i love the duality of autistic4autistic byler bc will is such a convincing high masker and is always desperately trying to make sure everyone is okay with him and how he exists and constantly putting on a brave face and smoothing over interactions and mike is such a terrible masker like he physically can’t contain his expressions when someone says something stupid and talks non stop and can’t for the life of him Stop Doing Intense Eye Contact (or none whatsoever whoops) and he tries to do the social niceties thing but it’s sososo obvious when he does it (like the rinkomania conversation with stacy). they’re such polar opposites i love them
I want to know about the tulip crews body modifications °▪︎° bc I love 'em.
We now know Rico breathes underwater, and Virgil has sharp teeth.
Are there any others and how did they get the ones they have?
body mods! they've got a few, in the name of sci-fi :) they didn't all happen at once, so I'll list them here (not in chronological order). one thing to note is that temporary stuff, like catstappen, is not listed! just the permanent mods.
all three:
- assistive system implanted in the brain (max's GP, virgil's K, rico's Dennis) that allows for live tracking of vitals and helps them with some universally necessary stuff, like setting timers in units they're familiar with. if they're on a friendly planet and can get a map uploaded, the system can also help them plan routes, sort of like a gps! the system receives an update that allows them to autotranslate certain uploaded alien languages (there's a pretty significant stretch of time where only virgil's system does this.)
- synthetic lenses in the pupil to allow for sharper vision over longer distances and at night.
virgil:
- sharp teeth! all of his teeth are artificially strengthened, but his canines are very pointy. both max and rico also have slightly sharped canines, but they don't have the same amount of power behind their bite that virgil does. he got this pretty early into everything, one of the first mods out of the whole team. it's considered a basic survival mod.
- auto translated alien languages! he's the first of the crew to get this one, and max and rico don't get the update until later. this is one of the reasons he's considered "in charge" (as much as you can be in a team of three) and handles a majority of their diplomacy and/or negotiations. (also because he has a better lid on his temper than the other two) unfortunately, this comes with a side of debilitating headaches if he uses it too much.
max:
- the elbow and below on his left side is entirely artificial! it's an alien prosthetic he got after they completed entry challenges, and it's non removable (connected to the remainder of his arm both inside and outside the skin). it functions the same as his right side, although he doesn't feel sensations quite the same way, and the arm receives several upgrades over time.
- synthetic boosters + extenders: fun little brain upgrade that means certain chemicals make him hear colors, so to speak. he keeps adrenaline stims on him when he can for challenges, because it means he can function on less sleep. (except not really– he's just not feeling the side effects as clearly. usually a really hard crash afterwards)
rico:
- gills! also an early mod, falling under the category of basic survival mod due to the environment. he's able to filter necessary oxygen out of most types of liquid, as long as there's oxygen to be had. he's also got webbed toes. it takes him longer than it should to realize this.
- synthetically strengthened bones and muscles: he has to make sure he's getting enough calcium to make this one as effective as possible, but the effect is that he's basically a brick wall if he puts his mind to it, and also that max and virgil have to help him stretch when his muscles are sore— a muscle cramp can leave him locked up until it's handled, and it's especially unpleasant.
Once, I saw a collapsed pylon. It was bent over, hunched forward, like the weight of 3000 megawatts couldn't be held anymore. That was its job—to carry such power, be a leader, and act as guidance. It seemed to have fallen forward onto its knees, crumpled in on itself like a soda can or a skyscraper. Yet I couldn't help but feel like I had seen an angel die in prayer. These giant towers made of metal couldn't look more human. It was bent forward on its knees, praying for something, desperate for the approval of whatever divinity it belonged to. It reminded me of those crying angel statues at gravestones, weeping for what it might've lost.
Isn't it strange how angels are just divine machinery? They were created to be vessels of divine intent—serve a purpose, nothing more. Transmit godliness electricity(?) to the hearts of those humans around them (to the homes of the cities nearby). Both are confined to one path, one job, ruled over by some higher power. Destined for a purpose. They both die for one reason: they couldn't bear the weight of their divinity any longer. Just like we tell stories about robots wishing to become human, we know of angels who have fallen. The one downside is the humanity involved.
Something is disturbing about the way it allures me—the appeal behind ascending to angelhood. To become the one bestowed with a purpose, become the sole upholder of one thing. It's all I've ever wanted: finally lose the flesh and blood that ties me to Earth. I dream of becoming absorbed into my laptop, feeling the kiss of wires binding me. Feel electricity take place of my red soul, replace what runs through my veins. I believe once I'm finally a divine machine, I'll feel sparks behind my eyes and feel energy coursing through me. My mechanized heart will never falter on love: it will skip right over it.
"There was a dragon." He spoke so softly she had to lean forward to hear him better. "Always a dragon. They may all be dead, but I cannot escape the ones in my head. They live and die and breathe fire just as if they were alive again." He shook his head as if to dispel the images. "This one was big, and white as snow. Its roar shook the earth and made my bones quake in my skin. It roared and roared, and then finally collapsed."
He broke off and sucked in a ragged breath. Corenna sat patiently.
"It was you," he whispered finally, looking at her with fractured eyes.
"Me?" She blinked. "I was the dragon?"
"No. When the dragon collapsed, you were there. The only thing left in its wake."
She did not know what to say to that, but it gave her a sense of deep foreboding. Like all else, she did not know whether Daeron's dreams were truth or not, some magic of Old Valyria and their strange, ancient gods or simply a drunk man's drunken imaginings, but there was always a space she kept for queer, fascinating things. Men were dull and cruel; magic was exciting and unknowable, but she wanted to know. If Daeron's ancestors had ridden dragons, then perhaps there was a force capable of incapable things, and perhaps she might come to know it.
