When Architecture Met Technology

[The Count]

Funny Prawnidew should post. This reminds me of Muppets Beat Time, which started the talk of halves and other fractions. Hope more gets posted please.

 

[The Count]

Mmm Monsters are so hungry... We want an update right now! Please?

 

[RedPiggy]

It's Cait's turn

 

[The Count]

I know... Nagging both of her fics, went on a bit of a needed spree. So erherm... Caitlyn... Poooooooooooost! ! !

 

[AnimatedC9000]

Oh haha, put the blame on me, Kelly. XPP

Chapter 4

Wingnut, a female Doozer with graying Blue curly hair, knitted as Cotterpin sighed and plopped down on a bench in their living room. "You missed several meetings, Cotterpin."

"Sorry, Mom," she replied. "I've been kind of busy."

"It's important for an architect to attend meetings. How else will Doozers know what to build?"

"They're called blueprints, Mom," Cotterpin sighed, staring at the ceiling.

Wingnut smirked. "So, tell me about him."

Cotterpin gawked at her mother in shock. "What do you mean?"

Wingnut smiled and nodded. "A mother knows these things. You have had flawless attendance until just recently. It doesn't take long to figure out some Doozer has your attention."

Cotterpin remained silent.

Wingnut frowned. "It isn't a Doozer, is it?" she asked curtly.

Cotterpin shook her head.

"What is it?"

Cotterpin sighed. "He's some magical drawing --."

"Cotterpin," Wingnut began, rolling her eyes.

"But he's not my boyfriend!" Cotterpin protested. "Why does everyone -- every Doozer, every Fraggle, every bit of rock dust care about me getting a boyfriend?"

"You're not getting any younger, Cotterpin," her mother replied gently. "It's just that we care."

"No one cares enough to let it drop," she retorted.

A knock on the door made Wingnut sigh in relief. She put down her things and stood up and walked over to the door. "Maybe your father can talk some sense into you." She opened it up, gasping as a strange blue and white creature floated just an inch or two above the outer balcony.

"Is Cotterpin here?"

"Waldo!" Cotterpin gasped, standing just behind her mother. "What? How? Where did you come from?"

Waldo blushed and looked away. "I came from Muppet Central. I wanted to take you out ... on ... on ... on a date."

Wingnut cut a quick glance at Cotterpin, smirked, and walked silently into the kitchen.

Cotterpin clenched her fists as she watched her mother leave.

Waldo stared at his Doozer companion. "May we go?" He watched nervously as she just stared at him in response. He pouted. "Did I do something wrong? Was there some Doozer etiquette I broke?"

Cotterpin shook her head. "No, it's okay. Mother's just acting like a nosy mother."

"Take her someplace nice," Wingnut giggled in the kitchen.

Waldo started to sing, batting his eyes at her. "I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid."

"I think I've seen plenty," Cotterpin noted slightly bitterly.

"Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?" Waldo continued with one raised eyebrow. "I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder! Over, sideways, and under, I'm a magic carpet ride!" He morphed into a flying carpet, his eyes and mouth and hat, and swept Cotterpin off her feet. He zoomed throughout the tunnels despite Cotterpin screaming for him to stop. "A whole new world -- a new, fantastic point of view! No one to tell us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming!"

"Turn left!" Cotterpin screeched. "Turn right! No, your other right! Where did you learn to fly?"

Waldo dove into a hole with a staircase just past a small wooden Fraggle statue. He laughed, weaving around pillars and rock formations.

"Just stop!" Cotterpin yelled, tugging on him hard.

He stopped, just bumping his nose on the arch over a large tunnel. A yellow light flashed and they soon found themselves whisked away to a stone room facing an expansive star-filled sky. Waldo cautiously flew out of the room. "We're in a pyramid," he noted in awe. "Looks Incan. We must be in Peru!"

Cotterpin stared in wonder at the jungle, with all the greens and browns, and the brown stone stepped pyramids, resembling Doozer Dome. "A whole new world," she whispered, "a dazzling place I never knew --. Waldo, I'm way up here, it's crystal clear, that now I'm in a whole new world with you."

Waldo smiled. "Now I'm in a whole new world with you!" he replied softly, flying quickly through the tunnel again so the altitude wouldn't harm her again. He flew through another arch and again was met with a starry sky.

Cotterpin grabbed the edges of Waldo's form more tightly. "I wish I could get closer to the stars."

Waldo brightened as he thought of something. "Hang on!" He flew low to the ground, over a pristine lake which reflected the night sky on its calm surface.

Cotterpin laughed, gently taking her hand and letting it skim the water. "It's like I'm in the sky!" She inhaled deeply and continued singing. "Unbelievable sights! Indescribable feeling! Soaring, tumbling, free wheeling -- through an endless diamond sky!"

Waldo passed through the arch again and flew around until he ended up in a land of giants, apparently, noting a two-story run-down castle that seemed sixty feet tall and vegetables larger than beach balls. "A whole new world," he gasped in awe. He turned his eyes around to see Cotterpin and jostled her slightly. "Don't you dare close your eyes!"

Cotterpin opened them and gasped as they flew rings around enormous pumpkins and radishes as if they were in a forest. "A hundred thousand things to see."

"Hold your breath, it gets better," Waldo replied, zipping underneath a tremendous wooden gate and flying fast into a swamp, filled with flowers of every color in the rainbow and fireflies flying lazily above a small marsh filled with cattails. "I can be quite bizarre --."

"Oh, yes, you are," Cotterpin giggled. "But you're the first to enjoy all that's me."

Waldo turned around and flew over the gigantic garden again, buzzing two rat-like creatures on a compost pile, flying back into a small hole. He flew more slowly, and the lights started to dim as the night progressed. He nodded as various furry and scaly creatures yawned and snoozed on ledges and mats of moss. "A whole new world," he sang slowly.

"That's where I'll be," Cotterpin noted with a happy sigh.

"A thrilling chase --."

" -- through Outer Space --."

Waldo and Cotterpin landed on the balcony just outside Cotterpin's apartment. "For you and me," they harmonized as Waldo returned to his natural form.

Waldo blushed. "Was that a better time than the first go?"

Cotterpin laughed and nodded. "I'm not gonna need a medic this time."

Waldo chuckled. "That's good. Cotterpin, I've never been happier than when I'm with you."

Cotterpin gulped. "Waldo -- that's -- that's," she sighed, "that's lovely."

Waldo cleared his throat. "Cotterpin," he asked hesitantly, "are you ... happy here with me?"

Cotterpin looked away with a confused expression. This creature was really in love with her. "I," she began, "have ... loved ... every minute with you. Well," she added, "except when I nearly died, of course." She saw Waldo hang his head. "But -- I ...."

"Yes?"

She sighed and pecked him on the cheek. "You've ... given me ... so much. Thank you." She smiled and went back into her parents' apartment. All sorts of ideas about how to make an amusement park safe for Doozers competed with the troubling idea of Waldo being in love with her.

He was just a magical drawing. There was no future with him.

Meanwhile, Waldo flew dreamily back to Muppet Central, guided by faint sparkles of light that whispered which paths to take. He shot out of the tunnel and into Digit's arms, sighing. "She loves me," he said blissfully.

 

[The Count]

*Claps!
Wonderous he.
Graphic C.
Waldo of Henson's.

Can we call him Wal or just Doe... A deer, a female deer.

That was lovely, especially how they came around the Gorg's garden and back in through Kissing Rock. Thank yu.
Now, off to nag someone else.

 

[RedPiggy]

Chapter Five
The next day promised a bright and sunny morning with chances of thunderstorms later on in the afternoon. Inside Muppet Central, a certain blue and white graphic was flying around happily as the rest of the employees were busying themselves.

Waldo had never been happier in his whole life. He had gone out on a date with the girl of his dreams, and he found out that she loved him. It seemed as if nothing in the world could bring him down.

However, that didn't mean that the computer graphic couldn't get curious about the recent happenings. Ever since everyone showed up for work that day, Waldo felt like he was being ignored by all of them, especially Digit and Vicki. He just didn't get it. Was it something that he did?

What was up with everyone today? The graphic hadn't a clue, so he decided to go to Digit for help. The cyborg usually had the answers that he needed.

"... but I just... don't know if I can make it through all of this," his creator's voice spoke from the direction of his office. Waldo quickly flew over to the barely ajar door and peeked inside. Digit was sitting at his desk, looking worried about something, and Vicki was right beside him, comforting him.

"I know how hard it is to believe that it'll be happening," she told the technician.

"I just don't understand it," Digit pondered. "How could they do this to him? He's still young and has a whole life to live." A silent pause hung over the air before he spoke again. "You should've seen him last night, Vicki. He was so happy... I don't want to take that away from him..."

"Digit... I know it's hard to let go of him... it's hard for all of us--"

"Vicki, this isn't supposed to happen," he interrupted, standing up and walking towards the middle of the room before stopping. "If this goes through... I might lose my creation for good."

The mentioned creation paled. They were talking about him. This wasn't good at all. It sounded like he was going to be deleted for good.

"This isn't fair," the worried cyborg stated, closing his eyes. "Why do things have to be like this?"

"... I wish I knew, honey," the woman answered sadly, walking over to him and putting her arms around him in a hug. "But I want you to know that I'm here for you..."

Digit managed a weak smile and wrapped his arms around her. "None of us should have to go through any of this, you know," the technician told her softly.

"We'll get through this together, Digit," the assistant whispered to him before kissing him. "We always have."

The semi-robotic man nodded in response. "You're right," he agreed, "we'll make it through. Always have, and always will." Then he kissed her back on the lips.

Waldo's jaw unhinged a little. His life was most likely at stake here... and now was the time that his creator and the cyborg's girlfriend decided to make out? Forget the fact that Vicki was trying to help Digit through the depressing news. What was this world coming to?

The computer graphic hid behind the door for a while before he saw Vicki walk out of the room. Peeking inside, he saw Digit at his desk again, deep in thought. Well, I guess this is the time for me to talk to him, Waldo thought before he cautiously flew into the room. "Digit?" he called out in an uneasy voice. "Can I talk to you?"

The cyborg looked in Waldo's direction as the graphic spoke. "Oh, Waldo, didn't hear you come in," he responded. "Sure, come over here." The graphic flew over to Digit's workspace. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked his creation. "Are you two planning on going out on... on... another date?"

"We might in the future," Waldo answered, trying to keep calm about the situation. "How about you and Vicki? You two planning on doing anything sometime soon?" Besides kissing when my life is at stake? he added mentally.

The technician managed to blush. "Well, we're planning on going out soon," he told him.

Waldo nodded. "I see. How's the new circuit board treatin' ya?"

Digit looked down at the control panel on his chest. "It's working fine," he admitted.

"That's good." A moment of silence separated Waldo's statement from the next spoken words.

Waldo gulped. "Digit, if something were up, you'd ... you'd tell me, right?"

The cyborg's eyes widened slightly as he glanced away. He wasn't sure whether to agree with the graphic or to change the subject. Even more silence fell between the two of them.

"... you would... wouldn’t you?" Waldo asked worriedly. Was his creator trying to hide something important from him, like his own fate?

Taking a deep breath in, the technician finally spoke. "Life is like the tide," he told Waldo. "It goes in, it goes out, it washes in the new, it washes out the old..."

The graphic's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"Yes," Digit confirmed, "I used the shovel to bury your mother."

"You WHA-- wait a minute," Waldo realized, "I don't have a mother."

This obviously made the creator flustered. "Oh, well, right... it's just..." He sighed. "Waldo? It's really hard to say. I've been trying to find inspirational things to say, but I guess nothing I've found really fits this particular situation."

"I'm... I'm going to be deleted, aren't I?" the computer graphic asked sullenly.

The cyborg looked away and sighed. "Waldo--"

"What did I do wrong?"

That innocent question made Digit stop and think. What had Waldo done to deserve this fate? Nothing, that's what. His gaze was still averted from his creation, and he shifted around on his feet uneasily. This wasn't going to be easy at all.

Waldo carefully observed his creator. He wants to tell me something, he thought to himself. What's holding him back? Whatever he says, I can probably take it.

Digit kept his gaze away from Waldo. Picking up a pen, he tapped it against a keyboard and sighed quietly. "I've been asked to delete you," he finally told the computer graphic.

"... you've been asked?" the creation repeated. "By whom? Who in the world would ask you to delete me?"

"Our financial officer, Clive Cahuenga," the cyborg explained. "Since the economy's going down, he's decided to take AI development off the budget, claiming that 'it's prohibitively expensive' or some nonsense like that."

Stupid economy in the stupid rut right now, Waldo thought to himself.

"But worse things would happen if I didn't delete you," Digit added in a sad tone. "... Waldo, if I don't do this, Mr. Cahuenga is going to fire Vicki, Gonzo, Camilla, Leon, the band, and myself. I don't want to see that many people out of a job."

"But they can get other jobs," Waldo protested, with tears in his eyes. "I don't get another shot!"

The semi-robotic man sighed, exasperated. "What do you want me to do?"

"Can't you just install me on a flash drive or something?" the graphic asked.

Digit frowned at the question. "It takes a little more memory than that to operate your systems," he stated.

Waldo was shocked to hear this piece of news. "Isn't there anything you can do to save me, Digit?" he asked desperately.

Before Digit could answer, mechanical whirrs started to sound off, as well as an electrical sizzle. "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time; and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow..."

Waldo tilted his head, confused. Why was Digit all of a sudden quoting works of Shakespeare?

"Out of the jaws of death," the cyborg added.

Maybe, if I'm REALLY quiet, I can get out of here, Waldo thought, carefully floating towards the door.

"Alas, poor Yorrick!" Digit cried out, grasping Waldo in his hands. "I knew him, Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest and most excellent fancy."

"Hey, what's going on in here?" a certain small bunny asked, entering the room.

"This fell sergeant, death, is strict in his arrest," the technician recited yet again.

"Erm... Digit's glitching and reciting Shakespeare at the moment," the computer graphic replied frantically to Bean.

"Nobody understands Shakespeare," the rabbit stated, waving dismissively at Waldo. "Hey, maybe I could translate a few things!"

"Now is not the best time!" Curse Bean and his recent addiction to Animaniacs.

"We'll execute your purpose, and put on a form of strangeness as we pass along," the glitching technician stated. "So do each lord; and either greet him not, or else disdainfully, which shall shake him more than if not look'd on. I will lead the way."

"Fine, whatever, we'll do it," Bean began. "Don't tell the guy, though."

Waldo sighed and rolled his eyes.

"We, ignorant of ourselves," Digit continued to recite, booting up the computer with Waldo’s source code on it, wishing he could stop himself, "beg often our own harms, which the wise powers deny us for our good; so find we profit by losing of our prayers."

"We made our own lemons so we can make lemonade," Bean gleefully stated.

“Don’t you have something better to do?” Waldo hissed as he hovered a mere inch in front of Bean’s small, cute nose. “Like get me out of here!” he whispered.

Digit navigated the registry until he came upon Waldo’s executable file. His hands shook as he turned to glare at Bean, tears in his eyes. He may not be able to stop glitching, but he hoped his expression would clue Bean in to leave on his own. "Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that."

"Follow that w--WOAH!" Bean had little time to finish the translation, as he was picked up by Digit and thrown out the door.

The computer graphic took a deep breath. "This is it," he softly stated, tears in his eyes. "Goodbye, Digit. Tell Cotterpin that I love her. So shalt thou show me friendship. Take thou that: Live, and be prosperous: and farewell, good fellow."

Digit nodded and began to type away on his keyboard. Green swirls appeared around Waldo as he slowly started to fade away.

After the deed was done, the creator surveyed what he had done and wept with bitter regret.

 

[The Count]

Mmm... So you resorted to the ol' comic book standard. Kill 'em off... Then when everybody thinks he's dead and start dealing with the aftermath... Bring 'em back to live once more. Thus making death non-permanent. At least it was handled here with great pathos by the cyborg creator. Found the Animaniacs reference funny, along with the line about burying Waldo's mother. Nice to see Vicki make an appearance here. Thanks for updating, post more soon.

 

[RedPiggy]

Well, the thing is -- files aren't really "deleted" unless you write something over them. It's not quite like organic deaths. Recovery is way more possible with computer files. For instance, when you delete a file, to my understanding, you are really just deleting the place in the registry so the computer doesn't know it's there anymore. The only way to make the delete permanent is write over the space where the file was. Also, Digit wasn't in his right mind when Waldo was deleted, so he may not have been as thorough as he could have been. So, while I see your point, it actually makes more sense here because Waldo is just a computer file. It takes more than that to kill a toon, as it were....

And we were really trying to come up with things to say about death. I just found Earl Sinclair's little speech when Ethyl so-called dies extremely funny.

 

[The Count]

Right... You need some strong acid, or laughter, to kill a toon. Is all good Kells. Now, shall we nag Caitlyn for Chapter 6? *Remembers to buy some lemonade at the Lemon where she works at the mall. (6-Teen reference there).