The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation

Tales of the Bots #1

by Scifigrl47, reenajenkins (Narrator)

Avengers Podfic
Steve/Tony and Clint/Coulson
"When Tony Stark was seventeen years old, he built his first AI. On that day, he ceased to be his father's creation, and became a creating force in his own right.
That one act likely saved his life, and not always in the most obvious ways."

Coverartist: reena_jenkins
Length: 10:48:07

Genres: Fan Fiction, M M Romance, Marvel, Science Fiction, Humor

Audiobook

First published August 3, 2012

Reviews

[Julio Genao · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's Talk. A lot.

A sometimes lovely, mostly tedious series of conversations between Unit Designation someone-or-other and Unit Designation someone else. Also conversations between Tony and Steve—Iron Man and Captain America.

With bonus conversations featuring Thor! And Hawkeye! Also Natasha?

Actually that one was fun—but it was still, you know, a conversation. Plus Alcohol.

And the trigger warnings? Shoot me in the face, please, next time you want me to read something that puts horribly earnest and ruinously spoilery warnings in front of every chapter that features nightmares (OMG PTSD!!!), no-but-yes kissing (OMG dubious consent!!!) or, heaven forfend, any fucking of any kind whatsoever (OMG SENSITIVE MATERIAL!!!).

Which turned out to be a stultifying conversation between Unit Designation X and Unit Designation Y about whether to intercede with medical assistance, because apparently Unit Designation Been-With-Tony-Stark-Since-He-Was-Seventeen-Right-On-Through-An-Apparently-Unsuccessful-Relationship-With-Pepper-Potts had never seen him fucking, before.

Oh, fuck this. Just, you know, shoot me in the face now.

After posting the appropriate trigger warning.

[LenaLena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Avengers fanfic. You will need to have seen both Iron Man movies and The Avengers to get the first half of the story. But who hasn't?

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Oh how I love Dummy! He was the star of the show. Dummy was Tony's first AI and we get to see firsthand how he interacts with Tony, Jarvis, and the Avengers. It's a fun ride to follow Dummy’s logic and to see how he "learns" new concepts. Nothing and no one stands in his way of his Primary Protocol. He's smarter than everyone thinks!

[Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent fanfic which charts Tony Stark's relationship with helper bot Dummy and master computer Jarvis from age seventeen through existing canon and beyond. Made me cry and shout at my kindle towards the end.
Art by Hallpen

'-Creating Unit works better when Creating Unit is not alone.
-But as long as we are here, he is not.
-Creating Unit must sometimes be reminded that he is not alone.'

[DayDreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh, all my Dummy feels! And the ending, haha, it was perfect! :D

[Jarta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unit Designation Dummy is BEST.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Act of Creation Will be Your Salvation. The title is beautiful and I was inclined to believe the story would be too.

This is part one of the Tales of the Bots series.
Part two: Curiosity Changes Everything
Part three: Bedtime Stories and Nightmares

*Opening paragraphs: could accept the main idea, was a little put off by the open whining and general adolescent vibes. I don't mind a broken, lonely character, but the writing could have taken better avenues to express it in subtler, more poignant ways.
*Birth of the AI (and first interaction): better. Much better. It was good and I melted at the adoration and loyalty given to the Creator. Stark's realization that his first act with the AI was violence, and his eventual affection to it was lovely. Stark's recognition that the bot could comprehend the correct strength to place behind his motors was a nice hint at genius (telling the reader Stark is a genius and showing no real indication of why he should be thought so is a common failure, and it was great to see proper indication).
*Gloss-overs on canon: I wasn't very interested in reading the interlude-ish prose here. The stuff covered in movies were glossed and summarized and disjointed, so not a pleasant read. I skimmed enough to get all the material down, but read quickly and without interest (because, yeah, not exciting writing going down there.)
*After canon, and on to imaginitive writing: fun read after the summaries. Interactions between Dummy and Steve are fun (Steve is great).
*Smex: hinted at, described-ish, but no actual scenes going on. Sexual tension and afterglow, mostly.
*Dummy: wasn't happy with how the writing worked all the time, but there were parts that were lovely. And I absolutely adored that Dummy just goes ahead and rewrites his protocols again to suit his preferences.


Quotes:

“This facility is mine. I don't think you get that. So let me help you out here. I own this place. I own the company, I own the building, I own the land and the factory and almost every patent this place has managed to push through in the last five years and as long as you've got a StarkIndustries name tag hanging from your fucking shirt pocket, I own you. So as long as you'd like to maintain your current position as, I don't know, I really don't know what the fuck you're doing here, it appears that you're a patsy that they've deliberately thrown in my path, but if that's a job you like? You will never, ever again tell me what I can't do.
“I'm Tony Stark, and this is my fucking company. Is that clear?”

“Here. Take the rest of the day off, go down to the bar, and buy yourself a drink, you deserve it, the guy who owns your company is a major douchebag.”

There was a faint tone as his battery got enough juice to bring his circuitry online, and Dummy's head came up. “Hey,” Tony said. He grinned into the camera. “Where the hell have you been? We've got work to do.”

She stared. “Are you... Holding a martini glass? In your driver's license photo?” She blinked and leaned forward. “Is that legal?”

-Creating Unit works better when Creating Unit is not alone.
-But as long as we are here, he is not.
-Creating Unit must sometimes be reminded that he is not alone.

-Unit Designation Obadiah Stane makes work stop. Creating Unit must create. It is his Primary Protocol. Unit Designation Obadiah Stane interferes with the Creating Unit's Primary Protocol. Unit Designation Obadiah Stane destroys the will to create.

“Yeah,” he said. “You are, and always will be, my greatest creation.”

“Doubts. So many doubts. It's just unfair, you should not be allowed to doubt me. I am your God.”

“Ah, give me a second here. Go ahead, mess around with stuff, if you want, Jarvis'll keep you from doing anything potentially fatal.”

“Watch it,” Tony warned, as Bruce rocked to the side under the pressure. “Not acceptable. No bullying visitors. This is why no one likes us. Get over here.”

He paused, amused and amazed, as Dummy ducked around the back of the couch, scrunching down so he wasn't visible from Tony's position. “Are you kidding me? Are you joking right now? Seriously, this is what we're doing? I KNOW YOU'RE THERE. I just saw you- Really, I am going to use you to scare pigeons off of the roof, I would give you a scarecrow hat and make you chase pigeons except as bad as your spacial recognition is, you'd fall off and kill someone and that'd end up in the papers, you know it would.”

“You don' even like me.”
Clint grinned at him. “No one dislikes you. I don't think that's possible. You have a hidden mutant power for being liked.”
Tony slumped over sideways, curling up on the couch with a sigh. “It wears off,” he said after a second. “An' people stop likin' me.”

“I had a worst case scenario in mind when we came down here,” Phil Coulson said from the doorway. “This is so much worse than I could've imagined.”

“I'm not asking you to, Jarvis. I'm asking you not to lie to me. I understand, there are some things that you're not allowed to tell me, and some things that you must not be comfortable telling me. And that's fine. I respect your boundaries here. Tell me that you can't discuss something with me. Tell me that I have to ask Tony. Tell me that you're not comfortable answering a question. I can get that. But if you lie to me again, if you flat out lie to me, Jarvis, about something as important as his health, I am not going to be able to trust you. And right now? I need to trust you. You are another member of my team, of our team. The Avengers depend on you, and Tony. And if you start covering for Tony in a way that's not helping him, then I- I need to know you are working with me here.”

“I see through your tricks, metal friend. We will settle this as the warriors we are!”
“He's not a warrior. He has tiny little wheels. He can't even get to the war, let alone fight in it.” Tony jammed the wrench between his teeth and tossed the chisel at the bench, grabbing the crowbar as he hustled past. “I designed him to have no war access.”
“Bah! He has the spirit of one bound for Valhalla, and he mocks my strength.” No one mocked Thor's strength, at least, not anyone sane. Tony was pretty sure the guy had biceps the size of Tony's head. “We will have it out, in the way of men. Today!”
“You are not arm wrestling my bot,” Tony said around the wrench.

“Hey, do not-” Tony poked a finger in Thor's direction. “No. Do not interfere with the deep and complicated relationship I have with my bots. Do not.”

“I miss him. My father says that Midgard was the making of me, that which broke my childish habits, my selfish ways. I think, rather, it was the loss of Loki that was the making of me. Scales forever tipped between us, and one or the other cannot help but hold the high ground.”

“I beg your pardon,” Jarvis said, his voice stern. “I was not yelling, Dr. Banner.”
“Sorry, Jarvis,” Bruce said, smiling. “They were a little concerned, I guess.”
“Much concerned,” Thor said, sounding insulted.

Natasha's lips quirked. “When did you become team leader?”
“That is a horrible idea, horrible, I'm going to pretend I never heard you say that,” Tony said to her. “But this might not be the end of the attacks, and we really have to get things under control.”

“Okay, at some point you passed 'deadpan snark' and went straight to 'unacceptable levels of disrespect.'”
“My apologies, I wasn't aware that there were levels that I was to adhere to in our interactions, sir.”
“I know I did not program 'bitchy' in there. I know this, I was there for the programming.”
“My programming is quite adaptable, sir. I learn from my environment and my interactions with others.”
“Are you calling me bitchy?”
“Perish the thought, sir. However, I should point out that the majority of my interactions are with you, and you are my most defining influence. Also, you-”
“Why are you so full of hate and poison, Jarvis?”
“Is this a rhetorical question, sir?”

-Dummy, at some point I will figure out what you are doing.
-Unknown query.
-I'm sure.

“You're an idiot,” Tony gritted out, and Steve laughed against his shoulder. “Next time, just grab my ass, I swear, I'll get the hint. Or, I don't know, better yet, just start stripping, I can pick up on that, that's a pretty obvious one. Naked on my couch. Jesus, God, please, can we do that? Can we please have you naked on my couch?”

“No one other than sir has ever slept in the workshop,” Jarvis said, and Tony regretted ever giving his AI a verbal interface.
“Do not read anything into that,” he gritted out.
“Too late, I already am. Just me, huh?”
“Shut up. Like anyone else I've ever been with has had any interest in having sex on the couch in my workshop.”
“Their loss,” Steve said, and Tony glanced up to find him grinning. His face was bright red, but he was definitely grinning. “I like it down here. I really, really have good feelings about your couch. Love that couch. Amazing couch.”

“I like what I like. And I really like this.” Tony glanced over, one eyebrow arched in a sardonic look, and Steve's smile took on a distinctly predatory cast. “See? That? I would frame that.”
“I could capture a still off of the security feed and print out a physical copy for you, Captain Rogers, if you'd like,” Jarvis offered, and Tony gaped at the ceiling.
“No,” he said, trying to sound stern. “No, you cannot.”
“Oh, yes, please, thank you, Jarvis,” Steve said, grinning wide and white and so all-American gorgeous that Tony had to lock his knees to keep from ending up on the floor. “Can I get one wallet sized, too? If it's not too much trouble.”
“Jarvis, don't you dare-” Tony started.
“Of course, if you'd just please chose your preferred image,” Jarvis said, and Tony buried his face in his hands as Jarvis pulled up a holographic interface, laying out stills from the security feed.
“I am going to replace your circuitry with delicious honeycombs, Jarvis, I swear I am.” Tony went back to his work, trying to pretend that none of this was happening.
“Your ideas are ever more creative, if not productive,” Jarvis said, unruffled. “I do so appreciate hearing them. They're very inspiring.”

Unit Designation Steve is blocking the advance of the Creating Unit. Unit Designation Steve is BEST.

-They will have a fight if you continue this. Sir will fight with Captain Rogers about you. Is this what you want? Sir is always deeply unhappy after having a fight with Captain Rogers. Do you wish to be the cause of his unhappiness?
-Primary Protocol must be upheld. Unit Designation Steve will understand. Unit Designation Steve has the same Primary Protocol.

He glanced up, cheeks warm, at his grinning team. “What?” he grumbled at them. “What're you all doing here, anyway? Go away. Shoo. My workshop is infested with superheroes, how did this happen?”

Rewriting protocol tree.
Primary Protocol: To preserve and protect Tony Stark and Steve Rogers
Secondary Protocol: To keep the Avengers from being alone
Supplementary Protocol: Just Dummy being Dummy
All other protocols acceptable.

Part two quotes (it's a short story, psh):

Clint ambled up to the charging stations and stroked a comforting hand over Dummy's support strut. “Hey, Tinker Toy. Don't worry about it, you can talk to Uncle Clint any time, okay? Ignore your mean dad-”
“You know, this is hard enough, and I would appreciate you not undermining me,” Steve said. He paused. “Oh, God, what is coming out of my mouth?”

“The funny thing here,” Steve said, striding along with him, “is that you think Tony will actually be effective in disciplining him.”
“Are you implying Stark is the sort of parent that sends his kid to bed without dinner, then promptly sneaks him a giant piece of cake?” Clint asked, his grin wide and wicked.
“I'm saying that Tony is the kind of parent that threatens to donate his child to city college and still spends all of his spare time making upgrades,” Steve said.

“Oh, that sounds great,” Clint said, sarcasm thick in his voice. “Tell me that he isn't in the process of taking down a government, or something?”
“A bit less trouble than that, and I believe I interrupted him before any international incidents could result,” Jarvis said.
“Not sure if I'm relieved by that, or horrified that it was even a possibility,” Steve said.

“I was watching the adventures of the space robot,” Thor said. He sounded grumpy. “In that it reminds me much of our little friends. It is a very brave little fellow, all alone on an alien world.” He nodded, solemn. “It is my shield brother at heart. And now, nothing!” He pointed at the screen with a very accusing finger. “Nothing! It is an insult.”

A minute later, Steve was picking up the tray, and Bruce choked on a low laugh. At Steve's curious look, he said, “Well, if this super hero thing falls through, Cap, we can open a restaurant, huh?”
“Coulson, with you at front of house, Clint cooking and Bruce as sou chef, Steve and Thor serving, Tony bankrolling it, and me to deal with complaints?” Natasha tipped her wine glass at them. “We could make a fortune.”
“Let's keep that as plan B,” Steve told her.
“Let's keep that as plan Z,” Clint corrected. “I don't do cook to order. You'll eat what I give you.”

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really approve of Stony but the bots!

[Dropspun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wherein Tony Stark acquires a son in the most unusual of ways. When an enemy turns one of his helper bots into a real, live boy, DJ Stark is created, with a personality as unique and as fascinating as his father's.

The story of how Tony raises him (with much help from the other Avengers) and poor DJ's adjustment from being a one-armed robot to a being of flesh and blood is heartwarming to watch. The character of DJ is one of the most creative I have ever seen, and the action bounces from warm fuzzies to heartstopping and back again.

In truth, I would read anything Scifigrl47 wrote -- she's just that good. And if you really want some laugh out loud humor, check out the story where Captain America comes back from a mission and his reaction to seeing DJ walking on the ceiling via magnetic boots, with Tony nonchalantly working below (Tales of The Bots - The DJ Shorts - Adventures in Botsitting). “Tony, oh my GOD!” was just the beginning (...you let him break the laws of physics. We have house rules against that.”).

Another good humorous short story (Tales of The Bots - The DJ Shorts - Milestones) involves Tony finding out that his errant offspring has bought his first company -- behind Tony's back. DJ parleys an allowance (that is small by Tony's standards -- Clint is green with envy) into a very sizeable sum by playing the stock market and ends up owning his very own corporation, complete with buildings and employees, much to Tony's despair -- he wouldn't be caught dead owning that particular company -- and Tony has to justify it's purchase to Pepper ("Must have been drunk" he says). The scene where Tony confronts DJ about the purchase is hilarious.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both the humans and the bots are beautifully, brilliantly realized here. It might even be a 4.5. If I'd been reading in Kindle, I would have had tons of highlighted passages.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

144 - 2018

[Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fic is a gift to the marvel fandom. If Stony isn't your thing you can totally skip the end because this fic is abut Tony Stark and his bots
AND FEELINGS.
I cried reading this, actual tears fell from my face because of the feelings.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually mark here the fics I read but, well, new year new customs? Anyway, I loved the development in this fic, and how Tony is portrayed. I've always been curious about him building DUM-E so young and this is a good headcanon. One of my favourite fics of Tony/Steve.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was sweet. very angsty. life of iron man from the POV of Dummy and Jarvis.

[Ivka_s_knihou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to start a new GR challenge with a bang up job of a book. I had this work in my kindle for a long time. and it was absolutely brilliant. I love Dummy.