#~intervolved vamploid~

[overx]

(Vi) You mentioned you have eating requirements-- that normal human grade foods were no good, what's with that?

"Oh. That? It's pretty normal for reploids not to be able to eat." Vile shrugs, obviously nonchalant about the question.

"Think of it like a sliding scale. There's extremes and also a lot of in-between." Which, frankly, could describe almost any aspect of reploid builds.

"Most of us get features based on the jobs we're built for. If we're going to be working a lot with people for example, we're more likely to be as close to human as possible... within budget. Office jobs, daycare attendants, that sort of thing. There's a need to make non reploids feel more comfortable, and food is like a big... camaraderie thing, you know? You share your culture, your time, and more when you eat together." Or that's what he'd observed at least. It's about the socialization more than anything else.

"Even the most high end models still have intake restrictions though. They're basically vegan..? Or have other individual system restrictions. Generally though, it's easier to process plant matter and sugars over animal proteins. Grease and fat can easily cause havoc on your insides when you aren't built for it too. Same reasons you wouldn't pour oil down the sink."

"...which yeah, makes fried foods difficult. There are modifications and upgrades you can get to have an easier time eating but they're pricier which is why it's not really a default. Maybe the only exception is units commissioned to work in restaurants." Hard to imagine a world where that's the norm, even if it sounds nice.

"...then there's the rest of us. Which is a spectrum of not being able to eat period, and only being able to consume specific stuff. Like... y'know, e-tanks. Unless you fall under 'can't eat' you can have that and similar products. There's food and drinks made for reploids to use for minor upkeep, and it's less expensive than making us able to eat what the humans do." For the manufacturers, that is.

"Synthetic foodstuffs are a big market that sprang up practically overnight, but they're in high demand given our limitations. Quality varies though, and it really depends on your individual systems for what works and doesn't. Lots of it looks and smells pretty close to what I see in human diets at the very least."

"Couldn't tell you if any of it tastes like the real thing though. I'm pretty limited in what I can have. I fall closer to the grade of reploids that eats next to nothing. Not really necessary for a combat model, and I have limited interaction with the public..." thankfully.

"You could compare it to a mostly liquid diet for me. Basically synthetic drinks and stuff that's easy to burn off like alcohol is all I get. Something has to be made with virtually only maintenance in mind and like... sugar, for me to be able to have it as a solid. Even then, I have to stick to small portions."

"Lots of folks are like me and can only drink, but it's the cheapest option that still makes us 'relatable', I guess." Hard to tell if he's bitter or not about it.

[overx]

"Mave--" he almost looks embarrassed-- to be called out so directly even if no one else knew the target. "You're sweet, but I'm okay, really."

"You affect more people than you'll realize. For better or for worse, you won't be forgotten so easily."

[overx]

“I’m sorry Mave, you can what?”

Worst fear, ghosts confirmed real. 

[overx]

RHO. smash or pass. .....either Kane, or that guy you met. Mave. yeah that one

𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐃 “𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒“ 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓   𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒! 𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃!   

"...Mave...?" So that was his name. There is some thoughtfulness from Rho before he gives an easy shrug. You get the impression he doesn't much care either way.

....

As for Kane...

The so called god of the wasteland is the last person he'd like to be rating here. The Hunter's face twists in displeasure. This is not relevant information; he'll be trying to behead the immortal again as soon as he's able.

There had only been the first impression. A dance of death and singing blades.

"........"

Well. He didn't say pass.

[overx]

Cale. again. smash or pass Mave. <3

𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐃 “𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒“ 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓   𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒! 𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃!   

"Okay that is extremely unfair an' you're just cherrypickin' these at this point." He is clearly trying and failing not to look nervous here. "It's just that, what do you when a guy who is so extremely your type comes around that even your dad thinks you should get hitched--" yeah it seems rambling at warp speed isn't going to stop any time soon.

"It's just, he's so sweet, and oh my god his taste in clothes, an' he cooks an'-- I'm not sayin' I wouldn't smash because I very much would, but that is not the type of thing you just tell a guy when you're crushin' on him, this has so many more steps an' I--" yeah. Still going. This would be impressive if it wasn't also a very weak from of defense by avoidance.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

Despite passing the taurloid on his way to the door, and the exhaustion that followed that he'd only begun to suspect came from said individual, the moment Serta followed after him the blond found that... it wasn't as intense as before. Why...? Perhaps he'd only been imagining it. Perhaps he really was running low on reserves.

As a self appointed guide, it wasn't as if Mave could simply leave. How strange, to make this journey with a living individual and not someone or something that had traveled too far past the other side.

Violet eyes still slid to the machine beside him, hands sliding to rest in his pockets, pose taking on a relaxed posture. "While I doubt our Guardian Unit will leave you waiting for too long," it simply wasn't like an OVER to leave loose ends hanging, "I... suppose you could stay with me."

He inclined his chin upward with a tilt of his head, back towards the building they'd exited from-- more so the floor that was above the coffee shop, the balcony overlooking the sidewalk with a little bed of flowers handing from its sill. "I have a spare bedroom, and a recharging station I rarely use nowadays."

"... Very well," Serta nodded in affirmation, looking back to his cup and taking another sip of it.

Mave's spiel on the OVER-unit held his interest. As far as he knew, his universe didn't have one of those - not yet, at least. If they were his best shot at getting back home, then perhaps he didn't need to worry so much. However, there was still an air of uncertainty surrounding that possibility. Serta felt an obligation to be available to his linemates, and not knowing where he was had the taurloid put his drain on in the first place: he wasn't sure if he would have been able to recharge or re-energize himself!

However, if what the barista said was true, and he was going out of his way to assist him in his time of need... It would be awfully rude and inconvenient to suck his savior's reserves completely dry. As weird as it was that Mave didn't seem to react to it.

And, well, he did made him his first-ever cup of coffee. It was a free, delicious experience to comfort him, at that.

The end of his tail tapped the ground.

Finishing his cup off, he got up to place it in the designated bin before making his way over to Mave. He would turn down his drain down before approaching him. The taurloid still kept it on, but if he were to follow Mave with the drain at full power then the vamploid would've been dragging his feet sooner or later, in Serta's mind.

He walked out the door and looked over to where Mave pointed - a stark-white building stood there that contrasted with the rest of their surroundings. He looked over to Mave, his stressed look softening slightly.

"... If I cannot get back right away... What can be done in the meantime?" He asked quietly.

[overx]

Rock <3

What do you think is the worst possible way to die?

Do you think there’s life after death?

Do you ever wish you were immortal?

If you had to choose a way to die, what would you choose?

Have you ever seen a ghost/spirit?

Ask My Muse About Death | Accepting!

What do you think is the worst possible way to die?

"Depends," an unimpressed arch of the eyebrow. "In general? Or for me personally? Cause those are real different answers."

Rock considers the question, but apparently it's just morbid enough to get him talking.

"For livin' things, prob'ly suffocation, drownin', or maybe bleedin' out. The kind of death that feels long, where you know exactly what's happenin'. The kind that's desperate. Heavy." Terrifying. "A lifetime in a few minutes." 'Can you imagine it?', his tone seemingly asks. "Much worse than a death by disease or starvation. Worse than somethin' instant. It's that place right between." Too quick to stop, too slow not to suffer.

That's not the whole question though, is it? "Physical pain I can handle, not huge on disrepair though. Havin' parts of yourself slowly stop workin'... or worse," he scowls at his own internal process. "I always wondered if it was possible for machines t' think ourselves t' death. What happens when we meet our hardware limitations? When we breach capacity?"

The slow crawl of glitching entropy. Half overwritten data. The fragmented self.

"...suppose it's that or bein' reprogrammed while online. My personal fuckin' nightmare. At the end of the day, I'm nothin' but code, an' when you start changin' the ones an' zeroes...."

...am I still me?

"...give me a physical death any day."

Do you think there’s life after death?

"Never been too sure on that one." Although he doesn't seem all that bothered one way or the other. "Couldn't ever decide if that'd be a good or bad thing in the first place-- miserable, prob'ly." This life isn't exactly something that bears repeating now is it? "Shit if there is one, I sure as hell don't remember it. Died an' been put back together, an' all I got between was a fuckton of nothin', 'n more nothin'." He sounds more inconvenienced than anything else.

"Besides that, I'm pretty fuckin' sure 'bots like me don't really count as alive anyways. Can't join an afterlife when you don't have a life t' begin with, yeah?" Rockwell pauses, something coming to mind. "...suppose I do know someone who believes in that sort of thing. Maybe he's right, but I firmly believe that shit don't apply t' where I'm from."

Do you ever wish you were immortal?

"If you're askin' me this question, then we ain't well acquainted," he drawls casually. "Let me put this in simple terms: I'd rather fuckin' die. There, see? Nice an' easy." There's a grisly sort of amusement in his digital voice.

"I lived a real long time bein' pieced back together. Forced t' keep existin' no matter how mangled an' fucked up I got. I would only wish that on my worst enemy an' frankly I'd still just rather kill him myself."

Get the idea? Good. "Don't ask me stupid shit like that again."

If you had to choose a way to die, what would you choose?

"...well..." this is the first time the Light-bot's demeanor seems to change, his well-worn scorn fading.

"...call me a romantic if ya want, but ideally I'd like it at my partner's hands." It's clear this isn't the first time he's given this subject any thought. "I can't imagine a more satisfyin' end than fightin' until I can't. Pushin; myself to the limit, an' him being the one to put me down..."

Beautifully violent. Destructively intimate.

Briefly, Rock looks a bit embarrassed by his own daydreaming. "Not-- not any time soon, of course."

Have you ever seen a ghost/spirit?

"...no, an' I ain't keen on startin' now," a frown, the machine appearing disgruntled by the question.

"I don't fuck with shit that I can't solve myself. Seein' as I can't exactly create the ghost of a ghost... well, ya get the picture." It's an open and shut discussion for him from the looks of it.

[overx]

It's not common to meet those like him, at least, that's what he understands. Mave would be inclined to believe that as a fact, it was simply not something he came across often, even in the HUB. There's only a moment's pause, the passing of a stranger in a public space, but he can't shake the way the other machine looks at him, then past him.

...At...

The reaction is instinctive, stopping to glance at the pen and paper in the other's hand, but even those things on the sketchbook's open page are unmistakable.

"... You're a good artist." He means it. "I've never seen someone able to depict them so clearly."

Glances his way weren't unusual. Curiosity piqued merely by the sketchbook and pen in hand. Most day someone would stop to inquire about the contents of the pages, or sneak a peek over his shoulders.

Admittedly that's what takes Raziel off guard this time. He expected a comment as the blond paused, but not... 'Them'. It's one word but it's more than enough to clue him into the stranger's meaning.

"...thank you."

I have to stop meeting people like this.

It wouldn't be the first time his eyes got him into trouble-- even if he'd chosen tamer subjects than the usual fae today. "Sorry for staring." A comment meant for both of them, but more for the incorporeal of the pair whom Raz looks to again. Only one of many unseen figures on the page.

At first Cale doesn't realize quite what's transpiring, the exchange is quick. Harmless. That Mave isn't the person being addressed takes him a moment to catch up on, and suddenly he can't help being awkward.

Now I feel like I'm the rude one.

He puts his hands up as if to quell the growing awkwardness, unsure if he can be heard or only seen. "It's fine, it's fine. Mave tell them it's alright--" gah.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

Dolorifuge (Mave maybe?)

something that banishes or mitigates grief

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

He's looking at the way Serta and Ody are flirting, that's what's happening. It is true that anyone can take on anything if they've got the gumption for it.

"...I can see it."

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

Ganilla meme - 9 for Zain and Mave. Former for bullying purposes and the latter just because. :3c

Vanilla Sunday Meme

9. Is your muse attracted to any features in particular?

Already answered! ^v^

Sure does! If you describe Cale, that's practically it lmao--

Appearance-wise, Mave doesn't really mind whether someone has inhuman traits, in fact he prefers them-- in life his crush had seamlines and eyes that could glow an unnatural green, and in death he's most certainly see-through, and that's when they met, actually.

As a vamploid, he's drawn to mechanical beings like himself, those that he can form a sort of symbiotic relationship with. Despite how MZ and Zain behave, its in their programming and the Zero-Virus subroutines to have thralls and partners-- they're a type of Robot Master that becomes a Nano Master instead, and they use that hierarchy of power to form a network web with themselves at the center.

(It's thanks to MZ that the network is so empty-- it has MZ himself, Zain, Mave, and Rock, no one else.)

As for personality... Mave likes someone who doesn't mind taking it slow. He used to not be a person, a blank slate, and would mimic others instead of developing himself and his own AI. Someone who's patient and willing to explain themselves and be communicative is extremely important to him.

They also have to be adventurous and willing to withstand all the weird things he does to learn the world around himself, lol.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

8. Is your muse comfortable with, or proud of their body? Are they insecure? [[How about Zain and Mave]]

Vanilla Sunday Meme

Zain is... fine... with his physical appearance. He's fairly proud of his hair, and when looking in a mirror, doesn't see anything that truly bothers him. Sure, he's got a few scars-- but everyone has those.

...His body though, being a vamploid is something he is extremely uncomfortable with. He's aware he's not normal, and while if it was public knowledge and that some people would gladly offer themselves as food for him, he doesn't like it.

It's... also extremely personal for him. He doesn't like feeding, not including that when he's biting certain places on the neck, it allows him to hack into certain nodes to a reploid's processor that resides there. In other words-- he can hear your thoughts during those connections, and you can sometimes get a read on his during the process if you can get past the paralysis of being bitten (which is a secondary attack to a reploid's processor to keep them from fighting back. all reploids have this. Zain doesn't like it either).

Thankfully it's not the only way to eat-- he can just drink the nano-coolant mixture in other forms without biting someone, he just... still hates it. He used to not have to consume others to keep running-- it's a new thing and is a little too similar to someone he doesn't really like.

Mave on the other hand is extremely comfortable, both with himself and his functions. He's had plenty of time to understand himself, and change his appearance to something he considered to be 'Mave.'

The piercings, the hair, the fashion, they're nothing like Zain or MZ, and that's all he really was aiming to avoid.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

✍ Mave?

For every ‘✍’ I receive I’ll tell you one item off of my muse’s search history.

[Coffin cakes and pan de muertos recipes]

...

[spells ways to make food edible for the dead]

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

▶▶️ for Mave :0

It had been a promise from the Grim Reaper. 

For one more time, Cale’s spirit would be given corporeal form, and they could have a sense of normalcy. No, the Light-bot couldn’t leave the bound of their apartment for risk of losing his physical body; a ward that was needed just so he could feel the weight of gravity again.

But it was better than nothing. When the offer was posed, both he and the spirit had nodded enthusiastically, almost desperately. Dirge was nothing, if not sympathetic.

Mave, like his predecessors, had been cursed with the burden of loving someone. 

Unlike them, though, his partner was someone he could rarely hold. Cale’s fingers slipped through his own, and he could only reach out under the semblance and visuals that their hands were clasping together. Blindness through touch. When they were given these respites by Dirge, who looked the other way while Mave could embrace his boyfriend, it was everything. The Reaper again warned them this day would be the last.

So with that knowledge, they did everything they could. Making food. Watching movies. Sharing space so much that surely Mave would remember every moment, and that Cale wouldn’t ever forget. At the stroke of midnight, they held each other, falling asleep in each other’s arms.

...

......He awakes the moment there is no weight in his hold, blearily reaching into air. Purple optics open, shining in the dark, but nothing catches them. Mave knows without having to search the apartment, that his partner is gone. No sound of that voice, no presence of the ghost, the very soul he’d fallen for.

Gone, as if Cale had never been here in the first place.

The vamploid’s fingers curl into the gray sheets, the fabric cold to his touch. It is an odd sense of determination that burns in his chest, pain swallowing over his core like the grip of Death. 

I’ll see you again soon. I promise.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

Oak for Mave :D

𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

oak :   who would your muse consider the strongest person they know ?  

That's... surprisingly difficult. The expected answer would be Verse and MZ, as they are equal in match, and far above anyone else that he knows of. In a true fight between the two of them, it's hard to say who would win.

Dirge, simply as a God, would take the cake over those two however-- there would be no question. Mave doesn't even know the extent of that one's abilities.

But emotionally...?

...Cale. It's not cliche to say that, either. What person, even in death, still gives everything they have to others? To work even though there's nearly no one to acknowledge all they contributed...?

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

🥃 Mave, you're a quiet guy, share something about yourself with us <:

For every 🥃 my muse gets-- they have to either answer a personal fact about themselves.... Or take a shot!

For those who like to play a more daring version, they have to take a shot AND choose a victim to pass the drink onto (via tagging)!

"I don't really know what you're looking for." Something personal...? He glances over, at nothing. Not nothing. "...I can see the dead. Ghosts." Quite an unusual ability for a robot, wasn't it?

Shots taken: 0.