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: 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!

[winscenario]

That's good. Although you should teach her how to cook other stuff. That'd be both cool and useful.

[ And perfect for a teenage boy!! She could cook all his meals. ]

So how old are you, now?

[madeupnames]

You're right.

... Maybe eggs? Oh god, but imagine the clean up in-between the trial runs...

[winscenario]

Hey, it's a cooking robot. It's bound to get messy. But if all she makes is pancakes, that's gonna get boring pretty fast, is all I'm saying. I'd suggest a replicator, but...

[ Shrug. They're short on those, around here. ]

[madeupnames]

Trust me, I can already say it's gotten — not even boring, just... like... too much. I'm pretty sure even my awesome metabolism can't handle the amount of carbs she wants to overload me and everyone else with.

[winscenario]

I get you. Plus— there is such a thing as too much of one thing, and getting tired of pancakes is just tragic.

It's your robot, though. Can't you program her to do more than just pancakes? Clean up your room, maybe? [ He'd have loved something like that as a teen. ]

[madeupnames]

[He laughs, rubbing the back of his head.]

... You make it sound so easy.

I'm — I'm not really that good at robots yet, honestly. Before her, I just made things than ran off batteries. Like roombas or generic toy robots. You know? Nothing with complicated programming. So I still have a ton to learn.

[winscenario]

[ Jim chuckles, ducking his head sheepishly. ]

Right, sorry. Force of habit, I guess. [ This'd probably be child's play for Scotty. But the guy's on a totally different level than a teenager, obviously. ]

I'd offer to help, but I'm not that great at robotics. [ Better than the average person, but nothing like this. ] Have you thought about asking around for some lessons? A couple of names come to mind. You know Tony Stark, right?

[madeupnames]

Heh, yeah. He's my mentor. Kinda?

I'm part of a program he's doing, back home. Science stuff. Pam definitely wouldn't be as good as she is now if he hadn't had the stuff to improve on her microcontroller. Most of it is just recycled parts from basic gadgets, like old computer systems or phones.

[winscenario]

Oh. Well then, there you go.

[ He's not that surprised to learn that Peter and Tony come from the same world. ]

Isn't he interested in continuing that program here?

[madeupnames]

Oh, yeah! Definitely. It'll just take a lot of time before I'm on his level of robotics and engineering.

He's — you know. Amazing.

[winscenario]

He's got at least three decades on you, though, so there's that.

[ God Tony, you're old as fuck. ]

You sound a little starstruck. [ There's a little smile there. Peter Parker, you dork. ] Have you always been a fan of his?

[madeupnames]

Oh, you know.

... Yeah.

[EVERYONE POINT AND LAUGH @ THE OLD MAN.]

When I was really little, he protected us from aliens. And a bomb. And he even saved me before that, too. And he's, like, one of the smartest people on Earth? So I mean... u-um, a lot of kids really look up to that kinda' thing.

[Don't show Mr. Stark this, thanks.]

[winscenario]

[ LET THE RECORD STATE that Jim isn't actually making fun of Tony, just making an observation! Not that he can talk much, he's halfway between Peter and Tony already. ]

Wow. Okay, that's pretty impressive. I'd have become a fan, too. [ Jim did sort of do those things too, but. You know, it's a show of personal growth that he doesn't brag about it anymore. ]

Good thing he's willing to tutor you. So you're learning from the best.

[madeupnames]

[/////]

I sure am, yeah.

... But don't tell him that, or he'll get an even bigger head 'bout it.

[winscenario]

[ Jim grins, tilting his head. ]

Alright, cross my heart. Wouldn't want him to be too full of himself.

[madeupnames]

Then he'd be too heavy to fly.

[HA.]

[winscenario]

[ Jim laughs. ] Oh, you’re bad. He might’ve taken it as a challenge, though.

[madeupnames]

Hey, whatever keeps him on his toes and hard at work.

[winscenario]

I seriously doubt anything would keep him from that, though. A mind like that never really stops.

Hopefully yours is the same.