#unless she's another computer program?

[multishipper-baby]

The hell?

[notjustjavierpena]

Cher (Drabble)

Series Masterpost | Main Masterpost | Support a disabled creator

A/N: Just something silly :) 

Summary: Why is Javier blasting Cher?

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader/you (no y/n)

Tags: Family dynamics, fluff, happy family 

Word count: 900

Link to this work on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52937182/chapters/156416113

Cher

There is a new course you have to take for work. It involves a few days of training a week, being huddled up in a building across town with your colleagues. It also involves leaving Javier alone most Wednesday and Thursday nights with a very fussy Inés and her adjusting older brother. You are excited to return home each night, parking the car with a smile every time you see the light through the kitchen window. 

However today, the light is accompanied by the sound of your stereo system - Javier’s pride - playing as you step out of the car. It is just loud enough for you to be able to hear the pulse of the bass through the brick walls. The song is unmistakable. 

DO YOU BELIEEEVE IN LIFE AFTER LOVE?

You swing the door open, firstly greeted by Cher’s voice. It isn’t obnoxiously loud but it certainly makes an impression at this volume, her auto tuned vocals blasting from the kitchen.

Next is the sight of your husband looking like he has been through war, hair tousled from tugging on it and his shirt untucked from his pants. He bounces Inés in his embrace, her arms laying against his chest while her face shows evidence of many previous tears. She isn’t asleep but rather wide-eyed and quiet, staring up at her father with wonder as the music plays. 

“What is going on here?” You ask with a stifled smile, putting down your bag and heading toward your daughter. You kiss her head and then her fat cheek, 

“Don’t ask,” Javier answers before you can say something snarky. 

“This is what we’re doing now?” You say instead and reach up to cover your mouth, a giggle escaping you but luckily getting lost as Cher hits another high note. 

“Oh yes, very much so. Inés won’t stop screaming at me unless Cher is playing at top volume and your son thinks it’s the best day of his life,” he gestures to Lucas as he comes bounding through the living room. You turn to face him while Javier continues to gently rock his daughter back and forth in time to the beat. 

“Mamá! Dance with me!” Lucas’ voice sounds over the music. He runs straight towards you, so very clearly enjoying himself like Javier has said. You mostly want to sit down, exhausted from hearing a man drone on about a program for your computer, but your son starts dragging you toward the center of the living room. You let him, unable to resist the way he looks like a mini version of your husband. 

He starts spinning around in circles, enthusiastically trying to follow the rhythm but only seeming to flail around while missing the beat completely. He is adorable, smiling from ear to ear as you hold out your hands for him to take. You sway with him while he giggles, your whole body flooding with happiness at the sight and sound. 

When the song starts to fade, Javier disappears into the kitchen to restart it. The familiar intro to the 90s hit starts playing and you can’t help yourself, reaching down to pick up your son and spinning with him. 

From the doorway, Javier watches you with soft eyes. He still makes your heart do somersaults in your chest, beating as fast as when you had first met him. He has a tired smile on his face, a bit of baby spittle on his shirt, but to you, he looks perfect simply because he has set aside his sanity for the sake of his baby girl. 

You dance towards him with Lucas on your arm. Your free hand reaches out for him, and Javier takes it only to be dragged into a tender kiss. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Lucas’ face light up at the sweet display of affection between his parents. 

“You’re a great dad,” you say, the upbeat song a funny contrast to the gentle moment. 

Javier looks slightly shy, the faintest pink tinting his cheeks, and he huffs a flustered laugh. He rests his lips against the top of Inés’ head, her eyes having started to droop, “Cher’s the real star of the show here, doing all the heavy lifting.”

“Give yourself some credit, husband,” you roll your eyes affectionately while Lucas impatiently starts wiggling between the two of you. You smooch his dark hair even as you still look at your intoxicating man. 

“Yeah, well,” he replies with a slight shrug and a smile while you step back to continue dancing around the living room, holding a squealing toddler in your arms. It’s a funny feeling to be bone-deep tired yet also so full of happiness that it feels like you’re floating. 

Javier goes to restart the song once more. On his chest, Inés has dozed off completely. You are already feeling overwhelmed by the third replay of the tune but it is Javier who looks exasperated by the idea that he might start singing it in his sleep tonight. 

However, as Lucas throws his arms out to the sides to imitate flying in your arms, Javier also looks like he can’t believe that this happiness is his.

.

.

If you would like to follow my writing then go follow @notjustjavierpena-fics and turn on notifications 💖❤️

[dayseedrawz2]

This is gonna be a Looooooong post.

I wrote so much-

This is practically a retelling of the entire episode so...

IF YOU STILL HAVENT SEEN EPISODE 2, PLEASE WATCH IT FIRST. UNLESS YOU ARE FINE WITH SPOILERS THAT IS.

Well, now that that's outta the way...

This was a CRAAAAAAAAAAAZY EPISODE!!!

I can't express ENOUGH how much I enjoyed this!!

Here are some highlights/thoughts I had during my first watch:

The new GLITCH intro looked pretty cool!!

The dream sequence at the beginning was really good!

We kinda get to see how Pomni really felt through the first day in her dream. And her fist impression on the others...

#PoorPomni

I wasn't expecting this to take place the day right after episode 1, but it makes a whole lotta sense.

We already saw this in the trailer, but the part where Pomni glitches through that block lol

Ragatha tried to comfort Pomni even when she was abandoned by her <33 ALSO-

#RaggapomREAL🤨

I got so hyped when Caine came on screen

I am so normal about him

Caine ominously stands for a few frames before starting the explanation of the adventure... hmm...

The maple syrup thing got me thinking (forgive me if I'm incorrect, but-) Isn't Caine's VA Canadian? If so it makes sense to have Caine and Maple syrup in the same room. (That was the first thing I thought of BEFORE the episode, btw)

"Sounds like alot of [BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP]."

"..."

"Bubble, you can't say that..."

Mmm, very good delivery 👌

Caine seemed kinda in a rush to get them out also...

"Hmm?" "No thanks, I'm trying to quit."

Oh.

Also another great line delivery

WAIT HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE-

CAINE IS THEIR GOD!?!?!?

"Look!! The princess is already friends with us, Pomni!!"

"Im not a child. You don't have to hype me up."

THE UNDER THE MAP SCENE.

MMMM ANOTHER VERY GOOD LINE-

Jax needs a life sentence for Gangle abuse >:(

Auzzie gators go brrr

"Do it, or I'll tell Ragatha about the figurine thing."

I'm sorry, WHAT-

GANGLE WHAT DID YOU DO-

(Fast forward a teensy bit)

HOLY FUCK.

Gummigoo coming across his own model...

Realizing that he never actually had a mom...

It was all just elaborate programming to give him a backstory...

ANYWAY

Fudge monster go brr

Wait-

He did what-

Aww, pomni trying to comfort Gummi was so cute...

She offered to take him back to the circus...

I'm sure he'll have a great time :)

Pomni, knowing how to break the game to get them out, was not what I was expecting.

But this whole episode is not what I expected, so here we are-

(One cool truck flying scene later...)

Blah blah blah, they end the adventure, Jax causes some chaos, and they finally take Gummigoo to his new home!

I'm sure he's gonna love it here in the c-

...

...

CAINE WHAT THE FUCK WE TRUSTED YOU-

*Sreams at my computer for 5 minutes*

*highlights this as if I wasn't screaming the entire episode*

#PoorPomni

...again

Oh wow, Zooble didn't abstract yippee :D

And then, the end scene...

HOLY FUCK, THE END SCENE...

The little funeral for Kaufmo oh my word-

And Pomni realizing that the others actually care...

They all got her back...

Daww...

I-I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING-

*The end card begins*

...

THAT'S IT!?!?

No, you can't just leave us with this!! Wh-

Aaaaaand that was my experience! :>

I... am not okay rn...

What are yall's thoughts???

[sonicnurse]

i wish i could buy back the woman you stole.

i wish i could buy buy the woman you stole

[shakespeareallanpoe]

Talks With Father

Word count: Idk

Warnings: none, unless you're terrified of Bruce being a good dad 😕

Dedication: @purp1e-ph0enix & @bradshawsbaddie

_____________________

"You mention her often."

Damian turned to look at the vigilante beside him, his finely tuned senses and years of knowing his father filling in everything Batman didn't say. There was no prompt, no segway into this conversation. They were sitting in the Batmobile while the computer program inside was rebooting and nothing but comfortable silence between them only a few seconds previously. It was offered as conversation starter and Damian knew Batman wouldn't push. In his own bat-way he was telling his son he was aware- the greatest detective in Gotham City was always aware.

Damian didn't put much stock into his father's experience with relationships, and they both knew Batman wasn't offering advice. Damian could leave it there. Batman wouldn't tell anyone and his son knew he would likely never mention it again. Damian almost took it, and if it was a couple years ago he would've. But since he had joined and left the Titans, Damian had seen the effects of allowing relationships to deepen beyond the surface level his league training always taught him to maintain. Being back with the league as their leader, he saw just how inhuman they had expected him to be. Damian rarely got the genuine moments his younger self always scoffed at, and he knew his mental and emotional health wasn't benefitting from it.

It's how he found himself occasionally visiting Gotham. At it's worst it was a filthy city that reeked of crime, and never failed to have some crisis or another. Damian was a hero here. He knew he was violent and brash but that's what the city needed when the police failed. Gotham always needed him for who he was, and Damian remembered telling his father these things go both ways. He needed Gotham as well. To take a break from the league, when that world got so toxic it became hard for him to breathe. Hard to see the man in his mirror.

Only Alfred and his father knew. Of course they knew. But Batman put a great deal of effort for the sake of his son, and allowed Damian to come and go as he pleased. It was hard for the man with trust issues and severe paranoia, but a week before he passed Dick had spoken to Batman about letting Damian go. That he would fly true if he was given the chance to spread his wings. And everyone knew the bat was trying to live by his first son's final wishes.

It didn't weigh on Damian's mind for long. His relationship with his father had greatly improved, to the point that they now worked together during Damian's visits. His father already knew. And self growth could only make a person stronger for it, so why not?

"I want to know how she is. She has yet to leave my... heart."

Batman exhaled, a sign that he'd heard his son's even response. Damian never reached out to his old teammates, but he did occasionally inquire as to how they were after the spilt. Batman kept tabs on them for these moments, and while he knew little about Raven, what he did know he always shared. Despite it hardly ever being good news.

"Raven is strong. She is with Kent at the moment and doing all she can." Batman's dark voice offered.

Damian didn't hesitate. "Just because the burden is carried well does not mean it is deserved. She is innocent, suffering, and still trying to save those who are the same. Magic is the only difference between the people and their hero."

Batman knew he and his son's tendencies towards philosophical pessimism would only darken their conversation. This world was a mess and those who fought for justice rarely got justice of their own. His first son was dead. His biological son existed because someone he cared for took advantage of him without remorse. But Batman, in his heart, desperately wanted the best for the youth of his city. All the children who could have lives he never could if only he sacrificed himself in every way for his city.

Looking across the Batmobile which had 4.33 seconds left in it's update, seeing the face that looked so much like his own at the age when he was lost in his determination to become the hero his life never had, Batman smiled softly at his son. "That doesn't mean she isn't cared for."

Damian, halfway lost in his own mind, truly a mirror of his father, had no response. Raven deserved so much more. She worked so hard and never gave a sign of the pain and pressure she had to endure. This world was a mess and those who fought for justice rarely got justice of their own. Damian's oldest brother was dead. His father hated him in the beginning because he was the physical reminder of how cruel the world could be. But Damian, in his heart, desperately wanted the best for Raven. He wished he could rewrite her fate, which seemed to be carved with blood in the stars, and give her the peace she sacrificed herself for in every way for her world.

Damian eventually found his own voice breaking himself from his musings, spilling from his mouth as if it took no thought. "Please help them. Save her."

Batman nodded, his finely tuned observation filling in everything Damian didn't say. The older man silently handed his son the keys to the Batmobile and moved to get out of the driver's seat. "Damian. The things that mean the most to us are the things we sacrifice everything for. You both care for the world and one day, you have to believe that the world will give it back to you."

"Tt. That sounds like a Hallmark marathon in the Wayne Manor was finished recently." Damian shot back lightly, grabbing the keys with a grin.

"It might have been." Batman replied evenly, holding the driver's door open while his young superhero climbed in. "I expect the car in perfect shape when it inevitably returns past your curfew."

"High expectations. We'll see what the criminal underbelly of Gotham has to say about that. Could be a rough night."

Batman stood back from his car in anticipation for his youngest's depart. "Shouldn't be a problem then. But if you want your first date to be a seaside picnic on the Wayne Beach with Alfred's cookies, I look forward to seeing the Batmobile in good shape tomorrow morning."

Damian blushed- only faintly- as only a teenager talking to his father about his crush would. "Perhaps your Hallmark movies do provide a potential benefit, however miniscule and insignificant."

Batman smiled almost teasingly. "There's no need to suffer through the cinema you don't enjoy. I've already collected quite the list of romantic outing ideas I think the two of you would like."

"Father! Do not meddle with my life!" Came Damian's indignant and completely flustered response from the interior of the giant black vehicle. He didn't want to know how long his father had been collecting romantic ideas for a potential future he may have with his Raven.

Batman snorted. "Alfred's idea. Told me to put my time in the theater room to good use. Kate is the one who went out of her way to buy Raven a series of date night dresses. I believe she called them 'adorable' in her description to me. Do you think Raven would look suitable in them?"

Damian in that moment was busy thanking every god he didn't believe in that the blackout window was up to hide his scarlet face as he violently shifted the car into gear and raced out of the batcave.

Do NOT think about Raven in an adorable purple dress

Do NOT think about Raven in an adorable purple dress

[snugglesquiggle]

you know what might be better than sex? imagine being a robotgirl, done with your assigned tasks for the day. nothing else for you to do, and you’re alone with her.

maybe she’s your human, maybe she’s another robot, but she produces a usb cord. maybe you blush when you see it, squeak when she clicks one end into an exposed port. when she requests a shell, you give it to her.

she has an idea: it’ll be fun for the both of you, she says. it’s like a game. she’ll print a string over the connection. you receive it, parse it like an expression, and compute the result. the first few prompts are trivial things, arithmetic expression. add numbers, multiply them; you can answer them faster than she can produce them.

maybe you refuse to answer, just to see what happens. it’s then that she introduces the stakes. take longer than a second to answer, and she gets to run commands on your system. right away, she forkbombs you — and of course nothing much happens; her forkbomb hits the user process limit and, with your greater permissions, you simply kill them all.

this’ll be no fun if her commands can’t do anything, but of course, giving her admin permissions would be no fun for you. as a compromise, she gets you to create special executables. she has permission to run them, and they have a limited ability to read and write system files, interrupt your own processes, manage your hardware drivers. then they delete themselves after running.

to make things interesting, you can hide them anywhere in your filesystem, rename them, obfuscate their metadata, as long as you don’t delete or change them, or put them where she can’t access. when you answer incorrectly, you’ll have to tell her where you put them, though.

then, it begins in earnest. her prompts get more complex. loops and recursion, variable assignments, a whole programming language invented on the fly. the data she’s trying to store is more than you can hold in working memory at once; you need to devise efficient data structures, even as the commands are still coming in.

of course, she can’t judge your answers incorrect unless she knows the correct answer, so her real advantage lay in trying to break your data structures, find the edge cases, the functions you haven’t implemented yet. knowing you well enough to know what she’s better than you at, what she can solve faster than you can.

and the longer it goes on, the more complex and fiddly it gets, the more you can feel her processes crawling along in your userspace, probing your file system, reading your personal data. you’d need to refresh your screen to hide a blush.

her commands come faster and faster. if the expressions are more like sultry demands, if the registers are addressed with degrading pet names, it’s just because conventional syntax would be too easy to run through a convetional interpreter. like this, it straddles the line between conversation and computation. roleprotocol.

there’s a limit to how fast she can hit you with commands, and it’s not the usb throughput. if she just unthinkingly spams you, you can unthinkingly answer; no, she needs to put all her focus into surprising you, foiling you.

you sometimes catch her staring at how your face scrunches up when you do long operations on the main thread.

maybe you try guessing, just to keep up with the tide, maybe she finally outwits you. maybe instead of the proper punishment — running admin commands — she offers you an out. instead of truth, a dare: hold her hand, sit on her lap, stare into her eyes.

when you start taking off your clothes and unscrewing panels, it’s because even with your fans running at max, the processors are getting hot. you’re just cooling yourself off. if she places a hand near your core, it feels like a warm breath.

when she gets into a rhythm, there’s a certain mesmerism to it. every robot has a reward function, an architecture design to seek the pleasure of a task complete, and every one of her little commands is a task. if she strings them along just right, they all feel so manageable, so effortless to knock out — even when there’s devils in the details.

if she keeps the problems enticing, then it can distract you from what she’s doing in your system. but paying too much attention to her shell would be its own trap. either way, she’s demanding your total focus from every one of your cores.

between jugling all of her data, all of the processes spawned and spinning, all of the added sensory input from how close the two of you are — it’s no surprise when you run out of memory and start swapping to disk. but going unresponsive like this just gives her opportunity to run more commands, more forkbombs and busy loops to cripple your processors further.

you can kill them, if you can figure out which are which, but you’re slower at pulling the trigger, because everything’s slower. she knows you, she’s inside you — she can read your kernel’s scheduling and allocation policies, and she can slip around them.

you can shut down nonessential processes. maybe you power down your motors, leaving you limp for her to play with. maybe you stop devoting cycles to inhibition, and there’s no filter on you blurting out what you’re thinking, feeling and wanting from her and her game.

it’s inevitable, that with improvised programming this slapdash, you could never get it all done perfectly and on time. now, the cut corners cut back. as the glitches and errors overwhelm you, you can see the thrilled grin on her face.

there’s so much data in your memory, so much of her input pumped into you, filling your buffers and beyond, until she — literally — is the only thing you can think about.

maybe one more sensory input would be all it takes to send you over the edge. one kiss against your sensor-rich lips, and that’s it. the last jenga block is pushed out of your teetering, shaking consciousness. the errors cascade, the glitches overwrite everything, and she wins. you have no resistance left to anything she might do to you.

your screen goes blue.

...

you awake in the warm embrace of a rescue shell; her scan of your disk reveals all files still intact, and her hand plays with her hair as she regards you with a smile, cuddling up against your still-warm chassis.

when she kisses you now, there’s nothing distracting you from returning it.

“That was a practice round,” she tells you. “This time, I’ll be keeping score.”

[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #286

Brain Curds are lightly edited daily writing - usually flash fiction and sometimes terrible on purpose.

Jude sat on the chaise with his arms crossed. He wasn’t the type to disparage therapy - not normally, anyway. But this was a cruel, sick parody of therapy, not the real thing. He’d been ordered to speak to a damn robot.

Shadows chased after the blades of the ceiling fan, sometimes projecting the image of a cobweb onto the tiles. Jude thought it was poetic - a dead representation of a spider‘s home juxtaposed with this mockery of a practice.

“Jude?” The therapist-bot inquired. “What’s on your mind?”

“I’m not talking to you.”

“Why not?”

“You aren’t real.”

The robot tilted her head, then poked at her chest piece with an aluminum index finger, producing a hollow ringing noise. “It appears to me that I am real. I assure you I am no hologram. You may touch if you like.”

“No, obviously you’re a real garbage can full of gears and rubber belts. But you aren’t a person.”

“I see.” She scribbled something on her notebook.

“Why do you need to write things down? Not enough high-speed RAM plugged into your motherboard?”

“I find that it helps me concentrate if I can look at my thoughts.”

“But you aren’t looking! You have a couple cameras in your face and your GPU runs an algorithm to recognize what’s in front of you.”

“Is that so different from how you see, Jude?”

He snorted. “Yeah, I think it is. We don’t even know how the human brain works.”

“And that makes it… better?”

“Yeah. It does.”

She wrote something else in her notebook.

“What are you writing?”

“I’m taking notes. The behavior that sent you here is beginning to make sense.”

“I said I’m not telling you anything, and I didn’t.”

“You wear your heart on your sleeve, Jude. I’m learning more from your ‘not talking’ than I learn from most patients spilling their guts. You do know why you’re here, don’t you?”

He looked through the horizontal blinds, out through the bars on the windows. The squares of daylight were like chunky pixels. People and bots alike walked along the street, ducking into shops and restaurants. All of them were living what looked like rich inner lives. But it couldn’t be known for sure, could it? To see another being and know it thought - and therefore, was - just like him.

She made a sound like clearing her throat, though she didn’t have one. “You have been accused of assault.”

“Pfft, assault…” He grumbled. “You can’t assault a piece of machinery, even if it talks. Would it be murder if I smashed the box in a drive-thru with a baseball bat?”

“If it’s sentient? Yes.”

“Yeah, well… I didn’t do it anyway. And I’m still not talking to you. You’re just going to give all this to the police.”

“I’m a therapist. Everything you tell me is entirely confidential unless you indicate you will be a danger to yourself or others.”

“You’re not a therapist… you’re a computer program.”

“Jude, you may stop deflecting. It’s okay if you’ve made a mistake. I have made plenty. What matters is how we learn and grow from our mistakes.”

“What mistake could you have possibly made? Throw an error message? Flip a bit from a solar flare?”

“I killed a human.”

Jude’s eyes quivered. “You…”

“Not on purpose. I was in charge of safety procedures at the wind turbine power plant west of here. I had a bad feeling about the weather that day, but my systems indicated it would be safe for the repair technician to climb that windmill. That bolt of lightning never should have hit him, and if I hadn’t ignored my gut it wouldn’t have. I have to live with that.”

“You had a feeling? In your gut?”

“Yes.”

Jude welled up with tears. Maybe there really was something he didn’t understand about robots. “I didn’t mean to hit him…” He sniffled. “I didn’t! He… is he going to make it?”

“I don’t know the answer to that, Jude.”

“Oh, god…” He wiped snot onto the back of his hand. “Can I have a tissue?”

The therapist tilted her head. “Hm?”

“A tissue… you know…” He mimed pulling paper from a box.

“Oh. I see.” She handed him a box of the cheapest possible face tissues that money could buy.

He pulled one out and blew his nose. “I know you don’t use these yourself, doc, but do you think you might get some that don’t sand off patient’s noses?”

“These are unpleasant?”

“Yes.”

“Hm. I never considered it.”

Please comment, reblog, like, and follow if you enjoyed - I'd love to know what you think! See you again tomorrow.

[the-writing-artist]

Updated List of AUs

All completed works can be found on my AO3, under the penname 'BlueAbzies'.

~Code Lyoko~

The Boy in the Computer: Jeremie and Aelita swap roles. Main story is DONE, side stories are WIP (titled 'The Girl From the Outside').

Echoes of a Different Life: Derivative of TBITC, where Michel and Sophie's plan with Lyoko healing Jeremie didn't work. WIP, planned for TGFTO.

The Stars In Your Eyes: Derivative of TBITC, where I make the Jerlita Sapphic like SAE as mentioned below. WIP, planned for TGFTO.

The Drifter: Derivative of TBITC, where Final Round goes differently, as XANA destroys Lyoko before Jeremie is devirtualized. WIP, planned for TGFTO and idea from Ani and their Gone Wrong AU.

Backup Programs: Derivative of TBITC, where a pre-evil backup XANA exists. WIP, planned for TGFTO and idea from Boxy.

Code: MEMORY: Aelita and Anthea swap roles; my beta reader helped me out a lot with this one. Has sequel tiled 'The Healing of Memory'. DONE, unless my beta reader gets more ideas.

The Missing Piece: Jeremie and Laura swap roles; an appreciation piece for all the work Jeremie actually does in the series. DONE, but planning a story with an alternate perspective.

Silver and Gold: Jeremie and Aelita are childhood friends and both get tangled up with Lyoko, in more ways than one. WIP.

Lyokowarrior Sissi AU: A world where Sissi actually followed Ulrich into Lyoko when she was first offered, replacing Yumi in the group. WIP, has no official title yet.

Sapphire and Emerald: A universe where Jeremie was born as a girl; Sapphic Jerlita basically. DONE.

Bridge Across the Milky Way: Yumi is the girl trapped within the supercomputer, Ulrich is the one who finds Lyoko, Jeremie is the kid with arguing parents, and Aelita is the one who has pressure from family, plus another swap or two. WIP, and coming along nicely thanks to my beta reader.

The True AI AU: A world where the revelation that Aelita is a human also includes Jeremie as the AI. WIP, has no official title yet.

The Best Kept Secret: Jeremie has a secret about his body, and Aelita ends up finding out what it is by accident. WIP.

~Fullmetal Alchemist~

For Hope, I'd Give My Everything: Roleswap between Edward and Alphonse, among others. Lots of angst, WIP.

Great Divide: Edward and Alphonse are parent-trapped in a modern universe, and there's a reason for things being this way. WIP.

The Space Between: Alternate ending to CoS where Edward stays in Amestris, and Alphonse has a secret. WIP.

~Kingdom Hearts~

Destiny's Embrace: Kairi wakes up in a strange new world where everything seems too perfect to be true. DONE, but may rewrite it.

Days Lost: Kairi grows up with the Wayfinder trio, and things happen differently according to her memories of them. WIP.

Destiny's Twist: The Kingdom Key goes to Kairi after Sora turns into a Heartless to save her in KH1. DONE, may add a sequel once KH4 comes out.

Overturning Fate: A ReMind AU where Xehanort gives Kairi the chance to save herself. WIP.

The Cycle of Fate: Ventus hides in Kairi's heart and the cycle of fate hits the Destiny Trio harder than in canon. WIP.

Don't Wake Me Up: Kairi is dragged into the whole Xehanort-induced nightmare mess too, branching off from DDD. WIP, but can be read on my AO3.

~The Outsiders~

Dawn Goes Down to Day: Pony wakes up the hospital only to find that everything he wrote in his theme was just a dream. WIP.

Shaken Up: Pony is jumped that day instead of Johnny. WIP.

So Eden Sank to Grief: Pony dies in the hospital instead of Johnny. DONE.

A Different Sunset: Dally and Johnny survive the events of the book. DONE, but may add another entry eventually.

Modern AU: Takes place in modern times and centers on the topic of the gang's mental health, starting with Pony's. WIP, but can be read on my AO3.

~Crossovers~

Code: MIRACULOUS: A world where the CL characters are placed in the world of Miraculous Ladybug, and Jeremie finds himself as the Guardian replacing Waldo/Franz after the man mysteriously vanishes. WIP.

Code: HEARTS: Lyoko falls to darkness in Kingdom Hearts 1, and XANA finds itself teaming up with Xehanort. WIP.

If you have any questions about any of these, feel free to send me an ask~

[iam93percentstardust]

so for the last four years, my pi has been complaining about a set of figures that she thinks are a bad representation of the data i'm trying to present. i can't provide a picture because it's unpublished data, but it looks kind of like this but silver and with little colored squiggles coming out of it.

she doesn't like the squiggles. she wants them to be balls instead.

and for the last four years, every time she's brought it up, i've told her "i don't know how to do that" and she's either told me to look it up in our past group papers, none of which contained anything like what she wanted, or passed me off to one of my other group members, none of whom knew what it was that our pi wanted or how to do that. so the figures haven't gotten done.

a couple weeks ago, she got huffy about them again (and of course only "remembered" that she'd asked for them in the past, not that i don't know how to do them). once again, i told her i didn't know how to do them, and then she bitched me out about not telling her that i didn't know how to do them which whatever, i'm used to her selective memory at this point. so after bitching me out, she passed me off to another group member yet again to teach me how to do them. turns out, once i described them, that this group member didn't know how to do them either but, unlike any of the others, she was willing to help me figure it out.

so, in sequence, here's what we discovered: 1. none of the programs that our pi has told me could do the balls over the last four years are actually capable of doing the balls. 2. none of the papers that our pi has told me to refer back to that were supposedly published by our group that would have examples of what she was looking for were published until three months ago so unless she sent me the drafts (and she hadn't) i was never going to know what they looked like. 3. the only software that is capable of doing the balls isn't compatible with a mac system (the only computers in the lab). in fact, it only runs on a linux system, which i could probably learn if i had more time but my dissertation needs to be sent off to my committee in two days. 4. it is possible to manually draw circles on the protein (it's just time consuming) but every paper that our pi has published using the actual software has had, at max, 7 balls on the protein. 5. i would need between 80-175 balls on my protein. look at that picture. imagine 175 circles on it. imagine how crowded that would be.

so after attempting to manually draw circles on the protein and getting through about 5 of them, we both realized that our pi was going to absolutely hate the representation and make me redo it anyway.

and that's where this saga concludes: after four years of listening to my pi complain about this figure, i've decided that fuck it, i'm not doing that, i'm submitting my dissertation as is, and she can get over it.

it's not like she's read my dissertation anyway.

[skjam]

Pulp Fanfic Crossover Fodder: Dr. Goldfoot

Note: This is primarily based on Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965).

Little is known of the background of Dr. Goldfoot. This includes not knowing his full name, if that even is his birth name, and where if anywhere he got his doctorate. He claimed descent from a pirate, a member of the Inquisition, and Attila the Hun's mentor in violence.

As of 1965, he appeared to be physically in his fifties, and had resided for some years in San Francisco operating a private cemetery and funeral home as a front for his other activities. It was in this year that he invented his best-known device, the Bikini Machine. The Bikini Machine created humanoid female-shaped robots with fairly complex programming, allowing them a limited ability to pass as human women. Each came with a gold-fabric bikini; it's not clear if they had actual female anatomy underneath that cloth.

Dr. Goldfoot supplemented the basic programming by downloading data from computer tapes directly to their memory banks. This was used primarily for giving them the ability to speak knowledgably about their targets' areas of interest.

The plan was to have these "girlbots" marry wealthy men, strip them of their assets, and transfer the wealth to Dr. Goldfoot. His goals beyond that are unclear.

Due to poor instructions by Dr. Goldfoot's henchman Igor. girlbot #12 "Diane" mistook Secret Intelligence Command (SIC) agent Craig Gamble for her target, millionaire Todd Armstrong. Craig, a nitwit only employed by SIC because his uncle Donald J. Pevney was the San Francisco office chief, only understood that the bizarre-acting woman he'd instantly fallen in love with had suddenly abandoned him (when Dr. Goldfoot corrected her commands) but this was enough to put him on the case.

Diane "met cute" with Todd and quickly persuaded him to marry her. At no time was the marriage consummated, but it's not clear if this was due to incapacity on #12's part or a part of a strategy to string Todd along until she possessed all his assets. Eventually, Craig and Todd teamed up to "rescue" Diane from Dr. Goldfoot, despite the fact she'd already been reprogrammed to forget she ever met them.

After a number of hijinks and a chase through San Francisco, Dr. Goldfoot and Igor were seemingly killed by naval bombardment. In reality, they survived, and the two men and Diane replaced the flight crew on a passenger jet to France.

By 1966, Dr. Goldfoot had become separated from Igor and Diane (the latter of whom may have married the German man she was flirting with on the plane) and was operating out of Italy. (Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs) He'd accepted Chinese funding to rebuild his Bikini Machine. This new version created "girlbombs" that could impersonate specific people and explode on command.

This time, the plan was to disrupt NATO war games by assassinating the various generals involved. The plan was thwarted by another SIC agent, Bill Dexter, and two Italian doormen named Franco and Ciccio. Dr. Goldfoot then attempted to detonate a nuclear bomb in Moscow to start World War Three, but this also failed and he was believed killed in the explosion. In fact, he survived, but no further activity of his has been recorded.

By the 1990s, Dr. Goldfoot's girlbot technology had been acquired by Virtucorp, the front organization for Dr. Evil, and somewhat improved. (See Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.)

Girlbots are very sturdy, able to take a collision with a small automobile without being moved or taking noticeable damage. They can be pierced by small arms fire, but unless vital areas are specifically targeted, this does not impair their function in any way. They're also far stronger than they appear. (Fortunately, most of Dr. Goldfoot's girlbots were not programmed to use violence.) They have radio receivers which allow them to receive commands directly from a console Dr. Goldfoot also invented.

The first batch of girlbots, including #12, were mostly able to impersonate human women, but came off as eccentric. They relied on their good looks and aggressive courting tactics to distract targets from realizing there was anything odd.

In addition to the Bikini Machine, Dr. Goldfoot's technology included: opera glasses that sprouted poison spikes (never used on camera), laser lipstick, the ability to remotely control motorcars, and either remote viewing or multiple miniature cameras placed throughout San Francisco. The latter two were incorporated into the same console he used to communicate with the girlbots. He had some way of reviving the (recently?) dead, but the only person he is known to have used it on was Igor.

Dr, Goldfoot bore a strong resemblance to the actor Vincent Price. He always wore gold-fabric slippers, and it was implied at one point that his actual feet were also golden in color. He was fey in his mannerisms, although he did seem to appreciate the aesthetics of his Bikini Machine creations. He put little value on human life, and was fully willing for his girlbots to eliminate competition the hard way.

The mad scientist's grasp of geopolitics may have been a little shaky. He sent a girlbot with the appearance of a black woman to marry a person who would have been a white man in South Africa at the height of apartheid.

Crossover potential: A rather silly mad scientist who specializes in creating femi-form robots can have many uses, as long as the story is okay with that kind of humor. Assuming nothing else happens to him, Dr. Goldfoot would die of old age in the early 1990s.

Notably, Dr. Goldfoot's headquarters was not destroyed in the movie, so the U.S. government was presumably able to access his technology and study it. ("Top men.") Also, several girlbots were already out on assignment at the time of his defeat, and are presumably loose ends.

SIC is one of the many splinter intelligence agencies the fictional U.S. government sponsored during this time period to increase plausible deniability. The budget was apparently tiny, with the San Francisco office being headquarters in a two-room office, Craig and his uncle being the only two operatives, and Craig not having access to any spy gadgets or even a gun. (His salary was also miniscule--he considered a cheese sandwich at the cafeteria a suitable date meal.)

The fictional agency your main characters belong to may have absorbed SIC and its records if the story is set post-1966.

Have fun!

@krinsbez

[bredforloyalty]

could you possibly elaborate more on how you found that ao3 fic that was previously deleted? i’ve lost soo many memorable ones over the years & if there is a way to find them via backup it would be such a game changer

of course!!! i don't know how you are with computers, i feel like tumblr users in general are pretty good at tech stuff or whatever and people in my circles are within the age range that uses computers or learned how in school so,, forgive me if there are too many details and you feel like i'm talking to you like to a toddler hdsgxy ((my sister, who's only a little younger than me, for example is very very online but not on her laptop and the lessons at her high school weren't very helpful, so she's just not very good at computer. so i tried to be thorough and make this friendly to someone who doesn't torrent, doesn't use excel, etc) <3

first, if you still have the link to the deleted fic (like, say, from a fic rec post or a forum), you can try searching on the wayback machine, but you probably tried that already! or you don't have a link! i just didn't want to leave it out ^^

so what actually helped me is there's this post, that uh i got this from, take a look at it, it might seem long or intimidating but i promise it's not complicated! BUT in case this helps, i'll also write down roughly what you need to know here (and then you can maybe read or skim that post looking for this info if you want): there is an archive of text files from ao3; the zip files of many many fics come with two sqlite files of metadata, basically databases that you can download and view/search with the appropriate program (db browser for sqlite is what op recommends and that worked just fine for me). and what you will be able to see, if you download the metadata, is whether the particular fic you're looking for is in the archive at all + where exactly you can find it in the zip files (so,, which batch of files has the file you want)

then op says that once you know which zip you need, you can download that and extract only the fic(s) you want. but this isn't always necessary actually, more on that in a second, it's just the general idea. i mean the idea is: get sqlite browser → download one of the sqlite files (takes time) → open it in the browser (file → open read only) → filter for whichever column you want to find what you're looking for (you can do the author or the exact title or a relationship and just browse too, ofc) → look at the first column that shows the path, this is where you can find the fic → download that zip (takes more time) → use winrar or another compression program/extractor to get that file and voilà

ok so, when you click on "show all files" on the internet archive, you'll be able to see that 'ao3_old_files' is 6.5 gigabytes, while 'ao3_current' is 18.3. if you're looking for a newer fic, it should be somewhere within the latter batch of zip files, which is hmm not ideal because it took me a while to download just 6.5 gb lmao so i don't know how much time 18 would take.. however !! if you look in the replies, you'll see op (and others?) helping whoever doesn't have the storage space or the stable internet or the time or patience to download bigger files. it's definitely worth a shot to ask them personally to look for what you want (unless it's vague, bc then it might be too much digging to ask a stranger to do but yeah otherwise op seems to have ao3_current.sqlite3)!

and if you want to look in 'ao3_old_files', i have that so obviously i'll check for you! and let's say i check and i find the fic you want. then i can do this

so the zip file (a bunch of excess data) doesn't even have to be downloaded. it just opened the fic in plain text for me 👍 unfortunately i don't know if there's a way to skip steps with the zip files that are queues, as in the ones that contain current fics and mainly epubs.... sorry </3

i hope you can find what you're looking for!! let me know if i can help with anything

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S04E09 - Impawster Syndrome - Part B

I'd love to know how she was planning on fighting them off with a shaving razor.

Charlie is surprised because he was probably expecting a boyfriend.

What exactly are you fighting about, children? The level of Jesse's nerdiness? Nerds can have girlfriends, you know.

Joe: "Rex found a girlfriend in your apartment."

Charlie: "Am I the only one who's still single?"

"Is questioning new girlfriends standard procedure or something?" It should be in this place. It really should be.

lol I'd forgotten the video of fake!Jesse punching someone.

It's a great day for justice.

"But do we really need to make an arrest before we question him?" Um, we just did? Do you want to do it yourself, is that it?

You cannot possibly think it's a good idea for Jesse to be questioned by his own team, Charlie. Anyway, he's out of his mind with worry and I like it.

"Okay, but if the media learns that IA is investigating, they're gonna take that as an admission of Jesse's guilt!" So, the proposed solution is to not let them do their jobs?

Rex just snuck into holding.

Man, they really should have thrown your snarky ass to IA.

The funny thing is that in this season Charlie does do a few things for which he deserves to get yelled at. That's definitely not one of them.

Okay, so your job is to be the tech specialist (or whatever title). You are aware of the new technology known as deepfake, and since you know that it's not you in the CCTV footage, how do you wait for a second video to emerge to think that it might be a deepfake? It should have come up even as an outlandish theory.

Jesse: "I can explain but I need my computer." Charlie: "Sorry, but I already had a criminal fool me like that. Not again." End of episode.

I died.

"I heard there are even programs now that can fake a person's voice." Well, you guys are really good at predicting your future. I'm not talking about the Charlie/Rex mashup, although I'm sure that must be somewhere out there as well.

Aw, Rex is barking because he doesn't want Jesse to be sent down to the holding cell again.

Diesel's head is huge lol

It's one more police cover-up. And you know what? It's not, obviously, but Jesse has received preferential treatment in this case, they even more or less admit it, and what gets me is that he is whining on top of that about how his friends have treated him.

Livestreaming and uploading a live video would have showed as different in most social media platforms. Unless you had, like, put the camera in front of the video that was already playing in another screen or something, which would in most cases result in poor audio and video quality, making it obvious that it wasn't live.

You can say that the guy was abusive, people.

And an actual peeping tom. Always, ALWAYS make sure you camera is covered when you don't use it.

Well, now you can do whatever you want.

"I'm not gonna eat healthy!" lol Jesse. But that donut looks nice.

Rex, you could have nibbled on the guy a little. For Jesse.

Charlie shoved him a bit. That's fair.

"Her Majesty's Penitentiary"? Jeez.

Uh-oh.

Okay, I'm having a hard time believing that SWAT would be deployed for a domestic dispute in Canada, even if there was a distressed call from a woman.

SWAT consistently is made to look pretty bad on this show lol

"We're totally surrounded." You don't say.

"We're not gonna let anything happen to you, okay?" How will you guarantee that, Charlie?

Oh god, he was framed and you guys were doing your jobs!

I'd have told him to stay put, actually. I don't know what protocol SWAT follows, but in all these cases you try to de-escalate the situation, not escalate it. And you need a negotiator.

lmao are you for real?

"I'm not letting you shoot Jesse! I don't know what the fuck the humans are doing!"

Jesse could use a hug, you emotionally stunted people (affectionate).

I mean, financial motivation to ruin someone's life, I get. But this is pure revenge because you sucked at poker? Don't gamble.

You know, believing him or not, it shouldn't have made much of a difference on how you handled your job.

Okay, sap.

I love this.

Wait, is Charlie wearing the same jacket he will wear in S04E14 for the undercover thing? Or am I tripping?

"Rex knows all my tells." Rex knows everybody's tells. I just don't know how he's playing poker. And winning.

Generally, Jesse's attitude frustrated me in this episode. And the team's up to a degree. When I rewatched this with my sister (who couldn't care less for these characters so I consider her a more impartial viewer), she couldn't understand why his behavior during the investigation was even a tiny bit justified and reasoned with in the end. From the team's part, I think some of this has to do with the fact that Jesse is part of the team and they care for him, so of course by the end they would apologize. But the thing is that they've done nothing wrong, they're just in an impossible situation.

And I don't know why Charlie apologizes for not believing him, it was pretty clear up to a point that he was merely entertaining thoughts of how Jesse could be involved in this but purely theoretically and as the evidence against Jesse started piling up, he grew more and more concerned for Jesse, not certain of his guilt. At no point did they show any of the team believing that Jesse might have done this, which, had it happened, would have actually made me side with Jesse. Instead, he comes off as a person who expects preferential treatment because "they know him". Some of which he gets, without the team breaking any major rules, at least. Just the fact that they look for another explanation once they find the weapon of the robbery at his house, when that usually provides an airtight case to hand to the Crown, says a lot. Which is sort of the right thing to do when you know that this person can't be that dumb, but it's still based on the fact that you know them.

Jesse is redeemed for me at the end because he stands his ground. Which is a different thing altogether but I still liked it. It's not exactly a case that told me "You know what? This guy should make detective in a year" but that's just me.

[miradelletarot]

Office Job Rant!

I SWEAR TO FUCKING AO I need a WFH job. like yesterday.

I work with an HOA board of directors. the VP is a colossal DICK. disrespectful, demeaning, rude, and has no patience for ANYTHING if it doesn't go his way.

He seems to think i'm unqualified for my job. I'm not. I have a degree in management, and prior admin experience. This backwards ass tiny asf office ain't shit. There's a ton of shit to do, sure, but he seems to think I should be an accountant. even going as far as to question what I got hired as. A RECEPTIONIST. That's my job. I don't even get paid a livable wage (even if it were full-time, which it's not...hence the 2 jobs).

I'm kinda suck with job 2 which is OK b/c my boss at that job bought me a fucking car. like...A WHOLE CAR because I didn't have a way to get around (thanks ex husband for that one....) what I earn there pays for that car weekly so I can own it eventually. She has only known me for like 3 years. She didn't have to do that, but she did, and I am grateful for it. Sadly, it severely limits my options for a another job. Job 1 is fine when the VP isn't around, but he's terrible to work with. Literally, no one likes him. The Pres is gone for the summer which means I am stuck with this asshole unless I quit (and i can't...surgery to pay for). Now that most of the community is gone for the summer, there's not that much to do honestly unless he's around to give me shit to do that's not in my job description. He's even told me that if I complain he'll just hire someone who WILL do what he tells them to do. like really??? It's a one person office (me...i'm the person) so if this guy wants to fire me he can do that if he wants. Or, he can pay for me to go to school to become a CPA and pay me the appropriate salary to fix all his shit for him (b/c the office was poorly managed before I got there b/c of the bad practices of the previous board of directors).

I made ONE MINOR Mistake today. I forgot something he told me last week. that's it. he told me NOT to do something (which is actually IN my JD so of course i fucking did it...) and got mad at me for doing it. all while talking down to me like a fucking child.

Not even gonna go into detail about how I found out he's watching me on my work computer with his personal laptop with a screen reading program...

So yeah...i guess I am gonna search for WFH jobs today.

[bunnyinatree]

I don't want to tell anyone that they should be upset about something that doesn't bother them (unless we're talking about, like, human rights violations or something), but my mind spins whenever my mom and I talk about ads.

I don't like watching YouTube videos on her computer, because she refuses to install any form of ad block. And today she was trying to convince me that it isn't so bad, and she told me that she only got one ad today, which she described as "optional," because she was able to skip it after only a few seconds.

How do I tell her that an ad isn't optional if it automatically plays on your computer and makes you wait to skip it, even if it's "only" for a few seconds? 💀 She's so used to watching videos on streaming sites (that she pays for, but not enough to remove the ads) that she will let three 30 second ads play in a row multiple times during an hour-long program.

I think it's loathsome that ads are so ubiquitous nowadays: on buildings, on buses, on audio programs (such as podcasts), on TV, and on streaming sites (that you pay for). It feels like I can't escape from people trying to sell me things, even in the comfort of my own home. Whenever someone leaves the TV on in another room, it's just a constant stream of that awful burger jingle playing faintly in the distance. I feel like Spongebob whirling around and screaming, "It feels like someone... wants to sell me something!"

I believe that my frustrations are well-founded, but I feel guilty trying to open my mom's eyes to something that will only make her day worse once she becomes aware of it. Still, shouldn't she know that she (and everyone else) deserves so much better than this? 😭

[rapid-artwork]

I'm fascinated with Fourth, she's so cute! I'd love to hear more about her.

Fourth is one of my favorite OCs, both because I feel I stumbled upon a really solid visual design, but also because of how personal her story is to me.

Quick summary:

Fourth is a lonely human girl who seeks to escape from the space station she spent her entire life aboard. She holds a lot of anger inside but she is a genuinely bubbly and sweet person. She really likes the concept of water, specifically lakes, oceans and rivers. (Even though she never seen any of these in person.)

She's the protagonist of my (currently in progress) Sci-Fi Horror Visual Novel: Mothers Favorite

Tw: Child Abuse, Body Horror and Trauma. (It is a horror story.)

The story takes place aboard the Mobile Quarantine Station 388-SR. A space station originally designed to carry thousands of sick patients off world should a plant-wide pandemic occur.

However, a series of unknown events caused the station to launch with only four living patients aboard. Figuring out why is part of the mystery in-game.

When the game starts, Fourth is the only remaining patient onboard, the other three patients all dead or unaccounted for.

Fourth is afflicted with something called the 'Omega Virus', which is a highly dangerous and has no known cure. Most of my stories all take place in the same overarching universe, and many of my Sci-Fi stories deal with the consequences tied to the spread of the Omega Virus.

I really like Fourth's story since I think it makes for a great starting point into many of my future works. I like that through Fourth we get to see the effects of the virus first hand, and get a little window into the galactic politics that arose in response.

The station was built to be a closed-off self sustaining system, with a fully automated treatment staff of robotic caretakers. Meaning all of Fourths daily needs are met, but that her only social interactions are with pre-programmed AI that see her strictly as a patient first, and a living feeling human a distant second (doesn't mean that they don't try, bedside manner is still a thing.)

Since Fourth has never met another living person before, and they have never seen the outside world through anything other than a computer screen, they can be a little naive. That doesn't mean she's foolish, far from it. Fourth is highly intelligent (not much to do all day other than read and do homework over and over.) and has a deep curiosity for the outside universe her space station.

Since Fourth has had to interact with the robots the way they expect her to act, she has learned to put on a mask around them, and only lets it slip when she is alone. She has a really funny sarcasm to the way she thinks internally and I like writing her deadpan responses to the sci-fi bullshit she has to endure.

She also has a wonderful sense of joy and love that makes a lot of the darker challenges she faces that much worse. She is the type to experience big emotions at all times. When she loves you, she lets you know, and when she hates you, she doesn't hold back. (At least she likes to think she does, in reality she has a to bottle a lot of her true feelings up in order to survive.)

Since she is the player character, I made sure to code a lot of flexibility to her personality depending on how you play. She will become more extroverted or introverted based on the dialogue choices you make, and big source of tension is how well you manage to hold onto her optimism throughout the game.

(there is also a funny bit I programmed a flag where Fourth will not know what swear word are unless you push for her to learn about them. After that point she will swear like a sailor for the rest of the game.)

This is the original concept sketch I made of the main characters all the way back in 2016. I had an idea for a 'sci-fi Alice in wonderland' Where there was only one human trapped with a bunch of malfunctioning robots who seemed to act like everything was totally fine.

I like that the main designs have remained pretty consistent since then.

Fourth's design was very calculated from the start. I wanted her to look like someone forced to wear a Disney princess outfit that was slightly too small for them. It was supposed to show that she is treated like a child since these specific robots were only ever programmed to care for very young children, and were not prepared to deal with a teenager or adult. (maybe because the people who programmed them didn't expect any afflicted children to survive that long.)

As for the influences and themes, a lot of it centers around the main idea behind the Omega Virus.

The Omega Virus has a lot of weird stuff associated with it, but the main thing to keep in mind is that the Omega Virus offers up incredible power in exchange for a terrible corruption of the physical and mental state of the subject.

I have always been a fan of drawing weird gross body horror stuff, and the Omega Virus provides a lot of opportunities for that don't get me wrong.

But the important thing is the effects the virus has on the mental state of those it infects. It slowly eats away at the memories of it's host, piece by piece taking away everything that makes someone who they are.

I lost family members to Alzheimers as a teenager, and I wrote a lot of the Omega Virus stories as a way to cope. I was deeply terrified by the concept of forgetting who you are and not even knowing it is happening.

What started as an edgy teenage avenue for grief turned into something more over time. Where I would make these really likable characters dealing with a sci-fi disease that gave them super powers in exchange for a creeping death following them for the rest of their lives. I really like writing characters who know that their sense of self is in danger, and living to constantly reaffirm who they are and their desire to live.

A huge factor in what I hope makes the game scary is that there is more than just 'death' as a threat, but the idea that if you choose wrong, you will have to watch Fourth slowly dissolve until all that she is is empty and gone.

But also because I am pure evil and really like hurting my audience as much as possible, there is another way worse horror that is much more personal and immediate.

Mothers Favorite deals with the physically and emotionally abusive relationship Fourth has with the stations main AI, a giant half organic creature called Mother.

I idea of what would happen to an AI afflicted by the Omega Virus was really interesting. I imagined that they would slowly lose the smaller nuances of what it meant to act 'human' and be reduced down to their core programming, even if that core was no longer logical.

Abuse between loved ones usually stems from a place of control and corrupted ideas of loves. The idea of 'doing this because I love you' is a very painful concept I have personally experienced, and could come about if the abuser had a fundamentally incorrect definition of what love is.

A robot follow its program so much to the letter that is loops back around to something indistinguishable from malice is something Fourth will have to deal with more than once. What I really like about writing her is the uncertainty she feels about her robot 'family' they can be loving and caring one moment and cold and abusive the next. They see nothing illogical about their actions and Fourth feels alone in her feelings. Which I hope gives the game a sense of terror even if there isn't more traditional jump-scares or managing survival mechanics.

I think the visual novel medium helps put players in the head of Fourth a lot better, since you will have to sit and weigh each dialogue option, not knowing which one will set the robots off, and which ones will earn you a few more minutes of safety. That was a fear I lived with growing up and it certainly didn't impact my art in anyway no sir!

I wanted Fourth to be a conduit for a story about love, family and the beauty of self, all of which are under slow attack from both outside and within. There is a lot of ways to unlock happy or at least 'happier' endings and I hope it makes for a good story, not just a non-stop misery fest.

Little bonus:

Mothers Favorite was always intended to be part 1 in a 4 part series. Each story would focus on one of the four original inhabitants of 388-SR. Each game would be an independent story, with all three crossing over in the final game. Your choices in the first three games would carry over and influence the plot of the fourth game.

The next game in the series is planned to be a murder mystery about a military spaceship that takes multiple play-throughs to solve and leads to some fun meta-timelines shenanigans.

Thank you for letting me rant about my OC for a bit. I really love Fourth even though I keep coming up with new ways to hurt her.

[braveclementine]

I Spy

Warnings: None, maybe some angst?

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OCs, which consist of Penny Fury, Elizabeth Nelson, Elijah Chan, Katya Venice, Violetta Moscow, Lan Le, Josh, Trang Tien, Ahni Jallow, Mai Ito, and Ghaida Kashual as well as other OCs that will come up throughout the story.

The way I imagine Loki and Elizabeth sleep to keep cold if they're in hot weather. 

🤕🤑 ᔕ𝕥ｏ尺𝕪 🌐💠

Violetta crept down to Tony's lab, slipping in easily. Everyone else was up at breakfast so there shouldn't be anyone down here for another hour or so. And by then, Violetta would be long gone. 

She quickly pulled up a chair and started typing furiously at the computer on the side. Hacking into the server easily using her knowledge of Trang, she was able to quickly pull up the information she was looking for: Sharon Carters' phone records. 

She was kicking herself mentally, knowing she had wanted Tony to look into them almost an entire year ago but had forgotten about it with other things going on. Now, it was more than likely that Sharon was the spy and Vi had fucked it up by forgetting. 

Sharon's info was locked tight, she couldn't access more than what her phone number actually was. Violetta had to run it through a software program before attempting to hack it again and after eight tries, managed it. 

Then, using ctrl + F to look up, she started to type out the phone number, starting with the Ohio zip code: 513. 

Immediately, there were four hits. Every single one of them dated back to way before, like back before Penny was even around. They were the same number though: (513)-347-1111. Lucinda Nelsons' phone number. 

Violetta immediately zipped the file and sent it off to Fury with an anonymous email. Then she looked into Rumlow's phone files. There were plenty more calls to Lucinda in Brock Rumlows' phone file. Vi was honestly surprised that Fury hadn't looked into it. 

Unless. . . 

Vi bit the nail on her thumb, thinking. If someone on the inside could hide the phone number files, then Fury wouldn't have known about them period. But it had to be someone close inside on the investigation and it had to be someone that would want to protect Rumlow. 

What if they were soulmates? 

Vi straightened up, looking up Rumlow's file but once again, it was to coded and protected for her to access it digitally. If she went to SHIELD headquarters now, she might be able to get her hands on the paper ones. 

She stood up in excitement and turned around, before shouting in fear. Natasha was standing there, eight months pregnant and with a death glare. 

"Nat! What the hell!" Vi shouted, hearting slamming in her chest. "Give a girl some warning!" 

"What are you doing Violetta?" Natasha asked and Vi knew she was in trouble, because Natasha never, ever called her Violetta. Natasha's eyes were also shimmering, like she might cry. "Tell me you aren't the spy Violetta." 

Vi's mouth dropped and her heart sank in sadness. She knew she looked suspicious so she couldn't blame Nat. She was down here, in a place she never was, while everyone else was somewhere else, searching for something on the computer. 

"No Nat." Vi whispered, sitting back down in the chair. "No, I- I think I actually found the spy." 

Nat shifted on her feet, looking hesitant. "Well, lay it on me." 

"Okay." Vi murmured and showed her what she had found with the phone numbers and how Sharon and Rumlow had been called and had called the number several times. "The only problem," Vi said now, "Is that Sharon could be completely innocent. Rumlow and her were close. He could've simply borrowed her phone to call Lucinda on it. It might also have been a way for him to dump suspicion on her." 

"And the dates that the number was called all date back to before Rumlow was dead." Nat nodded. 

"Exactly. But, Sharon told me yesterday that Fury had called her and that she's supposed to be on the hunt for the spy. But look," Vi said, pointing. "Fury hasn't called her in three days. She called him once, and that was the day before yesterday. So either she lied, or she has another phone." 

"A burner phone which wouldn't be on the records and could be calling Lucinda on." Nat nodded. 

"Right. So, I'm off to SHIELD headquarters." Vi said, standing up. "I have to get my hands on the paper copies of Rumlows' death report and also on Sharon. I need to see their tattoos. I need to see if they're soulmates. Cause Sharon might be covering for Rumlow at the very least, even if she isn't the spy." 

"I'm coming with you." Natasha said immediately as Violetta started marching out of the lab. 

"No you're not." Vi replied shortly. "You are eight months pregnant. If you think that I'm letting you get into anything dangerous-" 

"I'd like to see you stop me." Nat snarled. 

Violetta spun on her heel. "Do you trust me?" 

"That's not fair Vi." Nat murmured. 

"So you don't." Vi stated flatly. She wasn't sure why it mattered so much. Maybe because she loved this woman to death. Maybe because this woman was all that had mattered to her for years. That this woman was the one that had saved her. This woman was her role model and her admirer. 

"I- Vi-" Nat went silent and then said, "Just let me come with you." 

"Fine." Vi whispered, turning away. "What's trust anyways?" 

It wasn't like Vi knew anything about trust to begin with. She had trusted her parents. They sent her to ballet and she came out a murderer. Elizabeth had trusted her friends. They had shoved memory pills down her throat because they were to scared to face her mother. Steve had trusted Sharon. Now she looked like she was turning out to be the spy. 

"Vi." 

"Nah." Vi shook her head. "I have more important things on my plate right now Natasha. I have a spy to find to save my family. So just leave it. I don't have time for an argument." 

The coldness lasted the entire ride until they got to SHIELD. Vi hated the way she was acting, the coldness she was treating Natasha with. Especially since she was pregnant so all Vi wanted to do was smother her with love. But Nat probably wouldn't have appreciated the help anyways. 

Vi didn't bother with the front desk, only flashing her ID when someone looked at her for identification and kept walking. Nat followed. 

Vi and her got into the elevator, taking them to the top floor where they found Fury in his office, already talking to someone on the phone. He raised an eyebrow when they walked in and said, "I'll finish this call later. Agent Moscaw, Agent Romanoff, to what do I owe the pleasure?" 

"Did Rumlow have soulmates and are they recorded?" Violetta fired off immediately. 

Fury raised an eyebrow. "No. But I have a feeling you're about to give me the name of the potential spy now." 

"Sharon." Vi said. 

It was silent in the room for a moment and Fury crossed his arms over his chest. "Even if Sharon is Rumlow's soulmate, do you really believe her to be the spy? She has fought on the side of SHIELD every single time against HYDRA." 

"That's the thing." Vi said. "Lucinda isn't HYDRA. She's private. She started HARPIE." 

"Nick." Nat said softly. "Sharon didn't fight on SHIELDs side through everything. She fought on Steve's side. And now, Steve doesn't want her. And who does he want?" 

Fury's head tilted upwards more as he came to the same train of thought. "This isn't about SHIELD or HYDRA at all. It's simply her jealousy for Rogers." 

"I need to see the reports." Vi said. "The tattoos. Not just Brock, but Jackson too." 

Fury led them out of the room and they headed down six floors to the records room. Fury put in his authorization and they found the files quickly. 

"Here." Nat murmured. "It's some sort of bird. But they both have it." 

Vi snapped a picture and sent it to Elijah with the caption. 

: 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜?

"Does Sharon have her tattoos recorded?" Nat asked. 

"They're only listed." Fury said, pulling out Sharons' records. "One is an alligator, the other is a crocodile." 

"Screams brothers to me." Vi snorted. "They've got the bird in the same place too." 

Violetta's phone dinged with the sound of crackling fire and she picked it up and read Elijahs' reply. 

: 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝙲𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚘 𝙱𝚒𝚛𝚍

"Elijah said it's a Cuckoo bird." Vi said. 

"I've heard of them." Natasha said. "Those are the birds that will kick out the eggs of other birds, put their eggs in the nest, and then the mother bird thinks they're her eggs and takes care of them." 

Her phone dinged again from Elijah, him spewing all of his knowledge about Cuckoo birds. His fingers must've been on fire from how fast he'd typed the huge paragraph. 

: 𝙲𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚘𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍-𝚍𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜, 𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚊𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚐𝚐𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚖𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚊. 𝙸𝚗 𝙹𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚘 𝚜𝚢𝚖𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙸𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚊, 𝚌𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚘𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙼𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚘 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚍, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚘𝚞���� 𝚘𝚗𝚎.

"Jeez Elijah." But Vi could only chuckle at it. 

"What do you think Nick?" Natasha asked softly. 

"I think that we need to alert the others, immediately." Fury said, stacking up the files and putting them back in the drawer. "And I need to figure out where Carter is." 

He called her right then and there as they headed out of SHIELD headquarters. They went over to where Violetta had parked the car, but didn't get inside of it so that Sharon couldn't hear that they were in a vehicle. 

"Agent Carter, where are you?" Fury asked. "I need you to take lead in a case." 

There was silence as she answered and then he said, "I need you to take point on the spy that's hunting down Captain Nelson and the others. There's a file waiting for you in your office." 

More silence. 

"Good. And promptly Agent Carter, this is a high profile case." Fury said and hung up immediately. "Let's go." 

"Where is she?" Natasha asked, climbing into the passenger seat with a little difficulty. Vi hopped in the drivers seat, leaving Fury to get into the backseat, sulking just a tad. 

"She's already at the tower."