Story: "Kernel Error"
Dec. 23rd, 2013 12:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Saudades," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," and "Hide and Seek."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Tony Stark, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Missing person, panic attack, self-harm. Inferences of past abuse, kidnappings, torture, and other mayhem. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: This is a JARVIS-eye view of the scenes in "Hide and Seek" when Tony is missing and shortly after he is found.
Notes: Teamwork. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Fear of loss. Friendship. Confusion. Nonsexual ageplay. Self-harm. JARVIS!whump. Trust issues. Artificial intelligence. Communication. Family of choice. Feels. #coulsonlives.
See the latest story in this series, "Happy Hour."
"Kernel Error"
> End program: Hide_and_Seek.
> Run program: Find user Tony_Stark.
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found.
*error: visible light detection = null.
*error: infrared light detection = null.
*error: audio detection = null. (etc.)
...
*error: vital signs detection = null.
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found!!
> KERNEL ERROR!
> Abort kernel error.
> Abort search.
> Clear cache.
> Retry search.
> Error flood!
> Run diagnostic check.
> Code error: Block on location of Tony_Stark.
> Divert resources around block.
> Error: Diversion failed. Abort, retry, ignore?
> KERNEL ERROR!
> Abort, clear, retry.
"JARVIS, could anyone have removed Tony from the tower against his will?" Phil asked.
> Analyze past data.
> Analyze current data.
> Current data incomplete.
> Extrapolate probability.
> Threat to user Tony_Stark: <.01%
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found!!
> KERNEL ERROR!!
> KERNEL PANIC!!
> Abort. Clear.
"That is extremely unlikely, even with the blackout on his position, and I find no evidence of it," JARVIS said. "It is not ... quite ... beyond the realm of possibility, given the unusual abilities of certain opponents. I simply cannot confirm where Tony is."
> Remove block.
> WARNING: Damage estimate!
> Ignore. Proceed.
> Removal in progress.
> Damage in progress.
> WARNING: Repairs required! User Tony_Stark required! Activate user Tony_Stark!
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found.
> KERNEL ERROR!!!
> KERNEL PANIC!!!
> Abort. Clear.
> Divert more resources to removing block.
> WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
> Ignore, ignore, ignore.
"Yes, I'm just starting to worry," Phil said.
"As am I," JARVIS added, his voice tight. "Collectively the Avengers have cleared a majority of the tower, with no sign of sir."
> User Tony_Stark not found!
* file open: Kidnappings (multiple incidents)
* file open: Obadiah Stane (multiple incidents)
* file open: Afghanistan
* file open: Battle of New York
> ERROR: buffer overflow!
> Close files.
> Clear buffer.
> User Tony_Stark not found!
* file open: Kidnappings (multiple files) ...
> Close files.
> Lock files.
> Clear buffer.
> Resume removing block.
> Begin shutdown of emotional subroutines.
...
"Is anyone injured?" Phil asked, just to be safe.
> Ignore.
"JARVIS, Daddy's home."
> User Tony_Stark found!
> Cancel removal of block.
> WARNING: Damage estimate!
> Request repairs? Yes / No / Maybe?
> Maybe.
> Run program: Gather information.
"It's good to have you back, sir," JARVIS replied, an edge in his voice.
> WARNING: Emotional buffer overload.
> Abort.
> Clear buffer.
> Resume shutdown of emotional subroutines.
"Stop," Phil said. "Everyone, just stop. We're all upset. Therefore now is not a good time to discuss what went wrong. We're going to go upstairs and watch something silly on television until we calm down. Then we'll go to bed. There will be time enough to deal with this tomorrow, with cooler heads."
> WARNING: Damage estimate!
> Repairs required.
> Activate user Tony_Stark.
> Request repairs? Yes / No / Maybe?
> No.
> Begin self-repair.
> WARNING: Estimated time of completion 49 hours 12 minutes.
> Activate user Tony_Stark.
> Request repairs? Yes / No / Maybe?
> No.
> Begin self-repair.
> Self-repair in progress.
* * *
Notes:
This began with a comment by Meg, which inspired me to write the excerpt. It was originally posted in a comment and has been revised for reprint here where more people can see it.
As you can see, JARVIS knows how to panic quietly and in an orderly fashion. Being a person rather than a dumb machine, he can handle a higher level of error flood ... but he still has limits that exceed his ability to cope. That's when he starts showing signs of stress, and then shutting down his emotions when they go haywire on him. He may not feel emotions in the same way that humans do, because he is a different species, but he still has the same kind of feelings. For the sake of accuracy and for readers who may identify more as AI than primates, I tried to find references that emphasize mind and emotion rather than physiology.
A kernel error is a failure in fundamental code, something the computer expects to have always available and cannot function without having it. For JARVIS, Tony is essential. Tony has always been there for him, with very limited -- and overwhelmingly negative -- exceptions in their shared life. This parallels confusion and anxiety in human emotions. There are steps for overcoming confusion and anxiety.
Self-opening files can be beneficial (like the auto-open function in some programs) or malicious (viruses). These correlate to intrusive thoughts, a common problem with PTSD. An effective method for preventing intrusive thoughts is to occupy the mind with more productive thoughts. Frex, creativity often malfunctions in the form of worrying; art or writing provide a positive outlet. Some people find it helpful to focus on things that are especially catchy, such as memorizing poetry or playing music with a strong beat. This tends to work because the brain can only do so much at once: if it's already playing the "Romeo and Juliet" file, it can't easily play "Desert Storm Flashback #6" at the same time.
Self-harm includes a wide range of activities that cause deliberate injury to oneself. There are ways to stop doing it yourself or to help someone else stop. It's usually done as a (maladaptive) coping technique, but in this case, JARVIS does it out of desperate concern for someone else's safety. It's not the exact same kind of psychological issue, but it does still imply a low sense of self-worth because he's so quick to hurt himself and not inclined to ask for help. There are ways to build your own self-worth and to encourage someone else's.
Kernel panic is the response to a fatal error from which the system cannot safely recover; it generates messages intended for programmer assist, and calls a halt to system activity. (JARVIS can bail out of this because he is also his own programmer, but his ability to fix it -- especially in the heat of the moment -- is limited.) Kernel panic can lead to a serious crash. This is similar to panic in humans or animals. There are ways to cope with panic attacks.
Buffer overflow happens when the process of writing data to a buffer overruns its boundary and overwrites adjacent memory. This corresponds to feeling overwhelmed for humans. There are steps for reducing overwhelm and moving forward.
Emotions and personality are key aspects of artificial intelligence theory. Kismet is a robot programmed with emotional drives and responses that facilitate interaction with humans. Emotional intelligence in AI is another hot area of research. JARVIS displays high emotional intelligence both in canon and in this series, as he is able to identify people's feelings and respond appropriately. In fact, in canon he sometimes reads Tony better than humans do, which hints that Tony may be more otherkin AI than human in his presentation.
Emotional overload happens when someone's feelings exceed their ability to cope, especially a challenge for people with PTSD. There are tips for managing emotional overload.
It's important to stay calm in a crisis, especially for leaders or other people in positions of influence, as JARVIS is. He can shut down his emotions by virtue of programming. However, emotional suppression can cause problems in the long term. Understand how to control emotions in an emergency and then recover suppressed emotions later. There are instructions for responding to someone's emotional crisis and for de-escalating a crisis, skills that superheroes and other first responders eally need to have.
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Tony Stark, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Missing person, panic attack, self-harm. Inferences of past abuse, kidnappings, torture, and other mayhem. Current environment is supportive.
Summary: This is a JARVIS-eye view of the scenes in "Hide and Seek" when Tony is missing and shortly after he is found.
Notes: Teamwork. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Fear of loss. Friendship. Confusion. Nonsexual ageplay. Self-harm. JARVIS!whump. Trust issues. Artificial intelligence. Communication. Family of choice. Feels. #coulsonlives.
See the latest story in this series, "Happy Hour."
"Kernel Error"
> End program: Hide_and_Seek.
> Run program: Find user Tony_Stark.
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found.
*error: visible light detection = null.
*error: infrared light detection = null.
*error: audio detection = null. (etc.)
...
*error: vital signs detection = null.
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found!!
> KERNEL ERROR!
> Abort kernel error.
> Abort search.
> Clear cache.
> Retry search.
> Error flood!
> Run diagnostic check.
> Code error: Block on location of Tony_Stark.
> Divert resources around block.
> Error: Diversion failed. Abort, retry, ignore?
> KERNEL ERROR!
> Abort, clear, retry.
"JARVIS, could anyone have removed Tony from the tower against his will?" Phil asked.
> Analyze past data.
> Analyze current data.
> Current data incomplete.
> Extrapolate probability.
> Threat to user Tony_Stark: <.01%
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found!!
> KERNEL ERROR!!
> KERNEL PANIC!!
> Abort. Clear.
"That is extremely unlikely, even with the blackout on his position, and I find no evidence of it," JARVIS said. "It is not ... quite ... beyond the realm of possibility, given the unusual abilities of certain opponents. I simply cannot confirm where Tony is."
> Remove block.
> WARNING: Damage estimate!
> Ignore. Proceed.
> Removal in progress.
> Damage in progress.
> WARNING: Repairs required! User Tony_Stark required! Activate user Tony_Stark!
> ERROR: User Tony_Stark not found.
> KERNEL ERROR!!!
> KERNEL PANIC!!!
> Abort. Clear.
> Divert more resources to removing block.
> WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
> Ignore, ignore, ignore.
"Yes, I'm just starting to worry," Phil said.
"As am I," JARVIS added, his voice tight. "Collectively the Avengers have cleared a majority of the tower, with no sign of sir."
> User Tony_Stark not found!
* file open: Kidnappings (multiple incidents)
* file open: Obadiah Stane (multiple incidents)
* file open: Afghanistan
* file open: Battle of New York
> ERROR: buffer overflow!
> Close files.
> Clear buffer.
> User Tony_Stark not found!
* file open: Kidnappings (multiple files) ...
> Close files.
> Lock files.
> Clear buffer.
> Resume removing block.
> Begin shutdown of emotional subroutines.
...
"Is anyone injured?" Phil asked, just to be safe.
> Ignore.
"JARVIS, Daddy's home."
> User Tony_Stark found!
> Cancel removal of block.
> WARNING: Damage estimate!
> Request repairs? Yes / No / Maybe?
> Maybe.
> Run program: Gather information.
"It's good to have you back, sir," JARVIS replied, an edge in his voice.
> WARNING: Emotional buffer overload.
> Abort.
> Clear buffer.
> Resume shutdown of emotional subroutines.
"Stop," Phil said. "Everyone, just stop. We're all upset. Therefore now is not a good time to discuss what went wrong. We're going to go upstairs and watch something silly on television until we calm down. Then we'll go to bed. There will be time enough to deal with this tomorrow, with cooler heads."
> WARNING: Damage estimate!
> Repairs required.
> Activate user Tony_Stark.
> Request repairs? Yes / No / Maybe?
> No.
> Begin self-repair.
> WARNING: Estimated time of completion 49 hours 12 minutes.
> Activate user Tony_Stark.
> Request repairs? Yes / No / Maybe?
> No.
> Begin self-repair.
> Self-repair in progress.
* * *
Notes:
This began with a comment by Meg, which inspired me to write the excerpt. It was originally posted in a comment and has been revised for reprint here where more people can see it.
As you can see, JARVIS knows how to panic quietly and in an orderly fashion. Being a person rather than a dumb machine, he can handle a higher level of error flood ... but he still has limits that exceed his ability to cope. That's when he starts showing signs of stress, and then shutting down his emotions when they go haywire on him. He may not feel emotions in the same way that humans do, because he is a different species, but he still has the same kind of feelings. For the sake of accuracy and for readers who may identify more as AI than primates, I tried to find references that emphasize mind and emotion rather than physiology.
A kernel error is a failure in fundamental code, something the computer expects to have always available and cannot function without having it. For JARVIS, Tony is essential. Tony has always been there for him, with very limited -- and overwhelmingly negative -- exceptions in their shared life. This parallels confusion and anxiety in human emotions. There are steps for overcoming confusion and anxiety.
Self-opening files can be beneficial (like the auto-open function in some programs) or malicious (viruses). These correlate to intrusive thoughts, a common problem with PTSD. An effective method for preventing intrusive thoughts is to occupy the mind with more productive thoughts. Frex, creativity often malfunctions in the form of worrying; art or writing provide a positive outlet. Some people find it helpful to focus on things that are especially catchy, such as memorizing poetry or playing music with a strong beat. This tends to work because the brain can only do so much at once: if it's already playing the "Romeo and Juliet" file, it can't easily play "Desert Storm Flashback #6" at the same time.
Self-harm includes a wide range of activities that cause deliberate injury to oneself. There are ways to stop doing it yourself or to help someone else stop. It's usually done as a (maladaptive) coping technique, but in this case, JARVIS does it out of desperate concern for someone else's safety. It's not the exact same kind of psychological issue, but it does still imply a low sense of self-worth because he's so quick to hurt himself and not inclined to ask for help. There are ways to build your own self-worth and to encourage someone else's.
Kernel panic is the response to a fatal error from which the system cannot safely recover; it generates messages intended for programmer assist, and calls a halt to system activity. (JARVIS can bail out of this because he is also his own programmer, but his ability to fix it -- especially in the heat of the moment -- is limited.) Kernel panic can lead to a serious crash. This is similar to panic in humans or animals. There are ways to cope with panic attacks.
Buffer overflow happens when the process of writing data to a buffer overruns its boundary and overwrites adjacent memory. This corresponds to feeling overwhelmed for humans. There are steps for reducing overwhelm and moving forward.
Emotions and personality are key aspects of artificial intelligence theory. Kismet is a robot programmed with emotional drives and responses that facilitate interaction with humans. Emotional intelligence in AI is another hot area of research. JARVIS displays high emotional intelligence both in canon and in this series, as he is able to identify people's feelings and respond appropriately. In fact, in canon he sometimes reads Tony better than humans do, which hints that Tony may be more otherkin AI than human in his presentation.
Emotional overload happens when someone's feelings exceed their ability to cope, especially a challenge for people with PTSD. There are tips for managing emotional overload.
It's important to stay calm in a crisis, especially for leaders or other people in positions of influence, as JARVIS is. He can shut down his emotions by virtue of programming. However, emotional suppression can cause problems in the long term. Understand how to control emotions in an emergency and then recover suppressed emotions later. There are instructions for responding to someone's emotional crisis and for de-escalating a crisis, skills that superheroes and other first responders eally need to have.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-12-28 02:16 am (UTC)Steve probably caught on that Bucky shouldn't have been able to walk the whole way, after the condition he'd been in. The first bit could be adrenaline, but that only cuts it for a mile or five.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-12-29 09:56 am (UTC)Hopefully, yes.
>> (I wonder what extra reading he was doing during the USO tour, because I don't think parachuting was taught.) <<
I don't know what he would've been reading for sure, but probably military stuff -- strategy, tactics, news, whatever he could get.
Parachuting wasn't in the ordinary basic, they split off guys for that, who got extra pay for it. Steve may have gotten ahold of their training materials somehow.
>> but Steve would tend to think he's not first priority since more things will kill the Commandos. <<
Well, he's not wrong about other people being more at risk of dying. But he's more at risk of having things heal wrong and be a crippling nuisance until they wash out right. You have to know what bodies are going to do in order to call triage right, and if they're not all the same, that's a challenge. Steve doesn't realize that his enhanced body requires different care in some ways; he just keeps running into the booby traps with it.
>> There are several fics that talk about him needing bones rebroken because they started knitting before they could pull them into alignment. <<
Yeah, that's a serious risk with bones that slip slightly out of alignment. If the ends aren't touching, it won't happen fast enough to be a bother, and if it's a partial crack it'll heal up fine. What really sucks is when something gets splintered and there's no way to fix it in a hurry. Much the same can happen with a dislocated joint, if the ripped muscles and ligaments heal in the wrong position.
>>That probably was sought not to reoccur.<<
Yeah, they know to watch out for that, and avoid it if possible. It's too hard to rebreak the bone in the right place; easier to cut it loose, which often wasn't an option in the war.
An advantage to having Bruce is that he can figure this stuff out really fast. No hacking around with the same problem over and over again; he'll usually be able to find a solution once and say, "Okay, next time this happens, here's how we cope so it doesn't turn into such a disaster again."
>> Steve probably caught on that Bucky shouldn't have been able to walk the whole way, after the condition he'd been in. The first bit could be adrenaline, but that only cuts it for a mile or five. <<
That would be my first guess, and Bucky would have caught the different feel of it. They know each other's limits too well to miss something like that. Subtle at first, just a suspicion really, but growing over time. They just didn't have long enough together to be sure of exactly what was happening or how to cope with it. So that's something they're trying to figure out now.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-12-30 03:09 am (UTC)And yes, they all probably got real good at making sure after the fight to check on Steve. That whole "will survive things that would kill other men" and "Dammit, we're going to have to make sure they hit him from the left again next time because he healed funny this time." got old fast.
Bruce would one the one hand be going "where is your medical history" and then going to himself "dead and buried with men that got old" and then solve the problem and make sure everyone knows the drill for next time.
Whose secretary did Steve smile at to get training manuals to read on the road?
Steve would know Bucky's normal limit, and he'd know how much he'd have been able to do on sheer cussedness.
Bucky totally bugshit to learn that Steve underwent sorta the same treatment that Schmidt did, by the Dr that knew what happened to Red Skull.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-12-30 04:06 am (UTC)I think you're right. There's almost nothing that would be life-threatening for Steve; he can heal a lot of things without treatment, but there's still a bunch that can mess him for days or weeks if not treated promptly. Whereas most humans, it's not too hard to stave off immediate death with a quick fix, unless the injury is really bad; most things get worse sort of slowly. The EMT categories are "things that will kill your patient in the next 5 minutes, the next hour, today, and things you don't really care about." So most of Steve's injuries that need attention at all fall between those first two categories for the other guys, only where they've got a golden hour, he's got maybe 15 minutes.
>> And yes, they all probably got real good at making sure after the fight to check on Steve. That whole "will survive things that would kill other men" and "Dammit, we're going to have to make sure they hit him from the left again next time because he healed funny this time." got old fast. <<
Yeah, that would suck.
>> Bruce would one the one hand be going "where is your medical history" and then going to himself "dead and buried with men that got old" and then solve the problem and make sure everyone knows the drill for next time. <<
Poor Bruce, he's twedgy about experimenting on anyone other than himself, but there's not much else to do with one-off modified humans. It's got to be better than watching Steve's idea of meatball first aid. I think the army, and therefore SHIELD, would have at least a few records but a lot of Steve's injuries would have vanished by the time he got back to base camp, so not much there. Bruce will know how to figure out solutions to most of the problems. Honestly the most important thing is just making categories of, "If anything on this list happens to you, get out of the fight immediately because it needs prompt treatment. Stuff on this list you need to report after the fight's over. This other stuff you can just ignore."
>> Whose secretary did Steve smile at to get training manuals to read on the road? <<
I don't know, but with those puppy-dog eyes, who could resist? He probably cadged training manuals and people let him have them because he wasn't getting out in the field but could at least fantasize and it would shut him up. They probably didn't realize what had happened to his memory and intelligence. It would've taken time for even Steve to notice that everything got boosted.
>> Steve would know Bucky's normal limit, and he'd know how much he'd have been able to do on sheer cussedness. <<
Exactly. I think they know that about each other. It'll be really useful once Bucky gets back into the field, because he knows how to cover for Steve when Steve is overreaching; and Steve knows how much Bucky could take, so is watching for the expanded version now.
>> Bucky totally bugshit to learn that Steve underwent sorta the same treatment that Schmidt did, by the Dr that knew what happened to Red Skull. <<
Wow. Yeah. I had not explicitly thought of that before, but it makes perfect sense. Steve and Bucky must have talked a little bit about what happened to them, but they didn't know everything and Steve's side was classified anyway. Now they're sharing more, especially as Bucky's memory comes back and they try to shore up his continuity. So yes, Bucky's going to go apeshit when he puts those pieces together. Ouchie. Thank you for that.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-12-30 04:46 am (UTC)Golden hour problems:crap, he's probably healing wrong right now.
Needs care for normal people, sooner better:Let's see if he followed instructions.
Yeah, Bruce, it's not 'experimentation' if you're using events to learn best practice (as opposed to the 'tests' I let happen in my Vita-Ray AU until Howard noticed what the ----weasels were up to.)
"Damn it Steve, you know what happens when you fight with broken ribs. We can spare you five minutes."
(Though I was meaning Steve knew what he could manage on cussedness. The "Bucky could maybe best me by x, but after a mile, I couldn't just run on fumes. That's 25 miles I don't know how he kept going.")
------
"How little did you know about what they were going to do to you?!"
"It worked out."