This Machine Called Man (Author's Note and Links)
Masterpost
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Notes
This fic has been thirteen months in the making, and it has involved a ridiculous amount of time and effort. It began with this fateful conversation, in August 2011:
Ishmael: I'm hoping what I've got works for optimal emotional progression
Since all it really is is ~FEELINGS~
Tartan: yay feelings!
"optimal emotional progression" sounds like something a robot would be trying for in attempting to pass as human
Ishmael: OH SNAP YOU KNOW MY SECRET
/me beep boop
Tartan: hahahaha
Ishmael: I can see Sherlock saying that phrase. Or something similar
me: one might write a robot and Sherlock similarly
This conversation lead to this kinkmeme prompt:
"Sherlock is a robot. He is sentient but pure programming. He's not supposed to have emotions at all.
Then John enters the picture. Sherlock finds aberrations in his routines, things he cannot explain.
Bonus points for Mycroft trying to revert Sherlock back to his old, emotionless state."
When I started I was familiar with a grand total of zero shows/movies/books that involve robots. And then I accidentally'd novel-length robot fic of epic proportions. Facepalm forever. So this saga requires a lot of blame and a lot of thanks.
Thanks go to miss_sabre for beta and initial plot help, rhuia for britpicking, and call_me_ishmael’s flatmate for knowing a lot of useful things I didn’t know like how robots work. Thanks to numerous people in multiple IRC channels, many of whom have probably forgotten they made any contribution to this fic. I feel like I’m writing my Oscars speech. Thanks to everyone who read this on the meme and left lovely comments, terribly sorry I left you all hanging.
Eternal thanks, and all the blame, go to call_me_ishmael. From idle conversation to kinkmeme prompt, kinkmeme fill, bigbang, terrible robot innuendo, editing forever, worldbuilding, comma wrangling, ninja art-making... this fic would never have been imagined without Ish, and it would never have been completed, and I am not remotely exaggerating. He has earned the titles of Co-Brainer and Official Enabler many times over, and has put a ridiculous amount of time into this fic for someone who didn’t actually write any of it. THANK YOU. Also I hope you know that when I say “blame” I say it fondly. This has been enormous fun.
You'll notice I didn't actually fulfill the prompt. I had to write 29k of establishing background before I could write the feels, apparently. The prompt will actually get filled in the sequel to this fic, hopefully coming soon. :D
Links
Identification YouTube Playlist
Robot-related News and Links:
Camouflage bendy robot changes colour for disguise
Robot Makes Ethical Decisions
Who should pay when your robot breaks the law?
The 4 Creepiest Ways We'll Inevitably Use Robot Servants
I, Nanny: Robot Babysitters Pose Dilemma
New Breed of Robotics Aims to Help People Walk Again
Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot to ferry wounded to safety
Next generation military robots have minds of their own
Robot-related Sherlock Fanart (not connected to this fic, but awesome anyway):
Sherlock Holmes is Fake by Tio-Trile on DeviantArt
You Machine by dramatis-echo on Tumblr
You machine by Lavasbuffo on DeviantArt
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Notes
This fic has been thirteen months in the making, and it has involved a ridiculous amount of time and effort. It began with this fateful conversation, in August 2011:
Ishmael: I'm hoping what I've got works for optimal emotional progression
Since all it really is is ~FEELINGS~
Tartan: yay feelings!
"optimal emotional progression" sounds like something a robot would be trying for in attempting to pass as human
Ishmael: OH SNAP YOU KNOW MY SECRET
/me beep boop
Tartan: hahahaha
Ishmael: I can see Sherlock saying that phrase. Or something similar
me: one might write a robot and Sherlock similarly
This conversation lead to this kinkmeme prompt:
"Sherlock is a robot. He is sentient but pure programming. He's not supposed to have emotions at all.
Then John enters the picture. Sherlock finds aberrations in his routines, things he cannot explain.
Bonus points for Mycroft trying to revert Sherlock back to his old, emotionless state."
When I started I was familiar with a grand total of zero shows/movies/books that involve robots. And then I accidentally'd novel-length robot fic of epic proportions. Facepalm forever. So this saga requires a lot of blame and a lot of thanks.
Thanks go to miss_sabre for beta and initial plot help, rhuia for britpicking, and call_me_ishmael’s flatmate for knowing a lot of useful things I didn’t know like how robots work. Thanks to numerous people in multiple IRC channels, many of whom have probably forgotten they made any contribution to this fic. I feel like I’m writing my Oscars speech. Thanks to everyone who read this on the meme and left lovely comments, terribly sorry I left you all hanging.
Eternal thanks, and all the blame, go to call_me_ishmael. From idle conversation to kinkmeme prompt, kinkmeme fill, bigbang, terrible robot innuendo, editing forever, worldbuilding, comma wrangling, ninja art-making... this fic would never have been imagined without Ish, and it would never have been completed, and I am not remotely exaggerating. He has earned the titles of Co-Brainer and Official Enabler many times over, and has put a ridiculous amount of time into this fic for someone who didn’t actually write any of it. THANK YOU. Also I hope you know that when I say “blame” I say it fondly. This has been enormous fun.
You'll notice I didn't actually fulfill the prompt. I had to write 29k of establishing background before I could write the feels, apparently. The prompt will actually get filled in the sequel to this fic, hopefully coming soon. :D
Links
Identification YouTube Playlist
Robot-related News and Links:
Camouflage bendy robot changes colour for disguise
Robot Makes Ethical Decisions
Who should pay when your robot breaks the law?
The 4 Creepiest Ways We'll Inevitably Use Robot Servants
I, Nanny: Robot Babysitters Pose Dilemma
New Breed of Robotics Aims to Help People Walk Again
Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot to ferry wounded to safety
Next generation military robots have minds of their own
Robot-related Sherlock Fanart (not connected to this fic, but awesome anyway):
Sherlock Holmes is Fake by Tio-Trile on DeviantArt
You Machine by dramatis-echo on Tumblr
You machine by Lavasbuffo on DeviantArt