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nelliebachesneg · 6 months

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S13 Alternate Ending Headcanons, Because What TF Did Epsilon Mean, Exactly, By "Deconstruct Myself"?

Ok so I’ve had this idea spinning in the back of my brain since, what, 2016? But when Epsilon died, he said “the fragments I’ll leave behind” would get the Reds and Blues through the fight, and then there’s a flash where it seems like each of Epsilon’s fragments corresponds to one of the Reds and Blues. So my thought at the time - and on-and-off again since - was that Epsilon gave a fragment of himself to each of the Reds and Blues to help them win the fight. Then when the fight was over, each of their suits would have had a piece of Epsilon. These pieces would have been fragments of a fragment, though, so they wouldn't have had an interface like Epsilon did; they would have just been really finicky, specialized, supposedly helpful computer programs that would sometimes do things that were more funny/annoying than helpful. These programs would have activated after the fight. List below.

Church's messages, then, would be him explaining what the programs do and why he gave them to each of his friends (as well as saying his last goodbyes). He would also convince his friends not to put him back together again because the time they figured out how to do it and/or got the equipment for it, his fragments would have developed too much on their own to fit nicely back together - and even if something did come back it would not be the Epsilon they knew before.

Now I don't want to get into a debate over whether or not this could even be canon because tbh I couldn't care less, but I am curious to know if anyone has a different take on what kind of program Church would give each of the characters. Is there an aspect of someone's character I missed? Are there things a sci-fi-bullshit AI can or can't do that I'm forgetting about? Does the theme of each program make sense?

So yeah, let me know in the notes if you've got the time!

(Btw which character gets what fragment is based mostly on positioning in that scene at the end of S13, as well as headcanons from the amazing fanfic Mind over Matter by kineticallyanywhere on Ao3.)

Grif: Omega.

The theme: Take control of your life or someone else will. If you let that go far enough, you won’t like how it turns out - but also remember that a little help isn’t a bad thing.

The program: literally controls every aspect of Grif’s life inside his suit in the exact way he hates - i.e. organizing his saved files in a way that makes it impossible to find what he wants, setting alarms that wake him up just as he's falling asleep, constantly reminding him to exercise, making his suit heavier and heavier the closer he gets to the mess hall, randomly contacting Matthews and Sarge, etc. The program can also jump from the suit into the surrounding wireless network, specifically cameras and radios, to keep an eye on him when he’s out of the suit. The program can report his behavior (in increasing order of severity) to Sarge, Wash, and/or Carolina if it feels like it. Simmons and Carolina have the manual override code in case of emergencies, though; the program isn’t smart enough to distinguish between a firefight and Sarge being a jackass. (It’s a spoken code word. No it’s not “code word”.) I'd like to think that a lot of how the suit messes with Grif has to do with Simmons because what is an RvB headcanon without Grimmons. The thing is, all of the things the program does are reversible if Grif just takes the time to go into his suit's settings and do that. If he makes the effort enough times, the program will cease.

Simmons: Sigma.

The theme: Loosen up. Realize there’s more to life than seeking the approval of others - but also don’t disregard others completely.

The program: Listens in on orders from Sarge, Kimball, Carolina, and Wash. If it determines the order to be bullshit, it cuts the call and immediately radios Grif or Donut instead. It also prompts Simmons at multiple random points throughout the day with the question, “What do you want to do?” and “Why?” If Simmons inputs with a satisfactory answer, spoken or written, the program will generate suggestions for how to accomplish that task. Its programming also allows it to respond to Simmons’s anxieties, though if it gets fed up enough it will call Grif or Donut because Church could only take so much of that. It is able to sync with Simmons's robot parts to keep an eye on him, much like it does with Grif. Also like Grif's program, it will cease once it sees an improved pattern of behavior.

Sarge: Delta.

The theme: Creativity needs to be tempered with logic. Sometimes you need reality check - but don’t let that discourage you from trying new things.

The program: In a way, the antithesis to Simmons’s. If Sarge starts muttering about a hare-brained scheme, e.g. fighting gravity, the program will annoy him into sharing the details. It will then either give him a list of reasons why that’s absurd and challenge him to justify his reasoning, calling (in order of severity) Grif, Simmons, Wash, or Carolina if it can’t talk him out of it - or it will help him pull it off, because this is a Church program, and Church would absolutely want to help Sarge mess with the rest of the guys. As a result this program has a lot of Church’s residual personality programming in order to make those judgment calls, which kind of forces Sarge to bond with Caboose and thus has the added bonus of helping Sarge further overcome the ‘Red vs Blue’ mentality. This program's reach does not extend outside of Sarge's armor.

Tucker: Epsilon

The theme: Losing people does not make you a bad leader, nor does it make you a bad person. Don’t obsess over your grief and failures. Take the time to feel it, of course, but then move on knowing that sacrifices are made out of love and faith.

The program: Helps Tucker keep track of Caboose, mostly. It may sound weird but I am literally thinking about the “you need something to take care of” thing from the first John Wick movie. Tucker doesn’t have a “chat” feature like Simmons and Sarge do, since the goal is to move on, but the program does automatically connect him to Wash when he meets a certain set of concerning criteria because Wash gets it. The program will also alert Carolina and/or Wash whenever he steps out of line, as a kind of revenge for all the times Tucker called Church out - and should the fallout be entertaining enough it will be broadcast to everyone on Chorus. No one's reactions to such broadcasts are inherently hostile, showing Tucker that he doesn’t have to worry about too much judgment from others for his flaws. (Side note, the program cannot run the Meta’s suit - at least not while running any extra equipment.)

Caboose: Eta and Iota

The theme: “No matter how many friends you do lose, you can always make more.” Just. Just watch “Caboose’s Guide To Making Friends” again (and try not to cry, again).

The programs: Yes, Caboose gets two, and yes, it’s because Church cares about Caboose and actually wants to show it this time. The remnant of Eta is specifically for communication, particularly with Wash and Tucker’s programs so that it can help Tucker help Caboose and help Wash keep track of his team, but it also makes sure that every single one of Caboose’s friends can know where he is at all times. Meanwhile, the remnant of Iota is essentially an outreach program for Caboose. It connects him to Sarge, Donut, and Dr. Emily Grey, helping Caboose make more friends - and yes I am talking about robots, but also potentially squishy people too - through an appointment calendar, “google translate”, and a step-by-step manual for creating safe robots. Both programs work together to alert everyone when Caboose encounters something potentially dangerous that he will inevitably also befriend; between the two of them is an entire database of criminals, dangerous flora and fauna across the galaxy, and other hazards. That way they can hopefully identify whatever Caboose has decided is the next member of the family.

Lopez: Doesn’t actually get a program, but he absolutely gets a full software upgrade before Epsilon deconstructs and the ability to mess with everyone else's programs (to a point). This includes the ability to speak English though I feel like Lopez would more likely have the language in everyone's suits change to Spanish in an attempt to make them learn it because he's stubborn like that.

The theme: Lopez is his own person and deserves to be appreciated and understood.

Doc / O'Malley: Also doesn't get a program, but Epsilon does make it so everything done in Doc / O'Malley’s suit is automatically and unstoppably recorded. That way, when either personality blacks out (assuming that happens) then they can see what the other one did. He also downloads several actual medical textbooks, including the DSM5, into Doc / O'Malley's suit.

The theme: Knowing yourself in both body and mind is important, because you are important. I imagine this is also Epsilon's way of saying sorry for what happened the last time an AI was in Doc's head; though it wasn’t Epsilon’s fault, he would still try to alleviate some of the consequences of that because he gets it.

Donut: Gamma.

The theme: Sometimes you need your jokes repeated back to you. It is important to understand how others see you and how your words affect them so that you can help both them and yourself grow - but don’t deny who you are in the name of that growth.

The program: Essentially a journaling program, somewhat customizable and with the ability to convert physical journal pages into a digital format through the camera. The program also analyzes the journal entries for double entendres, highlighting them and explaining the meaning. It will also record Donut’s conversations and do the same thing with his spoken words, playing the recording back when Donut is alone. Thus Donut learns exactly what he's saying. Donut can then use the program to double check either written or spoken words, because the program can simulate the reactions of the Reds and Blues to Donut’s words, effectively giving Donut the tools to be the master of communication between everyone (read: everyone’s unofficial therapist) should he choose to be so. It also tracks online deals for wine, cheese, nail polish, and every other material comfort Donut likes so that he can more easily take care of himself, too.

Wash: Theta.

The theme: Trust that you are, in fact, a badass both despite and because of what you've been through - but also a human who deserves all the love in the world both despite and because of what you’ve been through.

The program: Lets Wash be in contact with the Reds and Blues (including Carolina) at all times. It’s like a marauder’s map that lets him always see where they are and contact them if he wants, and it works across planets and solar systems so long as nothing is actively jamming it. Epsilon wants Wash to never be without a family again. However, Epsilon gives him a choice of whether or not he wants this program, because Wash never really had a choice about Church before. The choice is his real last gift to him. (And of course because Wash has already forgiven Epsilon for everything, he wants to be able to use the program, but it still takes a bit for him to get to a place where he feels like he can, but it feels like an opportunity to make amends that they really didn’t get while Epsilon was alive, and this is Epsilon’s way of saying sorry and also that he cares about Wash, and Wash cared about Epsilon so he actively tries to overcome that barrier of letting a fragment of a fragment of an AI into not even his brain but his suit, and UGH MY HEART I’M GONNA CRY--)

Carolina: She doesn't get a program, because Church has always believed that she doesn’t need an AI - or even just a program from one. To give her one would imply she’s not self-sufficient, and Church would never dare disrespect her like that.

The theme: Carolina is awesome by herself, and she deserves to give herself permission to be part of a family (the Reds and Blues). Church gives her a really nice message telling her all that.

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