#the genoslings

[vote-sensei]

Mini Me

So

G’s been workin’ real hard to make costumes for the bots

They’re gonna dress up like me...

Was kinda weird at first but

‘s cute y’know?

They look like Genos but they wanna dress up like me

They’re gonna look real cute

Wish I looked that cute bald, heh

‘s gonna be a good halloween. 

This was Saitama

[vote-sensei]

Existence

Maybe it was the number of ghost decorations that triggered it, but post-Halloween, the Genoslings have had a lot of questions about life, and death, and what it means to exist. 

“Where do ghosts come from?” Morph asked, once the party was over and my Saitama and I were helping the bots prepare to rest. 

It’s rare for Morph to ask many questions, as they tend to be the type to quietly observe (and take on board far more details than necessary). However, the question drew the attention of the other bots, and it emerged they had been discussing it. 

My Saitama and I looked at each other.

“Ghosts’re just dead people who’ve got unfinished business on earth!” my Saitama said, before I could explain to the bots that ghosts aren’t real. 

The bots hummed, and then Glo stuck up a hand. “What’s dead?” 

“It’s when you stop being alive,” my Saitama told her. 

Jan frowned. “But we aren’t alive,” they said. “We’re AI robots.”

“We’re not fleshy people who breathe and stuff,” Bug agreed. “Or like, beetles. We don’t have enough legs to be beetles.” 

“Must be dead then,” Lucky clasped his hands and pouted. “I don’t wanna be a ghost...” 

“We aren’t ghosts,” Dot wiped at a smear of oil on her costume. “Can’t be ghosts if we’re robots.” 

Clover tilted her head. “Dad-sensei, if we aren’t alive ‘cos we’re robots and we aren’t ghosts does that mean we’re dead?”

Pao fired up his fingertip blaster. “Can I still burn stuff if I’m not alive? What’s alive anyway?” 

Saitama raised his brows. “Genos’ll explain.” 

“Saitama,” I hissed. I tugged him away from the bots. “You started this! You can explain!”

“Nah, you’re better at this stuff and I gotta go to the bathroom, see ya.” He clapped me on the shoulder and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. 

“Moooom,” Dot tugged on my shirt. “Dad-sensei’s not being logical, what’s dead and alive?” 

“You aren’t dead,” I said. Sitting down, I motioned for the bots to gather around. I didn’t know how to explain things like death and life to young minds, and it seemed strange to me that Dad Kuseno had taught the bots many other topics, but not about basic human things such as life and death.

They really were like small children, and I hoped I could explain sufficiently. 

I glanced over them. “For humans, being alive means to have breath and a heartbeat, and a working brain.” 

“What about bugs?” asked Bug. “Is it when they’re crawling around?” 

Not knowing much about bugs, I nodded. “That’s right.” 

“What about Bug?” Pao prodded him. “Is he alive?”

“All of you are alive,” I confirmed. 

Jan pulled out a notebook and pencil, and started writing in it. “How’re we alive? We don’t breathe or have hearts or brains, and we don’t crawl about.” 

They were certainly asking the big questions tonight. I contemplated it, doing my best to remember Dad Kuseno’s designs of the bots, and what I’d seen of their construction before they were activated. 

“You’ve all got brains,” Saitama rejoined us and plonked down. 

Lucky immediately climbed into his lap. “But we don’t though?” 

“Yeah ya do. How else do you think?” 

“But our thinking’s in our coding,” Dot peered at him. “Does that mean our brains are computers?” 

“Then computers are alive too!” Glo exclaimed, as eight pairs of eyes swivelled to where the laptop rested upon the table.

I shook my head. “You’re alive because you’re self aware,” I told them. 

“Yeah!” Saitama ruffled Lucky’s hair. “You’re alive ‘cos you know you are.” 

The bots fell quiet, a look of concentration on their faces that suggested they were having a conversation over their wireless communication protocols. 

“...But... But what if a ghost thinks it’s alive, does that make it alive not dead?” Morph sounded sleepy, their words slower than before. 

Getting to my feet, I scooped them up. “Ghosts aren’t real,” I said. “Some people believe in them, but they’re made up to scare people.” 

“Ghosts aren’t scary...” Morph’s head dropped against my shoulder as their sleep protocol engaged. 

“That’s ‘cos they don’t exist!” Saitama grinned. “C’mon, kids. Looks like it’s bedtime.” 

“Wish bedtime wasn’t real,” mumbled Dot. 

We shepherded them to their room, and within seconds they were settled in place, systems in sleep mode. The soft hum of processors filled the room as their protocols filtered and sorted all the day’s new information, and my Saitama smiled. 

“They’re real cute, huh?” 

I nodded. “They are.”

“Sorry I bailed on you.” Catching my hand, he tugged me from the room. “They were askin’ lots of questions and I kinda panicked. You’re way smarter’n me and better at explaining stuff so...” he shrugged. “Sorry. I didn’t want to mess up.” 

I’d been a little irritated that he’d ‘bailed’ on a conversation he’d encouraged, but in light of his apology, I couldn’t be annoyed anymore. He’d thought himself unable to explain such a complex matter as existence.

“I was annoyed that you did that,” I told him. Now we had the bots to take care of, clear communication was more important than ever. “And now I understand why. I’m glad you came back when you did. The bots respond better to your way of explaining.” 

“Oh. Heh.” He gave an apologetic smile. “Next time they ask weird questions we’ll answer ‘em together?” 

“Yes.” Nodding, I looked around the apartment, at the Halloween decorations yet to be taken down. “I’ll finish tidying up, and start on dinner,” I said. 

Saitama shook his head. “That stuff can wait. Come chill for a bit. Then we’ll do that stuff together. It’ll be quicker.”

“But--”

“Genos. Chill with me.” 

I looked at him, and he wiggled his brows, a smirk spreading across his face. 

“Ah, chill,” I grinned and let him lead me to the futon, secure in the knowledge that the bots wouldn’t stir for hours.

[vote-sensei]

Eight Costumes for Eight Bots

It is the week of Halloween, and in between hero work, some necessary repairs following said hero work, taking care of the Genoslings and being a husband to my ever-incredible Saitama, I have finally completed the Genoslings halloween costumes. 

They all wanted to dress up like my Saitama. 

I attempted to convince them to each dress as one of his different looks, for some variation: Saitama in his hero costume, Saitama in his oppai hoodie, Saitama with his ‘hair’ shirt, Saitama in his pyjamas, Saitama as an unemployed salaryman with hair and a suit, as depicted on his old ID card, Saitama with hair and his training tracksuit from before he became strong, Saitama in his yukata, Saitama in his wedding suit-- all of them are iconic looks! 

But the Genoslings were united in their choice: they wanted to be “Dad-sensei in his hero costume.” 

Therefore I have sewn small versions of his hero costume, eight times over. 

My Saitama was surprised by their choice, and gained a lot of amusement out of watching me sew, which often happened late at night when it was just the two of us. 

“Heh, you’re sew awesome, Genos,” he said, poking at my hand-stitching. “Hehe, get it? Sew awesome? Anyway, you gonna come to bed? That’d be awesome, too.” 

I indulged him, of course. I have been so intent on producing the perfect recreation of his costume eight times over, that I may have neglected my husbandly duties somewhat. 

However, my Saitama continued to be amused by my making the costumes-- which lasted until he went to a cheap party store to buy eight pairs of red gloves and eight bald caps. 

He returned home with a pout on his lips and a bag full of gloves and bald caps in his hand.

“Shoulda ordered online,” he mumbled, dropping the bag down beside the completed costumes. “Woman in the store looked at me real funny. Called me a bad parent when I said they were for my kids.” 

Setting aside the last of the costumes, I frowned. “I shall contact the store and make a complaint,” I said. “It is not for her to judge what the customers are purchasing, and there is nothing wrong with children wanting to dress as a bald person they admire.”

He shook his head. “Nah, ‘s not worth the effort. People like that’re gonna be judgemental no matter what.” 

“I should have gone to buy the bald caps myself, to prevent you being judged.” 

“It’s fine, Genos. Just sorta annoyin’, y’know? ‘sides, you’ve been workin’ hard on those costumes. They’re gonna be able to wear them year after year. Next time you won’t hafta spend all this time makin’ stuff, eh?” 

Dad Kuseno has plans to gradually increase the size of the minibots over time, but that wasn’t my main focus in that moment. The way my Saitama spoke, it was as if he was thinking in the long term.

He doesn’t do that very often, yet he seemed to be thinking of us taking care of the Genoslings in the long term. It was something I had quietly hoped for, too.

I must have spent too long lost in thought, because he reached out and grasped my hands. 

“Hey, G?” He peered at me. “You okay? Did I say something weird?” 

I shook my head and squeezed his fingers. “I got caught up in thinking of the future, Saitama,” I said. “I’m unsure of how long the bots will be with us, but I... I hope it will be a while. I like taking care of them with you.” 

Saitama smiled. “It’s called parenting, y’know. I like it too.” 

“But they’re artificially intelligent robots,” I said, lowering my voice in case they overheard from the next room. “They aren’t biological children, which makes us their caretakers and teachers.” 

“Nah.” His smile grew warmer, and he shifted closer, drawing me into his arms. “They look like you and we’re doing all the stuff parents do. They’re our kids, Genos.”

“You don’t want them to go back either,” I realised. 

“Course not. ‘s different, having ‘em here, and we should probably look for a bigger place, but it’s not bad.” 

His words gave me a sense of warmth, and if I didn’t know better I would have thought my core was swelling up from the inside. I leaned into his embrace, and kissed him, and decided I was finished with the bots’ costumes for the day. My husband Saitama was there with me, and he deserved as much attention as our children. 

Once Halloween is over, we shall start looking for our family home.

[vote-sensei]

Bots

The Genoslings’re here tomorrow

G’s been cleaning like crazy. 

He hasn’t stopped since we got back.

Making everything suitable for them or something

We’ve got child locks on the cupboards now

Heh

‘s gonna be like having 8 toddlers here. 

Gonna be different...

This was Saitama

[vote-sensei]

Next week

Wow it’s like

Nearly next week already?

& we’re at Kuseno’s and on wednesday we’re gonna get married.

Ehehe

On WEDs we’re gonna be WED. 

Hanging out with the genoslings

Telling ‘em ‘bout stuff G’s done

He’s doin’ stuff with the doc

They look pretty serious but I guess it’s wedding stuff?

Reckon G’s nervous

‘cos he keeps reading the same notebook

and keeps calling up the caterers and florist and stuff

...‘m nervous too. 

My folks kept calling before we left

So I left my phone at the apartment

....Mebbe I oughtta go on patrol

Stop thinking for a bit

This was Saitama

[vote-sensei]

Genos, I love how you are always so dedicated, but PLEASE you need to breath. Don’t stress yourself over the wedding so much or you are gonna burn yourself out and you won’t be able to enjoy it. You keep saying everything needs to be perfect, but so long as you and Saitama get married, and all the people who matter are in attendance, then it will be perfect. I promise!

(In response to this post, I assume)

Thank you for your message, @eldinkind Amni-san! 

Please rest assured that contrary to what my Saitama might say, I do have ‘chill’. 

He is just worried, owing to the amount of work I have been doing for our wedding. However, they are tasks that must be done, and I am doing them myself in order to free him from the arduous task of such things as sending out reminders and chasing up RSVPs and confirming arrangements. 

Of course, I do these things alongside hero work, and visiting Dad Kuseno and the Genoslings at the lab.

With regards to the latter, my Saitama and I have some additional tasks, to be completed by the time we have had our wedding and honeymoon:

Bot-proofing the apartment.

Having spoken at length with Dad Kuseno about the progress of the Genoslings, we have reached a conclusion that in order to have a fuller understanding of the outside world, they need to have a fuller experience of the outside world. 

Therefore, the Genoslings are coming to live with us. 

It will be for an as yet undecided period, dependent on their progress (and, says Dad Kuseno, my Saitama and I’s ability to wrangle eight AIs). 

I didn’t think that life would change much after marriage, but with the Genoslings here, things will be much different. 

[vote-sensei]

Busted

So for halloween

cos we couldn’t take the bots properly trick or treating

we did it in the building.

G explained, right?

He took the bots and twins door to door

The other places’re empty so I jumped balcony to balcony and answered each door.

Switched costumes n masks so they didn’t know it was me...

...........

Turns out they guessed right away

G told ‘em to pretend they didn’t know

Man, they’re real smart! 

I even did different voices and everything, and they still guessed it was me. 

They had fun, I think? 

I mean, the twins did ‘cos they got candy.

Dunno if bots can have fun.... 

They smile so I guess so....? 

Either way they’re like our kids now huh.

Mine and G’s. 

Gonna look at a bigger place tomorrow, heh.

This was Saitama

[vote-sensei]

Mini Genoses

G wrote on another post but

the post was long so I figured I’d write it here too

cos not everyone reads the long stuff, right?

Anyway

We’re gonna bring the Genoslings home.

Cool, huh?

They’re gonna come live with us.

After the honeymoon.

‘s gonna be...

different, I guess.

But like

Well, like having kids.

That’s....pretty cool.

This was Saitama