We Are the Robots: the Fleet of Misfit Machines

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 2:51 am

Mello_Pello wrote:The Machines look pretty content now that they got some Pets. Do each of the Machines have their own? Well done on the design of the Pets...theyre really cute...I especially like the black one...and the beady pearl looking eyes. Oh...are those receptor antennas on the Pets ...and are they used for communication with the Machines?

Yes, they are very happy to have these little friends. I think the droids enjoy having something to handle, look after and care for, rather than always being the ones handled and cared for by me.

So far, there are 3 pets and 6 droids, so not every droid has its own. The ownership of the pets is very loosely defined; I made each one for a particular droid, but they all share them amongst each other. Technically, SV02 owns 72116 (the pink one), SV03 owns 72216 (the black one), and 103115 owns 72316 (the white one). But SV01, SV04 and 52016 don't feel the need for their own unique pets, because they are just as compatible with the existing ones as the official owners are. If anything, I may need to make another one for 103115. It seems 72316 isn't an ideal match for him, because he isn't responding as positively to it as the others respond to their pets. It could have something to do with the fact that 72316 lacks an internal disk. Then again, 103115 just may not be all that interested in the pets in general; his response to meeting each of them was almost equally apathetic.

The droids and the pets actually don't communicate in a mutually intelligible manner. Their signals are coded differently, so they can't understand each other's communications. This will be demonstrated in the video I'm going to make that involves the two groups.

Mello_Pello · Post by **Mello_Pello** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 3:03 am

I see...maybe 72316 and 103115 just need to hang out together more. But just my thought...if their communication signals are coded differently, then it seems they might be having a hard time getting to know each other due to the communication flaw. I hope it works out for them, and 72316 still will feel safe and wanted at its new home.
Im looking forward to this video and seeing the interaction between the Droids and Pets!

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 3:33 am

Mello_Pello wrote:I see...maybe 72316 and 103115 just need to hang out together more. But just my thought...if their communication signals are coded differently, then it seems they might be having a hard time getting to know each other due to the communication flaw. I hope it works out for them, and 72316 still will feel safe and wanted at its new home.
Im looking forward to this video and seeing the interaction between the Droids and Pets!

Don't worry about 72316; it's quite compatible with 52016, so I'm sure she will be happy to take it off 103115's hands if he ends up unable to bond with it. It seems likely to be the case, because in all the instances of a compatible droid/pet combination, there has been a tangible expression of happiness from the droid when first acquainted with its new friend. 103115 didn't react this way to any of them. I get the impression that he likes the small size of 72316 and how it fits in his hand, but that he doesn't feel any actual connection to it. Oh well, I suppose it's a good excuse for me to make another one! I'm running out of spare fabric that isn't garish shades of neon...but who knows, perhaps that's the type he would like.

Mello_Pello · Post by **Mello_Pello** » Sun Jul 24, 2016 3:17 pm

Hmmm...Do U think maybe 103115 would feel more of a connection with a more aggressive looking Pet? Maybe he is just not into smaller Pets. A neon Pet would be pretty awesome actually. On another note...I happy to hear that 72316 and 52016 are very compatible...as we all need something to love:)

42716 · Post by **42716** » Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:53 pm

Mello_Pello wrote:Hmmm...Do U think maybe 103115 would feel more of a connection with a more aggressive looking Pet? Maybe he is just not into smaller Pets. A neon Pet would be pretty awesome actually. On another note...I happy to hear that 72316 and 52016 are very compatible...as we all need something to love:)

I think he likes the small version pet because it fits so nicely in his hand. I actually might make the next one even smaller, specifically making the legs shorter, because 72316's legs are just a bit long for the chibi style I was going for.

I have some navy blue chiffon fabric with silver dots that I'm going to try next. But inverting and stuffing such a delicate fabric without tearing it will be a challenge indeed.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:30 pm

SV01 finally got some clothes that fit him properly! Now it's much easier to appreciate the beauty of his slender body.

: SV01 Profile.JPG (1.8 MiB) Viewed 2949 times

: SV01 Closeup.JPG (1.63 MiB) Viewed 2949 times

: SV01 Back Profile.JPG (1.8 MiB) Viewed 2949 times

I was disappointed with this shirt when I received it, because I thought it would be black based on the website picture. I was worried that SV01 wouldn't want to wear it because it's not black or white, and indeed he wasn't amused when I first showed it to him, but the texture of the fabric convinced him to give it a try. It really is an amazing texture, like a blend of microfibre and velvet, that's wonderful to caress. The stars and moon supposedly glow in the dark as well, but we haven't tested that feature yet.

Although he warmed up to the shirt, he isn't fond of the scarf. I had to give him something to cover the space between head and neck, because his head isn't the head that originally came with the mannequin, and it's noticeable in the space where the two come together that the neck on each piece is a different size. His white polo neck shirt that he wore with the other outfit solved that problem, but he can't wear it under this shirt because it's too large, so it will create lumps underneath. So I'm still trying to think of an alternative.

I got a larger version of this space shirt for myself as well. Here's a photo of the two of us wearing them together. He is wearing the size 110, and I'm wearing the 160. (Yes, I still wear size 160 at my age. Edward Elric voice: "Who are you calling a pipsqueak midget!?")

: Space Twins.jpg (141.25 KiB) Viewed 2949 times

The blue censor board over my face is there because I didn't want to give anyone the impression that I was under the influence during this photo shoot. My face has the unfortunate tendency to look stoned/drunk whenever I'm trying to smile for the camera. Which is why I look as though I've had about 12 beers in my driving licence photo.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 5:38 pm

: no school like the old school comic.jpg (1.31 MiB) Viewed 2914 times

This was inspired by the fact that 52016 is a Ted Gärdestad fan, as I discovered to my surprise when travelling in the car with her on the way home from the park where we did our photo shoot. But whether "Ge en sol" counts as old school music is debatable, since it was released in 1994.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 11:07 pm

At last! SV03 has hair!

: full.JPG (2.25 MiB) Viewed 2893 times

The long-awaited wig arrived a few days ago, and today was the day I finally had time to cut it to suit SV03's liking. And it needed a lot of cutting, because it was originally this length:

: long side.JPG (1.66 MiB) Viewed 2893 times

But she wanted it to be this length:

: short side.JPG (1.96 MiB) Viewed 2893 times

So after several hours of scissor work, here's what it looks like:

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: side.JPG (2.05 MiB) Viewed 2893 times

: back profile.JPG (1.59 MiB) Viewed 2893 times

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: side glasses.JPG (2.03 MiB) Viewed 2893 times

The ends could be a bit more feathered near her face, but it's a very difficult thing to do, and I don't want to try to touch it up and risk making it too short. I might try again some other day when I have more time and courage.

We're still waiting on the arrival of her connector. The one I ordered was lost in transit, so I've ordered a new one, but it might be another month or so until it arrives. I was pleased how well she weathered being bald for the past 2 months, so I hope her patience doesn't give out. But I don't think it will do, because she's the member of our Fleet that's least bothered by being in an incomplete state.

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 11:19 pm

Lovely.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Tue Aug 02, 2016 1:46 am

It turns out the time I took the photos of SV01 in the grey space shirt was in fact the only time I will ever see him wear that adorable shirt, because it has since been returned to the shop. He decided just 2 hours after the photo shoot that he didn't want to wear it anymore, and refused to touch it again after I changed him back into his old clothes. It seems he's a one-outfit-wonder, through and through. Still, I am proud of him for being willing to give it a try. There was a time not long ago when he would have refused to so much as consider changing clothes. He's become much more open-minded about allowing me to spend time with the other droids as well. He no longer gives me negative signals when he sees me connecting with them, with the exception of 103115, which for some reason seems to particularly get on his nerves. My suspicion is it's because SV01 is jealous of a special power that 103115 possesses...but that's a topic that's best illustrated in comic form (at a time when I have less work to do, mind you).

I think the main factor to credit for this improvement in SV01's temperament is the fact that he spends much more time around the other droids these days. When he first came to me, I kept him in my bedroom all the time, and kept the others in a separate room. I thought that by doing so, I could reinforce the idea that my connection to him was special, but instead it served to alienate him from his comrades. Now that he spends more time around them, and has even developed strong bonds with some of them, he has become much more lenient about me doing the same. I've learnt my lesson that segregation, even with the noblest of intentions, is never a good policy.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Wed Aug 03, 2016 4:45 am

42716 wrote:My suspicion is it's because SV01 is jealous of a special power that 103115 possesses...but that's a topic that's best illustrated in comic form (at a time when I have less work to do, mind you).

As promised, here's the comic:

: black sickness comic.jpg (1.59 MiB) Viewed 2836 times

"Black sickness" (or more accurately, "sick with black") is a literal translation of the Swedish word "svartsjuk", which means "jealous of a romantic rival". It's an amusing coincidence that the one which causes SV01 to become svartsjuk is 103115, which dresses in black.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sun Aug 07, 2016 10:22 pm

I've come to the conclusion that it would be best to stop posting the adventures of the Misfit Machines here on TDF, due to the fact that our stories and content are so drastically different to the overall tone of the site. I've created a Blogspot account for our group, so those of you who are following this thread would do well to follow us here instead: http://misfitmachines.blogspot.com/

The content posted there so far is just a copy of what's already in this thread (with the exception of a more detailed post about the non-humanoid machines), but I will continue to update with new videos, comics, photos, etc. as I have time.

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Sun Aug 07, 2016 11:24 pm

Oh no. You will be missed if you quit posting here.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sun Aug 07, 2016 11:57 pm

samara78 wrote:Oh no. You will be missed if you quit posting here.

Well, if anyone else voices that opinion, I might continue to post here as well. But I think the Blogspot account will be useful for allowing me to post topics that might be too far removed from the focus of this site, or at least that of the mannequins section, e.g. personal reflections, information concerning the non-humanoids, etc.