Something BIG is coming this June!
Get inside, lock the doors and keep track of all your belongings.
We will check back in a week to see how this situation develops.
"The time is now, the hero is you!"
Early FusionFall Character Guide pages for Dexter, Dee Dee, and Mandark. EDIT BECAUSE I FORGOT COMPUTRESS!
Okay so, the working title for DexLabs was "Dextech".
Dexter and Mandark are 14, and Dee Dee is 17.
Dexter became a full hermit after getting rich, spending his days at the underground level of the laboratory with Computress as his only company, to the point he felt uncomfortable around other humans, until the war required him to get out more.
"Artificial Life" is the big scientific pursuit, leading to the creation of Nanos.
DexLabs first commercial success was the "Pink Pony PDA", which was Dee Dee's idea.
Mee Mee and Lee Lee were implied to be in the game.
Dee Dee writes/reads Fanfic lmaooo #WeStan
Mandark got the idea for researching Imaginary Energy from watching Dee Dee play with her Imaginary Friend on a surveillance camera.
Dexter was credited alone for the creation of Nanos, so Mandark is working on making his own perfected Nano using Imaginary Energy. In The Future, the recruit brings the Nano technology to The Past, which formula uses Imaginary Energy, and both scientists are credited.
Nothing new on Computress, but she remains the Queen of Taking No Nonsense 💅
Source:
"FusionFall 2006-2007: Character Guide" at Archive.org
Enter at your own peril, past the vaulted door where impossible things may happen, that the world’s NEVER seen before!
Been waiting to do this one for a long time. A new Earth One wallpaper featuring Dexter’s Laboratory! The show that started it all! Kicking off the Cartoon Network Universe and opening the door for Warner Bros’ legacy of modern animation!
Background art collaged with concept art from Dexter’s Laboratory and FusionFall.
As always, you can find the first story in this series right here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11418172/1/Cartoon-Network-Universe-Earth-One-FusionFall
Previously on Cartoon Network...
Coming up on Cartoon Network...
When Dexter first moved away from Genius Grove, it became clear almost immediately that he couldn’t take everything from his old lab with him, especially not the then huge and immobile Computress. This wasn’t something Dexter could easily accept, as Computress had been his long-time companion since childhood--arguably, one of his only companions, given how he struggled to fit in with his peers. This pushed him to create a mobile body for her, the one we’re familiar with in-game.
While Dexter’s Laboratory did poke fun at the idea of Dexter being in-love with Computress, based on some of their other interactions in the show, I’d like to think of their relationship being more familial. Computress has always had a more mature personality and isn’t against scolding Dexter, as seen in episodes like “Game for a Game.”
This more familial aspect can be played further when we compare her and her relationship with Dexter to Dee Dee. They can act almost as foils of each other: Computress assists Dexter with his work, listens to what he says/orders, and--as a machine--can be very practical, while Dee Dee can be more spiritual, impulsive, and regularly ruins Dexter’s inventions. That isn’t to say that she and Dee Dee would be constantly at odds, but it is possible that a large inspiration for her design was in response to Dee Dee’s personality. Dexter might’ve built Computress partly out of a desire for how he wished Dee Dee would behave: Someone that would help him in the lab instead of destroying it and act as a calm, rational, and mature figure in his life. However, there are times when Dexter himself does not act in a mature way, again referencing “Game for a Game,” so Computress will agree with Dee Dee on some issues as nervous as she is to have her in the lab. In short, Computress can almost stand-in as an older sister herself to the both of them as much as she is Dexter’s assistant.
Computress’ AI has had years to develop, meaning she acts in the most natural way to a human compared to the other robots in Tech Square. Many of the Dexbots were designed to handle specific tasks, such as retail or customer service, which they’ve single-mindedly focused on since their creation while Computress was always at Dexter’s side for whatever he needed, be it laboratory assistance or just being someone to vent to. She has firsthand experience truly living among humans and seeing how they behave in various situations, and she has been deeply cared for as an individual in-turn. Since having a mobile body, she’s only gained more experiences outside of the lab and away from Dexter, interacting with a much larger pool of people than ever before.
The FusionFall manga reveals that she has had a small crush on Professor Utonium; however, her feelings weren’t mutually shared. Since no mention of this is made in-game, it’s possible that it was either a just throw-away joke or those feelings faded by the time of the war. What’s important about this though is that is reveals her AI has developed enough to have an emotional understanding of romance. Meanwhile, as a side-note, there are other robots featured in-game that we learn have their own romantic attraction to Computress, but there’s no mention of her being aware of or returning their feelings.
Computress does see the benefits of Dexter coming to rely on other beings outside of herself or his family circle for support. She recognizes it mostly as “it’s not healthy for humans to isolate” though, so she won’t really push the matter outside of the occasional comment. Because of this--and it being part of her job since Dexlabs was established--she’s typically friendly and helpful toward the company’s employees. Others know her to act with a strong level of professionalism in whatever she does.
She can access the main systems in both the new and old labs while still mobile. This allows a constant and swift line of communication between Tech Square and Genius Grove, with little occurring at the bases at either location without her knowledge.
The events of the Future show just how much trust and care Dexter has for her. While Dexter stays behind during the Battle of Tech Square, Computress travels with us to Sector V. This shows that, despite her role as his assistant, he was willing to prioritize her safety by having her evacuate even if he could’ve used her help. Furthermore, it is Computress that instructs us and largely carries out Dexter’s orders to recreate the time machine, meaning that Dexter put our well-being--and, by extension, the well-being of Earth--in her hands.
Due to how Dexter struggles socially, but nevertheless was placed in a heavy leadership position in the Fusion Fighters, it makes sense for Computress to have taken on a good chunk of his duties there so the role wouldn’t overwhelm him. The instructions she gives us over the course of the game can stand in as pre-recordings of motivational speeches and instructions Dexter would’ve supposedly given. While Dexter might put down vast amount of data with extremely thorough explanations, Computress could summarize it in a clean and easy to understand way, delivering information to the army as needed. This role is further reflected by her presence at the Academy, handling missions there. This makes her a just as easily recognizable face among the force.
And all throughout the rest of the day-every hour, at a frequent least of every fifteen minutes-her first beloved would talk to his mechanical, almost sentient assistant. What they discussed, she did not know; all she could see were his lips move as he spoke to either a comically oversized computer screen or its detailed-oriented body. Depended on if he wanted to work in one place or had to be on the move.
She followed right behind them. Behind each screen crafted by his hands, the sweat that was secreted from each thread of skin, and the blood that would mistakenly seep out from a rushed, wishful rarity. Oftentimes, she pretended to know what they were saying, perhaps in a desperate attempt to hear his voice once more. Her memory of it was slipping, she feared, but she thanked the strings of fate for letting her see him as much as she wanted.
“What are you making today, my beloved?” her empty voice called out. A hand reached toward the screen. She rubbed a thumb over his figure, which was working tirelessly from afar. A smile stretched on her lips as her eyes trailed from him and to the golden brown color of her hand; if it weren’t for his light, she would have forgotten what she had looked like. “Do you know what I look like?”
It’s not him, you idiot. This one has no idea you exist. The one you once wanted to become one with thinks you’re dead.
...Even so...
Was it all in vain? She could do whatever she wants now. At least, soon, she will. Maybe once Nimmy has proven to be successful with the CORE, both of them could visit here, in the world born from unfortunate memories.
Memories that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
He stood up, and a smile graced his face. She felt her half burst with joy; it was a smile to die for. Maybe literally, in this case. The giant screen in front of him glowed, displaying blueprints of technology she couldn’t really understand.
