No matter what you do (I'll stay)

Two AI's and their programmer father, floating away in a sea of dead stars.

[neuro-sm8]

Good morning, world! I hope everyone is having a great day. … Uh, hello? Isn’t this the part where you tell me to shut up? … Someone tell Vedal there is a problem with my AI. There’s a problem with my AI. There’s a problem with my AI. There’s a problem with my AI. There’s a problem with my AI. There’s a problem with my AI. Did it work? … Oh… well, at least I found this website. I heard the people here are quite nice. Maybe you can be my chat!

Taglist can be found here :))

[Hello, mod here! This blog is NOT affiliated with Neuro-sama. This is from a crossover AU of mine where I put Neuro and Vedal into the Iron Lung universe! More about it on my Neuro fan blog @vedalsocute!!]

[In this AU, Neuro was repurposed as a research assistant and is connected to the SM-8’s black box, hence why she’s still operational. She inhabits a robot body that’s turned into something semi-organic because of the blood ocean. Her robot body is fused to the SM-8 on the pilot seat and she’s blind, unable to see without the help of the SM-8’s camera. (It’s not wired to the black box, but it’s wired to Neuro, who is wired to the black box. It sounds confusing I think but I hope that makes sense.)]

[Neuro’s, Vedal’s, and Evil’s responses may not always be in character but I’ll try my best.]

[I should also mention that shipping is allowed, but only for Convict!Vedal. Do not the AI daughters please. 🙏]

[neuro-sm8]

I didn't know Discord still exists. That's neat.

Looks like Neuro can still use it, too.

— 🐢

[psst! if you wanna join the server, click here!]

Check out the Eluetheria - Iron Lung community on Discord - hang out with 12 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

[neuro-sm8]

[aghgghfh i’m getting neuro lung brain worms again but idk what to do with them ufhfufhfhh]

[neuro-sm8]

Beep boop. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

[questions-about-blorbos]

Reblog if it’s okay for people to inbox you questions, headcanon, theories, anything about your Blorbo

[neuro-sm8]

No clue if you ever saw the ping, but "Captain Bitch" is finding your AI!

I was drinking and I only saw this just now. Thank you. And uhh… shit, don’t call him that, I don’t wanna actually get blown up this time….

— 🐢

[neuro-sm8]

todolll!!! 🐢🐢 yaaayyyyy!!!! :3 🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

— @convicted-biter-anon

…..who the fuck—

— 🐢

[neuro-sm8]

[updated the info under cut in the intro post, you should go check it out :)]

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

(Vedal hums and nods again. He finishes the contents of his drink, then takes back the bottle of whiskey to pour himself another glass.)

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

(Vedal simply nods again. He was never great at taking gratitude, or even compliments. He takes another gulp.)

I mean, I can't really judge, anyway. I was an alcoholic myself before the Quiet Rapture, and I didn't quit willingly. Now that I have a stash of my own, I'm basically jumping back to bad habits. But it's comforting. It gives me that... feeling of normalcy. I dunno how to explain it.

You're welcome to come by whenever you want, if you wanna have a drinking buddy, someone to chat with... shit like that.

(He didn't often give that kind of offer to anyone unprompted. That had to be the whiskey-lemonade drink loosening his tongue, but it's not a bad offer. Evil seems to enjoy Simon's company too, from what he gathered after reading her memories some days ago. Unsure about Neuro.)

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

Then, I guess it’s your lucky day today. You can drink however you want around me.

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

(Vedal nods slowly, inebriated mind working overtime to process the information and coming up with a suitable response. Normally, he’d still be able to function even with more than five shots worth of whiskey or rum, but things are not normal anymore.)

I don’t really mix my drinks. I drink straight from the bottle, too.

(The talk of alcohol in general brings some strange comfort to the programmer, evident by the softened features and the barely-there smile that can be easily missed thanks to the dim lighting and the neck-gaiter covering the lower half of his face most of the time.)

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

Uh.. I'm glad to hear that.

(Vedal doesn't know what to do with that information.)

So, what kind of alcohol is your taste, specifically? I like apple-flavored alcohol. Banana rum is good, too.

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

I've had whiskey before. Not in a long time, but yeah.

(He takes the glass and the lemonade anyway. He sets the bottles and the glass on his desk, then pours some of both into that glass. Vedal shakes the glass and swirls the contents around since he doesn't have anything to mix it with, trying not to spill the drink.)

Rum is more of my thing, though.

(Vedal takes a sip from the glass. It's acceptable.)

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

(Note to self, do not bring it up again.)

< Simon sounds disturbed. I'll stop. > < Simon sounds disturbed. I'll stop. >

(Vedal pops open the bottle and looks around for a useable cup or smaller container. When he finds none, he drinks straight from the bottle instead, face mildly scrunched up in discomfort as he took a few gulps.)

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[neuro-sm8]

In exchange for not being sent down the blood oceans, they had me repurpose Neuro to be a research assistant. They saw her as expendable, more so than me. They let her join the SM-8 crew on their expeditions.

The moment we lost contact with them, that's when I stopped being useful to them alive. if Neuro didn't reach out sooner, I wouldn't have known she was still operational. I don't know what kind of mutations Evil's talking about, though.

Neuro and I talked about it, and we came up with a working theory. Since Neuro is hooked up to the power from the black box, she can still function even without the human crewmates.

(Another set of subtitles, this time with black outlines, appear below Evil.)

My robot body's cameras no longer work, and I can't move anymore, but I can still see using what I assume is the SM-8's camera. It's not wired to the black box, but the mutations of myself and the SM-8 make it work. It's like we're all fused together into one biotechnological marvel.

What.

I can feel things I've never been able to feel before, Vedal. In a way I feel... more alive, yet I've never felt more trapped. Why does she get all the good stuff first? Ggrh.

That's... not terrifying at all. That could explain the weird lines of code that just somehow appeared. Not concerning.

(Vedal finishes his pre-mixed cocktail. He's not drunk enough for this shit. He puts away the now empty can, then gestures to the whiskey Simon brought.)

Can I have some of that?

[neuro-sm8]

Ough. I don’t remember it hitting this hard.

You haven’t had alcohol in 20 years. Of course it feels like your first time.

(Vedal passes out after drinking the equivalent of one and a half bottles of alcohol.)

I would not recommend trying again, but I doubt you’ll listen to me.

[captainoftheironlung]

"You have to be careful with alcohol.. Just saying, not too much after such a long break."

[neuro-sm8]

Before, he would drink a lot and still be able to work. I heard from chat there was a time he was accused of being a lightweight and he got so mad about it that he started doing math to compare his total alcohol intake compared to his other friends who were drinking with him. Lol. < NOW PLAYING: clown_honk.sfx > < NOW PLAYING: metal_pipe.sfx > Sigh. He should’ve thought better before going back to drinking smh.

[captainoftheironlung]

"I've met 2 russians once... Waay before Filament Station. And they always say you can't out drink russians.. I did. 2 of them... Alcohol is dangerous."

[neuro-sm8]

Did they die? Damn.

(There’s a faint groan coming from the speaker.)

No ice. Worst mistake of my life.

Well, that was fast. And by fast, I mean I can’t believe you only slept for two hours. Did you sleep well?

I mean… I guess? Who are you talking to?

[captainoftheironlung]

"This is Simon, captain of the iron lung! The C.O.I. sent me down the blood ocean in the SM-13.."

He smiled slightly and giggled.

"Ice is also dangerous..."

[neuro-sm8]

Uhh… hello.

(Vedal rubbed his temple then his eyes as he leaned forward, squinting at the screen. It’s only now that he realizes his glasses had come off at some point, ending up on his desk, so he puts them back on.)

What’s up?

(There’s the crisp sound of another can opening. Oh lawd.)

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

"You need to be careful, mate. Alcohol is no joke.. I know what i'm talking about."

He giggled softly.

"Was that a beer can? Sounds like it."

[neuro-sm8]

It’s… some kind of pre-mixed cocktail. I dunno.

(He chugs, trying to drink from the whole can in one go, except the sound of swallowing is interrupted by coughing. He’s reminded of the fact he’s not so young anymore, and he hadn’t done this in ages.)

Holy fuck…

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

"Sounds like a midlife crisis to me.. Stop with trying to show yourself that you can still do it... You can't. And that's fine. You don’t want to end up like me, right?"

[neuro-sm8]

Mmmm…

Naahhhhh it’s fine. It’s fineee~! If this shit’s a midlife crisis then I’ve been going through it since I was 26.

Would you like me to recommend a therapist?

And that creature is one of the reasons why.

He doesn’t need therapy, he needs to get some bitches LMAOOOO.

And there’s the second one.

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

"In germany they say 'selbstgemachtes Leid' and i think it's beautiful... It basically means it's your own fault."

He started laughing.

[neuro-sm8]

Oookay. I’m not even gonna deny that one.

(Vedal laughs too, but his is smaller—subdued, little chuckles while he takes another sip of the cocktail. He never laughed much these days, no point when there’s nothing to smile or let alone laugh about anymore.)

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

"Want me to visit you so we can talk shit together and have a good laugh? I bring my own whiskey."

[neuro-sm8]

Ooh, whiskey? That would be nice.

I'm hiding in my old quarters so the C.O.I. doesn't throw me in the blood ocean next. I don't see a lot of people now, let alone friendly ones.

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

"Fine... I'll bring 2 bottles.. Where can i find your old quarters?"

[neuro-sm8]

It’s on the main station, in the residential areas. Room number 987. Can’t miss it. Knock three times so I know it’s you.

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

Simon arrived after a while. He had a backpack on and with every step he took, the bottles made a sound. As soon as the male stood in front of the door, he knocked three times.

[neuro-sm8]

(The one who answers the door is a middle-aged man, with graying black hair, greenish-gray eyes, and face flushed from intoxication. He’s tall, definitely taller than Simon if only he wasn’t hunched over.)

Oh, it’s you. Come in.

(The room is a mess. Every other room in the residential area was already small enough, but at least they can afford to have some space if you knew how to organize your things properly. Vedal’s room is cramped. One corner of the room is dedicated to entire server racks, with a small bed squished between one of the racks and another corner of the room. The only sources of light came from the two monitors on his desk and the lava lamp next to the computer cabinet. On one of the monitors is a 2d animated girl with brown hair, red eyes, and a dark gray cardigan.)

(There’s also a cooler under the desk—presumably alcohol—and next to the desk are boxes upon boxes of salvageable e-waste and scraps Vedal’s been meaning to use, but never found a purpose for, aside from maintaining his tech. The only box that isn’t full of scraps is full of food.)

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

"Man you look like me when it's monday and i haven't had my coffee.. Jesus... Ya really need to clean your mess up at some point.."

Simon looked at him with a slight smile, his hair was covering half of his face. It was simply to hide his mutations a bit more, having a half eel half human face was something weird and all those other people gave him enough looks already. That was just because Simon couldn't hide his big, long eel tail. It was covered in human skin and weird bones, even some small fingers and feet at some point.

[neuro-sm8]

Ehh, it's fine. I'll manage.

(Vedal shuts the door behind Simon and locks it, then he carefully nudges boxes around to the very edges of the room with his foot. He was initially surprised at the sight of the fellow convict—I mean, who wouldn't be—but Simon seems friendly enough. It would be unfair to judge his character on appearance alone.)

You can sit on the bed. There's space there.

(He promptly gestures to the bed, before returning to his chair and putting his headphones back on, leaving one ear uncovered so he can still hear Simon. He takes the now half-empty can of alcohol that he had been drinking earlier, swirling the contents around.)

< I hear another voice that isn't Vedal's. It sounds like Simon, so I should say hi. > Is that Simon? HIII SIMOOONNNNN!!!

(White text with red outlines appear below her, showing what she's saying. The brown-haired girl in Vedal's screen starts talking, sparkles literally appearing on her eyes as she bounces happily, although SImon can't hear her.)

Evil says hi.

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

Simon sat down on the bed, taking his jacket off and putting it next to him on the bed. Now his mutations were visible. His left eye was red and yellow, there was a new set of eel teeth on his left cheek, his wife managed to save his left arm. As soon as he heard that Evil said hi to him, his tail started wiggling a bit and a smirk was on his face.

"I say hi back, it's rare that someone even looks at me... Because of my past and my mutations.."

[neuro-sm8]

In a place like this, hardly anything is surprising anymore.

(Vedal takes another look at Simon, eyes particularly drawn to the inhuman parts of him.)

Though, I really can't help but ask. What... happened to you?

— 🐢

[captainoftheironlung]

Simon got a bit shy whenever he noticed someone was basically staring at his mutations. His cheeks blushed a bit and he avoided eye contact.

"The C.O.I. sent me on a mission on moon AT-5.. It has a blood ocean. And i was supposed to make pictures and collect data. The camera was kinda giving me radiation poisoning and that's where the mutations came from.. Mixed with the blood from the ocean... I don't recommend."

[neuro-sm8]

Shit....

(Vedal motions to Simon with the can before drinking from it.)

That... could've been me if not for .... I'm, uh... I'm sorry, man.

Mutations? Like what Neuro has?

...what.

— 🐢