You have reached Data. I am afraid I am not present to speak with you, but I can respond to you when I return. Please leave your name, valid contact information, and message if it is necessary after the tone. Thank you for your communication.

3.B.) What do you think of cloning?”

I once had an interesting discussion with my father. I wished to know why it was that he had constructed me, and he sat me down and proceeded to assist me in working out the answer on my own. He pointed out to me that humans have not only a tendency to indulge in the past, but also wish to see themselves in their reproduction. It is a form of continuity, a sense of immortality.

( This I learned before I knew the very unusual history of the Soong family. )

Character: Data
Fandom: Star Trek : The Next Generation
Word Count: 556
Notes: I was really busy last month and am slowly getting caught up on a prompt surge. I couldn't resist going back and doing this one.

Behind a line of brightly lit security screens, casting a harsh glow on their owner's face, stood a one Mr. Kevin van Statten who was watching unfolding events with keen interest. He'd rushed in when his guards had alerted him, barely able to contain his excitement. After all these years of searching, generations of hide-and-go-seek since the days of his ancestor the ultimate collectible had just fallen into his lap. It was right there! The blue box. The stuff of myths and legends and modern magic right in the middle of the favorite of his many subterranean galleries.

"Hurry, get someone down there." He said to one guard. And to the next. "Go and sabotage the air supply-"

"The air supply? Sir, we-"

"We need an emergency. He'll want to help. It'll get him away from the box. It's what he does."

"Didn't you say he would have someone with him?"

"Might have someone with him, and no one we should worry about. They'll just go with him."

He scrubbed at rough stubble, turning his head to look at his assistant as he pondered. "Victoria, can you get down there and make sure we get him out and that it's secured."

"Yes sir," she responded. She was a tall woman, with a mane of curly dark brown hair that reached mid-back and a form-fitting but respectable outfit. Chiselled features and a friendly demeanor that was far from the truth. Oddly in contrast to the almost suspiciously snivelling little man she worked for. It was something that he depended on, unable to present himself well enough to strangers that they might have their articles drawn into his possession.

She hated it, but she left regardless along with the guard, ready to greet the crew of the TARDIS with an impassioned plea for assistance.

This is probably, out of all the Data episode, the one that makes me angriest on his behalf. Data is kidnapped and added to a rich maniac's collection of rare and unique items. It's one of the few times Data's driven practically to the point of murder and then even lies about it.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

[(Continued from here...)]

Data had finally gotten to a particular leather clad android on his dreamscape, a strange piston churning away in the exposed portion of it's head.

Seeing the man at odds like that was a bit disconcerting, unsettling, and again he was left to wonder why. The other 'androids', rational embodiment of his failing memory in his subconscious, worked at reconstructing the broken "village". All of it one continuous symbolism for the damage Lore's machine had done to him. It had nearly collapsed his systems. The destroyed village his net. The android citizens his memories. The cool weather the difficulty his power systems were having keeping up.

This android was a symbol of someone that he couldn't quite remember yet, but somehow knew he needed to. He settled cross-legged in the rubble, pulling his upper half into his lap so he could tend to the damage. Gold eyes remained intent on the individual, expression only flickering when bits of memory burgeoned up.

And then the android woke, pulled away, and stood. Data was left with a mixture of elation and horror, noting the very organic looking arm left laying not far off to the side, and he put his hands over his head. Pale fingers dug into his hair. Eyes clenched shut, every mechanical muscle tensing.

He needed to fix more of the androids. He couldn't right then. Not with that horror fresh in his mind.

~*~*~

After taking Lucy to the clinic, Seven had returned to the TARDIS, knowing that he'd left his friend right then. And he'd sat there, sticking near the ill android, knowing most of the technicians in the village were preoccupied with the unfortunate victims of the assault.

It was what his former self would have wanted.

When he noticed some disturbance in Data's net on his monitor, he decided to go and retrieve the man that had meant the most to the android. He wasn't aware of his condition yet, but when he couldn't find the man in his room, he made his way to the clinic unaware of the extent that Lore had made him suffer (and even if Avon was unsettled by the Borg, the Doctor had enough experience with invasive nanobots and Cybermen to make educated guesses on how to deal with the situation).

He didn't know where he was.

There were crumbled buildings all around, and broken androids. No voices. No names. Some of them looked like they should be familiar.

Dressed in a brown scientist's tunic with a high collar and knee high boots, the clothes he'd been discovered on Omicron Theta with, Data walked through a mysterious, tattered village he didn't recognize. Rubble from a cataclysm laying everywhere, the electronic bodies of whatever the horror was strewn about the remnants.

He didn't know any of them. He should. But he didn't.

The android craned his neck back, looking up at the cloudy sky. There was a ship above it. The round outline of the saucer section and engines silhouetted by the sun behind it. That too was a shape that should have been known, but he couldn't recognize it.

Finally, Data just sat on a piece of broken wall and sighed. Poor man.

If he wasn't mistaken, he actually felt... cold. And the surrounding temperature was starting to drop according to his internal thermometer.

Personal Log. Stardate 50893.5

I had been awaiting the Enterprise to intercept my distress signal and send a rescue party to my location. I was forced to seek refuge in a cabin in what appears to be the Appalachian foothill region after a failed away mission.

After a battle with the Borg, one of the ships imploding created what could be called a “temporal sinkhole” that the Enterprise was drawn into. We detected an unfamiliar technological signature far more advanced than was appropriate for the late 20th century time period the environment seemed congruent with, so Commander Riker arranged an away team to investigate. In the recesses of an abandoned coal mine we discovered an unusual species, notably aggressive and housed within metal husks that were vaguely cylindrical in shape. These containers tapered toward the top where they were covered with a dome, and were equipped with two protruding external devices. One seemed to be a device for grasping and investigation, and the other a weapon.

( When these creatures were approached for peaceful resolution, they merely repeated the words 'Exterminate' and immediately attacked several party members... )

Character: Data
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Word Count: 1,221

[(Relating to Lore Plot at hearts_andminds.)]

The covers creased in as Data sat on the side of the bed, once again watching Avon contentedly sleep and trying to draw comfort from it. Though this time, he only found anguish and worry.

Data had been, in the blink of an eye, completely invalidated and proven untrustworthy. All of his hard work to prove that he wasn't simply a machine, that he'd risen above his parts and that other machines could as well, undone by a man that wore his face.

He'd debated considering him a brother, for a while. Lore had done nothing but betray him and wound him. But the simple fact was that, even with B-4, there was only two Soong-Type androids that could have been considered functional. Lore and Data. And one could not always choose their family, just as any human would know.

But this human laying there, this very important human, needed to know just what a danger that brother meant. That he had to be suspicious of his own fiancee.

Gently, Data put a cool hand on Avon's shoulder and leaned in. "Please wake up, Avon, I have something I need to talk to you about."

A. "Has my portrayal of a character(s) changed the way you think of him/her?"

B. Pick one of my characters and I'll answer the following questions about him or her.
1. What would your character kill for? What would they die for?
2. What would they refuse to do under any circumstances? Why?
3. What do they dream about?
4. What’s their biggest fear?
5. What single object would they be most hard pressed to part with? Why?
6. What is their fondest memory?
7. What is their worst memory?
8. What or who was were their most significant influence? Expound.
9. What do they believe makes a successful life?
10. What makes them laugh?
11. What are their religious views?
12. What is their greatest strength?
13. Do they have a fatal flaw? If so, what is it?
14. Who is the most important person in their life?
15. If they died, who would miss them most? How would they die?

C. Pick a fandom, any fandom I'm in. I will tell you:
1. One True Pairing Ship:
2. Canon Ship:
3. "If this happens I'll stab my eyes out with a spork" Ship:
4. "You are one sick puppy" Ship:
5. "I dabble a little" Ship:
6. "It's like a car crash" Ship:
7. "Tickles my fancy but not sold just yet" Ship:
8. "Makes no canon sense but why the heck not" Ship:
9. "Everyone else loves it but I just don't feel it" Ship:

( List to Choose from )

I am Become Death - Franklin Thatcher

This story is about how after hundreds of years, Data developed his own emotions without use of his emotion chip, and to remedy his loneliness he builds more androids. And those androids end up overrunning the Galaxy and he grows to resent them, especially the ones that had never actually met humans.

This is a good solid case of love love love the premise of a story, hate hate hate how it's written. It's got a few descriptive issues I can't get behind, and some phrasing I find questionable. But that can be argued away as Data becoming a more organic thinker. My biggest problem with it is that it's in first person, and that's flat out silly from the perspective of a being with sixty trillion thought processes a second.

But still, the premise is good, I actually feel bad for at least one of his children, and it's a great example of him becoming more time intuitive. I actually prefer this to the crap that I thought "Star Trek: Countdown" was.

The file is a .cbr file, meaning you either need CDisplay or ComicRack. If you have neither, then download and change the file extension to ".zip" and unzip it to view the JPegs straight.

RP SHIPS MEME V.O2

I think I did this once before but deleted for... whatever reason. Forgetfulness, maybe.

August 13th, 1893. San Fransisco. Hot, a little dusty, and surprisingly busy. Data, unlike the Doctor, had a tendency to dress the part. Not so much to fit in- if that were the case, he would be pointedly attempting to change his skin tone. Instead, he simply liked to dress up.

This place had a particular significance to Data. This time. When his own head had been presented to him, he hadn't reacted as most people anticipated. He had been comforted by the thought of his upcoming death. That there would be an end to the cycle of gained friendship and loss.

It was an event that brought him closer to humanity.

He wasn't necessarily anxious to relive the negative portions of the event, but he was glad that the Doctor obliged him the visit. He did have that tendency with his companions- the opportunities to look at their past, to realize the significance of events that made them what they were. Maybe he wanted to help them.

Or maybe he was just curious about being more like humans himself.

He was waiting in the console room beside of the door, dressed for the part and wearing a Victorian style suit (an era of clothing the TARDIS had no shortage of, he assumed she had a preference and he was glad to oblige). He was pondering the Doctor's sentiments as well reliving portions of the experience that reminded him of his own mortality, though neither, for the sake of comfort, he was willing to voice.

"If Mark Twain is giving his reading, perhaps you would be interested in attending. Guinan enjoyed his company." The Doctor reminded him very much of Guinan, sometimes.

Shore leave was an exciting time for most of the crew of the Enterprise. Most of which with the exception of Data, who found himself dutifully manning the bridge with one other security officer and someone at ops. He didn't complain, though. While he enjoyed the curiosity of interaction between inhabitants and guests, he didn't quite have the desire (with or without emotion chip), to partake of the more carnal activities.

It was Monday night as well, and he was settled into the captain's chair shuffling a deck of cards between his hands. It would have been poker night, if everyone wasn't planetside. But now it was just him and a few straggling officers to keep the peace aboard a starship.

( 'You look bored,' an unexpected feminine, tart voice said off to the right of him. )

Character: Data
Fandom: Star Trek : The Next Generation
Words: 1,219
Prompt: Murphy's Law

When I joined hearts_andminds, there was a very communal atmosphere to the RP. Even when people didn't get along quite so well, they attempted to respect each other. They realized that this was for fun, and that it was an escape from real-world dilemmas.

It's getting to the end of summer, and between stress from jobs and school and illness and already existing stress from an economy that makes some of us want to bash our faces against the wall a lot of us are really feeling the pressure. So the thing that's supposed to make you happy stops making you happy anymore, and it starts wearing you down and sometimes makes you downright snippy and hostile.

I suppose it goes without saying that an online community should be a place that you're happy to return to rather than a place where you say, "I'll deal with this later." And I think it comes down to fundamental respect of other people's viewpoints. It shouldn't really be that hard to take a step back and go, "This is where this person is coming from, I will try to understand it, and if I can not, I will go have a cookie and beverage of choice and re-evaluate my opinion on the matter."

This is really, really hard to do when your under stress because your brain is in self-preservation mode.

I've come to really love some of the players here, and in the past I've seen some incredible displays of organization and cooperation. It's been really, truly impressive, but it seems that in some cases we've become impatient. We're upset if we're not informed of something or we're upset because we're overwhelmed or something else is going on.

I think in some cases it's lessening some players' enjoyment, and they in turn get impatient, and it's not a very good cycle. Especially to those who have had far too much out of character drama. This community, when I joined it, had a lot of people who were trying to get away from just that. So even if we don't like a person's style of RPing, we can afford them an email if something you do might indirectly affect their character, and likewise I would like to think we could forgive them or politely ask for a reconsideration (or retcon if it's important enough) if they happen to forget.

I don't mean to be accusing in this at all. I've forgotten to get in contact with muns myself, and I've gotten frustrated more than once. I think that maybe some of us need to take a step back and consider the other perspective occasionally. I would really like to continue playing without being constantly concerned about offending someone. I'm really worried about losing both my enjoyment and some of the players that I've come to adore who are experiencing similar dissatisfaction.

Also, forgive any of my typos. I have the chronic inability to notice them myself even if I reread before posting.

Character: Data
Fandom: Blake's 7
Words: 4,546
Notes: I was wanting to do a crossover of some sort anyway, so I wrote up a scenario for him to exist in the Blake's 7 universe. And then he briefly ran into Servalan. Majority takes place in the same timespan as Headhunter.

000109.82 from Incident...

"Juliana!"

Noonien's voice rose as he slowly made his way through the darkened laboratory, the floor only lit by frayed wires. "Juliana! We have to leave right now! Where are you!"

He pushed over a large piece of metal panel that had fallen, and then peered under a half-fallen machine with a back-aching grunt. No sign of her. He missed his younger days, when he could get around with little trouble.

( 'Data! Do you see her anywhere?!' )

You Are An ESFJ

The Caregiver You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first. A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change. You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project. You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people. In love, you value harmony and mutual understanding. You will apologize or give someone the benefit of the doubt, if it means getting over a fight sooner. At work, you are good at building relationships and connecting with people. You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher. How you see yourself: Organized, dependable, co-operative When other people don't get you, they see you as: Opinionated, critical, and know-it-all

I do not ever recall having claimed to 'know-it-all'. There is in fact much I do not.

The same person who put together the awesome video about Lore and Data put this together. It's pretty great, and makes me laugh as hard as "What are you doing here?" does.

( Episode: Legacy )

Personal reminder guide...
-00:00:00 = Data calls bullshit on Riker's card trick.
-00:13:56 = Data meets Ishara.
-00:25:25 = Data describes how his programming allows him to form friendships
-00:28:17 = Ishara tells the story of what happened between her and Tasha
-00:33:20 = Ishara gives Data her cadre marker
-00:37:00 = Ishara threatens them while trying to turn off the enemies defenses, and Data and Riker stop her.
-00:41:07 = Ishara tells Data their conversations were the closest thing to friendship she ever had, and then he goes to talk to Riker about being betrayed.

I like this music video a lot for no good reason other than I think it's fun.