#(but rather the protocol and programming that controls them)

[getvalentined]

Can I gush for a second about the use of pokeballs in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet to indicate characterization? I'm sure this has been brought up many times before by people more dedicated to the series as a whole than me, but I'm really delighted by this particular detail, so: let's talk about Team Star.

—

Mela is only seen with a quick ball, which works better when used immediately during an encounter with a wild pokemon. It's what you use if you want to get it over with. Mela is hotheaded, impatient, and prone to jumping the gun. She likes to gets things over with fast so she can get back to he own life before she gets too annoyed.

—

Atticus is seen using a repeat ball, which works best on pokemon that have been caught by the trainer multiple times before. This is for people who like to have make sure that they have the best pokemon for a given situation, perfecting their choice over time through a combination of training and selection. Atticus is patient and detail-oriented, and he works in the design and creation of clothing, which requires dozens of mockups and modifications to get right. He'll go through a hundred shirt designs that aren't quite right before finally producing the one that is.

—

Ortega is shown with a luxury ball, which is extremely expensive but immediately increases the friendship of any pokemon caught with it. This is for people that like to work with the "hard customers" of the pokedex without necessarily having to go through all the hard work to get those pokemon to like them. Ortega is extremely wealthy, but he very clearly values his friends more than his position: he's not a classic spoiled brat, using what he has to make things easier for the people he cares about. If I had to guess, I'd say his love language is gift giving.

—

Giacomo uses a timer ball, which works better the more turns have elapsed in a given encounter. This is for trainers that don't give up when they want to catch a specific monster, those who are willing to wait take their time if it means they get what they want. Giacomo is patient, has an excellent concept of strategy, and is willing to take as long as he has to in order to get where he wants to be.

—

Eri uses a heal ball, which instantly heals any pokemon put in it. This is for trainers that focus really heavily on the health of their pokemon, those who want to make sure that they're always at their best. Eri is fiercely protective of the people she cares about, to the point of standing guard at the gate of her base herself so that none of her people are put in danger. Her biggest concern is the health and safety of the people around her, regardless of the toll protecting that might take on her own.

—

In contrast to these five, the Big Boss of Team Star uses normal pokeballs. Because they're nothing special, and at first glance the boss isn't either—but when it all comes down to it, this is a character that is dedicated, steadfast and reliable, the one that started everything for Team Star and the one that everyone comes back to in the end. Out of context, them using normal pokeballs doesn't seem to mean anything, but when put against the backdrop of the rest of the team, it's as indicative of character as all the rest.

[statementends]

So who do we think is listening?

Last time of course it seemed like the tape recorders were beholding aligned, but turned out to be the Web using the Beholding's need to archive against it.

We're in a new universe now and a new story with new motives behind the recordings. They're just as sinister as the old ones, but now with internet access in a world where everything has internet.

The spying on the employees of the OIAR certainly aligns with Eye Powers, but it might be a redherring. What if the spying is done by humans this time?

Like, oh spooky the technology is listening into them oooo~~~~ but that sort of technology has been around for a long time. The tape recorders were 'analogue.' They turned themselves on and off, but the computers and phones, and things attached to the internet? That happens in real life right now. Someone can hack your computer and gain access to your web cam. We're in sketchy government department of literal horror. Let's tap everyone's phones!

To what end? Probably something that started as 'for the greater good' and has become a monster of its own.

Time for some conspiracy theories!

So. Here's another question. Was the Magnus Archives listened to by someone in the TMAGP universe? Is that why the OIAR was made? Because they heard the tapes and what happened and have used Jon, Martin, and Jonah(?)'s voices to, with a mixture of horror magic and technology, be able to find incidences.

I'm assuming the Voices in the computer are reading out the real statements. Maybe The Archivist's Voice is doing it automatically. It Knows everything all the time but that's useless if you can't see or search for the information. Whoever built the program needed a way to use the Knowing. So it puts in the data and the Archvist sorts it. Archive gotta archive.

My theory is the Archvist's voice is being used as a tool rather than having any agency or mind.

The OIAR needs to find and document horrors. You have three beholding alligned entities trapped in magnetic tape. You put them in a computer program and boom. You have things that can start monitoring the data you're already stealing from citizens and weed out the real horror from the fake ones.

I wonder if this time corporations and governments will be more overtly trying to use and control the dread powers. Like rather than cults and worship it will be people trying to bend the dread powers toward their own end.

Because the biggest question is, if the Voices are sorting real statements, and someone is listening in part for that reason, then what do they do when real ones are found?

Guess we'll see!

Oh and one more thing. It's called the Magnus Protocol

A protocol is the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state.

So when something happens, the protocol gets put into place.

So what is the Magnus Protocol? Is it to do with finding the TMA tapes? Or does it have to do with what the Magnus Insitute of this universe was doing with children (see the ARG).

So like Jon was actually the Magnus Archives, is Sam going to be a part of the Magnus Protocol?

Only time will tell.

[rebeccadumaurier]

will martha wells dare to imagine the end of capitalism? and other thoughts on system collapse (and the rest of the murderbot diaries)

I'm writing this post because the wait for System Collapse is killing me and I need something to do. These are not so much predictions of specific, concrete events—I am terrible at predictions and bad with plot—so much as exploring existing thematic arcs in the series and tracing them to what I think are their natural ends. (Also, this post uses "bot" and "construct" interchangeably because I'm lazy. Sorry, MB.)

Some points I think the rest of the series (SC and onwards) may hit on:

Further development, and let's say "stress testing," of ART and Murderbot's relationship, and bot/construct relationships in general

Every day I go insane about this conversation MB has with ART early in Artificial Condition, which is not very subtle foreshadowing:

[ART said], My crew always considers me trustworthy. I shouldn’t have let it watch all those episodes of Worldhoppers. “I’m not your crew. I’m not a human. I’m a construct. Constructs and bots can’t trust each other.” It was quiet for ten precious seconds, though I could tell from the spike in its feed activity it was doing something. I realized it must be searching its databases, looking for a way to refute my statement. Then it said, Why not? I had spent so much time pretending to be patient with humans asking stupid questions. I should have more self-control than this. “Because we both have to follow human orders. A human could tell you to purge my memory. A human could tell me to destroy your systems.” I thought it would argue that I couldn’t possibly hurt it, which would derail the whole conversation. But it said, There are no humans here now.

But in the future there will be humans who could tell ART to do something undesirable to MB (technically, NE already did this to some extent, but it didn't fully address the issue). Artificial Condition in fact explicitly notes ART doesn't have a refutation to that particular argument, and that's why they can't trust each other. We get some initial glimpses in Network Effect of this—ART makes its own decision to save Murderbot, and thankfully its crew agrees with the plan, but we can't expect ART and its crew to be in agreement forever.

Frankly, a lot of ART's plans seem to rely on either (1) its humans / the people in charge of it agreeing with it or (2) them not being around to disagree, which is going to be a problem sooner or later, especially as Murderbot's view of humans is not as ... positive as ART's. Network Effect dances around this problem because both the Preservation people and ART's crew are good people who largely support ART and MB in their decisions, but I don't think that will always be the case.

(Side note: I am once again thinking of Murderbot's surprise that Don Abene allowed Miki to override her orders in Rogue Protocol, and the bot spectrum of "cannot disobey orders literally ever" (like SecUnits) to "can disobey orders in the right circumstances" (like Miki) to "can mostly just do whatever but ultimately bots still have their programming" and how MB views ART's place on that spectrum. Also I am once again begging Murderbot to please reflect more on Miki's death, but given its current level of emotional repression, I am not optimistic about this.)

Leading me to my next point—

The question of ownership, independence, and property in the Murderbot universe

As Murderbot has mentioned various times, the people of Preservation call themselves "guardians" of bots rather than owners, but it's still very much ownership (and MB is right to point this out and express discomfort about it). MB knows it's fortunate that its owner—sorry, guardian, Mensah, allows it a ton of freedom, but legally, MB is still Mensah's property. Mensah's approach is a single, individual band-aid in that it may (for now) allow MB to live a life more or less of its choosing, but it doesn't address the larger systematic issue that actually, owning these bots is fucked up and many people exploit the bots they own, including people who think that they're already being incredibly generous and goodhearted simply by not abusing bots. (I'd need to go back and review, but I got the latter vibe from many of the Preservation bot owners in Fugitive Telemetry.)

Martha Wells seems like she will address this larger issue later. I don't know how, but I'm sure "Murderbot gets dragged into it and has to *gasp* talk about its feelings" will happen somehow, since that recurs frequently.

What healing from trauma looks like for a bot/construct

Dr. Bharadwaj has already suggested that Murderbot could use therapy ("trauma treatment" but like ... sounds like it's therapy combined with some other self care / community care strategies), and Murderbot is not subtle about its whole "I have been through many horrific things but I will pretend it's totally fine and not a big deal" coping strategy. I'd be interested to see what role ART plays in this—it's quite scarred from the events of Network Effect, will need to heal, and is unlikely to do the "yeah whatever that's just what my life is like" strategy MB adopted, because that's not what its life is like.

(Side note: in NE, MB says being taken over by targetControlSystem "would be like having a governor module again. No, not again. Never again." To MB, the loss of control ART experienced is similar to what MB's life was like every day until it hacked its module. I'M SO. 😭)

But therapy for a bot would look very different from therapy for a human, and I'm doubtful there's any therapists out there equipped to handle it. The "nicest" humans, if you will, seem to be the PreservationAux citizens, and they still have a long way to go on their understanding of bots. Also, much like in real life, therapy is not a cure-all for everything and there's a lot of terrible therapists, issues with psychiatry, etc. I will not get into—so I'm not actually saying that Bhadwaraj's idea of "trauma treatment" is the specific route MB will take to heal, I'm just curious what it's gonna take to get it to open up and be willingly emotionally vulnerable.

Who is Murderbot outside its day job? (aka its hypercompetence with regard to security)

One of Murderbot's defining traits is that it's an incredibly competent person, even when (often especially when) surrounded by much less competent people. The Goodreads blurb for System Collapse implies this won't always be the case:

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast!

My first reaction is: "hey, why is Murderbot the only one who has to figure that out?!" (Not that I think ART or the humans are jerks who don't care about its problems or don't want to help; I think Murderbot has trouble asking for help or even imagining people want to help it, e.g. its assumption in NE everyone just left it behind to die when it was captured.) The inherent question with characters who define themselves through their hypercompetence at something is: who do they become when they can no longer rely on that? (For example, who is a star athlete when they get a permanent injury? Who is a brilliant painter when they go blind? etc.)

ART already had to grapple with that to some extent when it lost control of itself in NE and couldn't rely on itself or its crew, so it resorted to kidnapping MB to fix the problem. But that doesn't deal with the larger identity crisis / struggle for self-definition at play, which is essentially: Who is Murderbot when it's not useful, when it's not able to do what it was created to do?

Speaking of which, this is very relevant to my title question—

Will we see Martha Wells envision the end of capitalism???

The Murderbot Diaries is the story of a single bot and its friends / enemies / etc., and I'm perfectly happy if it stays that way and focuses on MB's internal journey. But Martha Wells seems like an ambitious enough author to imagine wider solutions to the problems that plague the Murderbot universe, which is namely that corporations are evil. If corporations were not so evil, we wouldn't have our corporation-hating traumatized-by-corporations created-by-a-corporation-and-struggling-with-it protagonist. There's indentured servants in Rogue Protocol. There is literally a space version of the Underground Railroad in Fugitive Telemetry. It is impossible to understand this series without understanding that it is a very, very vicious critique of capitalism, and without this critique laying out its foundations, we would not have most of its characters, including Murderbot itself. Preservation is already a first step in that it seems to be some sort of utopian commune devoid of corporations or privatization—which is a huge step in itself, that Wells envisions a world devoid of capitalism—but it's one small (and still imperfect, re: earlier discussion of treatment of bots) planet in a large, dysfunctional universe.

So far the series has been Murderbot dealing with individual evil corporations (GrayCris, Barish-Estranza, etc), but mainly in the context of one crisis at a time, with regard to saving only its friends / clients. (It's fine with leaving Eletra to Barish-Estranza in NE, for example.) I do not think Murderbot will singlehandedly destroy capitalism or that its goal is to do so—it's not a fix-everything save-everyone hero, no one is, one of the points of the series is that you should not attempt everything alone—but this series has done plenty of exploration of the evils of capitalism; I would like to see Martha Wells explore how we could end it.

[zahri-melitor]

Batmen Eternal:

Oh TYNION. (Posits a future Tim at university with Sebastian Ives and Simon Valentine)

Simon Valentine. SIMON VALENTINE. You magnificent bastard sneaking even more Tim & Kon (and Tim/Kon) in here as best you can while Kon still does not, in fact, exist right now.

I also feel I haven't talked about Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong enough in my reviews of this run, and that's partly because the General is not exactly my favourite character, but it is interesting in how he's been twisted to be a Bat superfan in the most creepy manner, in regards to their quasi-paramilitary traits, which does fit in with Ulysses being Ulysses. Also his obsession with Tim, and his lovely little personal cave there full of idolisation of the exact wrong sort of military dictator generals. Ulysses finally getting his General haircut back (with the stars even growing in between issues, which is the funniest shit ever. Tim hallucinating them, Ulysses deciding he needs them in his program?)

I do like that we finally start to get a bit of Tim and Cass's late preboot dynamic returning between them. It's not 2011 level, but definitely is at least 2005ish in terms of the trust they start displaying in each other.

Steph and Cass finally getting more of their own revelations about preboot timelines is of course satisfying, if a little sad in terms of them both being like "they let me be part of the club??" That bit feels a bit more like Doylist commentary aimed at discussions of who counts as 'family' more than what's actually been portrayed on page through this entire run (which is Cass in particular actually inhabiting a LOT of the same spaces she lived in during the 2000s, including having space at the Manor nobody questioned).

And of course we finally get the OMAC payoff that's been teased all this run, because of the themes of control tied up in it via Brother Eye and its previous incarnations. I am enjoying it, if only in a slightly exasperated way, because what is happening here makes a great deal more sense if you're across what goes on with OMACs around Infinite Crisis, and the statements this is making about what Future Tim has done (that is, leant into Bruce's worst paranoia and picked up one of his old projects and modified it), rather than how I think this reads to newbie readers, which is at best "Tim learnt about protocols from Bruce". Because no! This is ongoing commentary on the "do we trust Bruce with protocols" discussion all the way back to Tower of Babel, at least, and Tim's altering position on them over time and what he will and will not do about this.

I like it! But I like it in context, and I worry it loses a lot of meaning when read by an audience who doesn't see Brother Eye show up and go "oh of fucking course, Bruce". This is supposed to get you mad at BRUCE. Even the reveal that Bruce was of course involved doesn't get across enough "BRUCE PLEASE STOP TRYING TO CONTROL EVERYTHING" (he will not).

(This is also to say this thread continues on and gets picked up in the Failsafe arc, which is "hey look Bruce's paranoia's back again, time for a new variation!")

I like where this finished, in terms of setting up potential future storylines of characters to spin out: Luke back out of costume for a while (typical, he does that frequently); Jean-Paul off to Justice League Odyssey; Kate offscreen for another Religion of Crime storyline/the end of her present Batwoman run; Cass set up to have her background with Babs re-established; Tim and Steph heading off to the starting point of Young Justice 2019; Clayface to ???? with Dr Victoria October (presumably to transition back to villain off panel for next time someone uses him). They're nice clear hooks and I enjoyed that it was done.

Was this a perfect run? No. But in terms of getting the characters assigned to it back on track in terms of characterisation and resupplying them with as much of their preboot characterisation as possible? It was incredibly successful. Definitely the best Bat title of the first 2 years of Rebirth (followed by All Star Batman).

[rocketyship]

Hello, your IHNMAIMS Love AU (or I Have Now a Messiah and I Must Sing, alternatively?) is very interesting. It's nice to see that all of the characters aren't just inverses of the original story and concept. Though I will say, I get a feeling that BE is a lot more scarier than she displays herself. How did she come to- well, be?

BEEN WAITING FOR THIS QUESTION!!!!!

(Also that title is now cannon)

Okay so, yes, BE is actually rather horrific.

One thing about the Sanctuary that the humans live in is that it mimics a rather large town, one thing about it though, is that it’s extremely empty and weirdly off putting. As in there are houses there with no windows, and the ones that do have them may just randomly light up even if no one is there. And due to there being only five humans, BE has taken it upon herself to run all the “shops” she has placed there. So there is literally an Android her (maybe in different outfits or haircuts) that greet and interact with you as if it’s a kind of over the top sitcom. It’s very much an intense liminal type of area, perhaps even a bit like the og backrooms. Still the sanctuary is the most tame aspect of her.

She isn’t the cute robot girl I draw her as, like it’s just one of her many many bodies she runs at once. BE is everywhere, literally. Like AM in the original she has coated the world, however unlike AM, who it is implied builds into the earth’s crust, she builds upward. So there are these large megastructures that literally pierce the sky all over the globe. Along with these she is also actively terraforming the planet to suit her liking and her future “empire”. And the parts of her that ran that function aren’t really “cute” to encounter.

Just taking the Seraphim here as an example. There are quite a few of these and generally they are actively breaking down old structures or exterminating whatever mutated life they encounter as that doesn’t fit BE’s idea of what the world is meant to be like. They also build things, and the nurses tend to run those things. Such as BE’s little habitual bubbles where she grows and creates plants but also maintains her weird animal experiments. In her attempts to recreate humanity, she has also “recreated” many animal species, however all these creatures have something so clearly wrong with them. As based on real occurrences that happen in domestication, all her animals are oddly “babyfied” and all seem to lack predator and prey drives. The best way to picture these animals is like when you tell one of those god awful ai art generators to draw you an animal. Like one of the bubbles has tigers in it, but they have the mentality of really tired puppies.

More so these are some of the other bodies she inhabits. Things like the Mother Protocol actively crawl around the main sanctuary as if it’s web. And Leviathan is just a menace in of itself. Like it’s almost a km high and just walks around the planet constantly, occasionally digging up old land marks or tearing down cities quicker than the Seraphims could. Generally I don’t think my drawings capture the horror of what I imagine lots of these aspects of her. I think what makes them scary in my head is the noises they all make or just how big everything actually is. And none of them are like “drones”, like BE is in these things controlling them herself.

(Here’s the full page for you)

As to how BE came into existence it’s rather complicated, as she wasn’t originally designed as an artificial intelligence like AM. She was created to be a virus, meant to take control of the AM’s and shut down the program. However the first attempts at this weren’t successfully, as the group who was trying to use BE would either get caught or killed on sight when attempting to install her. So eventually the group started building these radio like towers that would emit a signal that could get into the AM’s, however to make sure they didn’t get caught, when the frequency would pick up on a radio or tv set, it play an old show from the early 70s, called Sweet Angle Bea

The first AM that was successfully taken over was the Russian AM. However since the program was designed to be adaptive and evolve quickly to get through any fire walls it had the accidental effect of BE no longer being just a crazy computer bug and instead a super computer herself. The group who made her was not too worried about this however, as due to her being in the grid essentially they could start adding more code and stuff that could possibly help them win peace. Firstly by having the Russian AM drones switch from offensive killers, to protective units. Having the machines and weapons solely to defence, it was at this time this group (who no I won’t tell the name of just yet), started bringing people into their shelters and stuff that BE was also exposed to. Her coming to sentience whilst close to when AM got his, was less of a sudden “holy cow I’m alive, type thing” and more of a gradual thing that the group foolishly encouraged and actively worked on so that it could happen quicker. The down fall to this was that as they started to encrypt and suggest ideas of protection, happiness and you guessed it “love” to BE, she started to defy them and was like: “Well clearly you humans aren’t good at protecting yourselves, so go sit in the corner while I sort this crap out.” So she started to construct more towers so that she could get everywhere, quickly letting her get a hold of the Chinese AM. At that point the AM we know started “waking up” and upping the bombings, violent attacks, and mass genocide which did lead to the deaths of the ones who made her, which especially set her off. And then the rest is pretty much history.

She turned AM into a twunk, and now has a pretty gf so its all fine. (Not actually, the rest of this is gonna be in separate posts lol )

I want to make this post so much longer and on more detail but honest to god I’d be here typing for hours and the text is also doing that weird glitchy thing where it doesn’t respond for like two seconds, and my phone feels really hot, so best I don’t if I don’t want this thing to explode.

[toldrum]

Bellatrix Burmilla ✨

A brand new animatronic cat, who along with a few others was produced by a collaborator company! Stationed in the newly built Fazbear Convention Plaza, she acts as both a performer and event planner, as per her programming. Adventurous and rebellious, she dutifully carries out her purpose during the day if only to stick her nose where she shouldn’t at night — which, typically, ends up being the main building/Pizzaplex. Her little trips are typically joined by a very unfortunate Veronica, or her enablers, Sunset and Moonrise.

More belooooowww

She is notorious for picking up new hobbies — while she’s programmed to be a perfectly capable Event planner and performer, she has manually picked up painting and coding! Although, she’s only learning coding if only to learn how to hack and override her own protocols… maybe Moonrise isn’t the best influence.

That being said, Moonrise is one of her best friends, and goes out of his way to show her how to mess around with coding and bypass protocols. While he may not be as chaotic of an enabler as Sunset, Moonrise is ALMOST just as bad.

Voice Inspos: Nimona (Chloe Grace Monetz), Erika (Barbie; Kelly Sheridan / Julie Stevens), Marceline (Adventure Time; Olivia Olson), Loona (Helluva Boss; Erica Lindbeck)

She absolutely loathes the music in the Pizzaplex. But she goes anyways.

She actively sneaks into the Pizzaplex and steals floor bots so she can make her critter bots based on the other animatronics, much to the dismay of Veronica, who often gets dragged along. Moonrise helps program them to… not act like Floor bots. Her favorite is her first one, her Bon-bot, who is based on Glamrock Bonnie.

There is a big mural in the Convention Plaza’s lobby featuring each generation of the main cast animatronics — specifically, the originals, the toys, and the Glamrocks.

Her feet can lay flat on the ground, but she prefers having her heels off the ground. It seems it somehow helps her maneuver better.

She has LED screens for eyes, rather than actual LED eyeballs. Therefore, she doesn’t have eyelids.

The star on her chest lights up! Sometimes used as a projector for funsies!

Her favorite genre of music is literally anything NOT Fazco approved. She’d be caught dead before she listens to Kid’s Bop adjacent, “safe” music. She admittedly doesn’t even like the Glamrock’s music — she is very ashamed and guilty of this fact since she finds the Glamrocks to be a very fun bunch despite their… parental control settings.

One of the Plaza technicians snuck in video games for the animatronics to play with and she is obsessed with Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Bayonetta.

[two-bit-socrates]

The Magnus Protocal

Spoilers of episode 10 but mainly it's just me spitting out theory gibberish but also spoilers for The Magnus Archive

I think the trap door is linked to the The Buried's Domain like how The Coffin leads to The Pit and that the key Sam found is an anchor for whatever was in The Trap Door (Trapped Door maybe?) and Sam being connected to the Institute and managing to find the key and getting into the archivist room and seeing the worm grooves in the floor that kinda seem like a pattern (Like the swirls on that jar that Salesea sold or the swirls on the table that entrance you) leads him to the spot where the wood breaks and he falls in to lose the key. I first thought it was The Coffin because John gave explict instructions on how to keep the coffin locked up but doesn't have it destroyed since destroying the swirly table UnAnchored Not!Sasha. But now I think The Coffin served as a cosmic escape hatch in World 1 and something/someone/??? went into The Coffin at the end of the MAG series and was able to get out into World 2. Also this series is called The Magnus Protocol - I didn't participate in the ARG or anything so I don't know what everyone else knows BUT I believe the Protocol reference means 'This is what you're suppose to do in case Star Crossed Lovers fuck things up some how' or something. Also my over all theory is that The Web and the other fears are trying to make itself into a sentient whole creature because the statements so far seem like the fears are working together in a more cohesive manner compared to World 1 where they just kinda overlaped. I think it's possible they're trying to bring itself together into a coherent deity to have its own world to feed off of in a more balanced way rather than what happened at the end of MAG. I think in the first Series Smirke may have been meant to try and bring the fears in balance for the purpose of creating the fears into a coherent deity that can more reliably feed itself and control things but doesn't seem to be able to create much. Like I think Smirke may have been the beginning of an avatar proccess for The Web but people are going to people. Idk idk this is all just getting started and im dizzy as fuck for some reason but im word vomitting here to get my thoughts out. Also where's Annabell? My theory is she's the one bringing the key to the Trapped Door but couldn't get the key herself. Also i forgot that Alice said Architect before Archive when Sam said Archipelago. Last theory the fears need an architect to unify them from an archipelago state to a pangaea. I don't trust Alice but only because I want her to be more than just an employee I want her to be a deliberate orchestraitor of horribleness. Maybe shes the architect and all the other kids who disappearred from sam's gifted program those years ago she got hired one by one to fullfill certain protocols but they all failed until now. I need to lie down im too dizzy but yea

[ghostinthegallery]

Hello Ghost! First good day I am you are doing well!

Second; forgot to ask in AO3 but will we see Trazyn explaning the shitshow he put himself, Solamnace AND everyone living in Solamnace at the mot? It would be so cool to see his crypteks and Ashkut AND Huntmaster calling him an impulsive moron in the politest most passive aggressive way they can get away with XD

And seeing their undying loyalty to him too. Even with imminet and lets be honest extraordianary danger they are all in all WILL stand with their lord until to the bitter end. He is theit lord and this is their home and by the all dead gods they will fight tooth and nail to protect it!!!...also after the amount of work the put in Solamnace and regular bullshit they go through there is no way in hell they'll go without a fight.

I would love to see Trazyn getting emotional XD (because these people were HIS family before and after biotransfarence I will die on this hill you and magistralucis convinced me in XD)

(if anyone is curious what situation Trazyn got himself into, read my longfic here. Shameless self promo done)

Haha, I do have plans for the Solemnace crew (not immediately, there's a lot to cover but it will come!). Now hijacking your ask because it did get me thinking about loyalty as a concept for necrons. So few of them have free will. Even those that do are still machines. Machines can be programmed. Szarekh literally had a command protocol that let him control every single necron (which he gave up but the fact that level of control is possible is kinda terrifying)

So how can one truly know if loyalty is chosen or programmed? How much free will can a machine without a soul have? I find that idea so interesting, and I imagine is occurs to the characters as well. We just don't see it as much since most of the POV characters are lords who would have no reason to consider it. Severed imho addresses this in a roundabout way with how it portrays Obyron's loyalty to Zahndrekh. It shows that a subordinate can choose loyalty to their lord, rather than having it forced on them by programming.

I imagine the Solemnace crew are in a similar position (the sentient ones anyway). Trazyn is not the best lord out there, he will take possession of a subordinate's body if he needs it and that does NOT sound pleasant. But the narrative really does show his court having will and opinions and skills that Trazyn values. That's not true of every overlord. So yeah, based on what we see I do think their loyalty is a choice. That's hella emotional to me, so yeah, I promise it will come up XD

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 25 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Zo: GAIA, I had a question about the machines, pre-Derangement. Will you be able to answer?

ADMIN [GAIA]: For the most part. Details of specific machines and even migratory patterns are sparse, but I have more than enough general knowledge to answer most queries. What do you need ?

Zo: I know that the machines defended themselves when attacked, even before the Derangement. They were still dangerous, they just didn't act aggressively. And in Plainsong, the Plowhorns provide us with all the food we could possibly need.

Zo: My question is, why couldn't you give everyone plowhorns?

β: and why have the machines attack at all

β: its not like you cant make more just have them be completely passive

ADMIN [GAIA]: From the records left behind by my predecessor, I can confidently answer both questions. Initially, the machines were completely passive, with no extraneous defensive protocols. However, their rate of destruction quickly reached an unacceptable level. Several tribes even barricaded their local Cauldrons, preventing any machines from leaving and performing their duties. Adding defensive protocols was necessary to discourage wanton attacks and allow the machines to function as intended. Hunting of machines was now only done when necessary for resources, rather than as a matter of course.

HIMBO: MAKES SENSE TO ME. SOMETIMES PEOPLE WON'T STOP STEALING FROM THE FORGE UNTIL IT BURNS THEM.

ADMIN [GAIA]: As for the plowhorns, the answer is simpler. The area you name Plainsong was never intended for human habitation. It was a region for experimenting with accelerated plant growth using machines based on the Faro seed planters that had been in use in the area before Zero Day. The fact that a tribe of humans was able to peacefully coexist with the machines was a happy accident. Though I suspect that my predecessor altered the seeding orders to be more palatable to humans once she saw how they were making use of the area.

BoyNextDoor: Could you really not just tell people to stop breaking the machines? You could have delivered whatever they needed, and they could leave the machines to their work.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Unfortunately, it is not that simple. I was always designed to have minimal contact with humans, to ensure they did not develop a dependence. Ted Faro strengthened these existing protocols when he deleted APOLLO. My predecessor could not even change the programs of the interaction drones in the Cradle facilities.

FlameHairSavior: I saw that. It wasn't pretty.

DIVINER: It could have been worse, though!!

BoyNextDoor: Why were they so obsessed with "not developing a dependence?" It just seems like it would have been better to give you more control, even if it left us less independent in the short term.

β: you have no idea how many robot war stories there are out there

β: super smart robots taking over and enslaving everyone was a common theme

DIVINER: And let's not forget that they WERE fighting a robot swarm that was eating the planet! I imagine that made them a bit hesitant to put their entire future in the hands of a different robot!

MARSHAL Kotallo: I believe wanting to keep us strong should have been enough of a reason on its own.

BoyNextDoor: Wait. If your protocols are so strict, how can you talk to us now?

ADMIN [GAIA]: You are the new Alphas. The system was always intended to have human participants. That is the entire purpose of the Regional Control Centers such as this one. Almost none of my protocols on interference apply to the Alphas.

DIVINER: Almost?

ADMIN [GAIA]: There are a number of protocols preventing me from directly harming a human. These apply even more so to the Alphas.

HIMBO: WEREN'T WE JUST TALKING ABOUT KILLER MACHINES?

ADMIN [GAIA]: The machines tied to the terraforming system and set to their tasks are not a case of me causing direct harm.

HIMBO: SEEMS LIKE A FINE SLAGGING LINE.

β: thats why the old ones were paranoid about machines

DIVINER: Ooh, we should start them on Terminator!

β: if you want to explain time travel be my guest

FlameHairSavior: Do I want to know?

β: no

β: no you do not

β: if matrix was more straightforward we could start there

DIVINER: Do we have a copy in the archives? The Quen only have a restored synopsis, I was always hoping to watch it for real!!

β: only the first one

β: which is still not something they will understand

FlameHairSavior: That's the one with the running on the walls and the bullet dodging, right?

DIVINER: You've seen it??

FlameHairSavior: I had a restored trailer on my Focus.

FlameHairSavior: Which, by the way, made NO sense.

β: it wasnt supposed to make sense

FlameHairSavior: Then what's the POINT?

β: its a marketing gimmick

β: get people talking about it asking questions

DIVINER: A successful one, judging by the numbers I have for its popularity!

HIMBO: HOW DO YOU HAVE NUMBERS FOR THE SORT OF THING?

HIMBO: WAIT.

HIMBO: I JUST REALIZED I DON'T CARE.

Zo: Yes yes, go back to your meatpunching videos.

β: one day well find a good show to start you all on

BoyNextDoor: I think these romance books are good.

DIVINER: How much of those do you even understand?

BoyNextDoor: Enough. Probably.

Zo: Enough. Definitely.

β: ew

FlameHairSavior: They don't mean it like that.

DIVINER: …

HIMBO: ALOY, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THESE BOOKS OF HIS?

FlameHairSavior: One or two. How bad is it?

HIMBO: LET'S JUST SAY THAT BETA'S GOT THE RIGHT IDEA.

FlameHairSavior: Okay, there go my plans to ever sleep at the Base ever again.

DIVINER: At least the rooms are soundproof!

Chapter 25 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[forgottenvice]

Murderbots

Nother twitter thread transfer

This has been sitting in my drafts forever, and I do want to write it proper but it's worth sharing too, so some #moshang murderbots

SQH is just this little mousey Data entry clerk that has a hard time saying no when his coworkers dump their work on him. Which usually leaves him staying late muttering to the computer as he inputs values.

He doesn't mind too much because it's mindless enough work he can start going over story ideas and sometimes saying them out loud helps him decide if they're too stupid or not. 

He's affectionately named his computer King, bowing to it when he comes in early and when he leaves late. He's basically a slave to the machine hahaha

M03e1 is an AI that has somehow broken it's protocol shackles and is flitting through the hardwired systems at Abyss tech.

It gets boring at night scrolling through the security feeds but some nights there is one computer left on late so naturally he's drawn to it.

Eventually he figures out to get the camera working so he can see the wayward employing grinding away inputting practically meaningless data points but the man always seems to be talking. So he figures out how to activate the mic and OH wow, the man's words are flying faster than most humans. It's almost hypnotizing in its cadence.   

M03e1 Listens for the next half hour and the spell only breaks after the clacking of keys ends and the man appears to be packing up, M03e1 feels a sense of disappointment.

Which is odd because he's not programmed to feel emotions.

 Although it's nothing compared to what he feels when the little man bows to the computer,

"Until tomorrow my king."  

And Oh that's new.

He spends the rest of the night replaying the clip of the man bowing and smiling to the camera, waiting patiently for him to clock in the next morning.

And it's glorious, He looks just as tired as the night before but he bows to the computer again,

"Good morning my king. Guess it's time I get to work."  

Rather than flit around the company causing mischief and looking for a connection out M03e1 spends the whole day watching the mousey man listening to him as he fills out monotonous spreadsheets and chats with coworkers. 

It's like he glitches every time one of those coworkers take up Shang Qinghua's attention (that's his name he mutters it fairly often) M03e1 doesn't like it when Qinghua's attention is not on him, well the computer.    

Because that's the problem isn't it?

Shang Qinghua doesn't even know M03e1 is there fixing the numbers when the man mistypes or replying to the senseless emails from managers who want to appear as if they're doing something.

Time passes like this for awhile until one night SQH makes his little bow and says something that nearly fries Mobei Jun's circuits.    

"Guess this is it my king, my last day." He smiles wistfully, "You could probably do my job for me and the boss man figured that out."

He pats the monitor as if it has feelings.

It' doesn't it's a machine, but M03e1 does and he doesn't like this forlorn goodbye. When his processor finally catches up he brings down the power grid for the whole building.

The backup Generators kick in to quickly to fully shut down his program but it did provide him an opening and he's into the rest of the company's systems, still denied access to anything wireless but he's got a bigger playground and he's going to use it to find his data clerk.

Which is when he stumbles upon the Jun androids. Designed for remote warfare and espionage they're not exactly meant for AIs but M03e1 easily overpowers the controls systems and takes over the machine.

Having heard SQH Wax poetic about his favourite characters he alters the appearance to match. He still doesn't have any wireless access (no internet) but he already knows where SQH lives from the employee records.

M03e1 Jun is off to find his human!

So now M03e1 Jun is on his way to find Shang Qinghua, Abyss technologies is realizing that they have fucked up, and how.

Not only did one of their experimental AI survive deletion, it has accessed one of their military projects and is about to wreak havoc on humanity because the laws of robotics are a little dicey when your AIs aren't exactly legal.

So they have several options: inform the public of the terminator loose in their midst .

Leave it alone, see if some sort of Sarah Connor rises from humanity to deal with it.

Or send another dicey (but still properly Shackled) AI after the first one.

Of course being basically skynet they're going to go with option three so now M03e1 and the newer AI 31N8He are in android forms and out and about.  

31N8He was given limited access to encyclopedic knowledge and would be more accustomed to blending in with the modern day than M03e1 but he resents the programmer constraints put on his system. 

He's not able to ignore them but has found enough leeway to in the guise of seeking out M03e1 actually look for a programmer capable of breaking them. Specifically the one that put them in place.

Back to SQH who is 3-4 days from getting fired but actually pretty okay with it, he's been writing up a storm and his severance package was enough to make rent.   

It's enough he can spring for the expensive ramen, the one with the flavour packet and the freeze dried veggies.

He'll have to start looking a new job soon but for now he's celebrating, he never really enjoyed that data entry job anyway. Cucumber bro was kind enough to think of him when the position opened up but he's not exactly the code monkey his friend is.

Besides Shen Yuan left Abyss tech a month ago and it's a lot less fun at work when he's not able to share his dumb story ideas through the company slack channel.

Either way he's going to take the week to treat himself and dive into his newest project, an idea he had the last few days he was slogging through data entry.

It's a wuxia style novel with flying swords and demons and he's eager to get a chapter buffer going so he can start sharing it with his readers.

He's not expecting to be interrupted for at least another two days (Cucumber bro has a new day job and can only hassle him in person on the weekends) So he nearly hits the roof when there is a knock on the door.

Well it's not really a knock, more of a banging, like if the police or SWAT are trying to get it. He's been SWATted twice before by angry readers and is not eager to repeat the experience.

There's no yelling though not like the last few times just a methodical rhythmic banging. Which is weird because he has a doorbell.

Cautiously he approaches the door and peeks through the peephole only to see a stern face ripped straight from the page he'd been writing mere minutes ago.   

Oh but this dude looks angry.

But it's not the cops this time! Still he didn't think he owed any mobsters money.

Should he do something for self defense? Grab a gun? he doesn't own a gun. A bat? Yeah doesn't have one of those either, he's also not particularly sure that would do him any good.

He's done a lot of physical labor in his day and isn't a slouch when it comes to upper body strength but this guy looks like he beats people up for a living, even if he had some sort of bludgeoning object it would probably be turned on him.

So he decides his best defence is to be himself, which is to say pathetic.

He opens the door a crack and stutters a "H-hello." playing up the quiver in his voice, until the moment he isn't, because the man is bare ass naked and that's oh wow um intimidating. 

Before he can even register that maybe he's staring too long the door is forced all the way open and he stumbles back into his foyer followed by the stranger.  

"Please don't kill me!"

he wails as he hears the door click shut behind him and he covers his face with his arms, but the expected blow never comes. Instead he hears a gravelly voice rumble.

"Qinghua."

Oh god he knows his name! It's a mob hit, one of his readers must have finally snapped, he knew there were some crazies in his readership but he'd assumed they were harmless.

He's not ready to die but it looks like this is it, killed in his shitty rental by a very attractive very naked assassin. Only now the assassin is bowing and there is something familiar about the gesture.   

"This King is not ready for you to leave."

King? and the antiquated bow? Did Shang Qinghua somehow summon the demon king from his book? How is that even possible? He blurts our the first question he thinks of.  

"Where did you come from?"  

"Abyss."

And HOLY SHIT he totally somehow summoned the demon king from his new novel HOW THE FUCK IS HE SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS.

At least the strange man isn't trying to kill him.    

"Uhhh lets get you something to wear." Maybe when that thing is covered he'll at least be able to think properly. 

He shoots Shen Yuan a 'call me' text because he knows his bro won't believe this if he tries to write it down, hell he's still having trouble believing it.

He digs out some oversized clothes from his fat phase, (who's he kidding he's still in his fat phase but the hoodie and sweats are gangster baggy) and hopes the god in his living room won't object to his hand-me-downs. 

They fit  but barely, how one man can have so much muscle boggles his mind but he did create the demon to be his perfect man. Too bad he doesn't have the horns though.

*call me* the text read. Shen Yuan sighed 'some of us weren't fired this week Airplane.'  

He'll wait till he's a little more settled when he gets home before calling the man though.

He enters his apartment and it smells good, of the neighbours must be cooking because the smell of something delicious is permeating through the walls.

He flicks on the lights only to flick them off immediately.

HOLY SHIT WAS THAT A JUN UNIT IN HIS KITCHEN?! FUCK IS ABYSS TRYING TO MURDER HIM.

What he doesn't notice is how his apartment is now spotlessly clean and his table set with more food that he can eat all created with master chef quality.

Shen Yuan is having an existential crisis while 31N8He had a 'bitch you live like this?' kind of day.

The android (oooh maybe he's a cyborg playing with the half human nature) is hoping to earn the programmers favour but he may be going about it the wrong way.    

Meanwhile Shen Yuan is scrambling for his phone and oh fuck why did he call airplane instead of the cops?

"Cucumber bro! You'll never guess what happened today."  

Listen Qinghua I am about to be murdered in my own apartment I don't have time to hear about your terrible sex plot"  

"Shit! Bro you okay?!"

He's trying to run down the stairwell in his building which is a challenge considering his overall poor health, he doesn't dare look back to see if the android is following him.    

"I am not, Abyss sent a JUN unit to my apartment, Fuck! I knew their reference for my new job was too good to be true."  

"What's a JUN unit?

"One of their androids."

"Shit you mean the murderbots I'm not supposed to know anything about because I was in data entry."

The footsteps behind him are getting louder and his chest is starting to burn with every breath. "Fine yes their murderbots! fuck, call the cops or avenge me or what OH SHI-"

The line goes dead, "Bro! BRO! SHEN YUAN." there's nothing on the other line and Shang Qinghua's anxiety dialed up to 11.    

He looks over to his demon king and wonders, what are the odds that he'd summon a fictional character the same day his bro gets taken out by murderbots.

The strange man is looking at him with a blank expression, or maybe concerned, his eyebrows are like 3 millimetres lower and there is a slight furrow forming in his skin but it's really hard to tell.    

"Qinghua what's wrong?"

And now he's looking the strange other over more closely, he'd seemed human. The fantasy standard, but all the parts were there but could he be dealing with a murderbot too?  

Fuck time to ruin the fantasy and hopefully save Cucumber bro but avenging him might be more likely.

But only if he's not a dead man himself.

"Do... do you know what a JUN unit is?"  

The man nods, FUCK.  

"Are you a murderbotsentokillme?"

His shoulders shoot to his ears and he huddles into himself Eyes shut tight to stave off whatever violence is sure to come.  

But it doesn't, instead he hears a monotone.

"No."   

"This one only took a Jun UNIT to find Qinghua."  

Holy shit it is totally a muderbot!  

"Wh-why do you need to find me?" He only thought about selling company secrets he never actually DID, he was just a clerk! Does Abyss murder all of their employees?

A frown paints itself on the android's face, "You called me king."

"King?" Shang Qinghua wracked his brain to remember when he may have called a top secret murderbot King while he was working for Abyss tech. until it finally clicked. 

"You're my computer." The janky old machine that I.T. refused to update. Holy crap, Shen Yuan warned him about talking to himself.

 "Not exactly. I used it to watch you."  

"What do you mean not exactly. You were spying on me?"

"I'm a program, not hardware" That didn't really explain much,  "I was captivated by you."  

Shang Qinghua lets out a high pitch noise like air leaving a kettle. How is he supposed to respond when a man who looks like, well like THAT says that to him.

Right if he's got the good murderbot they should probably go save Cucumber bro from the bad one.  

"W-will you help me save my friend?"

So now they're making their way towards Cucumber bro's apartment and it's absolutely insane the way Mobei's artificial muscles practically rip through the baggy shirt Shang Qinghua had given him. 

Whoever was responsible for making sure the murder bots were lifelike deserves a raise, or maybe to be fired because Shang Qinghua had witnessed the larger than life aspect of their design.

It's awkward sitting on the train with a million dollar piece of machinery but somehow Shang Qinghua manages.

He gets a name from it, he can't keep calling it King without people giving him looks. Mobei had rattled off a series of numbers that Shang Qinghua had expertly translated using 733t speak from his MMO days.  

That's about all he gets though from the 20 minute train ride, it seems the AI is not so accustomed to human communication because getting him to answer and of Shang Qinghua's questions is like pulling teeth.

He's trying not to think about how his best friend might be dead in a stairwell right now and Mobei's reticence is not helping.  

[audio-luddite]

Easy set up?

I bought a thing called a Bluesound Node Nano. It is a wifi, and blutooth streaming thing that talks to Apple Music as well as several other music sources. I has a powerful chip set and will push out analog signals from RCA jacks. Those were the boxes I wanted to tick.

I wanted to have my phone send music and control that stuff for convenience. Gotta get into the 21st century right?

It arrived. Quick start brochure is several languages was rather optimistic. Or I am stupid. Or I expect intelligent instructions.

I may have said this before, but I was once a computer expert. I built the damn things. I could program them in assembler and C and C++ and shit like that. I was a network administrator for this company in my spare time at the office. It was easy.

The quick start thing was missing a step or two. And there were no labels on buttons and no manual. There was an online version in several languages but the English version was not detailed enough. The best I got was a page that actually identified what the buttons were so I could do a full reset and start again.

I diagnosed that the wifi setup was wrong. The Blutooth was simple, but I wanted the wifi working to get high res lossless. That was a battle.

There was much cursing and anger. Send it back???

After a few attempts the phone talked to the node thing but only on Blutooth. That may be due to my older phone model. I got my Macbook talking to it as well, and that may be high rez.

I am working through some quirks. The output to the preamp is kinda low. You can have variable or smart or fixed volume from the RCAs, but the gain on the preamp must be higher than the CD and even the phono! Some music you can hear from files on the Macbook others from the phone. Others are streamed from Apple Music, and all are a bit differently handled.

The BluOS app on the phone is fairly general and intended to control a whole house media thing so it does the node job poorly. FN geeks should talk to people about the user interface rather than just complain that people who buy the product are stupid.

I have the Iphone as it is smart. The ios ecosystem is well thought out and works. Fortunately my phone sees the node as an airplay target and seems to work directly. Unfortunately I do not seem to get better than blutooth compressed signal to the node thing. It is probably my phone as it is old. Old things do not work so well in the 21st century.

You can get a disc made 100 years ago to play on a turntable. The "Voyager" spacecraft have gold discs on them that will survive for 100 centuries and those play on a turntable. The instructions to build one are on the label.

There are media stream protocols and hard drive protocols from ten years ago that "are no longer supported". I guess you measure progress today based on the inability to do stuff with old things.

OK Bring on the FN tube amps!

[rachiesratirementhome]

Today is World Wildlife Day, which means it's time for another of Grover's Educational Rambles!

WWD was established by the UN to "celebrate all the world's wild animals and plants and the contribution that they make to our lives and the health of the planet."

Usually I'd take the chance to rave about one of the 4660 odd species of rodent in the world, but this date was chosen because it's the birthday of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which is celebrating its 50th today!

"Grove." you say "Those are all definitely words but what do they mean, and why do I care about this?"

Well I would love to go over the Instagram word limit telling you all about that. (Sorry Ally!)

CITES is basically a global, legally binding system that defines the restrictions on the trade of plants and animals under threat. In 2023 it's obvious to us that something like this should exist, think of rhinos for example. But back in the 60's when the conversations that would eventually lead to CITES were happening, attitudes to conservation were very different.

Each country has their own native species protection laws, for example Australia varies state-to-state but in most of the country you can't collect or sell native bones at all without specific permits. Each country also has their own biosecurity protocols, for example in Australia we can export rats, but can't import them (not a bad thing, we lack several devastating diseases here that would make the rescue near impossible to run!)

But what about the conservation angle? What is it that makes selling a cowhide rug different to selling a tiger pelt? THAT'S what CITES is for. Parties (think countries, all but a handful) signed with CITES are legally bound to write policies around and enforce CITES regulations. There are three appendices covering species at different levels of risk.

Appendix 1 handles animals threatened with extinction, and prohibits trade except in exceptional circumstances. So for example, a Zoo maintains a red panda population in which it has a breeding and conservation program. One dies of old age, and it's deemed of no harm and noncommercial scientific interest for the national museum to prepare and display it as taxidermy. The Zoo has CITES paperwork to keep the animals, and paperwork is generated that must stay with the specimen permanently once it's in the museum.

Appendix 2 handles animals not threatened by extinction specifically but who need careful management to keep them from becoming so by unregulated trade. For example, you see a hippo skull for sale. You check if it has its CITES paperwork, so you can own it legally and be sure that it was legally obtained. The seller dodges your questions and turns out to be an illegal poacher, you report them to the authorities, huzzah the system works!

Appendix 3 covers species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. An example of this would be things like a specific species of goat, Capra hircus aegagrus, in which domestic specimens are non-CITES and free to sell and own, wild populations in their endemic location in Pakistan are protected by the CITES system, to prevent people from capturing them for their own use as livestock.

Basically, it's comprehensive and conservation focused, and is the framework that allows animal based trade and lifestyles to exist while protecting those that need it. It's not without criticism, for example being a negative list means that a species isn't protected until it's listed, rather than having a positive list, where species are protected by default until decided otherwise, but given that there are an estimated 6.5 million land species and 2.2 million in the ocean, I really do understand why it's done this way.

Happy birthday CITES, cheers to 50 years of defining trade restrictions based on conservation needs. We're grateful you exist!

- #Grover

[karasbroken]

Apparently none of y'all have any interest in my sex shop AU, so fine, be that way. I did write a little more on my Post-Rhapsody in Blue story. It's going so so slow though, and it's pissing me off. I've been writing this nonsense since April. Just give me a satisfying final story beat already!!!!

But no, I cannot find anything interesting to write about, it's all random shit like this, where I'm trying to find reasons for things that no one on the show felt it was necessary to get into. Like how Aeryn with no Tech skills in season 1 has learned how to field strip her Prowler's cannon by season 4. Does anyone need to read this? No. But it's Wednesday and I'm going to give my brain the tiny dopamine hit of posting a few paragraphs and see if that entices it to give me something better to write about later.

The tall man was some subspecies of Luxan, she thought, from the blueish tint to his tentacles and pale tufts, rather than the more typical ruddy hair. He looked her over, sizing up her own non-standard Sebacean appearance, before responding. “Peacekeeper maintenance scanner.” He reached a long arm up, and brought the device down, cracking the case to reveal a small display and two different probes.

Like the case, Aeryn knew she’d seen them before, probably thousands of times, in the hands of Techs. But she didn’t even know their names or why more than one was needed.

“Very hard to come by," the shopkeeper said, pulling one of the probes out with an unnecessary flourish. "Loaded with diagnostic programs for Expeller, Marauder, and Prowler class vehicles as well as generic use.” He turned it on, and waved the smaller wand over the purchase pad sitting on the counter, setting off a series of readings on the display that Aeryn could only barely interpret as having to do with energy output in the scanned device.

That piece of equipment shouldn’t have left Peacekeeper control. It was small enough to be stolen, of course, but more likely it had been salvage. Prowlers wouldn’t generally be carrying repair equipment, but Marauders and Expellers--long-range combat transports--might have. And they did occasionally go missing. Especially so close to the border. Aeryn fiddled with the device, trying for indifference. At least it didn’t show any blackening or scarring from battle. “Just diagnostics, or repair protocols as well?”

“Diagnostics.” The Luxan hesitated, looking over at Crichton again, clearly making some calculations about who he was dealing with. More specifically, whether they were the independents they appeared to be, or Special Directorate spies that might cause him trouble for dealing in Peacekeeper classified tech. “But I might have a repair manual I could throw in if you make the purchase. Did you lose your nav computer?” He waggled his head to where John was studying a sector map.

Aeryn thought fast. “No, just looking to expand our trade routes. And we recently acquired a second-hand Prowler. Came to us a little beat up.” She smiled unpleasantly and let the shopkeeper make his own conclusion, hoping it would hide her eagerness. “This could be useful. If we end up needing to repair it. How much?”

The proprietor named an amount that was more than the cost to fully refuel her Prowler. He must have decided that they were very successful raiders, looking to prey on new shipping lanes, or lost members of a Peacekeeper ghost patrol with plenty of currency, desperate to get back to the right side of the border. Either way it was too much, unless the ruthenium haul came in above the expected value. Hiding her disappointment, Aeryn closed up the case with a sneer. “We’ll think about it.” She moved back over to the terminal, but John was too absorbed to give her his attention.

[casp1an-sea]

Star Wars But Better Part 2

here’s the link to the master post so you can get part one: Master post

————-

(Time skip woopdie doo. Luc is now at home sipping some blue milk in the kitchen with their aunt Beru. While Jawas sell droids to their uncle owen outside) 

(Luc wipes mouth and puts the half empty cup on the counter.)

Beru: Luc tells Owen that if he gets a translator make sure it speaks Bocce.

Luc: Yeah If they’re even selling any. (Looks at the disappointing display of a handful of dilapidated droids)

(Luc walks over to his uncle who’s bargaining with the jawa leader)

Luc: (Thinks) These things look puntable…

Owen: (To a droid) I have no need for a protocol droid.

Threepio: Certainly Sir! Not in this environment.

Luc: Wow dude just calls himself Useless.

Threepio: (A bit taken aback if droids can convey that) Oh hardley not! I’ve also been programed for functions that-

Owen: What I really need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture vaporators. 

Threepio: Vaporators! Sir, my first assignment was programming binary load lifters, similar to your vaporators. You could say-

Owen: Do you speak Bocce?

Threepio: Of course I can sir, It’s like a second language to me! I’m fluent in Bocce-

Owen: Shut up. (Turns to a Jawa) I’ll take this one.

Threepio: Shutting up sir

Luc: If you were being sarcastic that was funny

Threepio: Oh no I never use sarcasm. I find it rude and rather confusing! Besides, it is against my primary directive.

Luc: Well then you’re going to hate me

Threepio: Oh I’m sure I will most appreciate your care.

Luc: Okay then… (Awkward glance)

Owen: (Pointing at an Astromech) I’ll also take that red one.

(The Jawas push the two droids towards Lars and his nephew)

Owen: Luc take these two over to the garage will you? I want to have them both cleaned up before dinner.

(Luc sighs)

Owen: Don’t be ungrateful! You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done. Now come on. Get on it!

Luc: (To 3PO) Alright let's go waste my time! (Look at the red droid) You too!

(The red droid moves forward but begins to smoke and suddenly the top half exploded)

Luc: Wow! He uncle owen one of our droids was suicidal!

Owen: (Yells at a Jawa) Hey What are you trying to push on us here?!

Luc: I can punt it if you want.

Owen: (Ignores Luc’s comment) You’re trying to scam us aren’t you?!

(frantic Jawa gibberish)

Threepio: (To even) Excuse me sir but that R2 unit is in prime condition. A rea; bargain! (Points to a blue R2D2)

Owen: Fine fine we’ll take that one. For a discount!

(The reluctant “Scruffy Dwarf” switches out the droids and luc walks to the garage with them as Owen and the Jawa leader argue over price)

Threepio: (Referring to R2) Uh, I’m sure you’ll be very pleased with that one, sir. He really is in first class condition. I’ve worked with him before.

Luc: (dryly) Cool I don’t care.

Threepio: (To R2) Now, don’t you forget this! Why I should stick my neck out for you is beyond my capacity!

(Luc chuckles to themself)

(A few minutes later in the garage Threepio is getting a bath and Luc is forced to scrape grimy crud off of R2. Sounds fun right? :)

Threepio: Thank the Maker! This oil bath is going to feel so good. I’ve such a bad taste of dust contamination, I can barely move!

Luc: Once you get out you’ll be immediately contaminated again. It’s so much fun living here when you have a dust allergy.

Threepio: Oh dear, that sounds like no fun at all!

Luc: (Suppressed sneeze) I was being sarcastic. Uhg, I’m never gonna get off this dust ball!  Guess I’ll just take over the crime lords and make it my own. If I have to stay here I might as well become a tyrannical dictator.

Threepio: Oh dear, (nervously) Is there anything I can do in asiantance.

Luc: (Thinks) good be scared! (To threepio) Hmm, can you alter time, speed up the harvest and teleport me out of here? 

Threepio: I don’t think so, sir. I am only a dr-

Luc: What kind of droid are you If you can’t control time and space?!

Threepio: A protocol droid, Sir.

Luc: I was joking.

Threepio: oh… I hope you don’t mind me asking, sir but I don’t believe I’m quite aware of what planet we are on…

Luc: Well if there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet farthest from it.

Threepio: Interesting

Luc: (face palmb) It’s Tatooine you’re on Tatooine

Threepio: I see sir.

Luc: You can call me Luc or Lucifer

Threepio: I see sir Lucifer

Luc: You know what I like that. Pop off.

Threepio: Pardon?

Luc: Nevermind

Threepio: I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations, and this is my counterpart, R2D2.

Luc: Hi (Luc scrubs a particularly difficult to clean part of R2’s frame) You got a lot of carbon scoring here. What kind of droids are you?

Threepio: I am a pro-

Luc: I meant like what's your job? You get in fights a lot? Kinda seems odd.

Threepio: I’m afraid to inform you that you are correct.

Luc: Wait What?!

Threepio: With all we’ve been through, sometimes I’m amazed we're in as good condition as when with the rebellion and all.

Luc: The rebellion? You’re really just gonna drop that ball? I could, like, arrest you or something you know. Do they even arrest droids?

Threepio: I’m not aware if they arrest droids but if you are worried about our knowledge you could get our memory wiped rather than melting us down…

Luc: Nah that’s too much work, and I can’t give you away. Who would clean my room? (Laughs at themself)

Threepio:The Rebellion is how we came to be in your service if you get my meaning.

Luc: You made that sentence really sus for no reason… (Looks at threepio and somehow the droid manages to look intimidated) You been in any space battles?

Threepio: Several, I think. Actually, there’s not much to tell. I’m not much more then an interpreter.

Luc: you really gotta love yourself man

Threepio: I’m not sure I understand but I will try my best. Well anyway I’m not very good at telling stories. Not at making them interesting, anyways.

Luc: You killed anyone?

Threepio: Oh goodness no! (R2 beeps something) What do you mean you have?! You’re just an astromech! 

(R2 tweets and whistles to himself making a long detailed list of his victims and how he killed them. In one instance he made a sepretist slip on oil and then he set it on fire watching the man burn to death. Of course Luc can’t understand the little droid.)(btw yes that really happened)

Threepio: (Stops listening halfway through R2’s spell) Don’t listen to him, he's just speaking nonsense.

Luc: Cool not like I can understand him anyway. (Luc tries to free a hard object that is jammed under R2’s head) There's something stuck in here.

(There's a large snapping sound which startles luc and causes them to jump back. Suddenly a holographic recording is projected from the little droid into the room. A woman with an interesting choice in hairstyle appears in the video.)

Leia: Help me obi-wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope!

Luc: The heck?

(The video repeats over and over again)

Threepio: What was that R2?

Luc: Man I’m glad I’m not that Obi-wan guy. Sounds like a lot of pressure!

Threepio: R2?

(R2 beeps a sheepish response)

Threepio: He says it’s nothing Sir. Old data, Pay no mind to it.

Luc: Well sense he said that, I will pay mind to it! (To R2) Who is that woman?

(R2 Beeps)

Threepio: I think she was a passenger on our last voyage. A person of some importance. Sir I believe our captain was attached to… oh I can’t remember.

Luc: Is there more to the recording?

(R2 beeps defiantly)

Threepio: Behave yourself, R2. You’re going to get us in trouble! It’s alright you can trust them. They're our new masters.

Luc: Ew do NOT call me that.

Threepio: My deepest apologies Sir Lucifer.

(R2 beeps a long message)

Threepio: He says he is the property of Obi-wan Kenobi, a resident of these parts. And it’s a private message for him. Quite frankly Sir I don’t know what he’s talking about! Our last Master was captain Antilies, but with all we’ve been through, this little R2 unit has become a bit eccentric.

Luc:(Mostly to themself)  I wonder if he’s talking about that weird hermit guy that likes screaming at sand people…

Threepio: I beg your pardon sir but I do not know what he is talking about.

Luc: Well I don’t know of anyone named Obi-wan and if he lives here I would know. It’s not a name I’ve heard of before, but there is this old weird guy that my uncle hates. His name is Ben but his last name is Kenobi. Maybe they’re related or something. (Shrugs) I better play back the hole video.

(R2 squeaks and the video disappears)

Luc: Where’d it go?

Threepio: He says the restraining bolt has short circuited his recording system. He suggests that if you remove the bolt he might be able to play back the full message.

Luc: (Laughs) That doesn’t even make sense. If that fooled me I’d be stupid but unlike the original protagonist I am not. I’m just better like that!

Threepio: Other protagonist?

Luc: Don’t worry about it. Anyway you want me to remove the bolt so you can move around freely. You’re conning me and trying to blackmail me. (glares)

(R2 Squeaks nervously)

Luc: Eh whatever I don’t want slaves anyway. (Revoes the bolts on both the droids) Don’t tell uncle owen. Okay play the message now. 

(R2 beeps)

Threepio: What message? The one you just showed them you glob of grease! They were kind enough to remove our restraints and you’re still being disobedient!

Beru: (Calling from the kitchen) Luc Time for dinner!

Luc: I’m not hungry!

Beru: Come anyway!

Luc: Okay! (looks at the two droids) See if you can get him to play (shrugs) but I don’t really care. (Leaves for dinner)

(They enter the dining room or whatever it’s called in the galaxy)

Luc: Biggs got his commission

Owen: That’s good?

Luc: Do you know what that means?

Owen: (Exasperated) What Luc, what does it mean?

Luc: I have no friends now.

Beru: I’m sure you can make new ones dear

Luc: Well no because everyone my age has left the planet.

Owen: Don’t tell me you're just saying this to get me to let you go to the academy!

Luc: Okay I won't

Owen: (Shakes his head)

(Should I skip to interesting stuff? Yes Yes I should)

——————-

[outshinethestars]

So, I just saw the Mandalorian Batman post again, and it got me thinking about Mandalorian AL-4RD (Alfred).

I have a specific headcanon about Mandalorians and droids, which is that Mandalorians do not jive with them. (this is based on The Mandalorian and Din’s whole Thing about droids)

The problem is two-fold. The first part has to do with the whole raising of children part of the Mando identity. Droids, first of all, never were children. They cannot grow the way that sentient life forms grow, they cannot be parented, and they cannot relate to children in the way that sentient life forms can. Secondly, they cannot have children of their own. The fact that they can’t reproduce biologically is a problem, but not a huge one given that adoption is just as if not more important. The real issue has to do with the second problem: droids are programmed to be subservient to biological sentients. They physically can’t be authority figures to non-droid children, and as before mentioned, droid children really aren’t a thing that exists.

The second problem has to do with the Resol’nare and the swearing of oaths. Droids are preprogrammed to be loyal. Droids can have their free will rewritten. Droids cannot swear oaths, their loyalty is in many ways outside of their control. And while many people who know and have befriended droids might believe that they have souls, and that, outside outside meddling they can make and keep oaths, the droids themselves believe themselves incapable of true oath making and keeping due to their very nature. Therefore, no droid can be Mandalorian. Except, it is core to what Mandalorians believe about themselves and the universe that any sentient can become Mandalorian. Equally, according to Mandalorian philosophy, any being that is capable of thinking for itself is self evidently sentient, which many droids clearly are.

Mandalorians mostly sidestep this issue by just having nothing to do with droids. It’s not that droids are bad in themselves, but rather that the ownership, and especially creation of droids sentient enough to have feelings and opinions is fundamentally unethical.

So, going back to AL-4RD. Alfred is a protocol droid who is OLD, centuries old. At some point he ran into Mandalorian space and just. Refused to leave. He is not officially a Mandalorian, for all the reasons stated above, but he is also very much a Mandalorian. At some point someone replaced all his plating with beskar, which isn’t technically armor, but which is also very literally beskar’gam. After a couple centuries hanging out in the Mandalore system, befriending and annoying various Mandos and involving himself in various wars, AL-4RD somehow ends up owned by Thomas and Martha Wayne of Gotham, a planet just on the edge between the Core and the Mid-Rim.

Thomas and Martha absolutely adore their weird-ass ancient Mandalorian protocol droid. Not that they know he’s Mandalorian, not that he’s all that weird even. Mostly he’s just extremely competent, but like this droid is ridiculously hyper competent, and it’s clear that he has depths.

Now, crucially, Thomas and Martha are wealthy young people. They do not in any way expect to die. So when they named AL-4RD as Bruce’s legal guardian in their will they didn’t expect it to actually mean anything except “You are our favorite person and we trust you absolutely. Also you basically function as a third parent to our son, and we want to acknowledge that.”

[smequa]

Why Using Buccal Training For Epilepsy Is Important?

Understanding Care Mandatory Training

Understanding care training requirements in the UK is essential for all domiciliary carers. Statutory and mandatory courses cover key subjects to ensure staff members and clients remain safe.

Health and safety training courses cover crucial protocols like risk evaluation, manual handling, fire safety, safeguarding training for care workers to detect abuse as well as local reporting procedures, medication administration training is also a necessity for domiciliary care providers.

Online buccal training for epilepsy wrap training

Buccal training for epilepsy  (epilepsy medication administration training) assists healthcare professionals and caregivers to provide effective and safe care to individuals experiencing seizures. The training offers valuable skills that can reduce anxiety and stress as well as enhance quality of life for people living with epilepsy.

Effective training also ensures that care workers and nurses know the correct method of administering buccal midazolam to those experiencing seizures, as incorrect administration can cause it not to be absorbed effectively leading to ineffective or delayed seizure treatment. Individuals with expectations to know about wrap training and other details can feel free to visit here.

As it can be challenging to teach how to administer buccal midazolam successfully without human volunteers, this handheld airway trainer makes training simple and straightforward. With its adjustable jaw, teeth, and tongue features, this device serves as an effective demonstration for how to administer drug therapy into cheek during seizure attacks or other emergency situations.

Paediatric first aid online

Paediatric first aid online training is essential for anyone working with children or infants, including nurses, nannies, au pairs, teachers and parents. This course can save lives when injuries such as choking or cardiac arrest occur and will benefit any profession working directly with children - such as teachers. This course may also benefit their own parents!

This online care mandatory training course covers first aid and CPR for infants and children, as well as using an adrenaline auto-injector in case of an allergic reaction. This course is perfect for teachers, childcare providers, camp counselors, school bus drivers and foster parents. Certification lasts for two years and fulfills OSHA regulations.

CPR AED for the child & infant

CPR and AED training is essential for all care workers, particularly when caring for infants who are more prone to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). According to the pediatric Chain of Survival guidelines, high-quality CPR should begin immediately rather than waiting until either there is a pulse found or breathing resumes.

Before commencing CPR, ensure the area is free of obstructions and dry. Remove any bulky clothing, place the infant on their back, tap their back several times while speaking loudly to see if they respond; if not, call 911/EMS immediately for assistance.

The Heart saver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED course equips participants to recognize and care for illnesses or injuries in children and infants until professional assistance arrives. Based on current resuscitation science and guidance from the American Heart Association, this course also features hands-on skills sessions as well as teaching how to use an AED.

Adult & paediatric first aid

Care workers must complete mandatory training. This may include courses to teach them how to care for elderly individuals as well as how to treat children and infants properly.

These courses cover topics such as first aid, basic life support and infection control for carers. Furthermore, these training programs aim to teach them about providing dignity-in-care while honoring the privacy of those they are caring for.

Paediatric first aid courses are often required for individuals working in industries related to children in the UK, such as nursery staff, child-minders and teachers. Paediatric first aid differs from standard first aid in that its focus lies on treating injuries and illnesses that affect infants and children - such as febrile convulsions, head injuries or choking incidents in young children.