The World Cup and my birthday are just around the corner, so I did this
Francisco wouldn't be a good player because he's bad at team sports, but he likes to pick up trash from the ground and do tricks with his feet. He also does it with other people's belongings as a joke, but only when it's a trusted friend (probably only Nurzhan)
This is also a reference to my schoolmates. They used to play during recess using empty bottles as football balls, and the teachers got angry because running wasn't allowed. That was many, many years ago... I'll be 26 on June 5th so this is like a self-gift
I'VE DONE IT!!! Actually I might add another sketch but I don't have the time rn ANYWAYS welcome to the FINAL part of
Kiran and Seamus
Part 1 here
Part 2 here
(You're reading Part 3)
Excited to deliver the last of this story (for now ;) and these are some of my favorite sketches I've done so!!! Let's goo!!!
Part 3: The real ending
A new visitor!
The cat's appearance in the city reawakened a tiny bit of wonder in everyone. His meowing and chirping was unique, soothing even, and his presence raised many questions. And as a pursuer of the studies about organic lifeforms, the bot who especially took interest in the cat was none other than Kiran.
After a rather... awkward first impression, which will be talked about in a different post, Kiran decided to help the two newcomers and give them as much information as they could on anything they asked for. They taught B-12 and the cat about the Outsiders, their formation, their plans and their downfall. In return, B-12 and the cat helped the Slums contact Zbaltazar, then pulled Seamus out of his trance, got his help on finding the tracker and, ultimately...
Rejoice - Doc is back!!
His return was shocking. Bots’ emotional responses were delayed a whole couple of minutes while they processed that they're seeing Doc because he's really there. He's back. He's alive.
The greeting played out like in canon: first was Seamus, then those who were closest to the doors, and so on. Eventually it would also be Kiran's moment.
I royally fucked up the scales here please ignore that😭 Kiran is the smallest, smaller than Seamus too
And it goes uncharacteristically fast. A simple “I'm SO happy to see you again” as if greeting him after a particularly busy work day. Without even a hug. Kiran hurried off before Doc could form a proper sentence, using a poor excuse in an attempt to hide the drama that went down while he was gone. But all it did was tell him that something went horribly wrong.
The cat leaves for Midtown and Doc continues reuniting with the Slums. Days later, he could no longer stand Kiran's acting. They were a completely different person from what Doc remembered. He could hardly get a conversation with them going, and was presented with more bullshit excuses every time he tried to bring up their behavior. Confused and worried, he vented to Seamus one day.
“Oh, right. They're probably still feeling bad for nearly killing you. They'll get over it.”
And Seamus received the most panicked look he'd ever seen on his father.
First of all, what do you mean “they'll get over it”? We all know they won't. And more importantly… what do you MEAN “for nearly killing you”??
Do you FINALLY realize it's not their fault??
What followed was an intense discussion about what happened in Doc's absence, ending with an argument between the two. Seamus still firmly held onto that belief and Doc knew that it was all nonsense, and he refused to let Seamus get away with it. Demanding he apologizes to Kiran immediately, Doc received more angry insults from Seamus before he left for the bar again. There he sat once more with the person who comforted him the most during these times - Jacob.
This time Seamus didn't order a drink, and the two talked completely sober. To Seamus’ utter disappointment, Jacob took his father's side and was the next to suggest he reflects on these past few months. How he acted towards Kiran and why. And after that, see if it was in any way justified. Was Kiran truly as guilty as Seamus made them out to be, or was it all just a very backwards way of coping with his father's supposed death.
Days went by. Realisation slowly sunk in: perhaps two people supporting the same claim are doing so for a reason. Who else would say the same? he wondered. And he went to find out. Bot after bot, each one claimed, suggested, or declared that Seamus’ behavior was all wrong and Kiran didn't deserve it. After each feedback received, Seamus felt even more horrible than before. Finally, he'd speak with the Guardian - the most straightforward bot in the Slums and the biggest support Kiran had these days.
From his demeanor alone, Seamus knew that his apology to Kiran was longggg overdue.
Having realised his mistakes, Seamus began searching for the right way to apologize now not daring to be in Kiran's vicinity for a whole new reason: shame. He took it easy, sought help when he felt was needed, but did most of the work on his own. It was on him to take the responsibility and apologize for hurting a friend so badly they risked their life to hopefully get him back.
Well… He tried to take it easy. Until he learned of Kiran's plans for the near future.
Kiran was leaving. They finally sat down to process the cat's appearance in the city and they realised a couple of things, mainly that the Outsiders were right. And they intended on joining them now. Which means - leaving the Slums forever.
Receiving this news, Seamus panicked. His time for an apology was now or never. And, thankfully, he chose now.
Now
He barely caught them before they left. The two stood alone in the alley, and Seamus broke down crying, profusely apologizing for everything. For abandoning them. For accusing them of such horrible deeds. For not knowing better than to hurt them in hopes he feels some kind of short-lived relief. For causing so much stress and pain and for being completely oblivious to it, believing he had it worst because his father disappeared. For making their greatest fear a reality and not even realising that before someone else pointed it out to him. Everything was mentioned. Everything.
Kiran was stunned, but more so glad to be hearing it. His apology, which they didn't believe they'd ever receive, made them feel seen too after months and months of absolutely no contact with their longtime friend.
And they didn't take a moment to think about it.
… Come again? After causing the worst spiral they've ever had, it was this easy to accept Seamus’ apology?
It wasn't. But Kiran was thinking long-term about it. They're leaving now and… Probably will never return. Whether they live or die, there will be no going back to the Slums. Them and Seamus are currently seeing each other for the very last time.
Why would they part ways on a bad note? Would it really benefit either of them to hold grudges without any way to resolve the problem with each other? Kiran figured it wasn't. While they would prefer to give it time before accepting the apology, there was none left for this. And so, to put both of them at ease, Kiran forgave Seamus.
Besides…
… Kiran takes it as an enormous sin to be mad at someone they care about. Anger never knew their name. And they will keep it up as long as their systems are functional.
In the end, the two close friends made up, after years of fighting and avoiding each other... And promptly parted ways, never to see each other again.
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AND WE'RE FINISHED!!! Sorry it's a bit of a bittersweet note (more bitter than sweet in fact...) but not everyone can have a happy ending.
... Or can they😏
It's only a concept for now, but I have some ideas for Kiran and Clementine's return to the Slums after everything and reuniting with everyone. I still don't consider it canon but I really like the idea so I'll make it canon and you can't stop me!!!
As for now, this is a wrap on Kiran and Seamus' journey together. Thanks for reading as far as you did and for checking out the other parts as well!! This was fun to do maybe I could do it more often... We'll see we'll see...
As always for those who have made it all the way down here, have some more cookies🍪🍪🍪🍪 thank you for the interest once more and I hope you've enjoyed this one!! Have a good one✌️ Next up: preparing for Art fight probably augh...
I was smart this time so I wrote it beforehand🙂↕️ I didn't write this stuff after that lab experience today don't worry/lh
Anyways. This one is quite heavy so buckle up :) We're starting with something important about Kiran and then continuing on the story. So without further ado, here's:
Part 2: Like fixing broken glass with a dried up gluestick
Extremist much...
There's something you should know about Kiran. A part of them that has, on multiple occasions, nearly completely ruined them and distorted their sense of self. All in an attempt to keep the peace between the people that they know.
Kiran is terrified of conflicts.
Disagreements, fights, simple misunderstandings… All equally capable of turning them into an anxious mess with no ability to think about themselves and what would be best for them. At the slightest hint of an argument, Kiran will do everything in their power to prevent it. The worse the conflict is, the more concerning their methods for de-escalation are. Those may include: abandoning their hobbies, distancing themselves from other bots (but NOT cutting anyone off), changing how they act no matter how drastic and unreasonable it might be… Nothing is off the table when Kiran wants to resolve a fight and make up for their mistakes.
Absolutely. Nothing.
Their sudden falling out with Seamus, which they couldn't even try to predict before it was too late, sent them in a spiral they could only hope to get out of. For a few days, they wouldn't even go out of Clementine's apartment. (note: following Doc's supposed death, Clementine and Zbaltazar also left for their mission. They're no longer in the Slums at this point in the story.) They hardly spoke. It was common to hear sobbing coming from this room. There was a lot to process; a lot of major, devastating changes that happened over the course of only a couple of days. And for a while, they could only cry over what has been lost. They cried after Clementine. After Zbaltazar. After Doc.
After Seamus.
Kiran's grieving process is a strange one. Denial doesn't last long. Depression replaces anger. And then comes bargaining...
Bargaining
Kiran's bright idea on how to end this fight between them and Seamus was highly unreasonable and would never have even been considered by someone with a clear mind. But Kiran… They were desperate. Desperate for some sense of normalcy that the only way out they could see was:
Go out there and find Doc. Dead or alive. Doesn't matter. Find him at all costs and do NOT think of returning without him.
Everyone in the Slums - NOT excluding Kiran - knew that Doc was dead. Once he was out of the safe zone, nobody knew where exactly he'd headed off to. The chances of finding even his dead body were next to none considering he'd been working with Zurks. But that didn't matter to Kiran. They wanted him back - now. So they took it upon themselves to bring him back. Obviously, all of their attempts ended as failures.
But shouldn't there have been only one attempt? As they vowed to not return until Doc is found?
To say the least, the rest of the Slums didn't support this mission of theirs. While Kiran was more than capable of surviving on their own in the Dead city by now, it was rightfully assumed that this time would be different. It was an act of pure recklessness and despair for fixing “their” mistakes - they put everything and everyone before their own wellbeing. Their death was almost 100% certain. Which is why the Guardian kept going after them and bringing them back before it was too late.
He'd find them in a new spot every time, but always the same direction from the safe zone. Each time Kiran would sell him a story about how they're “so close to finding him” and “need just to put in a bit more time and effort” and are “completely fit for doing this” (with their cooling fans audibly struggling to maintain their system temperature). But Guardian would always come out of this conversation as the winner, and Kiran was brought back to the safe zone. However, their final expedition was… especially hard to put an end to.
… Acceptance
None of the Guardian's usual arguments worked. Kiran was ready this time; denied all of his words, drowning out his voice with their own shouting, and were clearly seconds from bolting away from him and losing him in a chase. Guardian knew that he might as well forget about ever seeing them again if they do run away.
So he chose a different approach - a wordless one.
Gently, yet firmly enough to hold them still against their will. These types of hugs usually ground them - and Guardian picked it up from Clementine…
The surge of emotions from that move alone, combined with the load they've already been carrying before it, nearly had them fainting in Guardian's arms. It took minutes for their sobs to start going quiet, and then minutes for them to fully fade into silence. Only then the Guardian delivered the harsh truth Kiran had been consciously running from this whole time:
“Doc's death is his fault, and his fault alone. There is nothing you need to fix here… There is nothing you can fix about it.”
And before he thought they'd have another crying fit, Kiran let out a deep, shaky sigh.
“Okay.”
The rest of their responses were purely via gestures. Zero words. Guardian gently guided them back to the safe zone and asked them to promise never to leave it for this reason again, to which they readily replied with a nod - defeated, but not reluctant. As he watched them walk away, arms limp at their sides and head bowed, Guardian finally realised it's over. Kiran lost all motivation. He would never have to leave for the Dead city and search for them again. They've abandoned the mission.
Consequently, they've abandoned everything.
“Death” of Kiran
With Kiran giving up all hope, the Slums have hit a whole new low. The one bot who was known for keeping their spirits up despite the crushing negativity surrounding the Slums - now completely drained of every last bit of joy, looking no different than other poor souls who have long abandoned hope. Everyone felt the impact- everyone felt the Slums actively dying, decaying, disappearing… They have lost many, but not necessarily to the Zurks. First was Doc, then Clementine and Zbaltazar at the same time, followed by Seamus, and finally… Even Kiran was gone.
The depressive state of the safe zone that is found in the game was greatly aided by all the events mentioned. All things considered, they've come pretty far. Perhaps it was finally time to accept their inescapable fate. Their impending doom, which seemed closer than ever now. Everyone knew it would come one day.
… Or will it?
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YOU DID IT!!! You made it to the end of another one of these lore posts!! Have a whole jar of cookies this time I know this one was something else... sorry😔 for the cliffhanger too but I wasn't gonna leave you all on a negative note. trust i have a LOT left to say trust!! this ain't over!!!
Thank you for reading this far into the post I appreciate that sooo much🙏🙏 The responses I got on the first part were so nice I'm happy to see people invested :DD Hope you liked this one too (and didn't walk out of it emotionally scarred/silly) and I'll see yall in the final part (or another random college post I make). Have a good one!! 🫡
Welcome to part 1 of Infodumping about my Stray AU!!!! The topic of this line of posts is....
Kiran and Seamus
These two have quite a story to tell and I will do my best to explain it to the best of my abilities while also keeping the posts at a reasonable length. And yes. I HAVE considered putting it all in one post, but I know myself. Start yappin once and never hear the end of it
So without further ado, here's Part 1 of Kiran and Seamus' story :]
Part 1: Beginning and end
Introduction to the situation
Seamus and Doc didn't live together when Kiran met Doc. Seamus moved out at some point and lived on his own somewhere further from the current safe zone. A Zurk attack put this part of the Slums off limits and forced Seamus (among with the very few survivors) to move closer to the elevator again. Doc readily welcomed Seamus to his home again, thankfully saving him the hassle of having to find a new place to live in.
This is also why Seamus never found Doc's secret lab before the cat - it was built during Seamus' absence LOL
Before Seamus moved back in, Doc formed a partnership with Kiran who had proved themselves a competent researcher and a fellow science enthusiast. Even though their fields didn't match, they still enjoyed working together, sharing equipment, and also learning about each other's interests along the way. They'd become very close working together.
Some might even say they were closer than Doc and his own son.
Relationships
Seamus and Doc have very little in common. Seamus takes more interest in fiction over non-fiction and entertains himself by reading and writing short stories and poems. He's very artistic - Doc is not. He's an inventor and has no time to waste on reading something that won't help him with his research. Bit of a workaholic, too. So he was overjoyed when he met Kiran and finally had someone who would go on endless rants about science with him.
Unfortunately, the two made Seamus feel left out in the process (see picture 1. This is becoming a science textbook omg/j) Seamus could contribute to their conversations as much as a floor lamp in the corner of the appartment could. And he felt like one too. So in order to feel less unimportant, he started going out every time Kiran visited. His search for a place where he'd be more noticed was short; not like there are many options left in the Slums at this point... And besides, the Dufer Bar was an obvious first choice. So, Seamus kept coming to the bar every time, becoming (somewhat) friends with Jacob (the bartender) who will remember this soon-to-be regular quite quickly.
In the meantime, the science duo caught on to what Seamus was doing (Kiran realising first that he'd leave every time they arrived). They both realised they'd been unintentionally leaving him out of their conversations and decided to fix it. "We'll sit down with him and apologize when he comes back" was Doc's plan... But Kiran's subconsciousness was having none of it.
Disappointed in their lack of awareness to Seamus' feelings, and worried that he must hate them because of this, Kiran could no longer focus on their work. They'd realised as well that there was very little interaction between the two of them - which is absurd given how often they visits this place! Not even 5 minutes following this realisation, Kiran was out of the appartment hurriedly making their way to the bar.
Finally more art hufffff.. go look at it while I regain my breath/silly
At the bar, Kiran asked to have a chat with Seamus, to which he hesitantly agreed. This is where Kiran apologized for being so infatuated with their and Doc's work that they managed to leave him completely ignored. They made sure to show that they realised how badly it hurt to be left in the dust like that, and that they wanted to do better moving forward. Feeling seen after their apology, Seamus decided to give them another chance and the two decided to start over.
And so they spent a day at the bar with mostly Kiran speaking - but not about science and their discoveries. They talked about Seamus' interest. The stories he reads and what he loves about fiction. Why he writes his own stories too. He even recommended some books to Kiran who will eventually actually read them and be able to properly discuss them with Seamus.
FRIENDSHIP!!
Things changed drastically following this interaction: Doc's house became less of a workshop and more of a place to hang out at (with some work being done here and there). I imagine Kiran and Seamus are mentally around the same age (hopefully I can talk about robot consciousness and my headcanons soon too...) so they became close pretty quickly, going out together and, eventually, causing chaos wherever they go/lh
Kiran encouraged Seamus to come out of his shell. He got to meet other bots of the Slums through Kiran (while he knew about all the (remaining) residents, he never really spoke to any of them). Soon there would be a group of "younger" bots parading around the Slums, joking around and having fun. Mito, Vapora, Roshee, Swanito... Along with Kiran and Seamus, of course. The group brought some life back to the Slums. They couldn't fix any of the major problems, but their sheer energy and the way they could find joy even in such a dire situation helped the rest of the Slums feel a little more hopeful. Like everything will be okay; and if not, at least they still lived a happy life despite the circumstances.
Outside of group hangouts, Kiran and Seamus grew even closer: Kiran continuing to read the books suggested to them - and even some of Seamus' works once he was comfortable sharing them - and Seamus even learning a little about zoology and botany! They'd do almost everything together (working with Doc, training with Clementine, hanging out at the bar, even reading in silence...). They were inseparable and the Slums knew that.
... You're probably expecting shit to go Very downhill from here.
And you're so in the right to do that. Let's go-
Doc's departure
As the Outsiders formed and Doc joined as well (Kiran didn't, but was helping with the Zurk research), things became a little tense in the family. Seamus was nervous about this change... His father in the Outsiders? Does he plan on leaving the Slums? Does he not know the Outside isn't real?... The answers are yes, yes and he doesn't believe in that theory. So, no.
And so Doc took his Defluxor and ventured into the Dead city to test it out - never returned. When his tracker broke down, it was interpreted as his death.
Things changed around the Slums after this. The place went quiet. Everyone grieved the loss, and Seamus was absolutely devastated. But those weren't all of the significant changes...
Seamus did not take it well.
The cold shoulder
Inexplicably, Seamus became especially distant from Kiran. Actively avoiding them, refusing to speak with them, and giving them harsh looks in case he was forced to acknowledge them. Nobody understood why. Not even Kiran. They desperately tried to find out if anybody knew anything- anything that might have made Seamus so resentful towards them... But nobody did. Only way to get the answers was to force a conversation about it with the very person who avoided it the most.
It happened in the center of the safe zone, for all to see and hear. Kiran demanded they're told why Seamus avoids them, and he delivered.
It's their fault. They knew all of Doc's plans and never opposed them, including the one that lead to his death. They didn't save Doc. They let him march right into his death. Doc died because of Kiran.
Try as they might to reason with him, Seamus did not want to hear a word from them. He said his part and stormed off, leaving everyone in complete shock and bafflement. And Kiran had it worst - so terrified of this sudden switch and accusations that they started to believe Seamus was right...
My first Guardian hehehe :] I had so much fun drawing this one also Kiran is comically small compared to him/lh
A lot of the witnesses decided to step up and reassure them that Seamus is full of shit and just wanted to blame someone for the awful things he feels right now. A horrible way to cope, really. But everyone knows Kiran, and everyone knew Doc. They all knew Kiran had absolutely nothing to do with Doc's death. Deep down, Seamus knew this too.
Logically, also, Kiran knew this as well.
... but a mind under the influence of such heavy feelings is anything but logical.
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And that's a wrap!! This was a LONG one haha but rest assured, I believe this one will be the longest of the (hopefully/lh) three posts in this series. I figured it was time I started posting more lore about my Stray AU because BOY do I have a lot to say. So here's a big chunk of it that may not stay relevant later in tje story but... may still show itself in some parts here and there.
You'll see. Especially with the next two posts, because they will explain a huge part of Kiran's character. You will see :)
OKAY enough with the yappin for now!! If you are here. reading this. uh. thank you SO much but also are you okay?? /silly either way thank you for reading!! have a cookie🍪
Artfight render from last year for my bestie & cowriter @mrtreesnek !! Wythe and Dolly are the best friends ever forever and it’s sad that I don’t talk about xem nearly enough 😭
If you’re familiar with my Blazer backstory ramble, you know about Zeke- Eddie’s first apprentice/adoptee; a bright orange bot who brought Eddie & Blazer together… until she made the fatal mistake of attempting to enter the sewers alone.
Eddie’s devastation about losing them was deep, especially since Zeke’s mother Karen- who hated Eddie with a burning passion- continued to blame and berate him for years after her son’s death.
Far later, after the city opens, Dolly would meet Wythe online; playing games together before moving to chat privately, and the two grow extremely close. Wythe tells her about its long lost older brother, who its mom won’t even mention but plenty of people around the slums seem to recall fondly. Dolly suggests xe talk to her grandpa Eddie about them- he knows just about anyone- and Wythe agrees.
Payton answers the door to a small, bright orange bot with a white screen asking for Eddie.. and nearly begins to panic. The similarities between the two are terrifying- did Karen clone Zeke?
Xe explain that xyr name is Wythe and xe don’t actually know much about Zeke, and Payton decides to give xem Eddie’s number rather than introduce them outright; it’s been years, but the grief is still raw on its shoulders.
The two talk for a while (Eddie speaks minimally, but types in MLA formatted paragraphs) and eventually Eddie allows xem to visit his workshop. The sight of xem is still.. rather jarring.. but even moreso is how quickly Wythe found Eddie’s work fascinating- just like its sibling, Wythe wants to become his apprentice.
Eddie is hesitant, but with Payton’s encouragement he allows the bittybot closer to his heart— teaching it mechanics, hospitality, and how to fight- which would help xem get out of a good handful of sticky situations.
Leading a secret night-life away from xyr overbearing mother- Wythe starts to grab its own life by the horns, taking on a very punk & anti-fascist aesthetic to match its growing belief in the power of community. Eddie and Payton set a very good example of what it means to be there for people, both physically and emotionally; and Wythe makes it xyr to goal to follow in their footsteps.
That’s not all for Wythe’s story; but I’ll leave the rest in the air for now :)
Math teacher is in tomodachi too, I talked a little about her in Francisco and B-12's posts, she deserves a whole new lore drop
Btw tomodachi Lena and B-12 are dating. B-12 completely humiliated himself with a cringe poem when he confessed his feelings, I love him sm
They have wanted to get married for a long time but they never dare to propose 😭 In my stray headcanon they aren't a couple, they like each other but don't dare to confess their feelings, so it's lowkey accurate
