Video | HAPPY... LATE... BIRTHDAY??? | @p.parker

[madeupnames]

[The feed is mostly full of textbooks, the spines all turned enough that they're legible; it's math, chemistry, social studies, all the fun things nobody misses from high school. And on the right side of the screen is Peter, sitting with his cheek on his palm and his elbow pressed beside a blank page of paper. He looks kind of sleepy, like he'd just nod off if he didn't have the feed to focus on.]

So I've got this essay I need to write by tomorrow, and I'm having a hard time getting — personal, and all that. The prompt's asking about what inspires you, specifically. [He looks to read it word-for-word:] 'What motivates you in your day to day life?' And I mean, I've got a lot of motivations, but trying to put it to paper is giving me a wicked case of the fogbrain.

[He tucks his pen under his nose, holding it with his upper lip for a moment before letting it fall pitifully to the table. He sighs.]

What motivates you guys? Into doing what you do? What makes you put your shoes on in the morning, huh?

And don't just say 'to avoid stepping on pointy stuff barefoot'. That's a cheap and obvious answer—

[Peter startles violently as birthday music blares behind him, so much so that his pencil goes flying through the air and RIP's somewhere off-screen. Pam the pancake making robot seems to be flying onto the scene in the background with freshly made pancakes and festive lights blinking all over her.



A little lighter arm pops out, preparing to light a lone candle on the stack of flapjacks.

Peter mutters, mortified:]

...I thought I disabled Birthday Mode for repairs...

[He looks back at the robot with his hand pressed to his temple, and clears his throat.]



... Pam, uh. My - my birthday was two days ago. Two days. It's August 10th. And, uh, it's... it's the 12th now.

[Peter watches as the AI seems to try to process this, tapping his finger on the table and thinning his lips at the awkward silence. Pam's little plate-holding robo-arms lower slightly, the generic birthday MIDI file slowing to a depressive stop as the party-themed lights and lighter are shut off together. A pause of nothing. Then she turns and dejectedly wheels away into the community kitchen with her plate of pancakes.]

Wait, Pam — Aw, c’mon, I can still eat them! Hey—

[Peter drops his arms.



... Note to self, fix her internal clock...]

Comments

video; un: hawke

[indigobird]

Peter, Peter, Peter... now that's no way to thank a woman for her hard work! Do we need to have a heart-to-heart about how to talk to the opposite sex? [Of course she's teasing but she couldn't help but give him some shit for it.]

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[madeupnames]

N—I wasn't trying to not thank her, I just correcting—

[Oh, the woes of being a robot builder. How does Mr. Stark handle this.]

I'll thank her! We can have a... pancake party.

[God, he's eaten so many pancakes since he built her. The thought of eating more makes him queasy.]

[indigobird]

[Oh, Peter. You're too easy to tease.]

A rather interesting way of celebrating one's birthday. Haven't you eaten enough of those by now?

[Seriously dude, you're going to turn into one at this rate.]

video; @the.tetherer

[tetherer]

I hope you weren't stuck studying on your birthday.

[Guess who has two thumbs and doesn't recognize Peter from Spider-Man: this god!]

Birthdays are a pretty good motivator, though. Most everyone gets excited about those. Maybe Pam was helping, in her own way.

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[madeupnames]

Noooo, no studying, just... [Oh hi Tetherer. This is awkward. Dual identities is hard when everyone and their mother knows the two different identities, but - he'll do his best.] I'm sure she was helping! I'm just not really... feeling the whole birthday celebrating spirit, this year. That's all.

video; un: yakyuu.luvr

[yakyuuman]

Oh no, Pam-chan looks super upset! You should apologize and give her a hug!

[ He looks a little... affronted on camera. Why did you make his favourite robot sad!!! She was doing her best??? ]

But also, happy late birthday! Is it too late to buy cake or did you get one already?

[ Those pancakes are not THE cake, are they? ]

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[madeupnames]

... I dunno about hugging, she's got gears and stuff that'll probably eat my shirt...

[Oh! But he straightens up, re-focusing.]

Thanks! I mean, you don't have to. I wasn't really doing anything special this year.

video;

[analienprince]

Hey, if I'd known it was your birthday, I would've got you a cake at least. Happy late birthday, Peter.

[But seriously, go apologize to the poor bot. She's upset.]

As for the essay-- that's kind of tough. I always hated those kinds of questions.

video;

[madeupnames]

Thanks, Teddy! You don't need to get anything like that, I'm cool with just aging.

[Ignore the slight pinkness to his cheeks; how is he always embarrassing himself on the feed?]

They could at least make it sound a little more enjoyable. Maybe, like. Lead with Mario's motivations rescuing Princess Peach, or Ash Ketchum's motivations for catching cute animals in tiny balls, and then segway into personal questions. They're so blunt about it.

Text; un: unbeatablesg

[partiallysquirrelblood]

Happy Birthday to you / Hope it's not dull / I'll make sure it isn't crashed / By the friggin' Red Skull.

Text

[madeupnames]

[He stares for a long moment.]

Y'know that's a scary thought.
But really, I don't need any celebrating or anything, haha. Just kinda skipped it this year.
Maybe next year when things align better. :P

video | un: mantis

[glowfeelers]

Oh! Happy Birthday, Peter! Did you have birthday cake?

[ She is also concerned for Pam since she seemed so sad just now, so, ] Is Pam alright?

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[madeupnames]

Pam's okay! I mean, I'll make sure she's okay by eating the pancakes she made.

[Even if he's drowning in them at this point, RIP. At least it's a lot of carbs?]

And I haven't, nah. But I don't need cake, it's not really that big of a deal.

Video: UN ragnarsdottir

[like_quicksilver]

[So many responses] The answer to the first question is simply I know my family wouldn't want me to just give in to the bad feelings.

[She smiles at the obvious show] People make a big deal of birthdays. You should've pretended it's on the 12th because of the pancakes.

Video.

[madeupnames]

That's a good motivator! Family really keeps you moving when you feel self-pity or exhaustion or anything that'd get in the way of progress. [He smiles a little, sheepish.] I'd be more excited for pancakes, but I've eaten so many lately, I think I'm turning into one.

audio un:pnwsalex

[11calls]

Well, happy belated birthday, Peter! You're definitely going to need to come over for dinner. [There's a teasing note to her voice.] I promise it won't be pancakes.

[But there will be birthday cake. Sorry Peter.]

But I think Pam needs a hug though. As for what gets me through the day and wakes me up: finding answers to things, honestly. Big things, little things, just finding truth.

audio

[madeupnames]

Heh, I'd love to. Especially since I've learned I can't turn down dinners around here.

[He smiles a bit more brightly, some of the exhaustion lines smoothing on his face.]

I'm guessing when you say answers, you mean the big deals. Supernatural deals. Not the answer to x in an equation.

un: TheStrandInstitute

[nobasisinfact]

You're doing very well with Pam, I see.

Try recording what you want to say before writing it down.

[madeupnames]

Oh yeah, hurting robot feelings is my new pastime.
I'll make it up to her tho, I swear

You make that sound like an easy thing. I guess I've made little movies and stuff, but idk about talking to myself in a camera...

video; un: kirk

[winscenario]

Wow. That was rude. [ Jim quirks an eyebrow, amused. ] Please tell me you managed to save those pancakes, at least.

[ Pretty tragic waste of pancakes, if not. ]

Oh— and happy belated birthday.

video;

[madeupnames]

Oh, she doesn't throw them out — she's programmed to not toss them out, anyways. Um. A-and I promise to go take them back. [He clears his throat, looking embarrassed.] And — thanks!

video;

[childofaxios]

[ THERE IS A DISTINCTLY AMUSED CHYLER on the feed. ]

So it's your AI.

[ She may or may not have run into a wandering Pam. ]

Did you build her?

video;

[madeupnames]

Oh...! Um, yes! I had a little help from this girl named Shuri, and Mr. Stark, but she's mostly my thing.

[He smiles a little.]

She's still needing some updates. Like... something face-like? She's just a speaker on top, which isn't... very personable.

video;

[citharede]

[ Athena cannot decide which emotion is winning rn. Sadness?? Contemplativeness?? Amusement?? ]

Wow, kinda stepped on the moment, Petes. I'm totally getting you a present, by the way.

[ She rests her chin on her desk, tilting her camera so it's still on her face, silent, considering. ]

For a while... [ She stops. Chews on the corner of her lip. ] I guess sometimes it's just momentum. Or it was, when I was little--I kinda already mentioned my family was shit.

[ Athena tilts her head back and forth. ] Then it was my coven, and what we all dreamed of doing together. Now it's... magic. Practicing and learning and pushing myself. And my real family and my friends. Aunt Nory, like. Well you get it I'm sure. She makes me want to make her proud, y'know? Can't do that in bed.

video;

[madeupnames]

[He's about to complain that she really doesn't need to get a present, much less acknowledge his birthday, but... well, he's already one foot in the ditch, they got him in a birthday corner.]

Hey, you can't knock momentum. It helps you get a decent grade on your weekly mile.

[But he smiles a bit and figures she'd be well aware he uses momentum too literally in his day to day work.]

... I do wanna make May proud. And most importantly, I never wanna worry her.

I dunno what makes aunts keep going, but they're insanely good at it. It's like an ancient secret art.