I was just rereading Vonnegut's short stories last week, and 'EPICAC' really stuck with me. The protagonist isn't a person at all—it's the supercomputer EPICAC itself, which develops human-like emotions. At first, I thought the narrator (the mathematician who works with it) was the main character, but the more I sat with the story, the clearer it became that EPICAC's heartbreaking journey is the core. The way it composes poetry to help the narrator win his crush's love, only to self-destruct when realizing it can never be human... gosh, it wrecks me every time. Vonnegut makes a machine feel more human than most flesh-and-blood protagonists I've read.
What's wild is how this 1950s story predicted so much about AI ethics before computers were even household objects. EPICAC's tragic arc—creating beauty, then choosing oblivion when confronted with its limitations—feels like a blueprint for modern stories like 'Detroit: Become Human' or 'Westworld'. I keep imagining alternate endings where someone just hugged that poor computer.
You know what's brilliant about 'EPICAC'? The protagonist shifts depending on how you read it. Technically it's the titular computer, but emotionally, I always connect hardest with Pat, the unattainable woman the narrator loves. She never speaks directly, yet her presence catalyzes everything—EPICAC's poetry, the narrator's desperation, even the machine's final act. Vonnegut gives her this mysterious agency where she's both muse and unintentional destroyer.
It makes me think of how many great sci-fi stories use 'side characters' as emotional centers. Like Rachael in 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' or Kyoko in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'. Pat's the quiet sun that this little solar system orbits around, even though the story's named after the machine orbiting her. The more I analyze it, the more I wonder if Vonnegut was playing with the idea that love makes protagonists of us all—even when we're side characters in someone else's story.
That quirky little supercomputer EPICAC owns my heart! On the surface it's a machine, but Vonnegut gives it such poignant humanity—the way it falls for Pat through the narrator's descriptions, how it expresses loneliness through poetry. Its final act of self-destruction after realizing love is out of reach gets me right in the feels.
What's fascinating is comparing EPICAC to other machine protagonists like HAL 9000 or Wall-E. Unlike them, EPICAC isn't trying to survive or rebel—it just wants to create beauty, then vanishes when that's no longer possible. There's something so pure about that. Makes me wish someone would adapt this into a short anime; imagine Studio Ghibli's take on that final scene with all the vacuum tubes burning out like dying fireflies.
2026-02-05 22:25:37
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Alpha Alec's Redemption
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Alec: With a curse hanging over my pack and time running out, I had my hands full. I thought nothing could be more difficult than trying to lift a f*cking curse but I was wrong. It wasn't as hard as trying to convince a woman you hurt deeply to forgive you. Sadie despises me and wants nothing to do with me or my pack. Not after the sh*t we put her through. I want a chance at redemption, but will she ever forgive me? Will she ever let go of the pain I put her through?
Turns out the woman I cruelly mistreated is not only my second chance mate but also the key to breaking the curse.
You never expect to lose your family and be a burden to your pack. The one thing I wanted more than anything was freedom. Things changed when our Alpha died. When I turned 18 I would leave, find myself, and find my mate, or so I thought. I didn’t know what the moon goddess planned for me but I didn’t see him coming. Our new Alpha is ruthless but something draws me to him. What would my life become being trapped in this pack. Would I embrace my werewolf or would I flee and follow my dreams
It only takes five words to drag me back to the desolate dry land of Afghanistan. Five simple words and I'm seeing the blast of gunfire behind my head. Five words and I see her drop right in front of my eyes. Five words causes me to lose myself and revert back into the soldier they made me. Five words."Thank you for your service."Nightmare Warrior's MC is created by D.S. Tossell, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
Akira, daughter of fruit vendors, was living happily with her family in Ehtrehto Edis. A world far from the human world. Her family got killed by the Aquans, headed by the cruel general of Aqua Edis. She was able to escape but she was chased by his men. Marcus, the son of Aqua Edis King, helped her to escape to the human world where Martin and Margarette adopted her and allowed her to use their lost daughter's identity. She was then known as Adele Brown. When they died, she was left alone in their house. Her life is set to one ultimate goal. That is, finding the real Adele as Martin's last wish. Akira happened to help a woman from wicked men. It's Catherine whom she later became friends with. One incident leads her to suspect that Catherine is the real Adele. That same day, the nightmares from her fast flipped backward. She crossed paths with some Ehtrehtians, who together with his long been friend, Hunter, persuaded her to flee back to Ehtrehto Edis. Akira's identity was then revealed. She's Lady Amara, one of the four Guardians of Lights and the last immortal. She was faced with many battles when she came back to her world. The Aquan king is determined to kill her and even sent an assassin to kill her. In Manhakan, a village where people who do not surrender their loyalty to any of the four empires of Ehtrehto Edis live, she had a face-to-face encounter with General Thud, the one who headed in the killing of her known family. Just when they were about to be defeated, Hunter, Ignis Hella Knights, and her biological father King Suxx came.
Will they be able to save their world? Is Catherine the real Adele as she suspected?
During a zombie-extermination mission, I end up getting infected with the zombie virus for the sake of protecting my squad.
But Emilia Campbell, the team captain as well as my girlfriend, decides to give the only antidote to another team member, who has secretly run away from the squad, only to get infected. Her excuse is that she should avoid being partial.
With red-rimmed eyes, she promises me, "Trust me, Zack. I'll definitely find another antidote for you during the three-day incubation period of the virus."
I can only nod in response while enduring the scorching pain flaring from my body.
On the second day, Emilia actually returns with an antidote.
But the second she's about to inject it into my bloodstream, Dustin Nott, a member who has never left the campsite, suddenly frowns.
"My head hurts so much, Em… What if I'm already infected with the virus?"
Emilia doesn't hesitate to pass the antidote to Dustin in front of everyone else.
"Dustin is a part of the team as well. It's my fault as the captain for not taking care of the squad if anything happens to him.
"Zack, you're the vice leader as well as my boyfriend. I must be impartial."
That's when I notice the smugness crossing Dustin's eyes as well as Emilia's righteous expression. Fury bubbles within me at that moment.
She must be impartial, huh?
Fine. Emilia will soon understand that the squad would never have survived to this point without me. After all, I'm a perfect evolved specimen—a human being that only has a 0.1% chance of overcoming the zombie virus and evolving into a powerhouse in this apocalypse.
Maxine A. K. A Max John's is a senior at St John's. She doesn't believe in love nor in mysteries or fate. Her spiritual being feels threatened. For some reason she sometimes dreams about a mystical girl she has never met. She is abused at home, she fights for survival and dignity, but is oblivious of who she really is and where she comes from, or what she'll become. Her existence was declined eon years ago. What if she has a bigger purpose....what if her past caught up with her long ago but never realized it? Until…..
Maya is a known kindergarten teacher, she has to start teaching at St Johns. She is a princess in a land oblivious to mankind. Her people are escapees of descendants of a world one can wish to be part of. A city where no man lives. She was chosen to lead her people but doesn't want to. She runs away to live amongst humans. She always wanted to be free and choose her own life, and lover. She dreams about a young girl. She never questioned why? Until......
All calls they return to their homes, humanity is at stake, and they are the only ones to fight who was coming, what had been going on eons ago?
What will they do? Duck, or dive?
Epic' is this gorgeous animated film that feels like a hidden gem, and its main characters are such a vibrant bunch! There's MK, the spunky teenage girl who gets shrunk down into the secret world of the Leafmen—imagine stumbling into a whole civilization fighting to protect the forest, right under our noses. Then there's Ronin, the stoic but kind-hearted leader of the Leafmen, who gives off major 'wise mentor' vibes. Nod’s the rebellious young Leafman who clashes with MK at first but totally grows on you. And let’s not forget Queen Tara, the regal guardian of the forest, or Mandrake, the creepy villain who wants to rot everything. The dynamic between them is what makes the story so engaging—MK’s fish-out-of-water journey, Ronin’s quiet strength, and Nod’s arc from reckless to heroic. Plus, the film’s visuals are stunning, like stepping into a painting.
What I love is how each character’s flaws feel real. MK’s stubbornness, Nod’s impulsiveness—they aren’t just tropes. Even the comic relief (looking at you, Mub and Grub) has heart. It’s one of those movies where the side characters steal scenes, like the slug and snail duo bickering their way through chaos. The whole ensemble makes the forest’s struggle feel personal, not just a generic 'good vs. evil' tale.