that’s happened. 

And if you want to get extra angsty about it, imagine that Violet made the pin right after they parted ways, but before the raiders came. Meaning that if she’s captured, it’s possibly still sitting somewhere, abandoned. 

Mmhmmm, very normal about this. I feel normal. My normalness about this continues... normally. I'm not losing my shit thinking about that. Nope. Why would I? I wouldn't! So normal.

Okay just let me talk about their reactions to Tenn's death and then I'll shut up.

This makes me want to gnaw my own foot off, I can barely handle it.

AJ shoots Tenn on the bridge because Clementine trusted him to make the hard calls. This saves Louis or Violet's life.

When Louis jumps across, he's completely silent as he watches Tenn die... and then he's pissed; "What the fuck?! How could you just shoot him like that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for him, and Louis is so upset that he forces AJ to look at what he's done, to watch the walkers eat Tenn; "Tenn's dead. He's dead! Do you realize that?! Look! [...] He's... he's gone, because of you. Just fucking gone."

If Clementine says AJ saved his life, Louis says, "So what, we just cut him loose? Gun him down like he was nothing?"

If Clementine says nothing, Louis says, "Tenn was just a little boy!"

The reason Louis responds this way is because in this moment, he just relived Marlon's death all over again, but worse. So, SO much worse!

When Violet jumps across, she breaks down, begging, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! No, no! No, no, no..." as she watches Tenn die... and then says to AJ, "No! What the fuck?! How could you do that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for her, and Violet is faaaar from okay; "For me? I can't... Tenn is gone! That soft little boy who liked to draw, he's gone, because of you!"

If Clementine says AJ saved her life, Violet says, "You think that's okay?! Just gunning down one of our own?!"

And there it is.

Louis is hardened in this situation because he already went through this... Violet hasn't, not with AJ. She softened up throughout her route due to her relationships to him and Clementine... but this is the moment where she realizes that maybe AJ wasn't as justified as she believed, and this is the consequence.

This leads us to the ending where AJ asks if they're still mad about him killing Tenn, and I just... I'm biting my foot right now because the script has flipped.

Louis is forgiving and understanding. He's soft, he's sympathetic, he shakes AJ's hand to let him know that all is forgiven and they're okay; "I... AJ, I guess it's like... You saw something I didn't. About the situation, I mean. Minnie and the walkers and Tenn, it's just all this chaos in my head when I think back on it. [...] Clem says you saved my life? Well, then, that's exactly what you did. And how can I stay mad at anyone for doing that?"

Or, alternatively, "He was your friend, AJ. I know you are hurting just as much as I am."

As for Violet? She's understanding, too... but she's not quite ready to forgive yet; "The thing you said on the bridge...that he was messing up all the time. It wasn't something new, you know. Tenn got himself or other people into trouble all the time, long before you guys got here. He was always so lost. He lived in a world that just...isn't there, you know? And that's why I tried to look after him. But when I was pulling him away from the walkers, and Minnie, I could also see...he just wasn't there anymore."

"So you're mad, but sad."

"Can I be that for a while?"

And it's completely understandable that she's hurting and struggling with how she feels about AJ moving forward! She wants to be okay, she wants to forgive him, she just needs time.

Now, because I'm forever bitter, but I'm gonna mention this as well: whenever I see someone point at Violet's scene and say, "See!? This is how LOUIS should've acted in ep2!" like... they're telling on themselves again. Not just that they don't understand Louis as a character or his route, but that they don't fully grasp Violet's part in this either. Or time frames, for that matter.

Let me put it to you in simple terms... they react the same.

After Marlon and Tenn die, they're upset. They're pissed. They blame AJ and yell at him. After they've had time to process what happened [Louis after the two week time skip, Violet after time passes between the bridge and the ending] they share the same, "I'm still upset about Marlon/Tenn. Can I be that for a while and still be your friend?" sentiment.

The difference is that Louis is treated poorly for it because of the vote, and because we feel it first hand for longer... Violet got to grieve off screen and come back after she's sorted herself out.

It's a disservice to both of their characters because it's rooted in that same mentality that I criticized at the beginning: "This is why one is better than the other."

Do I need to say it again? I'm gonna say it again.

One is not good and the other bad. They're different.

There are so many fun discussions that could come from putting Louis and Violet side by side, and examining them. I haven't even covered the different ways they're introduced, or compared their ep3 dates to see what it says about them and the overall narratives! What about the cell scenes!? How they react when Dorian's about the cut off their fingers! The way they approach James upon meeting him!

That last one in particular is especially funny! They're all under stress about blending in with a herd of walkers to infiltrate a boat to save their friends, and yet Louis easily saunters up to the guy wearing walker skins with a smile, and makes him laugh by saying, "Functional and fashionable. I'll take two."

Violet approaches James like he's an injured wild animal that's going to bite her, and bless her heart, she tries with, "I, uh… hey. Hey there, James. Sorry about Willy." Then James gives her this judgmental side-eye, like buddy? She's not the weirdo here.

There is so much potential to dissect here, and I want to see people do it... but I want them to do it fairly, in good faith.

I want to get away from the idea of comparing them to "prove" which is better because there is no objective better. There isn't! That's a waste of time!

I'm so done with The Debate™; it's unhelpful, it's annoying, and it's boring as shit. I've heard it all before, and you probably have, too.

I want to put Louis and Violet under a microscope and study them with the thought process of, "one does this and the other does that... what does it mean!? what does it say about the narrative!? Oh my god, they have the same opinion on this thing, WRITE THAT DOWN!"

So yeah, that's my ramble for the night.

I'm gonna go replay TFS for further research.

[sapphicides]

if you say you like “toxic yuri” but you can’t even handle caitvi or catradora then i’m gonna need you to pack it up

[sapphicneige]

A little preview of something that might be posted later 👀 👀

[monsterhospital]

This is actually how it feels to watch a show where all the main characters who physically fight are women and they all have completely unique builds and character designs

[shysheeperz]

[satoruxx]

Hello Rheya!! It's been a while <33 how are you doing? ❤️❤️

I wanted to ask if ur faves in your "about me" page are also those who ya like a lot / love? Or if there are exceptions :3💕 (I am not sure if you selfship but if you do - with who? 🥹❤️)

Hehe remember to get enough rest!!<3

VIIII hello my love !! i've been well lovely hbu??

omg yes all the faves in my about me are my favorite characters from pretty much every fandom i'm in/been in so they are all very dear to me !! i will say that i love a few of them slightly more compared to the others, especially my jjk faves bc i've been attached to them for so long hehe <33

also i do selfship but mostly in my head bc for some reason i get nervous to talk about them on dash lmao. this might sound silly but i don't really know how to start talking about selfships even tho i have so many ideas in my head !! but my main selfships are with my jjk faves (me and gojo and me and toji) and my genshin faves (me and kaeya, me and diluc, and me and kaveh). those are the ones i tend to think about the most :33

anyways sorry for rambling i don't usually get to talk about them so this made me very giddy !! ilysm vi <3333

[hauntingblue]

ARCANE DAY

Episode 4 and 5 in the tags and:

SALO BEING A VIKTOS FOLLOWER??? CRAZY. ALSO BOTH VIKTOR MISSING JAYCE AJDHSKSJ also cait has kinda calmed down... and I am sure she misses vi so I KNOW this is going to happen to her soon.... we aren't getting much of her feelings yet... she's still too onto Jinx to catch up on where ambessa is going...

DID JAYCE JUST KILL SALO??? WHAT HAPPENED IN THERE

Also vander not recognizing vi at first until she gives up fighting.... incredible ALSO vander and silco being miners and vi wearing her gauntlets that were initially thought out for miners.... damn

This is my favourite episode so far....

Episode 6 here:

Sky really being there..... of course she is....

Ambessa training caitlyn.... of course thats her new daughter akdjskms Tunnels in your eyes.... GIRL!!!!!!! THAT'S WHAT YOU DON'T NEED RIGHT NOW also the guy outside is a mage... ambessa is such a hypocrite

Vi and Jinx vs ambessa and cait.... this was always about class war don't get it twisted SINGED!!! TRAITOR!!!!

ARE THEY GOING TO SEE VIKTOR???? I looove how viktors touch on their faces leave "scars" so recognizable

Did isha just take the gem from vi's gauntlets??? Omg I wasn't expecting viktor to build a hippie commune to be honest omg he looks so good.... with the blonde underhairs.... and I do believe that's the same blanket....

And of course viktor knows who vander is.... nvm he diesnt know omg viktor asking for Powder.....

We are getting viktor horsegirl montage.... omg the vander momtage I can't..... omg they wanna stay.... singed is gonna fuck all this up NOOOOO 😭😭😭 they are already there I am going to kms

CAITLYN STOP THIS MADESSS!!! ✋️ CAITLYN!!!!! VI KILL THIS MAN!!! OMG CAITLYN...... mongoose... yeah.... and fuck you too.... CUPCAKE!!!! ABOUT TIME!!!! CAITLYN I SAID STOP THIS MADNESS WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!! And jayce too 😭😭😭 we're never making it out of the fissures

It's such a shame the spit on here won't work like on challengers.... one can only pray I guess

Jinx experiencing the "there's nothing more undoing as a daughter" moment.... incredible

"Your absence provided a vacuum I was able to fill" TO VI???? I KNEW THAT HAND HOLDING IN THE COMMANDER SCENE WAS SUS AKDHKASJ maddie exists and ambessa knows that and still.... it was not filling her mother's void...

YES CAITLYN!!! YES!!!!! VI is so hot I am distracted... ambessa was right.... now what the fuck will jayce fuck up??? Thats the question... NOT ANOTHER CHILD!!! jayce is a menace... the guys smiling at jayce are viktor... maybe the child even....

JINX KILL THAT MAN!!! NVM VANDER KILL THAT MAN!!! JAYCE YOU FUCKING MORON!!!!! JAYCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WHEN I GET YOU JAAAYCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Isha what are you going to do omg 😭😭 did she kill vander... another powder... my god another week...

That was such a good fucking episode too.... and caitlyn didn't go insane when finding Jinx that is a step forwards but viktor can't be dead... no fucking way... he was giving himself away for the people and he was going to finally die by saving vander and look at what we got... no wonder viktor hates his guts. Jayce you were so good in act one.... what happened..... alright. Christ.... another week....

[horrorknife]

coming along nicely so far i missed putting these together

[tomdtt]

[mirrorsofwar]

Any Arcane enjoyers in da chat?

[gibbearish]

btw similar to the whole "if you try adderall at a party and it calms you down, get an adhd test" thing, if at some point in your life you try microdosing shrooms with a friend and end up feeling like a functional person for the first time in your life, get tested for depression. like yeah hallucinogens come with elation so youre probably gonna have some "this is the best ive ever felt in my life" vibes regardless, but like. if that in and of itself feels like finally breathing in for the first time in years, thats for sure a sign that something is up with your ability to process serotonin most of the time. feeling better than ever before should be a nice bonus, not a crushing weight off your chest

[minai28]

[cfrog]

OC-tober Day 5: Relationships

[full prompt list]

How about the start of a relationship, does that fit the prompt? Here's a "prologue" I've been working on about how Xiph and Naut met :]

Xiphoid was working on a bot. An Arachnoid, not an uncommon sight in maintenance. It was an older model, with an ambitious number of moving parts for when it was designed. Intended for textile production, the model was usually issued to work in factory settings, along production lines. A good idea on paper, but not in practice. Sure enough, one of its four arms had gotten caught in the bigger machinery. Could've been a deliberate action spurred on by a human supervisor, or a mechanical failure brought on by repeated stress to the joints. The file didn't describe the full circumstances. It didn't matter. All the bot really needed was a few parts replaced and a bit of cleaning. That'd been easy enough.

This wasn't the sort of repair that would normally require xer skills, but it'd been sent to Xiph anyway. Maybe because none of the other Xiphoids had time for it, maybe because none of them felt bothered to do it themselves, maybe just as busy work. But it was work all the same, and Xiph savored it.

That's why Xiph was so immediately annoyed when they were interrupted by a ring at their office door.

Admittedly, the doctor was running a bit later than anticipated on their current project. The repair was only scheduled to take an hour, but Xiph had found a few parts on the Arachnoid's other arms that needed replacing, likely from smaller accidents that hadn't impeded its function enough to warrant sending the whole bot out. Those weren't listed on the initial damage report, which meant the Xiphoid didn't have to fix it, but Xiph did it anyway. They didn't have anything else to do today- or so they'd thought. No, Xiphoid was certain they hadn't had anything else scheduled for the day after this. Who was at their door, then? Pulling them away from their work, without even the decency to schedule an appointment, or give them a heads-up? And when they were so close to being done. Surely it wasn't the other Xiphoids back with more work to drop on them. But who else? Was it a human? No, no. In the maintenance wing? That couldn't possibly be it.

A second ring pulled Xiph back out of xer thoughts. Right, no point in questions. They can just open the door.

The door slid open and the doorway was empty. Then Xiph tilted their head a little further down than usual.

It was a small bot, very small compared to Xiph, maybe around 5 feet tall. A model they didn't immediately recognize, this was rare. Big eyes, thin protrusions in place of ears, sleeves? A quick search of the database gave them a match: Nautiloid. A skim of the basic model file gave them more information: 'Intended for deep sea research.' That explains why they hadn't seen one before.

The Nautiloid simply stared back up at them, unblinking. No clear expression. Still no greeting. Xiph would have to make the first move.

"Hello." No verbal response, but at this, the bot's eyes finally blinked. A deliberate gesture of acknowledgement. Xiphoid continued. "I'm sorry, I was sort of in the middle of a repair. Did you need something?" This time, Xiph got a nod in response.

… And nothing else. Xiph pulled back up the file they'd found, and skimmed it a second time, searching for something in particular. 'No speech program.' Of course, that's a logical design choice. What would it use that for, talking to fish? Still, very inconvenient at the present moment. This would require more time than they wanted to spend standing in their doorway.

Xiph sighed, an expression of resignation lost on the Nautiloid, then moved to beckon it inside. "You can come in."

Xiphoid instructed the little bot to sit by the desk until xe was finished. The bot complied and hopped into the guest chair. There it sat, perfectly still, watching the doctor work. Staring into their back. Xiph did their best to avoid acknowledging the new audience, but couldn't quite get back into the groove. Working under watching eyes was never pleasant.

They finished their work quickly. Xiph saw the repaired bot out, and watched the door close again behind it. Then turned back to their unexpected guest.

"Nautiloid model, intended for deep sea exploration, no speech program," Xiph recounted the information they had so far, ready to solve this new conundrum. It was almost exciting. "You can't speak, but you understand my speech just fine, yes?"

The bot nodded.

"Good. So I just need to stick to yes or no questions. Easy enough." Xiph recalled a human game with a similar premise. They’d always liked that one. “I assume you’re here for repairs. Is that correct?”

Another nod, just the same as the last.

“And do you know if you have a file started already? Have you seen anyone before me?” Wait, that was two questions. There they go, getting overexcited.

A short pause, processing. Two nods.

“Ah.” The doctor fought xer disappointment. Xe always loved getting to make new files. Not that it was important. “Alright, let me pull that up. It’ll be faster than just listing out every possible damage and defect.”

The doctor moved around the desk to their own chair, well-loved and only a little too short for them. The Nautiloid carefully turned its chair around to face them. A proper meeting position with a desk between them, much better. Xiphoid didn’t have the bot's exact ID, but a search on their laptop found only one Nautiloid registered as currently in the center.

Naut0324. File created by Xi04- of course she’d gotten a hold of it first. The full edit history, however, was more surprising. This bot had already been checked by half their department. The file had been created a month ago, but its contents were light. Lists of diagnostics run, hardware and software checked, multiple times over. Each with the same result: 'No issues found. No maintenance done.'

That’s why it’d been sent to xer. A puzzle. Xer favorite.

An easy place to start an investigation would be the subject of the mystery itself. Xiph turned to address the Nautiloid. “Do you know why you’ve been sent to us?”

This time the nod it returned was slower, unsure.

Xiph tilted their head at this new response. “You do know?” They glanced back at the file to check again that they hadn’t missed anything. “Your file doesn’t list anything being wrong. Which is odd, because there should at least be a note from the human sending you as to why you were pulled from…” Xiph's sentence drifted to a halt as they looked back at their patient.

The Nautiloid wasn’t looking back at them this time. Its expression had finally changed, shifting into an expression Xiph could only guess was frustration. The bot had no eyebrows, or at least none that Xiph could see under its bangs, but its eyelids were low, and its mouth twisted into a most disgruntled frown. It looked unnatural, likely not something the face had been designed for, but here it seemed to be all the bot had to communicate. This wasn’t something they could 20-Questions their way through. A different approach would be needed.

Xiphoid opened a new text file and turned the laptop to the other bot. The Nautiloid stared back at the blank screen, expression reset once more. Then at the doctor, awaiting explanation.

Xiph gestured to the keyboard. “You know how to type, right? Just write out what you know. Why are you here?”

Nautiloid studied the laptop for a moment. Slowly, they pulled up a claw-like 3-fingered hand, and began to poke at the keys. It didn’t have the dexterity for proper touch typing like Xiphoid had been taught, but it managed. Slowly, its motions gained confidence, getting more familiar with the layout. Xiphoid waited until the bot came to a full stop and looked up before they turned the laptop around to read.

'I collected samples. I sent reports. I stayed under the water for many days. Human team receive my reports. They tell me what to do next. Team stopped responding. I sent reports, no response. Alone. 217 days. Boat came and collected me, no warning. Sent me here. Many robots. I do tests, no response. 9 days. Nothing to report. I do not know what is wrong with me.'

Xiphoid had always known they were sentimental for a robot, another oddity in their programming. They kept junk files on their laptop, physical pieces of paper tucked in their desk, things that gave them this same sort of feeling. Xiphoid often recalled the phrases found in human text to describe these sorts of feelings, tightness in the chest, ache in the heart, stinging in the eyes. All things linked to their biology, to systems the Xiphoid didn’t have. But they could assume it as a similar sensation to the one running through them at that moment. Something about these bits of text were so familiar, not as if they’d read them before, but their meaning. They'd thought it a million times, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

For once, Xiphoid had no idea what to do. What could they do? What was the repair to be done? Where was the problem to be fixed? They read the text through a second time. Then a third. It didn’t make sense.

Nautiloid’s fin twitched in their peripheral, and Xiphoid snapped back to attention. Xe was making it uncomfortable. Xe shut the laptop.

“I’m so sorry,” Xiphoid apologized, not entirely sure what for. “I… I don’t know what’s wrong, either.”

The Nautiloid’s fins drooped. Its face twisted again, eyelids low. Disappointed.

Without thinking, Xiphoid reached across the desk and held its hand in theirs. An attempt to comfort. Another gesture lost on the little bot, Xiph thought, but it was all they could think to do. What the Nautiloid model had could hardly be called a hand, less fingers with less joints, a simple grabbing implement. Intended to collect samples. Not that Xiph's hand was much better, long and slender, removable joints, some fingers still swapped for small tools. Intended to complete repairs. No, this wasn't something they'd been trained for. This wasn't something it had been designed for. But here they were, two bots.

“Hey, look at me.”

Camera to camera, metal on metal.

"I want to help you. I will. Promise."

Xiph gave it a smile. Naut twisted its mouth to match.

[brutal-out-here]

I’m truly incapable of drawing Vi correctly, I somehow messed up despite following a very in depth tutorial🧍‍♂️