#gestalt notes

[transingthoseformers]

Thinking about my one OC combiner gestalt again

I've decided that their combiner name should definitely 100% be Aggravator, especially since it fits the theme going on with the og decepticon combiners, but all of the individual components seem a little TOO individual and don't stick to a theme beyond animalistic root modes :(

they have 0% lore but it'd be really funny to make them all based on various crocodilians (OR EVEN SPINOSAURIDS >:D)

[mchib]

my favorite characters ever off the top of my head must be rize kamishiro, 2b, a2, kaine, naomi misora

is there a pattern?

[discountscholar]

what do you think about gestalt therapy?

hi there, thanks for the ask! i do not know enough about this modality to comment on it yet. but whenever i do, i shall add my bit to this conversation :)

[toby-du-coeur]

Guys discover summer @ the beach and fall in love with the sea air , Healed for 100000 points {but you also uncover a lot of trauma you weren't aware of}

Guy discovers open window and falls in love with the night air , Healed for 100000 points

[stellarisjuice]

running yet another poll concurrently because i realized it's non-exclusive with the previous poll

i'll pick the option with the most votes as a Fanatic ethic, and the option with the second most votes as a regular one, unless there's a tie in either ranking, in which case i'll just have three regular ethics

[am-i-tho]

hashtag noticing

[toby-du-coeur]

us, with thomas fronting, wearing shorts and tshirt

woman at the watch repair shop: young man, are you in college rn -

bio father & watch guy: erm no no, she -

woman: oh noo im so sorry, young l a d y

us: 😊🥰 no no pls

woman, embarrassed: it was the short hair im sorry

us: 😊🥰 no im so happy 😉😜 im genderfluid i aim to confuse 😉🥰🥰

woman: ????? :) :) now indeed confused

bio father who is an asshole: oh u know kids these days she's everything..

us: day made very pleased w ourself

[duckdotimg]

Said I would post them eventually, and here they are... my for-fun redesigns of the main Replikas with see in game, Elster and Ariane being the primary focus of course

If you are curious about my general thoughts and on why I did this fun little thing, and my personal criteria doing it, feel free to read below!

Let me just say that I love Signalis to bits. It has a beautiful, heart-wrenching story. But - and this is just my personal opinion, and without any animosity truly - the style of the cutscenes (not the 3D in-game style or the models) is not my cup of tea. It's just my taste. My personal style just cannot accomodate that kind of stylization anymore, and even if I tried I couldn't draw the replikas as they are in game for the life of me. That said it's still a beautiful game. So if I draw more fanart (which is likely), I will probably use these designs.

Analyzing the approach I took when doing these redesigns:

I wanted the Replikas to have a clear correlation between each other, while still being unique in small ways besides hair, body and armor. This resulted in trying to instill diversity in their faces by making their noses reminisce the beaks of the birds they are named after.

All of the replikas, as you may notice, have much more practical hair. No bangs in front of the face anymore. Personally I think Elster, Starling, and Ara units especially should not have bangs - because of the kind of tasks they are committed to by design. It could hinder their efficiency in carrying out their work - so, no bangs for anyone.

I have given them all top surgery (joke). No faux-boobs except the Eule. The reasoning is the same as above: they are simply not practical! The only exception are the Eule, because...

...I am bad at wording things but to me it's because Eule in concept are supposed to evoke also, besides other things, a 'feminine' gender normativity with them being the main workforce of the Nation but also cooks, teachers, etc (jobs that in our real world, for many years, were relegated to 'only women'). This also reflects to how I have given Eule shinier lips, a fuck-ass bob (middle part to evoke the shape owls have) and (optional) eye make-up.

On a cosmetic note, Stars have white hair tips as a way to more directly pay homage to their avian namesake. And it looks cooler (imo).

Storches and Kolibri have eye make-up/"war paint" and they're meant both to evoke a further feeling of authoritarianism and to intimidate other replikas or gestalts into complying with their orders. For Storches I was inspired particularly by the face make-up used in a certain scene in Suspiria (the 2018 Guadagnino reimagining), and not just for cosmetic reasons! Kolibri's are more generally inspired by the hummingbird's actual appearance.

Ara's grease marks are reminiscent of the pattern usually found on macaws' faces! Not all of the Ara's dirt looks this precise, but well, I thought it would be a fun touch.

Noted before in my previous fanart posts but Ariane is decidedly more sickly-looking but with an extra step. While Elster loves Ariane very much no matter how she looks, I think before the ending of the game she still has an 'idealized' version of her in her mind, albeit still a sick-looking one: long haired Ariane. In my idea the further you get to the end of the game, the more Ariane in the flashback flashes looks how she actually is - hairless, with missing teeth, and extremely irradiated.

Are these like, headcanons I think everyone should adopt when drawing replika and/or ariane...Honestly no idgaf... Just do what you want... I just liked coming up with these and wanted to explain my thoughts. Again I love Signalis and regardless what I think or not of the official style of it, love is love. What else is there to say about it. You should draw these fucked up lesbians however the hell you want which includes meeee and I'm exercising the right to do so

Maybe I'll also draw Adler, Falke and Mynah in the future but they're not here because by principle there is not much I would change about their designs. I have a vision for Falke which is not as drastic as these I drew for now. For sure I'll eventually draw my own ideas for the other gestalts in the story, but I'm gonna take a break and go back to OC stuff now 👍

If you read till here you are nuts and I love you. Let's all get ice cream together

[zeropro]

How long have they been away from Cybertron, and is the planet alright or a hustle world?

I think at some point I'm gonna make a post with all my AU content in chronological order, but for now you can just have my notes on the timeline.

(check tags for the tldr on the ask)

Here’s the current timeline so far…

Long ass time ago BCE

The first Cybertronian Golden Age

Luna 1 disappears

Paradise era, Knights of Cybertron leave

Cybertronian Dark Age (The Age of Barbarism)

Rise of the thirteen

Cyberutopia is created somewhere

Onyx Prime (who is NOT Shockwave in this AU) attempts a colonialism

The Dead Universe and Unicron are created

Caminus, Velocitron, and other planets are colonized by Titans

Megatrous kills Solus Prime with the Star Saber

First civil war

During experimentation into gestalt technology, five beastformers are made into the first successful Combiner team: the Predacons

After the war, Nova Prime ushers in the Second Golden Age and resets the calendar

5.7 million BCE

“Functionist sentiment becomes an institution of society overseen by the Functionist Council, with robots expected to stick to a single job determined by their alt modes.” -tfwiki

Nova Prime enacts “The Expansion,” for which the first wave of cold constructed Cybertronians are brought online

Megatron (1st cycle 012) and Orion Pax are born under Functionalism. Megatron is one of the first cold constructed mechs.

The Constructicons are created

Nova Prime disappears into the dead universe and Nominus Prime takes leadership under a new corrupt senate. Expansion is put on hold

Megatron works as a miner in Tarn (demolition=menial labor class) Megs wanted to be a medic but quickly gives up on that dream

Orion Pax works as a dock worker in Iacon (truck=transport class) OP wanted to be an archivist and is able to work his way up to it due to having access to greater social mobility

Cybertron experiences no shortage of violence: civil wars, riots, off-world campaigns, and alien invasions continue to happen sporadically throughout its history. Wanting to bolster Cybertron’s airforce, a new style of war-frame is designed and mass produced. These cold constructed jets received the classification: Seekers (after their intended function: seek and destroy)

Skywarp is born (6th cycle 023) as a first generation Seeker and was immediately sent to the military. He is then at some point reassigned to spec ops due to his powerful outlier ability.

Seekers offline too easily so the next few waves of Seekers are sent to the Cybertronian War Academy for training before joining the military

Skywarp is sent to Praxus and subjected to intensive study. Space bridge and quantum based hyper-drive technology will later see great advancements thanks to his contributions to science

Thundercracker is brought online as one of the last batch of Seekers (24th cycle 124). By then the Cybertronian War Academy roster was too full so he was given the (limited) option to pick his vocation. He chose to work as a courier in Vos.

“Those who were constructed cold face institutionalized apartheid; although this eventually ends due to mounting public pressure, including mass protests and marches. However, intrinsic prejudice against constructed cold Transformers persists in among a sizable percentage of the population.” -tfwiki

Megatron and pax become friends while advocating against cold construct apartheid and functionalism. Pax considered Megatron like a brother to him but Megatron always felt distanced by their class divide

Scientists have been pulling sparks out of the Matrix faster than frames can be constructed for them. Sparks without ready frames will be “frozen” for future use

The Matrix "runs dry" (is replaced by a fake) and cold construction as a common method of creation stops entirely

The Senate’s evil science division, the Institute, establishes Shadowplay and Empurata as common practices

The energy crisis forces a planet-wide rationing of resources

Cryak commissions a Seeker frame to be constructed and has a thawed spark placed in it. Starscream is born (22nd cycle 415).

5 million BCE

Starscream escapes

Thundercracker finds Starscream

4.5 million BCE

Due to the energy crisis, tension is high between city-states. The Senate establish the sport of Gladiatorial games to try and mitigate the animosity. These games are held in Kaon and become very popular

Starscream defies Functionalism by pursuing many different jobs. Whenever he would get in trouble or fall on hard times he’d turn to Thundercracker for help

Orion Pax encourages Megatron to publish his political writings

Orion Pax joins the police force

The first appearance of the pacifist grassroots movement calling themselves Decepticons. Their ideology is based on Megatron’s first published treatise

Megatron is caught in a bar fight and is wrongfully arrested. Whirl beats him up in jail, changing Megatron’s perspective on violence

Megatron loses his job due to automation and signs up to be a gladiator

Starscream goes to college (not really, I just like to call the period of time where he went to work as a Scientist in Iacon "college" cuz it's funny XD) and meets Skyfire. The two become close

Senator Protius promises to make the Decepticons a real political party by way of census. In truth he just wanted a list of names so they can shadowplay all the Decepticons. Skyfire almost signs on but Starscream convinces him not to

Megatron continues to publish his writings while gaining fame as a gladiator. The Decepticon movement takes a shift from pacifism towards terrorism

Skywarp likes watching the gladiator fights whenever they are assigned to patrol the events  

The gladiator Ravage finds a discarded Soundwave struggling to deal with his telepathic powers and takes him under his wing

Skywarp plays a prank on the government

Starscream and Skyfire go off-world on an expedition, intending to travel to the Sol system and back (they're gone for about 40 turns on the Cybertronian calendar, or approximately 50,000 Earth years)

The Senate discover Nominus’ matrix is a fake and have him secretly killed

The Senate enacts the Clampdown

Thundercracker loses his job and is forced to join the military

4.3 million BCE

Senator Shockwave gets shadowplayed

Sentinel Prime takes leadership

The Decepticons begin secretly forming an army under Megatron

Orion Pax and Megatron break up

Starscream returns to Cybertron without Skyfire and is subsequently tried for Skyfire’s murder, for which he was found innocent. He is still expelled from the Academy

Starscream goes back to Vos, and crashes on Thundercracker's couch for a while

Thundercracker takes Starscream to watch a gladiator fight, which is where Starscream takes note of Megatron

Despite his reservations, Starscream joins the military in order to learn how to fight as well as gain rapport with the military Seekers

While stealing a military airship, Megatron finds Skywarp locked up in the ship's engine room and rescues him. Skywarp joins the Decepticons

Tension between Vos and Tarn is at an all time high, leading to outright civil war between the two city-states

4 million BCE

The Bombing of Vos ends the civil war

Megatron shows up to recruit Decepticons in the aftermath of the Vos-Tarn civil war. Starscream stands up and gives a speech that convinces the majority of Vos' Seeker population to join the Decepticons

Starscream joins the Decepticons

Starscream uses Skywarp to get close to Megatron

The Decepticons threaten war by launching an attack on Iacon. Starscream leads the group that levels the Academy to the ground. He doesn't feel better.

Thundercracker is deployed to help quell the Decepticon activity in Iacon. Thundercracker confronts Starscream and Starscream begs him for help. Thundercracker joins the Decepticons

Megatron is captured and almost gets shadowplayed, but escapes thanks to Starscream, Skywarp, and Soundwave

Megatron no longer thinks the current system can be changed, even with violence. Now his aim is to burn it all down and rebuild from scratch.

Starscream and Soundwave massacre the entire Senate 

Shockwave joins the Decepticons

Megatron officially declares war

Megatron defeats Sentinel Prime and Zeta Prime takes leadership

The Fall of the First Five Cities

Zeta Prime attempts a war crime, Orion Pax and Megatron team up to stop him, and then Megatron betrays Orion and leaves him to die

Orion Pax becomes Optimus Prime

The Battle of Sherma Bridge, where Optimus Prime and Megatron first clash (allegedly)

Praxus falls

Starscream becomes Air Commander. He appoints Thundercracker and Skywarp as his Wing Second and Third. The Trine is complete

Decepticons pull ahead and as a last ditch effort the Autobots thaw previously frozen sparks to construct a new army of MTOs

War happens

The Trine grow close

Megatron gets worse

3 million BCE

War continues to happen

Megatron at this point has tunnel visioned into wanting only one thing: defeating Optimus Prime

Megatron and Prime get into giant hamster balls and play WOW for several vorn. Starscream is mad about it

Starscream starts trying to take over the Decepticons and Megatron physically punishes him for it.

While on a mission, Thundercracker meets Bumblebee briefly

Skywarp accidentally sacrifices himself to protect Starscream, almost dying. Starscream is devastated to find he actually cares about this idiot

1 million BCE

The Autobots (aboard the Ark) and the Decepticons (aboard the Nemesis) leave Cybertron in search of resources

They crash on prehistoric Earth and remain in stasis for one million years

The war continues on Cybertron, lead by Shockwave and Elita1

0.9 million BCE

The Decepticons overthrow Shockwave and he flees to Luna 2

Hot Rod gathers a rag tag crew and leaves Cybertron on the Lost Light in search of Optimus Prime

The Lost Light discovers the Dead Universe and Nova Prime

Cyclonus joins the Lost Light crew

0.7 million BCE

Shockwave clones Sunstorm

The Great Shutdown: Cybertron completely runs out of energy and everyone falls into stasis

The Lost Light return to Cybertron. Upon finding everyone in stasis, they venture back into space to find a solution

1984

Reawakened on Earth, the Autobots continue to wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons

The Decepticons rebuild the Nemisis into the Victory and try to head back to Cybertron, but they crash into the ocean after Autobot interference

Megatron orders Shockwave to build him a space bridge while he collects energy on Earth to revive Cybertron

Megatron begins abusing Starscream

Typical G1 Cartoon shenanigans occur

Wheeljack builds the Dinobots

The Decepticons find Skyfire in the ice. Starscream tries to get Skyfire to join the Decepticons, but Skyfire refuses when Starscream proves willing to harm humans

Starscream starts to have nightmares. He stops sleeping well

1991

Shockwave completes his space bridge and visits Earth, only to find Megatron has completely lost the plot. After serving on Earth for a few years he goes back to Luna 2 with the intent on finishing his doomsday device, only to find Sunstorm has escaped. He begins migrating his lab to the Decepticon's ocean base on Earth in order to finish his work there.

Megatron obtains frozen sparks from Cybertron and builds the Stunticons. The Autobots rescue half the sparks he had brought over and create the Aerialbots

Starscream's plots to overthrow Megatron are becoming more and more unhinged. At some point he goes to Cybertron and steals some incarcerated memory components and builds the Combaticons, effectively freeing these criminals (including Swindle) from jail

Hot Rod and the Lost Light crew arrive on Earth

2008

Megatron goes too far

Thundercracker defects

2009

After the Decepticons destroyed several human cities, the Autobots finally defeat Megatron with the help of their human allies at the Battle of New York

Seeing that Megatron has fallen, Starscream declares himself the new leader, but Soundwave rescues Megatron's mostly dead body and convinces Shockwave to try and fix him

Optimus Prime dies of his injuries and Bumblebee becomes leader

Hot Rod, now going by Rodimus, leaves Earth on the Lost Light

2010

The humans are justifiably angry with the Cybertronians for destroying their world. Unable to leave the planet, the remaining Decepticons either get captured or go into hiding. 

Thundercracker watches a lot of TV and is now friends with Bumblebee

The Autobots are helping capture Decepticons on Earth

Starscream struggles to lead the Decepticons

2011

Sunstorm arrives on Earth

Starscream frees the Decepticons from human containment, but they still wont follow him

2012

The humans have rebuilt the cities that were destroyed by the Decepticons three years ago

Everyone basically living as tho the war is over

Megatron is brought back by Shockwave and immediately goes to punish Starscream for doing a poor job leading the Decepticons, even tho Starscream did his best.

Skywarp's loyalty to Megatron finally breaks apart, and he gets them out of there before Megatron turns violent, effectively defecting from the Decepticons

Starscream tries to apologize to Thundercracker in order to get his help with fighting Megatron, but Thundercracker turns him down. Starscream shoots Thundercracker in the back, much to Skywarp’s dismay

Starscream and Skywarp hide out on Earth for a bit

Megatron is trying to gather his scattered forces, specifically the combiners

Starscream and Skywarp have an argument and part ways for a bit

Starscream comes across some Decepticon activity and attacks them

Megatron shows up and begins beating Starscream to a pulp

Skywarp jumps in to save Starscream but is shot mid-warp and his warp drive destabilizes

With no other option, Starscream turns to the Autobots for help, with Skywarp in tow

Thundercracker gets a dog

And that's where we are now! Thanks so much for reading!

The current plan going forward is as follows:

1 year later (2013): Combiner Wars, which leads directly into Dark Cybertron [feat. Sunstorm] followed by the Presidential Arc, which lasts about 3-5 years ending in the Apology Comic

[sir-kettle-of-countertop]

Safety above all else!

FINALLY, definitive edition of Geier's reference sheet I've made for artfight! Styled like an in-universe manual, too! Here's it plus all the written info on the unit - as well as the Corrupted version and the Gestalt neural pattern donor!

Replika Overview and Known Issues

GEIR maintenance guidebook with design details

Corrupted Geier

Neural pattern donor - Emil Ning, with his little sisters and mother

Below the cut: lots of written notes, beware!

General notes:

- Friendly, polite, responsible, selfless and careful, but generally neurotic, anxious and meek. Very secretive and fraternal - whatever happens within a Geier cadre stays within the cadre. Highly protective of people they love, whether platonically or romantically, often failing to see their flaws. While they tolerate a lot of mistreatment towards themselves, they DO NOT tolerate it towards those they care about, and tend to violently lash out.

- Adore all fiction in general, but films the most. They can get uncharacteristically snobby about them. Geiers sometimes come up with stories to tell each other for comfort. Geiers also tend to blow up any rumor they hear way out of proportion, as they change the details to "be more interesting".  

  

- His hair is almost always messy because of the HAZMAT hood. 

- Treat their suits more like clothes than anything, are normally embarrassed to be seen without them outside of their dorms. Depending on their field of work the normal Geier attire consists of either the full suit with the SCBA or the suit without the gasmask and oxygen tank. The belts may be used to attach heavy weights to their backs.

  

- Besides themselves, Geiers get along best with Eules, however they're prevented from interacting with them frequently as they get along along too well, and get too attached. Best "mandated" connections are with Mynahs and (well-trained) Storches.

- Rank-equivalent to a Mynah normally, may act as subordinates to a Mynah if one is attached to lead their cadre on a mission.

Corrupted Geier notes: 

Visual: abscent lower jaw; heavily damaged throat; the left arm is dislocated out of its socket by a huge lump of cancerous flesh and drags on the floor behind Geier when idle - he can still move it, though; corroded and rusted chestplate from constant stream of oxidant and stomach acid; the collar forms jagged "teeth" from corrosion; slits on their face from tear streams; eyes still appear "normal", with a sad and pained look to them.

Behavioral:

- Still have sparks of consciousness and sentience left, to their agony. Instead of being immediately aggressive, they stalk their targets before striking.

- Geiers are very strong normally, but keep their strength under constant restrain. Corrupted Geiers do not.

- Quiet due to heavily damaged larynx, but constantly sob.

- Attempt to still do their jobs past corruption - drag dead bodies, hang around monitoring machinery, patrol hospital wards etc.

On Emil Ning:

While I don't want to reveal too much about him ahead of time (I have plans), in general: he was a smart and hardworking, promising young man successfully accepted to a fairly prestigious university and studying to become an engineer on Rotfront.

However, due to his father's sudden passing and mother's disability, he had to return from Rotfront to Vineta, to help raise his youngest sister, Elisabeth, and provide for his family by working in a factory. From where he insisted he got all his bruises and broken bones from - just "accidents", and all. And didn't have to do with him being an outcast, a "killjoy" who stuck to all the safety rules and raised the production standards expected for his coworkers by overworking himself and a "weirdo" with passion for cinematography.

He had to abandon his dreams over his adult sister, Edith, by societal norms (I think it's fun to think about that in Signalis's universe the gender roles are mostly reversed - so Emil, as a man, is expected to take care of his family first, rather than pursue a career). He had very mixed feelings about it, but he didn't complain.

He loved his family deeply after all. He would not have ever abandoned it under any normal circumstances.

...

and that's the Geier masterpost! I may add to it later especially with more guidebook pages. Insane respect and appreciation if you have managed to sit through this entire wall of a post, dear reader! Any questions appreciated!

[rabotimagines]

This is a bit old but I was reading this post of yours https://www.tumblr.com/rabotimagines/777430496310329344/battlefield-flirting-gn-bot-reader-x-megatron

And it for me thinking of the constructicons cause the way your wrote Scrapper was adorable. And it had me thinking of a rare time the bots and cons have to work together over something, and you have the constructicons being little fangirls.

And holding back Scrapper from going over as he gushes you glanced at them(completely missing Long Hual who’s already walking over)

Just big dorks, I love big dumb himbo mechs my sweets

Please never be shy to mention my older works I like talking about stuff I've shared old or not (*´∀｀)ﾉ, also I'm assuming you meant Scavenger based on context.

"Paparazzi" GN BOT Reader x The Constructicons

Summary: Constructicons fanning from afar. (Long Haul up close)

G1 characters: The Constructicons, a lil' bit of Ironhide.

Genre/Theme: Yearning/jealous gestalt.

Warnings: Constructicons being possessive while not in a relationship with Reader.

Pronouns: You, Your, Yours

Notes: Flirty Autobot Reader! The cons all want a piece, actually, but Constructicon focus, reader threatening Long Haul a little. (He likes it so its fine)

"Scavenger, stop fragging trying it, you useless fragger!" Bonecrucher yanked Scavenger back by his grappler. Scavenger yelped and nearly took a knee from the force of it. Scrapper grabbed his arm and forced him to stay up right before he could make a big show falling down in the dirt.

Scavenger helplessly wriggled against the hold he was in. "Why not!? We're on the same side right now!"

"Because you're going to embarrass us, you pathetic loser!" Mixmaster snapped. Hook scoffed and tried very hard to pretend he was not a part of his own gestalt via looking away from the entire scene while off to the side.

The Decepticons were on a temporary ceasefire right now with the Autobots. And well... more than a few Deceptions figured they'd obviously try and take advantage of the situation to interact with you a bit.

But the Autobots were smarter than that. Because they had made sure not to let you be without at least one of them by your side at all times. Optimus had kept you particularly close for the first joor of the cease fire. Megatron making a point to converse with both of you. Optimus smart enough not to let Megatron even a klick of privacy with you. But you just seemed somehow entertained by the development. Chiming in occasionally with your usual smile like you weren't stuck in between both faction leaders heated glares.

Thundercracker had surprisingly managed a few private words in with you. You were stuck with the twins as guards at the time, and they were both distracted by Skywarp and Strascream. All until that red mini bot noticed and came stomping in and physically got between the two of you. He immediately and loudly started chastising Thundercracker for being a pervert. That got people's helms turning back towards you and Thundercracker to retreat. While you physically held the red mini bot back from breaking the held peace.

Ironhide was with you now sitting right next to you on a large rock. And they were faced by a truth they hadn't had the privy to know before now. You and Ironhide were close to one another. Very close. Sure, you were friendly with everyone enemy or not, but-

Scapper watched you grab Ironhides arm and then use it to both pull the mech closer and lean your full frame weight against him. Ironhide jolted and stared at you with a frown. Your smile curled a bit more in clear amusement, and you said something to him. Whatever it was made, Ironhide's optics brighten, and his plating fluff. Scrapper could feel a bit of jealously curl in his own fuel tank. So Scrapper already wasn't looking forward to their next mind meld if even he was feeling this way about it.

Scrapper then watched Ironhide shove you off his arm aggressively- which had Bonecrucher and Scavengers plating visibly bristling at the sight. You were theirs to break and make after all- but you only laughed and pushed Ironhide back. The sound much lighter than how you'd usually laugh on the battlefield around any of them.

"Slag it all-!" Scrappers' attention was brought back to his gestalt when Scavenger cursed and promptly broke out of the hold he was in- and rushed forward. Oh Primus, if this idiot breaks the ceasefire on accident!

You noticed Scavenger running over and wordlessly stared. Which only made Ironhide turn and watch just as Mixmaster closed in on Scavenger and tackled him. They hit the ground, and Mixmaster sat down on top of Scavenger, effectively pinning him in place. Scavenger scrambled at the ground while Mixmaster rightfully degraded him.

And you saw that entire thing- Oh, joy and Ironhide was making his way over here now. This could only go well...

-

Ironhide marched off towards Long Haul's disruptive gestalt. Now Long Haul couldn't help letting himself get a touch closer and ended up stopping in his tracks to stare. You looked- different so close up. Well, it's not different, but it was definitely different being able to actually see you like this. Your faceplate, the shape of your olfactory, and your optics. He could even make out a few scrapes and scratches in your metal.

You must've felt him staring because you turned immediately towards him, and your optics found his visor. Oh, slag- well- it's been a fraggin while since he's done this, but he knows he's supposed to go over or make himself scarce when he's been caught staring. Long Haul glanced at Ironhide, still focused on the rest of his gestalt before he let himself get even closer to you.

"Hm- oh uh-" your optic bridge creased in thought. "...Long Haul-? Right?" You wondered aloud. Slag- you knew his designation- unaware of the effect you had on him, you just continued on. "Sorry I call y'all different things in my helm." You laughed like it was no big deal. "I like 'Doll' a bit better for you to tell the truth." You're smile curled, and Long Haul could feel his visor brightening under the playfulness in your tone.

"Uh, right. That's me! ...Ha ha-" Oh Primus, fragging come on-! it hadn't been that long since he'd done this... had it? Primus, how long had he been a Decepticon, and how long ago was his last bar pick up? Long Haul stared before finally sitting down next to you on the rock. Not nearly as close as Ironhide had been not feeling particularly lucky about you saying something if he got as close as you two had been.

Fortunately, you just seemed to find his floundering amusing because you just slightly raised your optic ridge. You then huffed a breathy vent that could have been taken as a laugh- (He was taking it as a laugh and a win in his processor.). "Right, now... what's got you over on my side of the red tape, Doll?"

"What? I can't-" Long Haul gestured vaguely, and why the slag did he do that? "Socialize during the ceasefire?"

"Oh, is that what you're doing now? How brave of you." You praised him, and Long Haul knew you were trying to make a joke from the soft amusement oozing into your voice. But he had to tamper down the urge for his engine to purr. Why the frag was he acting like this right now!? He wasn't Scavenger! Have they not had an actual interaction with you in so long that his frame was glitching over benign slag now!?

Long Haul was so worried over his frames reaction- and his plating fluffing and what you'd think that he almost misses it. But he was close. The closest he'd ever actually been to you before. And Long Haul needed to have a critical optic for noticing small slag for all the projects they'd build- so he sees it. Long Haul notices your optics crinkle and your smile becoming just slightly more pronounced over his response. Long Haul is struck with a sudden realization that made his plating clamp back down and his processor to stop to focus immediately.

You knew.

You knew what you were doing to him-!? You knew!? You knew what you'd been doing to them, and- you enjoyed it! It wasn't just some thoughtless habit!

Something heated, he usually only feels when it's all of them as Devastator forms in his tank, and he acts without thinking.

Long Haul couldn't stop himself from grabbing your arm when you almost turned away. "You know-!"

Before anything else happened, you grabbed his own arm with your free one and yanked him closer. Your chassis pressing against his own Immediately derailing his train of thought and making him release your arm. You waggled a digit in his face and clicked your glossia. The pad of the digit coming down and pressing were a mouth would've been on his mask if he had the equipment. "Careful now, Doll, you might just get burned if you get too close. We don't want that now..."

Long Haul arched his spinal strut instinctively when your other servo suddenly dug into the notches of his back. Only making him press closer to your own frame, causing a slight sound when metal pushed on metal. You tilted your helm slightly, your face now only a digit away from his own- "Do we?" Your tone was dark. Your optics sharp. Your em field that was brushing along him warmly had gone completely flat. And Long Haul suddenly remembered the other Autobots weren't the only reason the Decepticons hadn't been able to capture you right yet.

... And maybe Long Haul did want whatever you were promising him if he didn't comply.

But the look in your optics told him that was not what you wanted to hear from him right now.

"N-no." Long Haul settled on getting out.

The almost devious expression on your faceplate turned back to looser and more playful- like usual. "Good." You pulled away from him and stood up. "Till next time then, Doll!" You practically sung. With that, you turned and waltzed your way over to where his gestalt was definitely getting threatened by Ironhide- and Long Haul was suddenly very aware he really liked watching you go... he has to suppress his engine from revving, and he could still feel his back plating shifting where you'd grabbed him roughly.

You threw your arm over Ironhide's paldron and tugged him closer to you, making him and the rest of his gestalt snap their attention right to you instead. His gestalt was absolutely going to hate him when they mind melded again. But hey, it wasn't Long Haul's fault you were so addicting! Primus- they needed a better strategy to get a hold of you and make you theirs yesterday! Especially when you did everything on purpose!

They may be mad after the mind meld, but afterward, they'd at least be as serious about you as Long Haul was right now... For better or worse.

[canonical-transformation]

@ragingcitrustree an (imprecise, underdetermined) eldritch-gods-as-optimisation-process reading of Vision-element assignment

Gnoses and Gestalts: Archons as Vibe Checks

(CW: unsubstantiated theory)

Suppose, for the sake of argument, that you are Celestia, the Second Throne of the Heavens. You have usurped the throne from the Primordial One, laid waste to the civilisation of the Seelies, and now hold dominion over the mortal realm of Teyvat.

Say, too, that you are in the process of carving the world into seven nations, implementing a system of Gnoses wielded by seven Archons, in order to (error: speculation out of scope for this post).

And suppose—to run with the voxel-pixel motifs associated with you, Celestia—that your mind(s) are inhuman, that your neurology and biology are alien to this world, that you look at mortals and terrestrial "gods" alike and see only the mysterious cognition of jellyfish and ant colonies (metaphorically).

Allogenes are, in part, a mechanism for getting 'better' Archons. You intend to allocate Visions to those with the potential to achieve Godhood (presumably Archonhood).

You don't have a grasp on mortal (or demigod or god or etc.) psychology, not nearly enough to run a job interview for a farmhand, let alone an Archon.

How do you do it?

(N.B. For simplicity, I'll be treating Celestia as a singular entity with consistent goals: maybe a hive mind, maybe a collection of seraphim all aligned on the same purpose, whatever. Also let's drop the second-person hypothetical now that we're below the cut.)

Well, the groundwork had been laid: the Archon War was a pretty good start. A vicious free-for-all between all terrestrial powers, resulting in seven clear winners? The War was a well-optimised mechanism for selecting something. (Whatever Celestia's goal was in having seven Archons+Gnoses, we can assume that the War's selection process comports with that goal.)

Now, recall, we're assuming that the hearts and minds of Teyvat are like black boxes. It's easy to comprehend the actions of nations in aggregate, but to inspect, say, Mao Xiangling and conclude that she has the potential to achieve Godhood, that she's worth allocating one of their bounded(?) supply of Visions towards? How do you do that without understanding human desire (or yokai desire or wind-spirit desire, etc.)?

Can a brainwave scan tell you that? Can analysis of the neurochemical mix in a little vertebrate alien's brain tell you, at any given moment, that this person is a candidate for Godhood?

Well, the convenient thing is, you're not analysing vertebrate alien brains from scratch.

You have access to seven entire brains of Archon War winners.

You can't be sure what goes on in the Archons' minds either, but they're structurally far more similar to the mortals' minds than to your own.

So what if you just... compared them?

Imagine "what makes somebody a suitable Archon?" as a question, and these seven Archons are all different but seemingly good answers. Celestia can look at the Archons' minds. How do these minds work? How do the Archons think?

(a pilgrimage[...]; a battle ¶ is the noblest and most eminent in ¶ someday, they will blow towards a brighter future ¶ a very, very long dream[...] the dancing circle ¶ you shoulder the grievances of the world ¶ this is the trust[...] betray it, and you have tainted ¶ my ideals have no stains)

...and once Celestia understood the shape that Archons contort their minds into at the height of their power, it's not too hard an exercise to look out for mortals doing the same.

Moments of self-certain unchangeability. Moments of resistance and defiance. Moments of unwavering idealism. And so on.

And really, how else could Celestia find Vision wielders, if not by searching for people who, for just a moment in time, resemble an Archon?

(❤️❤️ with thanks to @eujean for their recent Visions theory posts, which inspired me to write this up. There's more to say but I think this gives the general idea of this maybe-not-crack headcanon)

Side note: I titled this post "Archons as Vibe Checks" following Peli Grietzer's fascinating account (link) of computational models coincidentally encoding vibes, or aesthetics, or the impression that a gestalt leaves (where a gestalt, approximately, is a collection of things which collectively have more 'meaning' than the sum of its parts).

Side side note: a quick self-plug for Seven Prayers to Seven Archons, which builds upon this theory with 45 standalone Vision stories.

[gunlicker13]

on signalis characters' voices (signalis spoilers!)

after playing signalis more than once and putting aside the overwhelming amount of feelings this game and its story can and will make one feel, it is easier to notice the more subtle details; e.g. enemies behavior, meaning behind documents and objects, and in this case, the characters' voices.

paying attention to the various living npcs you can talk to, one detail that stands out is that every character has a different tone of voice (similar to undertale).

i like to believe those sounds which accompany the text could represent what each character could sound like; one would expect, since replikas are basically copies, for them to have all the same voice.

well, that's not exactly the case.

here is a video with text and dialogues from all the npcs, without music to hear the "dialogue" clearly. (not all the dialogue is included, only one dialogue per character is present; except for elster as she does not like to speak much).

ACHTUNG: MAJOR SIGNALIS SPOILERS!

the dialogues are in chronological order:

-wounded star unit (STAR-S23?? is her name in the game files) in the aula before classroom 4C in floor B1, S-23 Sierpinski (elster included even if she has two lines);

-Isa Itou in the library, floor B1, S-23 Sierpinski;

-Storch Sieben (STCR-S2307) in the rationing office, floor B2, S-23 Sierpinski;

-EULR-S2312 (probably named Dezember given her number designation; eules in game like to use months as names, using the last two numbers of their designation as a reference) in the nurse station, floor B3, S-23 Sierpinski;

-Adler (ADLR-S2301), presumably in the elevator lobby in floor B4, S-23 Sierpinski;

-Arar (ARAR-S2318) in the vent below the Storch dorm in floor B8, S-23 Sierpinski;

-KLBR-S2302 in the library, floor B8, S-23 Sierpinski;

-Beo (MNHR-S2301) in the third room in the mines where monofilament stockpiles can be found, in the rightmost corridor.

-Ariane Yeong (and LSTR-512, still has an unbelievable amount of max two sentences at once) in the personnel room. floor B2, Penrose-512 (memory);

-Falke (FKLR-S2301) in her own room, found in Home.

you may ask, what purpose does comparing the "voices" serve? probably none, still i wished to know if they were the same sounds for every character or not.

here's what i could find out:

the majority of replikas have a different voice, with some exceptions:

-STCR and LSTR units have the same voice;

-as do STAR and FKLR units;

-a bit more expected, the gestalts npcs we see in the game (Isa Itou and Ariane Yeong) have the same voice.

now, for the fun stuff: by analyzing the frequencies which stood out the most in each "beep" from every character's voice, i could rank them from high pitched to low pitched ones.

again, has no purpose, but the result is actually delightful (to me).

here is the ranking:

1. kolibri

2. mynah

3. eule

4. isa-ariane

5. storch-elster

6. star-falke

7. adler

8. arar

pretty surprising, huh? i'd have wagered for isa/ariane to be in second place, followed by eules; also was expecting for arars to be just after the eules, and have behind them stars, then storches, then adler.

no one is surprised kolibri have the highest voices lmao, but mynah having an almost equally high voice was slightly unexpected but not unwelcome.

what's truly surprising to me is falke having the same voice as stars. i'd have expected something different tbh (stars being the lowest rank of protektors, etc etc, they're silly and stupid and crass; all things falke is not supposed to be).

elster having a deeper voice compared to ariane is the cutest thing ever! (as that post about them says)

that's probably the instance where you can notice the most that there is in fact a difference in most voices.

the funniest thing ever to me is that storches apparently have a higher pitched voice compared to stars, also arars having the deepest voice out of all replika is truly awesome to me (definitely fits).

here are to what musical notes the frequencies corresponded to, in the same ranking as before (visual rendering on a piano keyboard for fun i guess):

kolibri (G6 B6 E7 A7)

mynah (F#6 A#6 D#7 G#7)

eule (F6 A6 D7 G#7)

isa-ariane (F6 G#6 C#7 G7)

storch-elster (E6 G#6 C7 F#7)

star-falke (D#6 G6 B6 F7)

adler (D6 F#6/G6 B6 E7)

(adler has five notes as two close frequencies were distinct from each other, compared to only one in the "feminine sounding" voices. i guess that's how they made him sound different, by overlaying two notes)

arar (C#6 F6 A#6 D#7)

that's it! thanks for coming to my ted talk about signalis voices and listening to me ramble about them :)

[winterbunz]

The Eules are finally here! They are far from the only ones around, but you'll be seeing these gals plenty. They certainly make Kestrel's job (and existence) a lot more bearable and complement each other quite well on that front.

As per usual, some character yap and extra notes below 👇

EULR-SC417 "Limette"

The current head nurse at SC-4. She's the one handling most of the hospital paperwork, taking inventory of medical supplies, making sure everyone is staying on schedule... which includes reminding them about taking breaks! She often takes initiative, has the necessary insight into how everything functions, never leaves a job unfinished, and is very well-organized with her work.

Her range of responsibilities being wider than the average nurse's keeps her pretty busy, but it's what takes a lot of the pressure off of Kestrel. Limette genuinely enjoys the tasks some people dread and she's damn good at it, too... the compliments she gets for it are a nice bonus. She's even garnered the respect of the more skeptical Gestalt medics.

The more energetic one of the two, you will never see her sitting still for too long, even when she doesn't have anything particular to be doing. Often found practicing her dance moves in the hallway or checking in with the other Eules during her downtime.

Sometimes wears her hair in a small ponytail during work. Likes to style and play with other people's hair as well, it's a frequent evening activity at their dorm.

EULR-SC418 "Kirsche"

A regular nurse and Kestrel's assistant. She is always present during operations and other procedures that require an extra set of hands. She is also the one usually tending to Kestrel's patients, most of whom are Replikas, and overseeing their recovery. Definitely a follower rather than a leader, but she puts great effort into her work to ensure everyone is well taken care of.

Aside from filling in the role of a surgical assistant, Kirsche takes to tending to Kestrel directly in most cases. She's always there to calm and comfort her, providing a lot of reassurance, kind words, a shoulder to cry on... and perhaps more. While Kestrel has a strong bond with both of the Eules and the entire cadre is very fond of her, Kirsche being there for her makes their relationship all that much closer.

The more mellow one of the two and a total sweetheart, takes full advantage of her breaks to sit down and relax. Believes that personal comfort is important and encourages her peers to tend to their own needs and not just to their patients. Likes to hum or sing quietly while going about her tasks, sometimes the others join in and get a song stuck in their heads for the rest of the day.

Her hair is always a little messy, with one unruly strand sticking up on the top no matter what she does. The other Eules think it's cute.

Some additional Eule stuff

These two gals are part of a group all nicknamed after fruits! Not all of them are nurses, but they're all good friends. More of them shall appear in the future...

They wear bracelets made out of sea glass. It was a whole thing that they started at some point because of some Ara's off-handed comment about all the junk in the shallows and now every new Eule gets to make their own. For the fruit nickname group, they correspond to the colors of their namesakes.

They definitely need a little more time and ideas to be fully fleshed out. I'm so excited to keep developing them, especially now that I've got a few more ideas for the overarching plot. They are here for all the teasing and smooching Kestrel purposes though >:3

[literaryvein-reblogs]

How to write genius level characters? :(

One of the most reliable measures of intelligence today is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale—currently in its 5th edition, with an upcoming edition in the works.

Using the tool/scale, scores are converted into nominal categories designated by certain cutoff boundaries for quick reference:

Measured IQ Range — Category

145-160: Very gifted or highly advanced

130–144: Gifted or very advanced

120–129: Superior

110–119: High average

90–109: Average

80–89: Low average

70–79: Borderline impaired or delayed

55–69: Mildly impaired or delayed

40–54: Moderately impaired or delayed

To write your "genius" character, you may want them within the Gifted to Very Gifted categories.

Note: With reference to this list, Roid (2003) cautioned that “the important concern is to describe the examinee’s skills and abilities in detail, going beyond the label itself”. The primary value of such labels is as a shorthand reference in some psychological reports.

These are the factors measured by the scale, and you ideally should aim for your "genius" character/s to exhibit high levels of:

Fluid Reasoning: Novel problem solving; understanding of relationships that are not culturally bound

Knowledge: Skills and knowledge acquired by formal and informal education

Quantitative Reasoning: Knowledge of mathematical thinking including number concepts, estimation, problem solving, and measurement

Visual-Spatial Processing: Ability to see patterns and relationships and spatial orientation as well as the gestalt among diverse visual stimuli

Working Memory: Cognitive process of temporarily storing and then transforming or sorting information in memory

Or maybe your character doesn't excel in all of these areas but in a specific one, or just a few of these. Maybe they perform within the average or high average in some, but are highly gifted in other areas.

The following may also guide you in writing your genius character, based on research compiled by Dr. J. Renzulli, which can be found in the Mensa Gifted Youth Handbook:

Characteristics of Giftedness

LEARNING CHARACTERISTICS

Has unusually advanced vocabulary for age or grade level

Has quick mastery and recall of factual information

Wants to know what makes things or people tick

Usually sees more or gets more out of a story, film, etc., than others

Reads a great deal on his or her own; usually prefers adult-level books; does not avoid difficult materials

Reasons things out for him- or herself

MOTIVATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Becomes easily absorbed with and truly involved in certain topics or problems

Is easily bored with routine tasks

Needs little external motivation to follow through in work that initially excited him or her

Strives toward perfection; is self-critical; is not easily satisfied with his or her own speed and products

Prefers to work independently; requires little direction from teachers

Is interested in many "adult" problems such as religion, politics, sex and race

Stubborn in his or her beliefs

Concerned with right and wrong, good and bad

CREATIVITY CHARACTERISTICS

Constantly asking questions about anything and everything

Often offers unusual, unique or clever responses

Is uninhibited in expressions of opinion

Is a high-risk taker; is adventurous and speculative

Is often concerned with adapting, improving and modifying institutions, objects and systems

Displays a keen sense of humor

Shows emotional sensitivity

Is sensitive to beauty

Is nonconforming; accepts disorder; is not interested in details; is individualistic; does not fear being different

Is unwilling to accept authoritarian pronouncements without critical examination

LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

Carries responsibility well

Is self-confident with children his or her own age as well as adults

Can express him- or herself well

Adapts readily to new situations

Is sociable and prefers not to be alone

Generally directs the activity in which he or she is involved

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ⚜ Writing Notes & References

Hope this helps with your writing. Do tag me, or send me a link. I'd love to read your work!

[goldsleeps]

To make this a little more wild, I’d like to offer my two cents on Teacher’s mechanical specifications.

Teacher isn’t just fifty souls in one body.

He’s five hundred souls. In fifty bodies.

The Lyctoral study, and Harrow’s line to Judith, would imply that Teacher’s physical form is being powered, or animated, by over 100 unique souls. But later, in Harrow the Ninth, he claims to have been 50 men ‘laid in a box to wait for the rest of time.’ Those numbers don’t match up, unless he’s talking about fifty physical bodies in Canaan House that we already know about: 47 skeletons, 2 priests, and Teacher. He’s all of them.

I’ve no idea how the Lyctor in charge of this project accomplished the feat, but somehow they tied a huge bundle of souls into one mega-gestalt entity, and imbued it with control over dozens of separate, exquisitely animated forms. I’d think it would be a struggle for even a Lyctor to maintain that many well-oiled constructs, at a distance, for much time - unless of course, those bodies originally belonged to the Lyctor’s souls (see Ianthe Naberius.) I think it’s probable that each Canaan House construct, Teacher included, has their original soul attached to keep the body happy, plus extras to keep it animated past death - between 2 and ‘more than a hundred’ judging by the pinboard.

This also answers another question (which everyone else may have known about, but I’ve never had it answered to my satisfaction) which is: why did all the skeleton servants fall apart? I don’t think it was Cytherea.

Teacher resisted binding spells, blew out Marta’s eye, desiccated Judith’s arm, divorced Marta’s skeleton from her body, and summoned a huge bone shard to impale Judith. Killed a cavalier primary of the Second and brutally disabled her necromancer, by himself. Up til now there was no indication he could use necromancy.

My theory is that Teacher consolidated all 500 souls animating the Canaan House staff into his primary body to stop the Second from using the communications rig. He became, in effect, 2.5 Harrowharks’ worth of soul-gestalt necromancer (I hope she’ll forgive me for using her as a unit of measurement) trying to save the Emperor. And in the process, every other construct in the complex fell apart, now no more than bones.

The rest of the evidence I have to back this up can be summarized as ‘vibes’: Isaac talks about how creepy it is to have the skeletons watching you, the skeletons’ universal refusal to descend into the facility, etc. It would make sense if they were fifty entities with the same rules binding them, but it helps affirm my sense that they’re all one creature with one mind, watching through the sockets of a hundred eyes.

I may have seen one long ago and just forgotten, but do you happen to know of any particular writings unpacking the whole situation with Teacher in HTN?? It seems like he is portrayed so differently in Harrow’s brain, and I have always wondered how it is that Harrow’s brain Teacher knows all of this more detail history about Canaan House when Harrow herself doesn’t know all that yet.

I don't know of any off the top on my head, but for my part I'm pretty sure that's really Teacher, just like Abigail, Marta, and the others are really themselves.

Like you point out, there's no way Harrow could have just imagined all the insider knowledge he has of Canaan House, and Judith killed him, so he is dead and therefore available.

He doesn't start off all that different from the way he was in Gideon the Ninth. He's always been a bit. Uh. Kooky. And intense. With his little sermons about "the sum of all necromantic transgression" and "murder is done by the living", and the way he tells Gideon that he's always hated water and then laughs hysterically with her when she points out he's surrounded by the sea. His speech about the Sleeper is more exposition than he ever gave in life, but Harrow needed someone to feed lines explaining the scenario.

It's after they start realizing that they're in the River, and someone is dreaming the scenario, that Teacher really goes off the rails. And who can blame him? The man is fifty souls smashed together in a necromantic hadron collider and left to marinate for ten thousand years.

As he puts it,

Now here he is, finally dead and in the River, and he's been drawn back into a facsimile of his old box. It might be enough to make anyone wander the haunted halls caterwauling in hopes of attracting the second death of oblivion.

I don't know why his lips are so much looser with secrets in the River. Maybe he was necromantically prevented from telling the secrets of Canaan House in life, with a ritual like the Sewn Tongue. Maybe he's just decided "fuck it!" and gone whole ham doling out forbidden knowledge.

Teacher is fascinating, because he's a construct. He's the blueprint for what Kiriona will be, and may be the blueprint for what Harrow is. A manufactured composite soul, tethered to a perfectly preserved body. I don't even know if he was technically alive or dead or a secret third thing, in Canaan House, and that's just wild to me.