#android whump

i used to write for detroit become human so consider:

overheating because of blocked vent fans (asthma analogous)

malware causing certain systems to malfunction or overheat

shivering because a virus is tricking their system into thinking conditions are freezing, thus necessitating the need to agitate artificial blood to avoid coagulation

gyroscopic malfunction akin to dizziness/vertigo

sensory input issues causing double vision, hallucinations, etc

robot companion cranking their systems up in a cold environment to cause intentional overheating/heat output to keep their human companion warm

damage to components that cause short-term memory storage to malfunction or long-term memory deletion

involuntary shutdown to prevent overheating from either hot environment or overheating internally from malware/broken parts (akin to fainting)

warning messages overwhelming the robot's visual field right before they go into a forced shutdown, difficulty focusing and communicating because of the distraction

"blood" working kind of like a spider in that pressure is needed to maintain limb rigidity and function, so when too much "blood" loss occurs, they get weak or can't move

"I see. You turned the neural feedback off, hm?"

Whumper circled the defective Whumpee. Frayed wires sparked. Hot metal touched against human skin. Blood mixed with a heavier, darker liquid dripping from their ripped off parts. But Whumpee moved like the pain wasn't even there, slowly getting back up, only hindered by some mechanical failures and lagging signals.

"Smart choice," Whumper continued, leering at Caretaker. "Let's turn it back on again, though. Wouldn't want your friend to completely lose their human feelings."

A single press of a button and every bit of pain immediately slammed back into Whumpee. All at once. Every nerve activated. Every nerve end lit up with every form of pain; burning, stabbing, biting. And grating as their voice rasped through their throat.

Their entire body went haywire. Their own muscles couldn't keep them up, probably didn't even receive the correct signals, and they crashed to the floor.

Whumper stepped around the convulsing figure, casting a devious glance between Whumpee and the horrified Caretaker.

"And if you can turn it off and back on..." he started, his lips curling up. "I suppose you can also... increase the signal."

-

they weren’t efficient enough, they didn’t do the job quite right. they needed assistance. whumpee only noticed it while working. something wasn’t right. they never worked like that.

“what did you do to me?”

“a small upgrade.”

“you didn’t tell me you were going to install an upgrade.”

“but it’s a good one, isn’t it? now that you don’t get distracted, you get the job done faster.”

“i… i liked watching the birds outside.”

l o w k e y, this story might be its own whole novel...

cw: finger whump (on special this week), nonhuman whumpee/anriod/living weapon whumpee, zero commitment to posting more of this unless there is a literal mob for it lol

“What are you doing?” He came back from showering to find his unexpected roommate on the kitchen floor, back against the cabinets.  

Those disconcerting eyes lifted to his, a subtle grey where they should have been white. Unnoticeable from a distance but decidedly unnatural up close. The android’s perfect boyish features creased like it was worried. 

“I—I—” It unfurled its hands to reveal one of its fingers bleeding freely. If that’s what it was even called when it wasn't blood. 

“Oh, shit.” He caught the thin wrist. “That was my last clean t-shirt. Here, wrap it in the dishtowel.” 

The android did as it was told. 

“Did you sashimi your legs too?” 

It shook its head. 

“Come on.” He helped it to stand, never quite ready for the weight hiding in that lithe frame, and ushered it to sit on the lonely remaining stool. “It worked to apply pressure the last time, right? How long will it take to stop?” 

“Are you going to shut me down?” It asked, voice tinnier than usual which seemed to be the case whenever something unexpected happened. 

“What for?” Forget the fact that he had no clue how to do that.

“To replace it.” 

He froze. If he had a buck for every time he was at a complete loss the last few days, he could skip this extra shift. Maybe.