not a real girl

essentially, my credit card is currently at $1,000 (which is half my max) due to having to buy plane tickets between my college and home (i go to school in MA but live in CA). i’ve only bought flights home for christmas and now summer. i’m only allowed to earn up $3,200 for the entire school year (only $2,200 is guaranteed and after $3,200 my financial aid gets ruined for the next year). i’m putting as much money towards my credit card as possible but i also have personal expenses such as food and will have to pay around $200 for storage at the end of the semester. 

i don’t like asking for money and certainly don’t expect anything for free. i have icon commissions open and can also make you video compilations or AMVs (prices to be discussed). i have a kofi and if you donate i can give you bad little sketches or a drabble fic. all of this is also explained on my twitter.

     The mask. Just like the mechanical girl before him, Adam has his own frequently asked question– but his is not merely restricted to those who knew of him back on Remnant. The mask is the first thing strangers take notice of Adam, if not the black horns that rise out from his hair. The curious question is met with a low, thoughtful hum from his throat, a momentary pause settling in as he thought up of his answer.

     Adam’s response would have been quicker, but Penny Polendina is a… unique case. Since he is aware of her true nature, the bull has to wonder how much information has been given to her in regards to the Faunus, or even the White Fang.

          “The mask… is a symbol. As you may know, the Faunus have been given cruel treatment by humans over the years. So many treat us with utter disdain, never bothering to give us the common decency that any human would normally get. My kind is looked down on as lesser beings by humans… as mere animals. Monsters. So this mask is a reflection of that fear… If the humans chose to view us as monsters, then I’ll let them see just what they’ve created thanks to their cruelty.”

As you may know... Penny did know that. While Ironwood hadn’t told her much about the Faunus - they weren’t who she was meant to eventually face, while he’d informed her about the more extreme groups they weren’t why she’d been made - her father had. Mr. Polendina had made sure that Penny didn’t believe the insults thrown at Faunus or the idea that they were lesser than humans, mere beasts. She wasn’t sure if it was direct programming or her personality or simply taking in her father’s lessons (though did that really matter? her programming was her) but she’d always viewed Faunus as equals. Well, equals to humans. Penny was never quite sure where she herself stood in relation, being a machine and not a living, breathing being.

She could empathize with being seen as lesser. It was what kept her silent about her robot nature, kept her from bringing it up even with those who knew now because they’d seen her limbs cut and her wires sparking as she shut down.

;; i’m working on the last few starters i owe but i also want some plots and relationships going so by liking this you give me permission to jump into your inbox/IMs to plot out a thread (or at least the beginning of a thread)!

She had a few options here. She could help this girl out and “do the right thing” (not that she cared about that sort of thing), or push her deeper into the snowbank. She could also just ignore her, but that didn’t seem like a good choice. In the end, she decided it was in her best interest to help. Charlotte grabbed hold of her hands and pulled as hard as she could. It was harder to pull her free than she’d expected…

“Rrgh…”

With one last, hard tug, Charlotte was able to pull her free - but fell flat on her ass in the process.

“Ow… I hope you’re happy.”

Penny really hadn’t expected snow to be... this difficult. It was fun and fluffy and she found that she rather liked making snowmen but it was also extremely easily to get stuck in it and extremely hard to get unstuck. Penny winced at a particularly strong tug, wondering distantly if she’d be left with a bruise after this (which Winter would certainly not be happy about). Another tug and she was out, stumbling over the bank and onto her knees.

Penny craned her neck up, eyebrows furrowed together as she looked at the figure in the tree. It wasn’t exactly weird to climb trees but Penny thought it was usually children that did such, and usually in parks or their own backyard. This person looked older than her and they were not in a park.

Link nodded along to her words, but tilted his head at her suggestion that he shouldn’t pick the cat up. He’d dealt with plenty before, he didn’t need to worry about a cat’s claws!

‘It’s alright! I’m tough, I won’t get hurt by a cat!’ He grinned at her, doing his best to reassure her of that. Now, it was best to get looking!

A slight frown danced on her lips. He insisted he was tough and perhaps he was, but she’d still rather be the one to get scratched. After all, what she could take was a known variable - a cat’s claws couldn’t hurt her. But he was insisting and so she wouldn’t fight him on this, though she would try grabbing the cat first.

     // @mechanicalaura

          “You… You’re the girl from the tournament.“

     Adam didn’t idly waste his time during the time leading up to the Fall of Beacon. He watched the battles taking place, patiently waiting for the moment Cinder would initiate the attack. Just like countless others that day, Adam saw the poor girl dismembered in the blink of an eye. Had she just been another human, it was very likely that the bitter Faunus wouldn’t have felt a shred of sympathy. However, the discovery of her being a machine didn’t make it so easy for him to ignore. The first question that came to mind was how she was standing here once again…

     But given his own situation, such a question would be unnecessary.

          “Is there something you need of me?”

Penny’s eye twitched at the statement, nearly wincing. Despite constantly telling herself, and others, that she was fine and the tournament no longer matter because she was fixed and whole here, she rather avoided the topic. She didn’t like thinking about being torn apart or being unable to protect Beacon afterward. She knew why people brought it up or asked her about it - after all, she was meant to be dead destroyed and so many had seen it happen - but she still wished they’d stop.

She hadn’t approached because of the tournament though, she didn’t even recognize this man. There was something about him she recognized. She suddenly found herself wishing that Ironwood had taught her about how to subtly question people, never mind that for most of her short life it would have been useless given how awkwardly she spoke and phrased everything. She couldn’t have done anything subtly.

Asriel didn’t exactly have anything on him worth stealing, but it seemed like there were people out there who were going to try to do their damnedest to get something from him. He’d expected the sudden assailant to go for his phone, something with money, but instead they’d made a grab for his locket.

Needless to say–he had not been willing to just let that happen quietly.

Even with some of his magic at his disposal, though, Asriel couldn’t bring himself to fight. He… couldn’t go there again.

So maybe it was some miracle that his yelling for help worked. Maybe it was more of a miracle, still, that something about the girl who showed up to save him – maybe it was just the fact that someone had showed up – had the thief chickening out and hightailing it out of there.

Asriel heaved a sigh of relief, his hands instantly flying up to hold his locket.

“… thank you.”

“… I… don’t know what I would have done if they’d… you know.           Um–it means a lot. That you’d help.”

Penny glared at the retreating back of the thief, mechanical muscles pulled taut until he rounded a corner and she felt it was safe to assume that he was gone for good. Ironwood would probably be disappointed in her for not going after the thief, but it didn’t seem that he’d stolen anything and there were more important things than trying to catch him.

She relaxed, smiling down at the boy. “You are very welcome. It is my job to help people, I could not allow him to steal from you.” And even if it wasn’t her job she would’ve stepped in.

“Are you unharmed?”

“Woah…!” Now that was cool. “Ehehe, I’m a little jealous! If my weapons were collapsible, then I could fit a ton more in my backpack.” Adjusting the large bag on her back, she grins mischievously. “If it wasn’t for my merchandise, I suppose. But it’d definitely be revolutionary in terms of the weapon trade.” Now she knew what she had to pioneer when she got back home.

The girl seemed a little troubled though, didn’t she? Tilting her head, Tressa offers a warm smile. “You and me both… you sound like you’re a really capable fighter, though.” A pause. “D’you want me to help find you something to use? Can’t promise anything all collapsible, but… I’m not bad at telling what weapons are worth their weight, you know.”

“Perhaps if my father or General Ironwood arrives her, I could convince them to make you collapsible weapons.” It wasn’t really that hard. Most weapons in Remnant were far more complicated than a collapsible sword. “Or ask them to teach you how.” Which was more likely if it was her father, less likely if it was General Ironwood. 

“Oh, yes, it is my job to save the world. For that, I must be combat ready.” Even if in her own world, her job was finished without her ever having completed it. Her eyes widened at the offer, but she quickly nodded, flashing a bright smile at the other. “I would much appreciate that! I do not expect to find weapons like mine, but any weapon would be appreciated.” She needed a weapon. They’d taken away her strength and her speed, she couldn’t protect anyone without a weapon.

A what? Guess that’s some people how they call this thing. It was pretty strange indeed but Laegjarn showed it to her as she hands her smartphone to Penny. This might really help to be familiar with this thing and others awaiting for her in the near future.

Technology is way weird indeed.

“I will listen to your guides on how i use it properly.” Her ears is ready.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Penny carefully took the phone, moving so that she stood next to the woman. “This button here turns it on.” She pressed a button, the screen flickering on. “This green button here with the icon is how you call people! You punch in specific numbers and you can talk to them across large distances. This other button here allows you to write to people instantaneously.”